NELSON POLICE BOARD Regular Meeting AGENDA

Tuesday, December 5, 2017 at 4:00 PM in NPD Board Room, 2nd Floor, 606 Stanley Street, Nelson, BC

Page

. 1. Adoption of the Agenda . 1.a. Adopt Agenda as presented

Recommendation: That the agenda be adopted as circulated. . 2. Presentations / Audience with Board . 2.a. Restorative Justice Coordinator with program update . 3. Adoption of Minutes of Previous Meetings . 3.a. Police Board minutes of October 24, 2017 3 - 5

Recommendation: That the minutes of the Regular meeting of the Nelson Police Board of October 24, 2017 be adopted as circulated.

. 4. Business Arising from Previous Meeting(s) . 4.a. Strategic Plan Update . 5. Chief Constable's Reports . 5.a. Financial Report 6 - 7

Recommendation: That the Nelson Police Board receives and accepts the Financial Report as presented.

. 5.b. BCAMCP / BCACP Update . 5.c. Community Policing . 5.d. Restorative Justice . 5.e. Marijuana Dispensaries . 5.f. Fentanyl . 6. Directors' Reports . 7. Mayor's Report . 8. Correspondence & Information .

Page 1 of 23

8.a. Correspondence and Information (four attachments) 8 - 23

Recommendation: That the Correspondence and Information documents be received as presented.

. 9. New Business/Late Items . 9.a. CAPG Conference 2018 FYI - The Conference dates are August 8-12 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. . 10. Adjournment . 10.a. Recommendation: That the Eighth Regular meeting of 2017 of the Nelson Police Board be adjourned, and the next meeting be held on January 16, 2018 at 4 PM.

Page 2 of 23 3. 3.a.

THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF NELSON Minutes of the Nelson Police Board REGULAR Meeting Nelson, British Columbia October 24, 2017

THE NELSON POLICE BOARD REGULAR MEETING was held in NPD Board Room, 2nd Floor, 606 Stanley Street, Nelson, BC, on October 24, 2017 at 4:00 p.m.

PRESENT Mayor Deb Kozak, Chair Director Liz Edwards Director Am Naqvi Director Bill Reid Director Hilda Taylor

Chief Constable Paul Burkart Board Secretary Shiloh Perkins

Adopt Agenda Moved by Director Taylor, seconded by Director Reid as presented And Resolved: That the agenda be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

Introduction Barb Vincent and Nina Hamilton provided a brief introduction and biography to the of Victim Board. They are the two new victim services workers. They have been working in Services the Program since September. Workers

Police Board Moved by Director Naqvi, seconded by Director Taylor Minutes of And Resolved: September 19, That the minutes of the Regular meeting of the Nelson Police Board of 2017 September 19, 2017 be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

Business No business arising from the previous meeting. Arising

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting PagePage 3 1 of of 23 3 3. 3.a.

Financial The financial report was provided and currently indicates under budget. Report Moved by Director Naqvi, seconded by Director Edwards And Resolved: That the Nelson Police Board receives and accepts the Financial Report as presented.

CARRIED

BCAMCP / Discussions included: BCACP • Municipalities should not expect revenue from the Provincial Government Update when it comes to legalization of marijuana. • After-hours bail hearings will require extra staffing from police. Court Liaison Officer may need to work weekends. This is in response to a recent Alberta decision not allowing police officers to do bail hearings.

Community The process has begun to recruit five more volunteer reserves. Policing

Restorative Currently working with North Shore Restorative Justice on developing policies and Justice procedures.

Marijuana As noted above. Dispensaries

Fentanyl The Diversity Advisory Sub-Committee have been meeting and have two workshops planned for November 22 and November 30, 2017.

Directors' The BCAPB 2018 conference theme will "Fit for the Future". An updated Reports resolutions document will be provided to Boards prior to the conference.

Discussions occurred on formalizing police boards with Police Services taking more of a role in the process.

Canadian Association of Police Governance Conference will be held in Winnipeg.

Mayor's The Street Culture Collaborative has asked City Council for funding for another Report year. While they are not getting funding from Interior Health, they are receiving funding from other sources. The Collaborative will present year-end statistics to City Council and have asked for police and bylaw to attend that Council meeting. Action Item: Chief Burkart to arrange for police and bylaw to attend that Council meeting.

