The City of Delta is once again hoping that other communities will agree to join forces in the call for port policing, this time proposing a container fee to pay for the service.
A proposed Delta resolution at the upcoming Union of BC Municipalities convention requests the provincial government work with the federal government to develop a container levy as a funding mechanism to reestablish dedicated resources to police ports and waterfronts to address the issue of organized crime.
A Delta report notes a similar resolution was submitted in 2019 and endorsed by UBCM, however a report last fall by Peter German and resulting focus on the issue highlighted the importance for collaboration between municipal, provincial and federal governments to address the concerns and warrants a new resolution.
The 2024 UBCM convention will take place Sept. 16 to 20 in Vancouver.
The UBCM Resolutions Committee notes that, as part of its response to the 2019 resolution, the province states port policing is a federal responsibility. The latest resolution and the 2023 report commissioned by Delta highlights decisions made by the Government of Canada to download federal responsibilities onto local governments.
The committee also states that it is a UBCM general policy that “access to additional revenue should be provided when local government is assigned new responsibilities.”
At a presentation to the Delta Police Board last fall, then police Chief Neil Dubord said a small fee for every container could go a long way in addressing the major security concerns at Deltaport.
Noting that about 30,000 people enter the port on a regular basis, of which only 7,000 are security-cleared, Dubord said clearance is an issue that needs to be addressed.
“A $10 surcharge is very small. That’s the price of a latte, almost. That money would be dedicated to a security team that would be able to police the ports, both on the general duty side and beefing up the investigative side as well,” Dubord added.
The Ports Canada Police was disbanded in 1997 and the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority discontinued its financial contribution to the RCMP-led Waterfront Joint Forces Operation in 2015.
This April, BC Solicitor General Mike Farnworth responded to Mayor George Harvie’s letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Delta’s call on the federal government to increase and change the enforcement model at Canadian ports.
In a letter to Harvie, Farnworth said he shared Delta’s concerns and will continue to support any joint effort with the feds and municipalities.
