BANFF – Banff Mounties will host a community town hall next month following two homicides in the famed tourist town this summer.
The meeting, which will be hosted at the Banff Elementary School on Oct. 27 at 5 p.m., will cover several issues relating to policing and public safety from a provincial and local scale, not just the two recent murders.
“After two violent events that resulted in the tragic loss of life, our community is naturally concerned about public safety,” said Staff Sgt. Mike Buxton-Carr, detachment commander for Banff RCMP.
“This will be an opportunity for our residents, visitors, and stakeholders to speak directly with the RCMP to learn our strategies to address violence and other issues that impact our community.”
The Oct. 27 event in Banff will include a presentation on the RCMP in Alberta and within Banff National Park, as well as discussion of the Banff detachment’s priorities and local crime trends.
Staff Sgt. Buxton-Carr said there will be opportunity for those in attendance to ask questions of the Southern Alberta RCMP district commander as well as Banff detachment leadership, adding the event is designed to be interactive.
“Participants will be able to speak with experts on topics such as road safety, cybersecurity, sexual violence, and the coordinated work between the Banff RCMP and our bar industry leaders,” he said.
On Aug. 5, born and raised local Ethan Enns-Goneau, 26, was stabbed to death inside the bathroom of the Dancing Sasquatch shortly after arriving at the Banff Avenue bar with a friend. John Arrizza, 22, was charged with second degree murder.
Then in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, a 27-year-old Foothills County man was stabbed to death outside the Dancing Sasquatch. In this case, John Sproule, a 20-year-old man of Lake Country, B.C., has been charged with second degree murder.
These were the second and third homicides since the Town of Banff's incorporation. In 1990, an 18-year-old Ryan Jason Love stabbed 23-year-old cab driver Lucie Turmel for her earnings that night, which amounted to $130.
The next court appearance for Sproule is Oct. 5. Arrizza wil be back in court on Sept. 28. Both men remain in police custody.
Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno welcomed the RCMP’s plans for a community meeting, noting Banff continues to be a community in mourning.
“We only started the process of healing from the tragic loss of a lifelong Banffite in August and then we were shocked by a visitor’s violent death at the start of September,” she said during a council meeting on Monday (Sept. 12).
“Council is taking this issue very seriously. We will not let this become a trend, and we know the community is extremely concerned as well as passionate about finding more ways to make Banff a safer place.”
In a letter to council, resident Adam Gardner raised concerns about Banff’s reputation as a party town and the drinking and drug culture.
Gardner said he would like to see a bylaw revision banning nightclubs that don’t serve food with alcohol or have seating, as well as an earlier closure for bars and liquor stores in general.
“Banff has always had the reputation of being a party town, but after the last month’s tragic events, is in need of a dire change,” he said in his Sept. 7 letter.
Living in close proximity to downtown, Gardner said he seen and heard so much outside his bedroom window late at night and into the early morning hours, prompting them to get dog for some peace of mind and extra security for the home.
He said the aftermath of the previous evening’s events is visible most mornings while walking to school, “whether it is piles of vomit to dodge, or piles of garbage on the streets.”
“From breakups, to fights, to car accidents, to vandalism, to random attacks, to the totally unexplainable. It’s all happened outside of our house usually between the hours of 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. while people walking home from the bars,” he said.
“On some occasions these problems have come into our fenced yard. Whether it’s someone trying to get into our house, a mystery pile of blood at the side of our house, or just a stop to use our yard as a bathroom.”
In response, Mayor DiManno said she appreciates Gardner taking the time to raise discussion points and tactics to address issues, telling council she will reach out to him directly.
“I am anticipating that conversations around our nighttime economy will be at the heart of the holistic discussions we will be having as a community,” she said.
“I believe that these conversations need to be holistic and they need to include everyone because we want solutions to be effective without causing downstream challenges elsewhere.”
Mayor DiManno said the community discussion to be hosted by the Banff RCMP will provide an opportunity for people to raise ideas for enhancing safety and for the community to learn about the structure and policing duties in Banff.
The mayor said council is supportive of this and other community conversations, adding council wants to listen to everyone – residents, industry leaders, RCMP, the YWCA, Bar Watch and, of course, front line staff.
“We are open to their ideas and solutions about the ways we can enhance and restore the public’s sense of safety. We need to put everything on the table and talk about it as a community,” she said.
“We are concerned, we are listening and we are ready to work with the community to make Banff as safe as possible for everyone.”
The Town of Banff reminds residents that the 2-1-1 help service connects callers to mental health or counselling support.
Walk-in urgent mental health support is also available at the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week. After 9 p.m., people can also go to the emergency room.
“It’s been a difficult time in our small community, and on behalf of council, I want to remind anyone feeling sad, angry, overwhelmed that you are not alone,” said Mayor DiManno.
“Support services are available to you and please reach out for help if you need it.”