Correspondence No correspondence.

Police Board The Board has asked to have half-hour on the agenda for informal meetings with 2018 draft support staff (Victim Services, Court Liaison, Bylaw, Dispatch, Restorative Justice).

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting PagePage 4 2 of of 23 3 3. 3.a.

schedule The Board would like to have two meetings a year with Council. Moved by Director Naqvi, seconded by Director Taylor, And Resolved: Recommendation: That the Police Board 2018 meeting schedule be approved.

CARRIED

Adjournment Moved by Director Naqvi, seconded by Director Edwards & Next And Resolved: Meeting Date That the Seventh Regular meeting of 2017 of the Nelson Police Board be adjourned, and the next meeting be held on November 7, 2017 at 4:00 PM.

CARRIED

CERTIFIED CORRECT:

Secretary

Chair

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting PagePage 5 3 of of 23 3 5. 5.a.

Nelson Police Dept. Financial Report to November 30 2017 2016 Actuals 2017 Actuals % of Budget Description YTD 2017 Budget YTD Remaining

Police Services Target 8.50% REVENUE

Provincial Government (1120150) Police Prisoner Maint Recover $135,892 $195,000 $183,751 5.77% (1120170) Traffic fine sharing $127,881 $121,000 $111,108 8.18% (1120200) Police Document Service $5,000 $12,000 $21,720 -81.00% (1120230) Miscellaneous Revenue - Police $2,100 $12,117 $11,085 8.51% TOTAL Provincial Government $270,873 $340,117 $327,665 3.66%

Secondment recovery (1120250) Secondment recov K-IRSU $126,982 $396,031 $282,601 28.64% (1120300) Integration Recoveries $0 $5,000 $0 100.00% TOTAL Secondment recovery $126,982 $401,031 $282,601 29.53%

Misc (1120350) Restorative Justice Revenue $0 $0 $5,366 0.00% TOTAL Fines $0 $0 $5,366 0.00% TOTAL Revenue $397,854 $741,148 $615,632 16.94%

EXPENSE

Admin (1220000) Police Admin $298,073 $318,257 $270,714 14.94% (1220010) Police admin CUPE $74,545 $84,577 $84,372 0.24% (1220020) Community Outreach $1,714 $2,500 $1,922 23.11% (1220050) Police Board $14,395 $20,000 $14,543 27.28% TOTAL Admin $388,728 $425,333 $371,552 12.64%

Salaries (1220200) Police Op $1,685,345 $2,135,446 $1,844,059 13.65% (1220220) Crime Prevention $35,791 $0 $1,533 0.00% TOTAL Salaries $1,721,136 $2,135,446 $1,845,591 13.57%

Operations (1220000) Police Admin $1,230 $4,500 $3,416 24.10% (1220200) Police Op $54,578 $101,500 $97,783 3.66% (1220290) PRIME $35,820 $30,000 $28,165 6.12% (1220300) Building $33,444 $42,876 $41,193 3.92% (1220320) Janitorial $23,030 $27,500 $22,389 18.59% (1220325) Restorative Justice Prog Expense $16,099 $15,000 $16,487 -9.91% (1220360) Vehicle Rental $47,262 $135,500 $130,335 3.81% (1220420) Investigation Expenses $10,263 $10,500 $11,569 -10.18% (1220520) Auxiliary Police ($2) $2,000 $1,732 13.41% TOTAL Operations $221,724 $369,376 $353,069 4.41%

Secondments (1220205) K-IRSU Secondment $162,464 $396,031 $374,565 5.42% (1220208) C-E Unit Secondment $0 $0 $0 0.00% TOTAL Secondments $162,464 $396,031 $374,565 5.42%

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 6 of 23 5. 5.a.

