Although it’s been delayed by several months, Mayor Greg Dionne says a proposed Dangerous Weapons Bylaw amendment is still on city council’s radar.
A report on the February proposal from Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards was supposed to come back before council within 60 days. However, a delay in bringing the matter before the Board of Police Commissioners means the matter hasn’t been debated.
Part of the delay stems from the board’s decision to get a legal opinion, but Dionne said the absence of a new police chief has also contributed to the wait.
“The main reason is that (former police chief Troy Cooper) didn’t get to it before he left,” Dionne explained. “It’s really something that I think the new chief should be handling.”
The plan was to get the item before council by Sept. 10, but a successful extension vote at Tuesday’s council meeting means that won’t happen until Nov. 1.
If updates to the bylaw are approved, knives, machetes, conductive energy weapons and bear spray would all be classified as dangerous weapons. Further updates would increase the maximum fine for violating the bylaw from $100 to $1,000.
In February, Dionne said he hoped the motion would deter people turning disagreements and arguments into dangerous situations.
“It will help deter the ones who are carrying (the items) in their vehicle in case something happens, the convenient carriers,” Dionne explained. “Some people, I hate to say it, do carry things in their vehicles in case they run into trouble. (Updating the bylaw) might deter some of those people.”
Prince Albert’s Dangerous Weapons Bylaw was originally written in 1961.
