Crime wave compels northern Alberta community to declare state of emergency

A drastic increase in crime over last year has led a municipal district in northern Alberta to declare a local state of emergency.

Break-and-enter incidents and motor-vehicle thefts in the M.D. of Opportunity No. 17 from January to September this year are up 83 per cent and 160 per cent from 2022, according to statistics provided by the RCMP.

Most of the unrest from the rise in criminal activity is centred around the Hamlet of Calling Lake, Reeve Marshall Auger told CTV News Edmonton on Friday.

"This situation has actually been going on for a few years now, but in the last maybe six months, it's gotten very dangerous," Auger said while describing a rise in gang activity presumably due to an increase in the number of drugs being sold.

"There've been shootings, shootings not even particularly where people are getting shot at but ... in residential areas where people are shooting off guns. We've had a lot of break-ins and theft that have been taking place. There appears to be a lot of intimidation that's being used as a tactic by these criminals at this time, which is making it so people are not feeling safe at home, or even going to public places or being on the roadways in the community."

Cheri Courtorielle, ward councillor for Calling Lake, said it seems most of the people being targeted in recent crimes are seniors.

"It's not just somebody coming in and breaking open a garage door and taking stuff, it's them actually coming in when people are home," Courtorielle told CTV News Edmonton.

"People are being met opening their door to see what the noises are, being told to go back inside and having a gun pointed at them.

"We're just at the point now where people are scared to be at home, in the community and alone. A big percentage of our population is elderly people, single elderly seniors who can't protect themselves."

The local state of emergency went into effect on Wednesday, will be in effect for seven days and could be renewed. Declaring it allows the M.D. to allocate money to pay for additional security personnel and police officers, Auger said, adding the M.D. is also looking at adding security cameras to help patrol hotspots and major intersections.

"We have been trying to push for a (RCMP) detachment in Calling Lake for several years now," Auger said. "We've been making a little bit of gains with that with K Division (Alberta RCMP), looking at how accommodations would be set up and how that system would come into place. There's nothing currently in place, but that's something that we continue to push for because we really do think that (a detachment) is required ... and essential at this point."

He said the M.D. will hold a meeting with residents, the area's MLA and RCMP next week.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Brittany Ekelund