2016 Actuals 2017 Actuals % of Budget Description YTD 2017 Budget YTD Remaining Dispatch (1220460) Dispatch $306,528 $458,001 $332,845 27.33% (1220560) Holiday Relief Dispatcher $69,207 $50,200 $94,785 -88.81% TOTAL Dispatch $375,735 $508,201 $427,630 15.85%

Prisoner Maintenance (1220580) Guards and Matrons $238 $5,285 $1,868 64.66% (1220600) Prisoner Expenses $21,634 $25,000 $22,553 9.79% TOTAL Prisoner Maintenance $21,872 $30,285 $24,421 19.36% TOTAL Expense $2,891,659 $3,864,671 $3,396,828 12.11%

Under Budget 3.61%

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 7 of 23 8. 8.a.

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2017 provisional police budget calls for another increase

by Timothy Schafer on Tuesday November 21 2017 3

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 8 of 23 8. 8.a.

With a 6.8 per cent increase bolstering the board’s previous budget in their back pockets, the Nelson police board’s powers-that-be delivered their 2018 provisional budgetary wish list Monday in council chambers. — File photo

A third time’s the charm as the city’s police board has again come to city council for its annual budgetary ask and requested another significant increase to its budget for the third year in a row.

With a 6.8 per cent increase bolstering the board’s previous budget in their back pockets, the Nelson police board’s powers-that-be delivered their 2018 provisional budgetary wish list Monday in council chambers.

And it did not deviate from the 2017 request, or the 2016 request, with a 3.2 per cent increased asked for, an overall net cost increase to the city of $102,221.

Nelson police board members Liz Edwards, Am Naqvi and Hilda Taylor were joined by NPD chief constable Paul Burkart in delivering the 2018 provisional budget.

The NPD’s provisional budget of $3,278,064 was up by $147,539 over the 2017 model, said Burkhart.

The “increase is almost exclusively due to wage increases and related costs contained in the collective agreement,” he said in his report to council.

Wages and benefits for police have risen 38 per cent over the 10-year period leading into 2017, Burkhart explained, but the city’s sworn staff still “continue to be the lowest paid” of the municipal departments in B.C.

“Over time, these increases have eroded each dollar given to us for operations and other initiatives,” he said.

Wages and benefits currently represent approximately 90 cents out of each budget dollar.

As it stands, the NPD’s approximately $4-million budget makes up 22 per cent of the city’s budget. However, the police added its first officer in over 20 years this year and chief constable Burkhart had explained to council that the workload for NPD officers — particularly the handling of mental health cases — has increased in the last few years. Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 9 of 23 8. 8.a. Nelson’s caseload of 47 per member is the third highest in the province among other independent municipal police services behind only Victoria and New Westminster. Other departments comparable in size — Central Saanich and Oak Bay — have caseloads of 18 and 22.

“They have 24 members responding to 4,300 calls; we are 18 members answering 6,300 calls,” said Burkhart in the presentation to council.

In addition, calls for service for the NPD are up 134 calls to-date — as of Oct. 31.

In their presentation to council the board outlined five challenges the police will face next year, including safe streets, protecting people in the city and their property. This challenge involved injuries to NPD members due to the increase in street level violence and mental health issues.

A provincial policing standards review, the addition of bylaw adjudication, the increasing costs of policing and replacing the current police radio system rounded out the challenge list.

In the next year the NPD plans further expansion of the beat officer positions to address various public order, street and traffic, and community safety bylaws.

As well, in order to maximize the time operational officers are actually out in the community and to reduce workloads on existing sworn and civilian staff, the NPD will use additional civilian members to accomplish administrative tasks.

In compliance with the B.C. Police Act , the Nelson police board is required to have an approved provisional police budget for 2018 by November 30, 2017. However, the board submitted its provisional budget for receipt but not approval on Monday.

The 2018 police board budget ultimately requires council’s approval, a decision that will be forthcoming during the city’s annual five-year financial planning process — a process that it currently underway and will conclude in March.

During pre-budget talks two years ago city council denied a request by NPD for an additional $311,000 to the police budget to cover the cost of two additional officers and an administrator.

A police audit began when the Nelson police board voted to appeal to the province, under a rarely used provision of the B.C. Police Act, city council’s decision to deny the extra funds.

Department overview

19 - Sworn personnel; there are 18 positions presently filled.

5 - Reserve police officers; with the intent to engage up to five more by 2018.

4 - Full-time and four part-time police dispatchers and dispatch support.

