Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As our government prepares to take over land management, it’s time to examine our policies, and perhaps it’s time to look at trespass legislation. I’m not talking about the hunters or snowmobilers who enjoy their time as they sneak across the hinterland, or those people who are out picking berries or walking their dogs. I’m talking about those people who interfere with public and private property within our northern communities.
This is a very real issue. I’ve travelled the North and I’ve heard complaints both in Inuvik, Norman Wells and, yes, even here in Yellowknife. Many Yellowknife Centre business constituents have come to me and talked to me about difficult challenges they’ve had to deal with when it comes to people obstructing public access. It’s time to do something.
Right now their hands are tied and they’re looking for leadership from their government. When you have someone blocking the entranceway of a building and you’re trying to provide customer service, and you have someone accosting just passersby, they’re not technically breaking a law. You don’t think the RCMP has anything better to do? They call. They don’t come. There is nothing the business owners can do. It is frustrating for business people.
If you’re a homeowner, do you need to have to put up a fence for people who constantly are walking across your property and showing no regard?
It is time this government takes a quick look at this situation and says, is there a strategy? Possibility? Is there a way we can start thinking out of the box? Is it time for trespass legislation? Is it right for the North?
There may be several solutions out there, but trespass legislation could be one of them. For example, a store or a restaurant owner or a mall owner won’t tell our hotelier. They all want to provide good general public access. But again, if someone is obstructing it, they may not technically be breaking a law, but they are interfering with good harmony of good, normal, law-abiding citizens. The variety of reasons is far too many to talk about here today, but I can tell you poor abuse of behaviour tends to be the highlight of the bigger problem.
It would give people like storeowners and property owners the ability to say, please move on, stop blocking my customers and allow me to have my space that I pay for. Again, they may not be breaking a technical criminal code, but we must do something. It is time to empower our people with the right opportunity.
Places like Saskatchewan and many other provinces have enacted and updated their laws to deal with trespassers and help them deal with this problem.
Once again, we need some timely action from this particular government. I have raised this issue on a number of occasions. I am hoping Minister McLeod will have a chance to look at this issue, take it seriously and see what we can do for all northern residents. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
