RCMP plans for Gabriola?
Did you know that the RCMP is thinking of removing staff from some island detachments, and/or amalgamating detachments? I didn’t, but then, I don’t go to Islands Trust meetings; apparently this was discussed at the December Trust Council meeting.
The Islands Trust has just published a letter (.pdf here) that Sheila Malcolmson sent to Attorney General Michael de Jong about this issue. She says, in part:
The Islands Trust understands the need for policies that protect RCMP officer safety and understands that other small communities are likely experiencing similar situations. We would just ask that in your contract negotiations with the RCMP, you take into account the difficulty of access to Gulf Islands communities when an urgent police response is needed, particularly in inclement weather.
If the RCMP does re-organize things, will it affect Gabriola? One wonders. The issue seems to be backup, at least according to this Times Colonist article from March 2008: Some Island RCMP detachments too small to comply with national policy.
Filed in Gabriola Island,Islands Trust 2 Comments so far
2 Responses to “RCMP plans for Gabriola?”
Stetler on 29 Jan 2010 at 8:03 pm #
I would love to see a fourth police officer on the island, if he or she were assigned to catch reckless drivers. We’re certainly pretty quiet compared to Nanaimo or anywhere else, but I’m fed up with people who drive too fast, who don’t stay in their own lanes, who won’t wait five seconds for a car to go by without pulling out in front of it. You’d think islanders would have some patience and courtesy, but far too many don’t.
Gabriolan on 29 Jan 2010 at 8:10 pm #
Stetler –
>You’d think islanders would have some patience and courtesy, but far too many don’t.
Have you seen the sign at Arbutus Building Supplies? It says something like
I love that sign.