3 - Sworn members seconded to the Integrated Road Safety Unit.

3 - Bylaw enforcement officers.

2 - Victim services workers (integrated NPD/RCMP program).

1 - Court liaison and bylaw adjudication clerk.

1 - Executive assistant: department general secretary.

1 - Part-time restorative justice coordinator; with 20 volunteers.

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 10 of 23 8. 8.a.

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Fentanyl Task Force Leads Way Through Conversation

by Bob Hall on Thursday November 09 2017 2

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 11 of 23 8. 8.a.

Members of the Fentanyl Task Force involved in putting on the November 22 event include: (L-R) Chief Paul Burkart (Nelson Police Department), Cheryl Dowden (ANKORS), Michael Daily (Nelson City Council), Mari Plamondon (Wait’s News), Tammy McLean (Selkirk College), Lynda Dechief (Fentanyl Task Force Facilitator), Cpl. Riordan Bellman (Nelson RCMP), Lisa McGeady (Nelson & District Women’s Centre) and Tina Rubak (Kootenay Lake District Parent Advisory Committee and Nelson & District Youth Centre). Missing members of the education and prevention sub-committee include: Lorri Fehr (School District 8), Pat Dooley (Interior Health), Rob Tanner (Selkirk College), Jennifer Reid (Kootenay Lake Hospital), and Hilda Taylor (Nelson Police Board). — Submitted

Experts agree the fentanyl crisis in British Columbia is an unprecedented multi-faceted societal catastrophe that’s not going away anytime soon. Those on the frontlines are also united in recognizing that solutions will only be possible through education and conversation.

As health care professionals, emergency responders, educators and community leaders across the West Kootenay continue to combat the devastating human toll the drug is taking on the region, Nelson’s Fentanyl Task Force is reaching out through education. On November 22, the education and prevention sub- committee of the task force is hosting Growing Hope: A Community Conversation on the Current Fentanyl Crisis at Nelson’s Hume Hotel.

“What will have the biggest effect on death is reducing stigma for people who are using drugs,” says Chole Sage, an educator at Nelson’s ANKORS who will be part of a seven-person panel of speakers at the event. “One of the goals of these panels is to be able to talk about all the issues that involve people who use drugs and people who are at risk of dying from fentanyl overdose. When we start lowering the stigma and people can talk about what they are going through, then we will have less deaths because people will be able to seek the help they need.”

Joining Sage on the panel will be nurse practitioner Zak Matieschyn, Interior Health mental health educator Karen Leman, Freedom Quest Youth Services Society representative Julia Webb, Nelson Street Outreach Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 12 of 23 8. 8.a. worker Jeremy Kelly, and Sean and Pat Dooley who will share their personal experience with addiction.

The Growing Hope event is one of several initiatives being undertaken by the task force that was formed last November by Nelson Police Department Chief Paul Burkart who helped pull together more than 40 individuals actively working on dealing with the issue. The public is invited to come hear experts who have knowledge and direct experience with opioid substance use. There will be an opportunity to ask questions in an effort to strengthen communities and protect people who are vulnerable.

“Much of the fentanyl crisis has to do with trauma, drug use, poverty and homelessness,” says Burkart, who has been with the local police force for 17 years. “We’re not going to solve those things in the next six months. What we need to do is respond to the problem right now and a vital part of that is harm reduction.”

From Education Comes Solutions

Selkirk College Nursing Program instructor Tammy McLean has been involved in the health care profession for more than three decades in hospitals, intensive care units, palliative care and as a post-secondary educator. A member of the education and prevention sub-committee of the task force, McLean says the fentanyl crisis is one of the most troubling issues she has seen in her career.

“What we are seeing is unprecedented,” says McLean, who has worked as a Selkirk College instructor since 2008. “We are on target to seeing upwards of 1,500 people in our province dying because of opioids this year. If you compare it to a plane crash with airplanes filled with 375 people each, there are going to be four planes falling from the sky and everyone on board dying. That’s the equivalent of what’s going on right now. We need to have a multi-pronged approach to this.”

