It’s been a quiet month in the High Country, our home in a paradise on earth, out here on the edge of the prairie somewhere west of Calgary. All the statistics confirm that Paradise on Earth both exists and thrives here. The question is, what makes High Country a paradise on earth? Why is it here rather than in, say, Edmonton?
One reason is that in addition to our breath-taking landscapes, we have dedicated and motivated neighbors who come together in Crime Watch groups to combat wrongdoing. They prevent our Paradise from becoming a Paradise Lost.
Toward that goal, last month several local organizations here met with Alberta Justice Minister/Solicitor General Doug Schweitzer to find ways of improving our judicial system. Can you think of anything to achieve that goal? Before you read any further, try and guess what the HCRCWA might have suggested to Schweitzer prior to that meeting.
We decried our judicial system as “a revolving door for criminals, a speed bump in the road, just the cost of doing business.” That suggests that not everything is perfect in this Panglossian “best of all possible worlds.” The system of paperwork is a deterrent to law enforcement pressing charges. As a remedy, Alberta is now hiring fifty more prosecutors, but to this outside observer, that is similar to putting fertilizer on weeds.
To many, our judicial system appears too lenient and slanted in favour of criminals. In our rural areas, for example, we see cases of home invasion in which law-abiding citizens are punished along with the criminals. Far be it for the court to do anything to change criminal activity. That curious way to deal with crime discourages us from calling the R.C.M.P. to ask for help. Those who try to protect their property are subject to arrest and court proceedings. In one recent case, Édouard Maurice, a farmer near Okotoks, tried to protect his family and self from intruders by firing a warning shot to scare the criminals. The 22-calibre bullet accidentally ricocheted and hit one of the intruders. That stopped the crime but led to Maurice’s arrest. Many months later, the Crown dropped the charges and conceded that there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction because of new information: a ballistics analysis that took nearly a year to finish. Ironically, that was not the end of the story. The would-be thief is now suing his victim for causing him PTSD and pain in his arm. A frivolous lawsuit. [To find out more about this situation, Google the two words ‘Maurice’ and ‘sued’. The National Post article gives many of the details.]
The HCRCWA gave Solicitor General Schweitzer a lengthy letter—too long to publish here—that suggested several changes Alberta could make to remedy the current situation. At the same meeting, the Foothills Crime Watch President, Donald N. Larson, made other specific recommendations that we summarize here:
- Alberta justice should align itself with the ‘Castle’ and ‘Stand your ground’ principles integrated into law enforcement. [That would certainly have helped Édouard Maurice avoid many of his problems with intruders.]
- Provincial funding should ensure adequate staffing for Crown Prosecutors and the RCMP.
- Mandatory sentencing, fully enforced at both federal and provincial levels, should target repeat serious offenders, including those who commit property crimes.
- In line with the above, the Crown should strengthen requirements for bail when dealing with repeat offenders.
- Alberta should expand the criteria for Civil Forfeiture legislation to permit funding for counsel in civil litigation matters.
- The government should encourage rural communities to form crime watch associations to implement systems for alerting residents about criminal activity.
- Since the current Task Force on rural crime provides a valuable conduit in information between our justice system and rural communities, the government schedule regular tours of the Rural Crime Task Force.
While laws are in place to keep order and maintain civility, many of us here feel our laws are skewed in favor of criminals while punishing law-abiding citizens. Those who wish to steal can do so with little fear of retribution. Judges appear to be reluctant to put anyone in prison for stealing. Yet surely, we could return to a more civilized society. There is a movement afoot to change some laws and policies so that landowners can legally protect themselves and their property. As Voltaire wrote, we must “cultivate our own garden.”
If you would like to help, join a Rural Crime Watch near you. The cost is minimal; the benefits are immense.
So that’s the news from our High Country, where grown-ups often enjoy reading romantic novels, and many of our children are the direct result of that literary predilection. It reminds us of what happened in the original Garden of Eden.
John Robin (‘J.R.’) Allen
jrapriddis@gmail.com
