The hall in the Ponoka Drp-in Centre was packed for the Ponoka RCMP public engagement session on Oct. 24, with some people standing in the back.
With local crime rates and homeless issues in the community spotlight recently, the meeting was held to address some of the concerns.
Several presenters spoke, including Mayor Kevin Ferguson, Lacombe-Ponoka MLA Jennifer Johnson, outgoing deputy chief prosecutor from the Wetaskiwin Prosecutors Office Damian Rogers, and Paul Henning from Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN).
The RCMP's two main goals with the meeting were to provide an opportunity for citizens to see how each service works together and functions and how to collaborate going forward, said Ponoka RCMP detachment commander Staff Sgt. Erin St-Cyr.
Coming out of COVID, Ponoka saw an increase in addictions, crime and homelessness and the town needs more support from the federal government, said Ferguson, adding there has been some support from the province but not enough.
"I'm sorry to say Jennifer, I still think I need a little bit more," he said, addressing Johnson.
A statement released by Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services Jason Nixon on Oct. 23, said the province is yet to receive an offer of encampment funding from the federal government, though the province invested almost $210 million in homelessness initiatives in 2024.
Ferugson explained how the town is addressing vagrancy, saying they're removing problematic foliage and shutting down encampments as soon as they find them and then cleaning up the biohazardous materials such as needles. He added citizens should report such areas rather than trying to clean them up themselves.
"Legislatively, we will do what we can at our level," he said, adding council is working on "adding more teeth" to the town bylaws regarding derelict properties and vagrancy.
On Oct. 22, council passed first reading of a new derelict properties bylaw and during upcoming budget deliberations they will be discussing increasing police presence, said Ferguson.
Those are their goals over the winter months while they have some "breathing room" and anything else they can get in place by spring, he said.
The town will be looking to their partners in government for more resources, said Ferguson, adding he recently took MP Blaine Calkins and Johnson for a ride around town, showing them the encampments and derelict properties "so they could get a chance to see what it's like on the ground."
Another concern Ferguson brought forward was the number of prolific offenders on probation living within the Town of Ponoka.
In January, there were 11 individuals under probation, compared to an average of two or three for comparably-sized communities, according to Ferguson.
While the mayor said those people aren't necessarily criminals or causing problems themselves it may be drawing more unknown people to town.
"Usually the people that hang around people like this aren't nuns and choir boys," said Ferguson.
"There's almost no words for it," said Johnson about what she saw during her ride-along.
"Homelessness and crime is a problem everywhere but that doesn't make it an easier pill to swallow," said Johnson, adding her first question to the House when it reconvenes on Oct. 28 will be about Ponoka and crime.
Rogers explained that the Wetaskiwin Court of King's bench, which serves Ponoka and Rimbey, sees around 4,500 adult prosecutions per year, with their 12 prosecutors working on 1,200 files at any given time, and 100 King's Bench files at any given time.
The jurisdiction has a "high volume" of serious, violent crime, he said.
In the most recently available data Wetaskiwin ranked 30th in the country on the Crime Severity Index and Ponoka, though it has a smaller demographic area, has some of the same types of challenges, said Rogers.
He spoke about the difference between the standard of proof for prosecuting cases versus for laying charges and that prosecutors are directed to pursue cases that have a likelihood of conviction.
Rogers presented on the the changes to bail reforms that were announced in January, 2024.
"I think it's a little too soon for us to say what the impact of those changes have been," he said.
He explained while the onus is now on offenders to show they meet bail requirements, rather than on the Crown to show they don't, the three main considerations are still the same.
"That is a potentially positive change to the bail environment."
He added that citizens can help prosecutors by providing statements and follow-up evidence so they can secure convictions.
Elizabeth Vandelle, the community program officer for the community safety and well being branch of the Alberta RCMP, presented on some of the tools available to help report and curb crime, such as community watch advisories and reducing crime through environmental design.
Hennig, a retired Edmonton police officer, has been part of SCAN since it began in Alberta in 2008.
SCAN is a unit under the Alberta Sheriffs that operates under the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act. The act allows the unit to use legal sanctions and court orders to hold property owners accountable for illegal activity happening on their property such as drug activity, prostitution and gang-related crime.
Residents who are concerned about a property can report it to SCAN by calling 1-866-960-SCAN or filing a complaint online at alberta.ca/report-suspicious-property.
To warrant an investigation, the problem must be habitual and have an adverse effect on the community and interfere with the peaceful enjoyment of property or cause area residents to feel unsafe.
Once an investigation confirms illegal activity, the unit will contact the property owner to try to resolve the issue informally. If that isn't successful, SCAN can apply to the courts for a Community Safety Order (CSO) to impose restrictions. In some cases, properties are closed up to 90 days and property owners have to pay for the clean up.
A CSO can impose conditions on a property, such as terminating tenancy agreements or prohibiting visitors for up to two years.
Rogers said SCAN has about five open files in Ponoka right now that will probably be assigned to investigators soon.
"We feel all the same things and the same frustrations," said St-Cyr to wrap up the meeting. "We want very much to work together to find a path forward."
Attendees were invited to stay, have coffee and ask questions.
