Pubdate: Sat, 27 Feb 2010
Source: Telegram, The (CN NF)
Copyright: 2010 The Telegram
Contact:  http://www.thetelegram.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/303
Author: Rob Antle

TOUGH LAW DEAD IN THE WATER

Unproclaimed 2007 Act Targeted Bootleggers,  Drug Dens And
Brothels

A controversial law targeting drug houses, brothels and  bootleggers
is dead in the water.

The Williams administration passed the Safer  Communities and
Neighbourhoods Act, or SCAN, nearly  three years ago.

But the law was never proclaimed.

And Justice Minister Felix Collins said Friday there  are no plans to
do so.

"At this point in time, there's no inclination to  proclaim it because
our priorities now have changed,"  Collins said.

"We've put significant investments into policing in the  last couple
of years, and that's where our priorities  have gone."

He said the province's policing budgets have increased  $40 million
since 2004.

Collins said financial concerns played a role in  deep-sixing the SCAN
law.

"It's a question of getting the best bang for the buck  with the
resources you have," he noted.

But the minister could not put a dollar figure on how  much
implementing the Safer Communities law would have  cost taxpayers.

The SCAN act was first introduced in 2006, but died on  the order
paper when the House of Assembly closed  earlier than expected.

It was reintroduced and passed in June 2007. But it was  not
proclaimed into law.

The act proved to be controversial. It was amended six  times before
its approval, after social groups raised a  number of concerns.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Feminist Coalition, for  example, called
the new law "reactionary and  vigilante."

In January 2008, the then-justice minister, Jerome  Kennedy, said that
government officials were planning  one last "community information
session" about the new  law within weeks, and it would be proclaimed
"shortly  after."

That didn't happen.

This week, the current justice minister said community  concerns
played no role in SCAN being dumped. The law  will remain unproclaimed
on the books and could  possibly be revived at some point in the
future,  Collins noted.

The Safer Community and Neighbourhoods Act was based on  similar
legislation introduced in 2002 in Manitoba.  Other provinces have
since jumped on board with the  concept. It is currently being debated
in Ontario, for  example.

The law would have allowed authorities to seek a  judicial order
shutting down drug houses, brothels and  bootleggers for up to 90 days.

To do so, a judge would have had to agree that the  location was being
habitually used for a nefarious  purpose, and was having an adverse
effect on the  community.

The Newfoundland and Labrador act would have allowed  for the creation
of a "director of safer communities  and neighbourhoods," with a
contingent of investigators  and support staff.

Concerned neighbours would have been able to complain  to the director
about problem properties, with their  identities remaining protected.

In 2007, then-justice minister Tom Osborne said the law  addressed an
issue that police "constantly raised" with  government.

"They have little ability to get at the root of the  problem," Osborne
told The Telegram at the time. 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jo-D