BANFF – A push by a group of residents to have security cameras installed in the area of the Muskrat Street pedestrian bridge will not move forward.
But the Town of Banff will continue to monitor and maintain foliage and have Town staff return with a report at potentially adding more lighting on the south side of the bridge near Spray Avenue and the YWCA.
“We strive to have a high level of folks travelling by active modes in our community and I think a really important piece to that is ensuring nighttime active modes travel feels safe and is an option folks want to use,” said Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno. “We want to encourage them to travel by foot and bike and ensuring we have spaces properly lit helps encourage that.”
Banff council voted 5-1 against continuing to look at security cameras after a staff report showed there was little empirical evidence. Coun. Hugh Pettigrew was the lone supporting vote and Coun. Ted Christensen was absent from the meeting.
The push for security cameras came from a growing group of residents. The lobbying began when one of six girls walking near the Muskrat Street pedestrian bridge on Oct. 31 was sexually assaulted by a masked man in a Halloween costume on the south side of the bridge.
Several members of council said they originally supported the idea of having video cameras near the Muskrat Street pedestrian bridge when it was discussed in June at a council meeting. However, the staff report highlighted the statistics and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada emphasizes video surveillance in public places should only be used to help a “real, pressing and substantial problem.”
“It talks about specific and verifiable reports of incidents of crime, public safety concerns or other compelling circumstances are needed, not just anecdotal evidence or speculation,” Coun. Chip Olver said. “I don’t believe the situation we have at the bridge meets that criteria.”
She noted the complicated process in adding video surveillance being “far more complex” than first originally thought.
Couns. Barb Pelham, Grant Canning and Kaylee Ram echoed Olver and added the primarily daytime incidents of reported incidents, the complexity of installing and maintaining surveillance equipment and the number of incidents didn’t warrant video surveillance.
“The quantity of incidents, to me, don’t justify the intensification of efforts in terms of installing the video equipment plus maintaining it on a perpetual basis. I know that’s hard to hear when there’s concern with that particular [Oct. 31] incident, but I think with the mitigation we’re talking about with maintaining the foliage and making it brighter are measures I think will extend safety in a more manageable way.”
From 2018-22, there were nine reports to the police relating to the pedestrian bridge, however, the report also highlighted “not all incidents that occurred in the area were reported to or witnessed by police.”
Eight of the calls were between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m., with it ranging from crime against a person, disturbing the peace, mischief and a suspicious person.
A comparison for the Bow River bridge also had nine reports to police from 2018-22.
Municipal enforcement had 18 reports made such as animal complaints, public health orders and camping, but were based around the pedestrian bridge and not on the bridge.
The report noted security cameras have been a good resource for investigating crime as opposed to preventing it. Though useful, and acknowledging the public push for security cameras, it outlined not enough evidence has been found for the pedestrian bridge to need security cameras.
“As we’ve heard, it’s a tool to solve crimes and not deter crime,” Ram said. “Hearing from multiple sources this is not a high crime rate area, I can’t support it. It’s not that we don’t support public safety or to disregard the incident that happened, but it’s just not the place.”
A motion by Pettigrew to have Town staff return at service review for costs of video cameras around the Muskrat Street pedestrian bridge was defeated 5-1.
“At this point not understanding the costs makes it difficult for me to say no to it,” he said. “I’d like to have a report, so we can have a chance to review its costs and not just installation but operationally since I think it deserves to have the numbers attached to it before we decide on it.”
Pettigrew also put forward a motion to examine the implications of closing or restricting access to the pedestrian bridges at certain times, but it was defeated 5-1.
He said the information could be helpful come service review. DiManno said she appreciated the thought, but it came across as counterproductive to the Town’s active modes of transit goals and the preventative measures recommended.
Mark Marino, a long-time local who had been the lead in pushing for video surveillance around the pedestrian bridge, said the decision was “deflating” and “frustrating”.
“I cannot express the frustration from myself, my family, other parents and concerned citizens as to why victims have been ignored and why the sexual assault that took place is treated as a one off,” Marino said.
He said he respects council’s decision and the effort Town staff put into the report, but that he’s heard from residents about the disappointment with the decision.
“It’s sad to see there is no will to install security cameras to enhance the protection of our citizens from future attacks at the pedestrian bridge. I hope there is never another attack of any sort as it will lay squarely on the Town of Banff administration and council who voted against the camera use.”
Marino said the addition of lighting – especially on the south side of the bridge – and maintaining of foliage is a good first step. He said he’s going to continue to work with residents and groups to push for improved security in the community.
Town staff and RCMP also met with Banff YWCA to help sexual violence prevention that will return for council’s 2023 service review and budget deliberations.
The report focused on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and looks at natural surveillance, natural access control, territorial reinforcement and maintenance and management.
It examined the north and south ends of the Muskrat Street pedestrian bridge as well as the 96-metre span.
The soon-to-be finished Nancy Pauw pedestrian bridge is 80 metres long and spans the Bow River from Central Park to Birch Avenue. It is expected in the summer it could see between 5,000 to 8,000 crossings a day.
Since it is still being constructed, the report noted a general analysis was done for CEPTD and the vegetation being planted should avoid impacting sight lines or lighting.
Staff recommended foliage be monitored and maintained, potentially more lighting be added and possibly a continuous path to the YWCA and Spray Avenue.
“One crime against a person is too many, but we have the same common goal of safety and trying to make this area as safe as possible,” DiManno said. “We share that as a common goal. In my opinion, there’s different opinions to go about it.
“To me, the solutions I’m interested in have to do with prevention. … Lighting, foliage, communication on nighttime travelling is the approach I’d like to talk about making it safer in this area of town. The data and evidence isn’t there to support cameras preventing person crime.”
