Tourism Vancouver estimates that by 2015 tourism will have incrementally generated $5.8 billion in Vancouver. For businesses in the industry, safeguarding their employees and their guests should be a top priority.
This article focuses on how the BC Safe Streets Act and the Trespass Act affect both businesses and visitors, as discussed in a workshop organized by Tourism Vancouver.
Safe Streets Act
Dave Jones, director of crime prevention services with the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, talked about the success of the BC Safe Streets Act. “Panhandlers and squeegee people respect the legislation.” he said. “People are experiencing fewer instances of aggressive behaviour.”
The Street Safe Act, which came into affect this past January, distinguishes between “aggressive solicitation” and “captive audience solicitation”. Panhandlers cannot make people fear for their safety by following or blocking, making rude comments or aggressively asking for money. Nor can they approach a person while the person is at a bank machine, waiting for a bus, or engaged in any other “captive audience” situation.
Jones said that the legislation works because it aims to change people’s behaviour. “We’ve heard criticism that this legislation will marginalize the poor,” he said. “It doesn’t end poverty, but it does affect behaviour. You need rules and rational boundaries on behaviour before you get change in society.”
Trespass Act
Jones explained that the Trespass Act was originally developed for farms and ranches. It was modified to apply more readily to urban situations, and recent changes have made things better for business owners.
The latest modifications have enhanced the definition of where you can or cannot trespass. “Enclosed land” is land that is surrounded by a boundary, and “premises” refers to anything on this land, like a building or structure. The revised legislation now gives the owner or occupier authority to act, allows new tools for providing notice (i.e. no trespassing signs, oral warnings, written notices, etc.) and forces repeat offenders to supply their name and address on demand.
The act states that it is an offence to remain on or return to private property after having been asked to leave, and it is an offence to deface signs that give notice of trespassing or prohibited activities. According to Jones, this legislation works and proprietors probably won’t need the help of authorities when enforcing law. “You don’t need the police,” he said. “In most cases you will be successful with the Trespass Act in Vancouver by doing it yourself and documenting what you do.”
More Information
For more information about the legislation, visit Safe Streets Coalition. The coalition is made up of over 60 community groups and business associations that support provincial legislation aimed at enhancing community safety. The website also contains information about how to take advantage of the Street Safe and Trespassing acts in order to make your premises safe and secure.
Dave Jones has made himself available for presentations on helping employers understand their rights under the legislation. He can be reached by telephone at 604-685-7811 or by email at dave@downtownvancouver.net.
Terrorism in Vancouver?
During the second part of the workshop, Steve Corcoran a member of the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team with the RCMP, discussed the connection between terrorism and tourism in Vancouver. He prefaced his talk by stating that there was no immediate terrorist threat to Vancouver. “Terrorism is something most of us will read about or see on TV. But that doesn’t mean we should ignore it.”
Terrorism is connected with tourism because terrorists typically use the “products of tourism” (i.e. airplanes, hotels, airports, travel agents) to help commit their crimes. “In Israel terrorists target public markets, restaurants and hotels because that’s where people are,” said Corcoran.
He gave another reason why terrorists like to target tourism: to harm the industry as a whole. “Terrorists want to create change,” he said. “And one way to do that is to hurt a country through their economy.”
Corcoran had a number of security recommendations for business owners in the tourism industry:
- Be aware that anyone could be a terrorist. There is no typical look
- Understand that terrorists will plan before making an attack. The planning process could include surveillance, asking strange questions, or “testing” an organization’s internal security systems
- Contact the police or RCMP if you are suspicious and do so in a timely manner
- Develop a “business continuity plan” that will allow your company to get back to business as soon as possible after a disaster or terrorist strike
Companies can reduce the threat of terrorism by identifying the kind of threat they’re facing based on the product or service they sell. They need to recognize what they want to protect and then decide the appropriate measures to reduce the risks.
It’s imperative that the tourist industry be aware of the importance of safety and security. “Public expectations have changed,” said Corcoran. “People expect security now. If visitors don’t feel safe, they’re going to go home and tell people about it.”
