AMM president pushes MPs to pass bail reform bill

WINNIPEG — The head of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities urged federal MPs to hurry up and pass Bill C-14 to reform bail and sentencing in order to keep violent repeat offenders off the streets.

“This isn’t about detaining people without reason or locking people up and throwing away the key,” Kathy Valentino told the standing committee in justice and human rights in Ottawa Monday.

“It’s about recognizing patterns, assessment, assessing risk and putting public safety first,” the AMM president and Thompson city councillor said, citing three high-profile examples from Manitoba.

Last year, near Portage la Prairie, Kellie Verwey, 28 died in a collision on Highway 26. James Lorne Hilton, 24, is accused of being impaired behind the wheel of a stolen pickup truck that veered into oncoming traffic and caused the fatal accident. Police had issued a warrant for Hilton’s arrest days earlier because he had repeatedly violated release conditions imposed due to previous offences.

Last month, a Brandon man was sentenced to one year in jail after he struck a man with a machete in an incident that caused a lockdown at a nearby school. Hoksida Blacksmith, 19, pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon and failing to comply with a release order.

Valentino said Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham has pointed to an offender who, in his mid-20s, was convicted of 24 violent crimes over 11 years and violated bail or probation conditions 12 separate times.

“Taken together, these incidents underscore the need for strong reforms to deter crime and prioritize our public safety,” Valentino said.

Bill C-14 — An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the National Defence Act proposes more than 80 clauses of targeted changes. It focuses on stricter bail laws to address violent and repeat offending and organized crime and tougher sentencing laws for serious and violent crimes.

“We want the strengthened ‘reverse onus’ to happen because we’re seeing more and more that it’s the repeat offenders that are continually getting out quicker and creating crime in our communities,” Valentino said. Reverse onus provisions require the accused to prove why they should get bail.

Adequate resources for policing, courts and corrections are needed for C-14 to work, the AMM president said, calling on provinces to step up and boost the capacity of the court system to prevent backlogs and delays. Investing in mental health, addictions and social supports is key to preventing crime and repeat offences, she said.

“We want a justice system that instils public confidence, one that protects our communities while remaining fair and effective,” Valentino told the committee.

The Criminal Code changes will be effective only if provincial and territorial governments do their part in supporting their implementation, the federal government said.

“This includes properly managing and resourcing the administration of justice, including police and prosecution services under their jurisdiction, bail courts, bail supervision programs, provincial courts, jails and victim services,” the federal Justice Department said.

Provinces and territories need to step up, said Brian Sauve, president of the National Police Federation, which represents 20,000 RCMP officers.

“(There’s) not enough places to put offenders pre-trial,” Sauve told the committee in Ottawa.

He urged the bill’s passage to allow for better data sharing and monitoring of accused on release.

The province is doing its part, a provincial spokesperson said.

“From Day 1, our government has been committed to rebuilding the justice system after years of PC neglect that saw them close hundreds of cells, including the Dauphin Correctional Centre,” the spokesperson said in an email.

“Key to that was improving the capacity of the justice system. Our government reduced the vacancy rates among court support staff and Crown attorneys, funded the hiring of 36 new Winnipeg police (officers), increased the funding for municipal police by 30 per cent and committed to building a new centre for justice in Dauphin.”

» Winnipeg Free Press