Selkirk College has been running the Street Nursing Program in Nelson for more than a decade. Third and fourth year students completing their Bachelor of Nursing degree work with marginalized people who are homeless, living in shelters or are at the risk of being homeless. Struggles with substance abuse compounds the plight of the individuals that students connect with on a regular basis, so having the college as part of the conversation is an important element of the education.

“We want to be really good community partners, working with local businesses and service providers in caring for our communities,” says McLean. “The vast majority of our students come from our local communities and they have a vested interest in the health of our communities as well. It’s a natural fit that we are part of it and representing Selkirk College.”

Students involved in the Street Nursing Program bring a non-judgemental lens to the work they do on an annual basis which is vital for breaking down stigma.

“Meeting people where they are at means they may still be using substances, but we want to make sure they are safe in how they are using them,” says McLean. “If we can keep them safe, keep them alive—particularly with fentanyl—then potentially we can support them in different ways to maybe get them off the streets and maybe find employment, maybe reconnect with the health care system. And even if we don’t do that, at least we can be a compassionate person for where they are at. Having addictions is hellish and we just need to meet them where they are at to provide a good human face.”

Harm Reduction Helps Stem Epidemic

ANKORS (AIDS Network, Outreach & Support Society) has been an active part of responding to the needs of community members for 25 years. Harm reduction is an important element of the Nelson-based organization’s mandate and Sage is one of the region’s leading experts in the field. Like most others, the veteran educator is overwhelmed by the current crisis.

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 13 of 23 8. 8.a. “The numbers of deaths that are happening is astounding,” says Sage. “It’s quite traumatic for us as frontline workers to be seeing so much death, more than we have ever seen before. This is an eye into drug dependency: they are terrified of dying every time they self-medicate yet they do it anyway because they will get sick if they don’t. This is a very stressful place to be.”

One of the most pressing discussions that needs to take place in regards to fentanyl has little connection to street culture. Of the target demographics for the Growing Hope event is parents and youth who don’t think that the crisis impacts them. This is where proper information and resources become an essential part of the conversation.

“Many people are dying who are dependent on drugs, but there’s also a lot of people dying who are experimenting with drugs,” says Sage. “This is the most dangerous time in history to experiment with substances, yet people are still doing it. Youth are still doing it. All through history, no matter what we have said to youth… they are still doing it. Our approach to this has to be one of harm reduction, it has to be one where we are able to openly talk about drug use without there being the stigma and judgement and ‘just say no’ because ‘just say no’ has never worked.”

It’s not the most comfortable conversation to have.

“It’s always going to be there, we are not going to end people using drugs, ever,” says Sage. “We have to look at it in a way that is realistic and for me educating the youth about what drugs are out there and what strengths and what things can be most dangerous if you mix them, what are some ways you can use safer… those are the kind of things that people who are already choosing to use drugs may save their lives. But if we just say no and they are going use anyways, they won’t know the information that will help them to be safer.”

Another barrier to finding solutions is ignoring the problem or not recognizing that those who are addicted have the same right to opportunity as everyone else.

“If people could just try to see people with whole stories rather than just see the addiction,” says Sage. “When people call people addicts, they are labeling them as the dependency to the drugs. They are many things other than that and each person in the world deserves to be seen as a whole person, a person with passions, a person who has people that love them, a person who loves other people. That’s when we start to see them as other human beings.”

Moving Forward Instead of Standing Still

The current crisis has many layers and the underlying issues are complex. There’s only so much local initiatives like the Fentanyl Task Force can realistically accomplish without support from senior levels of government. Proper housing, social services and health care require provincial and federal dollars to really make an impact.

When he talks to colleagues in other communities across the province, Chief Burkart says the situation in the West Kootenay is not unique and is on par with larger centres. Instead of getting in line, he says the support the task force has received from the community at a grassroots level provides the region with an advantage.

“We have to do something or the numbers will continue to increase every year,” says Chief Burkart. “We wouldn’t have these committees if we didn’t think there is going to be an impact. It’s multi-faceted and can seem overwhelming, but it’s important that we take it on.”

Talking about it with friends, neighbours and loved ones is what will provide those on the frontlines with a glimmer of light that better days are ahead.

