In Sydney, Cape Breton, a group of business owners, police and the downtown development association met to discuss the rise of vandalism and theft in downtown.
“There was a real engaging and thoughtful discussion around some of the issues that we're seeing,” Michelle Wilson, Downtown Sydney Development Association executive director, said about the meeting held Wednesday evening.
She said that dealing with the costs of damage, graffiti and theft are causing problems and stress for many small downtown business owners.
A Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) city councillor said the criminal activity is deterring some people from spending time downtown.
“There are many people that are afraid to go downtown,” said Coun. Eldon MacDonald.
“I have family that are afraid to go downtown and that makes me sad. It’s unfortunate, but if people don't feel safe in the environment that they're in they're not going to go there,” he said.
One solution discussed during Wednesday’s meeting was a so-called business watch program, which would involve shop owners sharing the responsibility of keeping an eye on properties.
It’s meant to be a collaborative approach to clamp down on vandals and make the area more family friendly.
“I know people think and are hopeful the police can solve this issue, but this is not an issue police can solve on their own, it's going to take collective issue of everyone working together,” said MacDonald.
Cape Breton Regional Police said it has ramped up patrols downtown and will continue to do so.
The head of the Downtown Sydney Development Association said the area is still a safe place to shop and do business, and that more meetings and discussions are planned for the weeks ahead.
“Some of the issues didn't happen overnight and they won't be solved overnight,” Wilson said.