Once Safe Communities, Need Better Solutions

26 March 2026

Last week, I received a letter.  In it, the person talked about a bylaw officer passing by a person addicted and laying on the sidewalk with a pipe smoldering next to them in order to give a parking ticket to a commercial vehicle that was parked in the wrong spot.  One of these people is a contributing member of society that pays taxes and employs people. The other is a person desperately in need of help and an intervention, that shouldn’t be neglected.

In Parliament, I’ve spoken often about the serious social challenges gripping our country. Challenges that were barely visible in our communities a decade ago:  homelessness, addiction, crime. What is alarming is how these issues are emerging in smaller centres, like those in our own riding of Similkameen–South Okanagan–West Kootenay. Rural communities are carrying a tremendous burden, one that is too often overlooked.

Take Penticton, for example. Crime doesn’t necessarily show up in the statistics. Many residents are saying they don’t bother reporting what they see.  Other comments include “Blatant drug deals, drug use, driving after drug use, door checking with an intent to steal, loitering, starting fires, etc.  These may not be massive crimes but all lead to an unsafe place.”   

Another heartbreaking example is the case involving the individuals accused of swarming and killing Taig Savage in Penticton. Nearly five years have passed since his death, yet the trial has not even begun. This delay is cruel to Taig’s family, his friends, and to a community that continues to grieve and deserves timely justice. 

Today, our crime rates are worsened by prolific offenders who are repeatedly released under a weak judicial and bail system that is simply not working.

So what are we doing to help? I will continue to raise this issue in Parliament until the Liberal government reverses the policies of the past decade that have tilted the system in favour of offenders rather than victims.

In recent speeches and questions, I offered a better way forward. 

  • Mandatory minimum sentences to keep prolific dangerous offenders off our streets. 
  • Investments in mental‑health support that is available when people need it.
  • Provide family doctors for timely health care with better outcomes and lower cost through solutions like addressing the barriers for Canadian medical personnel trained elsewhere in the world so they can return to practice in Canada sooner.
  • Immediate medical care for those struggling with addiction.
  • Stop funding an ongoing supply of drugs that leave people sick and desperate and invest in treatment and a path to recovery in our communities.

As your Member of Parliament, I want to have a serious discussion about crime, justice and your safety.   Join me at a Community Safety Town Hall with my colleague MP Frank Caputo at 7 pm on Weds April 8th at 696 Main St. Penticton or write me with your ideas and concerns.

Once-safe communities, need better solutions | Opinion | pentictonherald.ca