The City of Pitt Meadows will be seeking support from other municipalities for a resolution to give police the authority to remove gang members from restaurants and bars.
The resolution seeks an amendment to the Liquor Control and Licensing Act to prevent anyone with gang emblems, stripes or colours from having a drink or meal at a licensed establishment.
It will be presented at the annual Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention next week. The resolution was filed at the request of the RCMP, who believe the move will make bars and pubs safer.
Police currently use trespass and defence of property sections of the Criminal Code to remove gangsters and their associates from bars and pubs. However, that requires the permission of bar owners, often placing them at risk.
Alberta has already amended its Gaming and Liquor Act to include a definition of a person involved in gang activity and gives police the authority to remove them from a bar or pub if they pose a threat to public safety.
Following a spate of gang violence, the City of Abbotsford added conditions to its food and liquor business permits that give police similar authority to evict gang members.
Funding change
Pitt Meadows has also submitted a second resolution seeking changes to federal government infrastructure funding.
Currently, funding from Ottawa is only available to municipalities through public-private partnerships.
The city is requesting the federal government give local governments the choice of funding arrangements, instead of limiting funding to P3s.
A third UBCM resolution urges the province to end funding cuts to programs for adults with developmental disabilities and implement a moratorium on the closure of group homes.
The crisis in B.C.’s community living sector.