Letter to the Editor: Act goes too far

Dear Editor:
Saskatchewan's Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act is an affront to international conventions on human rights and freedoms and the Canadian Charter of Rights.

Violations include the "right to move to and take up residence in any province" and the "right to unreasonable search and seizure." The Act is an embarrassment to Saskatchewan people and should be repealed.

It was the eight-page Anti-Gang Report that introduced the Act to ostensibly close drug houses. The provision "specified use" outlines the offences: sale of alcohol or controlled substance, prostitution, gaming, child sexual abuse and "the use or consumption of an intoxicant by any person." While no one is arguing the need to control these negative behaviors, the Act goes too far. As it stands, you can be evicted by one anonymous neighbor who has put up with too many of your noisy barbeques. The Act also does not have an evaluation process because anyone evicted under the Act is protected by privacy laws and the provincial government can't release the names. This means every bad egg, including pedophiles, could potentially move to north central, or other depressed areas of the city. Where is the accountability, the transparency?

Furthermore, the legislation will have negative effects on the poor and voiceless and their neighborhoods, as evidenced by the only ones who challenged the Act were two single working mothers. At the very least, the Safer Communities and Neighbourhood Act should have a sunset clause.

To date more than 130 warrants have been issued. This Act and other legal decisions have negative effects on the human rights in this province.