Officials respond to Tri-Cities parents' concerns about youth violence
A group of parents in the Tri-Cities has taken matters into their own hands after their children were randomly attacked by other youths.
They formed a group called Safe Streets Tri-Cities and started a petition, calling on the three local mayors to respond to the alarming trend of violence perpetrated by youths.
“It concerns me as the mayor; it concerns me as a parent,” said Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West.
He said the city is taking matters seriously and doing all it can to encourage young people to go on the right path.
“We have a very robust Youth Outreach Program. We have tons of programs to engage young people,” he explained. “We took steps recently to remove financial barriers to ensure that all of our residents, including young people, can fully participate in the wide range of recreation programming.”
West calls on representatives from other levels of government to also take action.
“The other levels of government need to step up to ensure that there is police resources, that there is accountability in the criminal justice system when someone is violent and hurts someone that that person is held accountable,” he said.
MOUNTIES INCREASE PATROLS
Coquitlam RCMP, which polices Coquitlam and Port Coquitlam, said it is continuing to work with offenders and their guardians, along with external partners, such as the local school district, youth Crown counsel and youth probation.
"We take any report of violence seriously, especially when it may involve a young person,” said Cpl. Alexa Hodgins, media relations officer with the Coquitlam RCMP, in an email.
“Our youth officers are actively engaged with our community partners to ensure that the victims remain supported while the offenders are held accountable for their actions."
They say officers have also increased patrols in areas frequented by youth known to police.
Since the incidents involve minors, police cannot provide their identities.
However, they do share that some of the assaults involve the same individuals. Not all of the cases are related, and some are isolated incidents, police said.
Safe Streets Tri-Cities will be meeting with the three local mayors later this month.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.