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 14 of 23 8. 8.a. “I’m hopeful because this is really based on coming from a place of hope and not despair,” says McLean. “Yes, things are bad and we have lost people in our communities. But there is still lots we can do to support each other and when you come from that place, there is optimism that we can maybe turn a corner on this. It won’t happen tomorrow and it’s not a quick fix, but we’re on the path and it’s a Made in the Kootenays solution.”

Growing Hope: A Community Conversation on the Current Fentanyl Crisis at Nelson’s Hume Hotel will take place between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on November 22. Organizers of the event are asking people to think ahead of time about their questions for the question and answer portion of the evening, which will be collected in written form during the event and posed to the panel. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., seating is limited.

Funding for the event was made possible through the Community Action Initiative and the Centre for Addiction Research of BC.

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Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 15 of 23 8. 8.a.

The evening featured talks on fentanyl, addiction and recovery by (L-R) Zak Matieschyn, Sean Dooley, Pat Dooley, Chloe Sage, Julia Webb, Karen Leman and Jeremy Kelly. Photo: Tyler Harper Nelson searches for answers to fentanyl crisis A packed event Wednesday featured seven speakers and plenty of questions

TYLER HARPER / Nov. 24, 2017 10:00 a.m. / LOCAL NEWS / NEWS

The fentanyl death toll is rising in B.C., but so is local interest in finding solutions to the crisis.

A packed room at the Hume Hotel heard stories and statistics Wednesday evening from a seven-person panel at an event called Growing Hope: A Community Conversation on the Current Fentanyl Crisis, which was put on by Nelson’s Fentanyl Task Force.

Cheryl Dowden, executive director of ANKORS, co-hosted the evening with Nelson Police Department chief Paul Burkart. The event had been planned to run two hours, but ended up stretching to three as the audience peppered speakers with questions. Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 16 of 23 8.Dowden 8.a. said she was encouraged by the amount of community engagement in an issue that has resulted in the deaths of 914 people from January to September this year, according to a report released last week by the B.C. Coroners Service. That number has already shattered last year’s 666 fentanyl-related deaths over 12 months, which at the time was a major increase on the 152 deaths in 2015.

Ten deaths related to fentanyl have already occurred in the Kootenay Boundary region this year, which is up from four in 2016.

“If we’re not talking about this, we have our heads in the sand,” said Dowden.

The panel included local nurse practitioner Zak Matieschyn, Breakout founder and Nelson Leafs assistant coach Sean Dooley, Pat Dooley, who sits on the Interior Health Association’s board of directors, Chloe Sage of ANKORS, Julia Webb of Freedom Quest, Karen Leman of Mental Health and Substance Use, and Jeremy Kelly of Nelson Street Outreach.

Matieschyn, who is also an addictions fellow with the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, opened the evening with a number of fentanyl statistics. Some of those numbers include:

• The majority of overdose deaths, or 58.5 per cent, this year have occurred in private residences. Just 11.4 per cent have happened outside.

• Just four per cent of overdose deaths had fentanyl detected in 2012. Through September this year fentanyl has been

Nelsonfound Police in Board83 per Regular cent Meeting of overdose deaths. Page 17 of 23 8.Matieschyn 8.a. said the rising death toll would be far worse without awareness-building events like the one Wednesday.

“The point of this is actually quite tremendous and innovative in that a community will get together, all these various stakeholders – business, police, health care professionals, parents – all with a common purpose to address this issue,” he said. “So how do we keep people alive and stop people from dying, but there’s also these deeper issues of why is there addiction in the first place and how can we address those?”

Earlier in the day Matieschyn and Sean Dooley also spoke to students at Mount Sentinel and L.V. Rogers, the latter of which they revealed has four naloxone kits onsite. Dooley, and his mother Pat, spoke about their family’s experience with Dooley’s addiction to painkillers and fentanyl, as well as his recovery process.

Sage discussed ANKORS’ drug checking work. She said nine samples of fentanyl were found at August’s Shambhala Music Festival, and that two-thirds of cocaine tested at ANKORS’ Nelson office has secondary ingredients in it.

Webb, meanwhile, gave advice to the audience for speaking to teenagers about drug use, Leman spoke about recovery supports and various local services that are available, and Kelly shared his experience of a 15-year heroin addiction as well as his difficult recovery.

