The absence of charges approved by Crown Counsel related to arson fires in the city prompted Castlegar Mayor Maria McFaddin to issue a notice of motion at the Dec. 4 city council meeting.
The motion calls for council to endorse a letter to British Columbia’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Public Safety/Solicitor General, Mike Farnworth, and Attorney General, Niki Sharma, asking for their offices to review the situation and pursue solutions to restore public confidence and community safety.
The letter would outline the City of Castlegar, Castlegar Fire Department, Castlegar RCMP and Castlegar residents’ concerns concerning the arson fires and the fact that Crown has not approved charges requested by Castlegar RCMP.
According to the motion, there has been a 240 per cent increase in suspicious fires in 2023. The Castlegar RCMP has evidence and believes one individual is associated with more than one third of those suspicious fires.
It also states that the Castlegar RCMP has recommended four separate charges for this individual, each time providing the Crown with a complete history of the fires, the serious concerns it has, and the number of fires the suspect is believed to be associated with.
