Whitehorse councillors concerned by violent crime

Some Whitehorse city councillors say they're disturbed by recent cases of violent crime, and at least one councillor says the city needs more police.

On the weekend, two men were shot and injured on a downtown street. Police have called it a "targeted event," but have not said more about the incident.

"It was a shocking thing to hear about," said councillor Betty Irwin. "We definitely could use a larger police presence here in Whitehorse."

The weekend shootings follow several other violent crimes this year in Whitehorse. In February, a woman was injured in a drive-by shooting near a downtown bar. In August, Whitehorse resident Christopher Brisson went missing and was found dead a few days later, prompting a homicide investigation. In October, a condo unit was mysteriously peppered with gunfire.  

"It's becoming more of a metropolitan city and we're getting a lot of the same problems that the big cities do," Irwin said.

"We're just growing up, that's all. And part of the growth is that we're going to see more violence."

'Keep it in perspective'

Councillor Rob Fendrick said he's not sure there's any cause for alarm at this point, because violence is nothing new. He said the city works closely with RCMP, and will wait to hear if there has been a significant spike in violent crime. 

"I think it's definitely prevalent in Whitehorse, but I don't really see an increase at this point," Fendrick said.

Another councillor, Samson Hartland, called the recent shootings "chilling," and said crime rates may reflect a troubled local economy. He pointed to the reported increase in petty crime, such as theft and vandalism.  

As for violent crime, Hartland said residents should "keep it in perspective."

"These are not innocent individuals that are being targeted," Hartland said. "That doesn't mean it's something that we can't pay attention to, because it only takes one stray bullet."