Listen Live

Council to bring gun-ban resolution to FCM

Cold Lake City Council will forward its resolution opposing the federal gun ban to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) for consideration by its membership.

“We have an initial showing of strong support from municipalities in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, and we’ve been receiving informal messages of support from leaders in communities from across Canada,” Mayor Craig Copeland said.

In early June, council passed a motion to voice opposition to a May 1, 2020, order in council by which the federal government banned a number of firearms. Cold Lake City Council’s motion came as a result of a notice of motion put forward by Councillor Kirk Soroka. The motion also called upon the city’s administration to send a resolution to all municipalities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba for their consideration.

Council opposed the gun ban, and a proposed future buyback program, because it felt the program would incur needless expense to remove private property from law-abiding Canadian citizens. These are people who had successfully met the government’s education and licencing criteria to purchase the firearms in question.

“Motions of support continue to come in from municipalities, and we know that our voice is being heard,” Copeland said. “We would expect that a policy impacting people’s legally purchased property would have been the result of a thorough and open debate, but that was not the case here.”

Copeland noted that municipalities work closely with police and peace officers to provide safe and healthy communities. While the criminal code is a federal matter, public safety, policing, and property rights are issues that all municipal councils consider as a matter of routine business.

“These are complex issues and a simple, blanket approach that attempts to throw a lot of money at the problem will likely result in an expensive failure,” Copeland said. “Taking law abiding people’s property because of the actions of criminals not only will send the wrong message, but is likely to have little to no impact on the issue of gun crime.”

The City of Cold Lake’s administration will work with FCM staff so that its resolution can be considered by its membership. FCM works to provide a national voice for municipal governments across Canada. Its members include over 2,000 municipalities of all sizes – from Canada’s largest cities to rural communities, northern communities, as well as Canada’s provincial and territorial municipal associations.

Mike Marshall
Mike Marshall
News / Afternoon Host
- Advertisement -

Related Articles

- Advertisement -

Latest News

Cold Lake RCMP urge residents to shelter in place after gunshot report

Cold Lake RCMP are asking residents near 8 Street and 10 Avenue to shelter in place as officers respond to a report of a gunshot in the area. 

RCMP officer’s child exploitation case moves to King’s Bench

The case of St. Paul RCMP officer Evan Peacock, who is facing multiple child exploitation charges, has been raised to the Court of King's Bench, with his next appearance set for July 7 in St. Paul. 

RCMP seeking help in identifying break-in suspects at Lac Bellevue Legion campground

St. Paul RCMP are asking for the publics assistance in identifying three people suspected of breaking into the Lac Bellevue Legion campground in the county of St. Paul. 

Cold Lake council offering 1,000 free kids tickets for RCMP Musical Ride

The RCMP Musical Ride is coming to Cold Lake on July 24 and the city is making it easier for families to attend by giving up to 1,000 free children's tickets. 

Cold Lake adjusts sponsorship for RCMP charity golf tournament

During the June 24th council meeting, Cold Lake city council approved a request to move $3,500 sponsorship grant for the upcoming RCMP Charity Golf Tournament after the original sponsorship level became unavailable. 
- Advertisement -