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Calgary Herald
Nuisance bylaws to be drafted
Will help tackle panhandling, street racing


Colette Derworiz, Calgary Herald
Published: January 5, 2006

Street racing, blocking sidewalks, urinating in public and panhandling could soon be banned by the city after police and bylaw officers asked for additional tools to fight the growing problems.

On Wednesday, council's committee on community and protective services asked for a series of new bylaws to be drafted by July 5 for implementation later this summer.

The rules, many of which have been implemented in other Canadian cities, will give officers more discretion in dealing with public nuisances and public safety that have become more of a problem downtown.

"We are not rednecks," said Ward 6 Ald. Craig Burrows. "We are no different than other cities. . . . We are doing an appropriate response to the growing concern."

Burrows and Ald. Druh Farrell raised the matters last June after noticing increased loitering, fighting, panhandling and littering in the downtown.

During the past year, street racing has also become an issue.

Two men were killed in November in an apparent race on Heritage Drive.

District 1 police Insp. Peter Davison said existing laws require officers to catch racers in the act. A new bylaw might allow police to break up a gathering before a street race begins.

It could also provide extra tools in dealing with public safety issues and public nuisances, he said, noting city bylaws could be used for education as well as enforcement.

"We have to be very careful . . . that we are not creating criminalization of the homeless," Davison said.

Similar concerns were raised by homeless rights advocates and civil libertarians, who have suggested the city should work on getting people off the street rather than creating laws that penalize marginalized Calgarians.

At Wednesday's meeting, Ald. Joe Ceci said his fellow council members should have gone further to deal with the broader issue.

"We are kidding ourselves if we think social problems are going to be dealt with and resolved because of a few bylaws," Ceci told the committee, noting Calgary needs a more comprehensive approach to deal with social problems.

"We need to be preventative.

. . . We need to work with those who want to work to help themselves, as opposed to saying, 'Now you are on the street, you have urinated on the street, you are going to get a fine or you are going to get locked up or you are going to get pushed out into another part of the city,' " he added later.

The committee also agreed to look at the broader issue as part of a social action plan being prepared by the city.

cderworiz@theherald.canwest.com

munch

urinating in public has always been a problem every where

drifter420

Sorry.. had to go urinate on the street.. did someone say somethin?? goes back out... stands there for 5 minutes.. comes back with a fine for being a homeless bumm and loitering in front of my house while urinatin on the street.. lmao..

Lame...

Love the redneck comment though..


Guess if I become homeless.. I'll go to Calgary.. they will put me in a nice 1 bedroom shared accomadation with free meals, clothes and laundry.. use of the facility and rec. room... all cause I stood there for 5 minutes on the street urinating..


Public nuisance.. oh no.. I'm urinating on the street.. public safety.. someone might slip and fall on my urine thats on the street
Wow.. wat would they do to all the shooting like toronto if there biggest concern is urinating on the street