Rezac shocks media with B.C. crime statistics
B.C. has a "worrisome" crime rate, says Rezac
"The public needs to become aware of the crime problem we have in
British Columbia," said Darcy Rezac, managing director of The Vancouver
Board of Trade, to the Vancouver media today.
Rezac shocked several members of the media, including CKNW’s Jennifer
Mather, by pointing out that Canada’s overall crime rate was twice that
of the United States and that B.C.’s crime rate was almost three times
that of the U.S.
"People here like to think of Canada as a kinder, gentler place, and
that just isn’t the case," said Rezac, citing the British Columbia
Progress Board’s Third Annual Benchmarking Report, which shows B.C.’s
overall crime index per 100,000 as second only to the District of
Columbia compared to all provinces and states in North America.
"The violent crime rate in B.C. is particularly worrisome," said Rezac.
"Violent crime per 100,000 is more than twice as bad as the worst state
in the U.S."
Pointing out that the U.S. was the destination for 80 per cent of
Canadian exports, Rezac said that B.C.’s crime could negatively affect
Canada’s trading relationship with the U.S. "Canada is dependent on the
United States as a trading partner. The Board of Trade has been working
for over 20 years to open up the border between our nations. Now, the
United States is hiring more officers to protect the border from
criminals in Canada."
When asked what we should do about the crime problem, Rezac said, "We
need to ensure that the public knows about these numbers." He went on to
say that once the public is made aware of how bad the crime problem is,
then public pressure can be placed on politicians to ensure that our
laws and sentencing guidelines are appropriate and that repeat offenders
are kept off the streets.
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