During an update on downtown safety, the Yukon government announced it’s looking to fund two new RCMP members in Whitehorse to specifically address residents’ and businesses’ concerns.
At that update, attended by stakeholders and community partners, Premier Ranj Pillai expressed extreme frustration on behalf of the police force as he said the community has reached a tipping point.
Pillai told a press conference at the Yukon government media room on Sept. 24 that too many people who are trying to get help are prevented from doing so — despite the best efforts from the community — by bad actors who are seeking to turn a profit on others’ trauma, pain and addictions to substances.
“I think that the RCMP are completely frustrated. I think that the RCMP are doing everything they possibly can, and you need a system in place that supports their work,” Pillai said.
“When we see the RCMP put all of the resources into a difficult situation where there's seven or nine cars being dispatched and an ERT (Emergency Response Team) squad, and 10 hours later, somebody’s being released on bail, I think that's pretty difficult for them.”
The press conference was ticketed to include representatives of the RCMP but only Pillai and Justice Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee addressed the room.
Pillai said he recently spoke with Dominic LeBlanc, the federal minister in charge of the RCMP and public safety. The feds pay about half of RCMP costs.
In a joint communiqué following the Council of the Federation this past summer, Canadian premiers across political stripes expressed serious concerns about repeat violent offenders. They noted that recent changes to federal bail legislation may not be functioning as intended. Premiers called for a review of the implementation and application of bail reform, urging the federal government to consider needed changes.
Pillai noted premiers across the country are focused on bail reform to close what he called a “revolving door.”
“There's folks in the community that are constantly, a small group of individuals that are causing a tremendous amount of problems for everybody, and I think the RCMP needs the support,” Pillai said.
“I'm not going to leave my, the justice minister to say this, I'm going to, I'll get myself in trouble and say: You know, we want to make sure that the system uses the tools they have, and people that are doing things have to be accountable for their actions. And if that means incarceration, it's incarceration. But I mean, what's happening right now is absolutely unacceptable.”
McPhee said the Yukon is seeing a similar story to what’s unfolding in “almost every other Canadian jurisdiction,” noting the substance use health emergency has “shaken the core of society.”
She indicated the funding increase for two additional police officers will be brought forward in an upcoming supplementary budget when the Yukon Legislative Assembly reconvenes in October.
Additionally, the territory is seeking to fund a Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) Act investigator, per McPhee. McPhee explained the SCAN unit is intended to respond to complaints and disrupt activities that adversely affect communities like downtown Whitehorse.
“The use of civil legislation increases the public's access to justice in a timely manner by providing a confidential means of redress. The additional SCAN investigator may allow for a more rapid response to complaints about illicit activities such as drug trafficking as well as other activities that affect community safety in Whitehorse,” McPhee said.
The new proposed funding will require legislative support to pass, McPhee noted.
McPhee said conversations have begun with the RCMP, the Public Prosecution Service of Canada and the legal community around repeat offenders and exploring potential options for holding them to account.
McPhee said the Yukon government is working with the City of Whitehorse to come up with a community safety and well-being plan for the city. Once the plan is laid out, clear actions and organizational responsibility for implementation will be identified, she said.
“We know that some downtown safety issues are linked to gender-based violence and the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls,” McPhee said.
“That is clearly unacceptable.”
McPhee announced part of the lower level of the Yukon legislative building will reopen as a warming centre this fall, following what she deemed a successful pilot project.
Per Pillai, who is the minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation and Economic Development, renovations at 408 Alexander St., across from the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter, will be done soon. Starting this fall, the Safe at Home Society will run a supportive housing program out of the building, with support from the territorial Department of Health and Social Services.
Pillai said the program is intended for vulnerable, unhoused Yukoners.
“This program will include around-the-clock support and supervision and, most importantly, guest management to keep predators and unwanted guests away,” Pillai said.
Pillai noted “congregation problems” in the area around the shelter and 408 Alexander St.
The elected representatives also highlighted the importance of harm reduction in the territory.
Pillai indicated the government is making progress on the substance use health emergency, declared by the territory in January 2022, noting about half as many deaths due to substance use in 2024 compared to 2023 reported by the coroner.
“Given some of the extremely challenging situations that Whitehorse residents have been experiencing over the summer, I want to be clear that when we're speaking about harm reduction, we are speaking not just about the harm that occurs to those who use substances. We are speaking about the broader harms to the entire community,” Pillai said.
“We cannot focus on harm reduction for only one specific group of the population. While people who use substances are the victims of a disease, that does not give them free rein to cause harm, and that cycle must be broken.”
Details on a new grant program for businesses and organizations to improve security are expected to be released this fall, which will also require legislative approval for the money.
The territory released its downtown safety action plan in 2023. The living document continues to be regularly updated online, per Pillai and McPhee.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