“I think there are a lot of faces emerging,” said Dowden. “Certainly there are so many people in this room who have been touched, either by substance abuse in their family and

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 18 of 23 8.they 8.a. are concerned about the overdose crisis and it may have on their loved ones, or they may have experienced someone who has had an overdose and passed away.”

Dowden said ANKORS applied last month for Health Canada funding for a needs assessment meant to find local answers to the crisis. She said that could include safety and prevention messaging, naloxone kits and training, drug checking and the possible viability of a safe-consumption site.

“We’re looking at the need, we’re exploring this and we want to engage in community conversation about this,” she said.

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Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 19 of 23 8. 8.a.

Nelson Police Department chief Paul Burkart presented a preliminary budget plan for 2018 to city council on Monday night. Photo: Tyler Harper Police ask city for $100K budget increase The extra money is needed to cover salary costs

TYLER HARPER / Nov. 23, 2017 8:00 a.m. / LOCAL NEWS / NEWS

A bump in salaries following labour negotiations has led to a proposed $100,000 budget increase by the Nelson Police Department.

Chief Paul Burkart presented a provisional 2018 budget to city council on Monday. The net increase of $102,221, according to Burkart, is to account for a 17 per cent increase in salary over seven years, retroactive to 2013, that was agreed to last December in collective bargaining. The proposed net total budget is $3,278,064.

“It would almost be double that if the [police union] hadn’t made the concessions they made this year, which is great for the city. They understand that policing is expensive,” said Burkart.

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 20 of 23 8.The 8.a. new collective agreement covers increases for 17 officers and five other staff through 2019. Burkart isn’t included because he isn’t part of the union.

The police department also added another officer and support person this year after it was ordered to do so by the provincial director of police services, which was mostly responsible for a $253,000 increase request in November 2016.

Burkart said an extensive review was also undertaken to find cost-cutting measures within the department. Those measures included a reduction in front counter hours, schedule changes and the use of a part-time officer to cover for an injured member. The department also relies on five volunteer reserve officers, and hopes to add another five next year.

“We’ll continue to look for savings. …,” he said. “I think we do a pretty good job. We’re a pretty efficient police department.”

Mayor Deb Kozak has previously said the city was already putting aside savings to account for the rise in salaries.

A faulty radio system, however, might add a significant increase to the budget request if approved.

Burkart and Nelson Fire and Rescue chief Len MacCharles both said the radio system their members use needs to be replaced. The current Motorola system was purchased three years ago, but the pair said it has frequent reception issues and doesn’t allow for communication between the two departments.

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 21 of 23 8.City 8.a. council was previously made aware of the issue. Burkart added the current radios also don’t allow police to communicate with RCMP.

“[RCMP] went to a system that’s very expensive and we weren’t ready to go there,” said Burkart. “We’ve noticed now over three years, the fire chief and I have said our members are at risk. It’s just not a good system for first responders, and no one told us this when we purchased the system.

“It was the budget we had and we went with that system. It’s not really first-responder rated.”

Burkart said the final cost of a new system for both departments isn’t yet known but would likely be included in the final draft of the 2018 budget.

Related: Nelson signs new collective agreement with police

Numbers Burkart presented to city council show the municipal police force cost about 10 per cent of Nelson’s operational expenditures in 2017, or about 22 cents for every tax dollar.

Other statistics of note were:

• Each officer takes on 47 cases annually, which is the third highest in B.C. among the province’s 11 independent municipal police departments.

• NPD has taken about 170 more total calls this year compared to 2016. Burkart said he thinks the reason for that is the force has more members to respond than it previously did.

Nelson Police Board Regular Meeting Page 22 of 23 8.“We’re 8.a. picking up more calls because we have more members out there,” he said. “We’re not just responding to calls, we’re actually proactive in creating those calls.”

• Seventeen per cent of calls made to NPD are mental health related. Burkart said that number has mostly remained consistent since the department began tracking that specific stat five or six years ago, and has put a strain on resources.

“It’s a big portion of what we do now, and that’s why we don’t allow one person to work alone anymore,” he said. “Mental health calls, when somebody is downtown acting suspiciously, we have to go deal with that and it’s not safe for one officer to go to that call. So it does have an impact.”

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