Yukon safer communities law declared a success despite critics

Yukon legislation aimed at ridding neighbourhoods of crime houses has been deemed a success by government and supporters, but some critics say the law has not addressed any underlying issues that lead to criminal activity.

Under the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) Act, which was passed in May 2006, members of the public can file complaints about a property that they believe has criminal activity, such as drug dealing, prostitution and bootlegging.

SCAN investigators look into the complaint, and tenants can be served eviction notices if they are engaged in criminal behaviour at that property.

In releasing its first-year SCAN results this week, the territorial government said the public has made 139 complaints about 108 properties since the SCAN office opened in late 2006. Those complaints led to 17 tenants being evicted.

"The traffic, the taxis, the speeding vehicles, the people wandering around the street zoned out — that will be curtailed quite quickly after the place is no longer a [crime] source," said John Pattimore, a member of the Downtown Residents' Association in Whitehorse, where 90 per cent of the complaints were based.

But Patricia Bacon, executive director of the Blood Ties Four Directions Centre, said the act's goal of reducing the number of crime houses doesn't solve all problems.

"We don't have any evidence to suggest that as a result of SCAN, there are less people addicted to drugs … that there are less people who are struggling with issues around poverty and housing," Bacon said.

Furthermore, she said SCAN's apparent success has created some unintended victims: some women and children have been evicted from their homes, even if they were not directly involved in any criminal activity.

"I think we have to move away from some kind of a stereotype that a drug house or drug dealer is this lone male who's got some sort of a house going on … and he's his own island," she said.

"Oftentimes, what we are seeing is that people who are dealing drugs, or people who are using drugs, people who are letting people come into their homes to use drugs — they can be families, and they can be spouses and women and children or minors, that sort of thing."

Still, Yukon Justice Minister Marian Horne called SCAN a great success, stating in a news release that Yukoners support the legislation and feel safer in their communities after one year in operation.