Critics oppose task force, gun ban as council looks to tackle rise in crime

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — Solutions are being sought to address a rise in gun violence in Calgary, but Alberta’s Premier does not think the answer lies in banning handguns.

At Calgary City Hall on Tuesday, councillors discussed a motion from Ward 5’s George Chahal and Mayor Naheed Nenshi about creating a public safety task force that would engage with various groups in the hopes of finding more answers on what is causing the problem.

The motion passed by a slim margin during the Priorities and Finance Committee by a vote of 4-3, and it will be debated during a full council meeting in February.

Some councillors brought up concerns about the proposal.

“(The Calgary Police Commission) has brought up the same types of issues that have been voiced here, we have brought up concerns around what are we doing to tackle this,” said Ward 3’s Jyoti Gondek, who is also a member of the Commission.

Gondek suggested holding a meeting with the Commission and Calgary Police Service first, before rushing to create a task force.

“Until you know the current situation, I don’t see how you would bring this forward. That’s my concern. As your representative, the one you duly appointed, I haven’t been consulted at all.”

Ward 4 Councillor Sean Chu also opposed the idea, as the former police officer said some of his former colleagues believe this attempt is a slap in the face to them and the efforts of investigators.

However, Nenshi said this task force would help with bringing in as many people into the conversation as possible.

“It’s a broader conversation about community safety. And it’s important that members of the community — some of whom may feel, shall we say alienated from the police service because of their own background or countries they come from — have the opportunity to participate in this way,” said the mayor.

There is also a debate about banning some guns, in the hopes it reduces access for criminals. Chahal also mentioned in an interview with 660 NEWS that there might be a way to take gun manufacturers to court and hold them responsible for the violence.

On Monday, during the Liberal Party Cabinet retreat in Winnipeg, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said they are implementing a gun control strategy, and they could leave the option of a handgun ban up to municipal governments.

This idea was firmly pushed back on by Premier Jason Kenney during a press conference in Calgary.

“Criminals do not respect gun bans,” Kenney said. “I don’t see how criminalizing law-abiding firearm owners is a solution.”

Kenney said this is an issue we have seen before in Calgary, and other factors are driving the problem, not just a lack of community engagement.

“Look, it’s no secret this is highly related to criminal drug activity, to drug gangs engaged in turf warfare. That’s typically where this comes from.”

The premier then put some of the blame on the federal government, admonishing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for removing mandatory minimum prison sentences for firearm or narcotics offences.

He also suggested that Canada should consider sanctions on a country such as China over the exports of fentanyl, a drug he believes is fuelling the crime wave.

“Let’s focus our laws and the enforcement activities on the criminals. Not on people who go to a legal gun range and observe the very stringent laws that already exist.”