Downtown Timmins Business Improvement Association Wants Private Security to Patrol Area
Timmins Canada December 24, 2022
The Downtown Timmins Business Improvement Association (BIA) wants to hire a private security firm and street outreach workers to patrol downtown Timmins, and other commercial areas.
Cindy Campbell, the outgoing executive director, made the deputation to city council at a budget meeting on Dec. 15.
“Many business owners cannot afford private security, they cannot afford to keep replacing broken windows, they cannot afford increased insurance premiums based on claims of theft or vandalism,” she said.
The goal of the proposal is to promote a vibrant downtown that will attract new businesses and tourists, she said.
Campbell requested $125,000 for a one-year pilot project. Following a request for proposals, the BIA would contract a private security firm to patrol the streets of downtown and other commercial areas on foot and by car from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. Campbell did not specify how many days a week the patrol would occur.
This would reduce crime and vandalism and take pressure off the Timmins Police Service, Campbell argued in her deputation, which was supported by the Timmins Chamber of Commerce.
Chamber pesident Dan Ayotte was in attendance to present the chamber’s business confidence report.
“Together, our organizations are responsible for the health and prosperity of just under 1,000 businesses in the City of Timmins,” said Campbell.
The Timmins Police Service assigns officers to patrol the streets mostly in the summer, when calls are more frequent, and sporadically throughout the winter. Their Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team looks out for people at risk of a brush with the law, and puts them in touch with the right resources, said Marc Depatie, communications coordinator with the TPS, when asked to describe the extent of the service’s outreach efforts.
Their Outreach and Community Safety Team has a strong presence downtown, where the clients they are trying to serve are found, he said.
“Our presence is as strong as we can physically make it,” said Depatie, adding that the police make use of cameras, crime-mapping, and closed-circuit television that certain businesses have.
That footage has helped them locate and identify criminals in the past.
“We’re very much aware of the concerns of the local business community, we share those concerns, and are doing everything we can within the confines of the law,” he said.
The police can only arrest someone if they are a risk to themselves or others, he said. If they are at risk of homelessness, or in need of medication or medical care, they will connect them with needed services, Depatie said.
Asked what businesses can do to secure their properties after hours, Depatie suggested they can contact the TPS and ask to speak to the community policing officer about their Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design program. An assessment of their property will be conducted and guidance offered for improving security. There is a cost involved.
Following Campbell’s deputation, Coun. Lorne Feldman offered his support, pending further details. He recalled when Sonya Biemann, owner of Lemongrass home décor, was assaulted at her business in August 2020, suffering a head injury.
“As a community, we cannot accept that, whatever the reason is,” he said. “It’s disturbing and astonishing,” said the councillor, a businessman himself as the owner of Feldman Timber.
Campbell requested another $125,000 for a concurrent one-year pilot to hire and train street outreach workers who could connect vulnerable people to services. The BIA has spoken with the Living Space, the Porcupine Health Unit, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) and the Cochrane and District Social Services Administration Board.
From those conversations, Campbell said they concluded, “There is no one providing actual on-street outreach. Agencies are providing outreach to clients that are referred to them but no one is providing outreach to the most vulnerable people living on the streets.”
However, Krista Green, communications specialist with the CMHA, told The Daily Press that their association does in fact have outreach workers, who both respond to calls and patrol proactively.
Campbell, during her presentation to council, said a special effort would be made to recruit youth and “people with lived experience.”
These workers would also function as safety ambassadors, providing assistance to the general public, including accompanying people to their vehicles or to transit. Their hours would be from 6 to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday.
Campbell stressed that both the night patrol and outreach worker proposals are in line with the city’s 2021 Community Safety and Well-Being Plan, which prioritizes sharing responsibility to improve the safety of all residents.
The BIA’s request will be discussed in the new year, when budget deliberations will continue with a view to finalizing the 2023 budget.
Campbell has resigned as executive director of the BIA, effective Dec. 31. The announcement was made Nov. 23 by the BIA board to its membership. The board declined to grant an interview for this article.
