City’s war on anti-social behaviour progressing, but frustratingly slow to some

PENTICTON – Downtown Penticton Association Executive Director Lynn Allin says Penticton’s merchants are feeling the effects of a long summer of trying to deal with unsavoury behaviour in the city’s downtown core.

She says the issue is complicated because much of the bad behaviour the city and its downtown merchants are trying to deal with are not criminal acts.

“It makes it more difficult for police to deal with. We can see improvement with the additional bylaw officers the city has provided, in moving people along,” Allin said a day after a presentation at Penticton council’s Committee of the Whole meeting yesterday, Sept. 4, in which Chief Administrative Officer Peter Weeber updated council on city efforts to deal with anti-social and illegal behaviour in the city.

Allin said merchants are feeling discouraged things are not changing more quickly. She says the association is encouraging the city to provide more bylaw officers.

“It’s the menacing, nuisance behaviours that police can’t arrest anyone for, but they can be told to move along,” she said, adding the bylaw, public works departments and the clean team have been a huge benefit to the downtown this summer.

Allin personally believes progress has been made this summer, but understands the frustration association members feel.

“I believe we are addressing the issues we’re seeing. I know our members wish it was happening faster,” she said. “It’s a large issue. Businesses are feeling a real cost, not just the nuisance factor. They’ve paid for lights, security cameras, vandalism repairs, additional garbage disposal – some costs are beyond dollars, less tangible things like losing staff. Business people are dealing with a lot right now, that’s where they are getting a little exhausted."

She says the association will be returning to council to “present some real asks” in the coming weeks.

“We’ll be talking about where we’d like to be, what we’d like to have,” she said.

“We’re all working on this. It’s an issue that’s crept up on Penticton quickly, but we all want a vibrant downtown. It’s an emotional thing,” she said.


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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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