Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today I’d like to speak about protecting your property from thieves. I’ve lived in Yellowknife for almost 30 years. There was a time when I remember that most people thought nothing of not locking their homes when they went out shopping or to visit friends, and locking your vehicle was certainly not your first instinct when you arrived at your destination.
Times have changed, Mr. Speaker. Like many Yellowknifers, I have been hit by these roaming bands of thieves who target vehicles that are left unlocked. It didn’t happen at the store. It didn’t happen at work. It happened right in my own driveway. In July I had made the mistake of leaving my wallet in the centre console and the thieves took the couple hundred dollars I had and all the spare change that was in my vehicle that night. Fortunately, the thieves didn’t grab the entire wallet; they were after cash. Again, this was right out of my own driveway.
Mr. Speaker, the RCMP caught a pair of individuals at the beginning of September who they believe were responsible for a number of thefts that were occurring around Yellowknife. However, thieves are still operating in the city, targeting unlocked vehicles. They are looking for items they can sell quickly -- likely phones, cameras, computers, iPods -- and any money they can find. These thieves are working many areas of the city: the Finlayson Drive area, Bourque Crescent, Gitzel Street, Con Road and in the downtown core. No area is safe from these thieves who are preying on people who forget to lock their vehicles.
Mr. Speaker, money and goods can be replaced, but when a digital camera is stolen which contains thousands of pictures of children, family and special events, it’s something that just cannot be replaced and you can’t put a price on that type of loss.
I’d like to thank the RCMP for all they’re doing to try to apprehend these thieves and trying to get them off of our streets. They obviously have no respect for other people’s property and think nothing about stealing.
This recent wave of vehicle break-ins undoubtedly speaks to a bigger issue and that is drug use in our city. These thieves, no doubt, are looking for quick cash or something they can turn into quick cash to feed their addiction.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I just want to remind people to lock their doors, especially in their vehicles and in their homes. That is the best deterrent, Mr. Speaker. Just remember to lock your doors. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Ramsay. The honourable Member for Tu Nedhe, Mr. Beaulieu.
