This edition of The Water Cooler focuses on recent events surrounding a teenager fending off an armed robber, as well as proposed changes to the Nanaimo Parkway. (NanaimoNewsNOW photos)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Water Cooler: Parkway interchanges, teenager prevents armed robber from holding up Nanaimo store

Feb 4, 2023 | 9:29 AM

NANAIMO — The Water Cooler is NanaimoNewsNOW’s letters to the editor-style segment, featuring conversations about the news in Nanaimo and Oceanside.

This week’s feature deals with a recent attempted robbery of a Nanaimo convenience store and its reflection of the current criminal justice system, as well as recommendations for traffic improvements on the Nanaimo Parkway.

Nathan K., Nanaimo: It is a sad state of affairs when it has to vigilante justice to protect our homes and businesses. There needs to be consequences for actions. The justice system is broken, 3 strikes might not be the answer, but the revolving door needs to stop. In the good old days the cops used to just beat the repeat offenders in the alley, consequences.

Now you can have 50+ offenses and be back out committing crime within 12hrs. I’m not saying we need to go back to beatings, but longer sentences doing hard labor, instead of a short vacation sound good to me.

NanaimoNewsNOW: The challenge with repeat offenders, as this situation is believed to be, is the current disconnect between RCMP and Crown Counsel.

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Whether through procedural issues, or a shear volume of cases, many times the clock police are operating with to charge a suspect doesn’t overlap with Crown Counsel’s ability or desire to follow through with the recommended charges.

It was a constant topic at a Saturday, Jan. 28 community safety rally in central Nanaimo where speakers and onlookers repeatedly called for reform to the criminal justice system.

While this particular offender, as far as we’re aware, remains on the loose, we certainly see the impacts of repeat offenders in the stories we do.

As habit, when a name is released by RCMP once charges are laid, we search their history in B.C. courts and more often than not find extensive backgrounds dating back upwards of 20 years.

As for Jake’s actions, it’s a tricky situation.

He acted admirably and did exactly what was required and nothing more. He protected himself, his family and his family’s business and didn’t engage further. But the ideal world wouldn’t have 14-year-olds, or anyone, put in that position.

Nanaimo RCMP continue to investigate both the attempted robbery at Abbie’s and the robbery of Superette a week prior, believing the two are potentially connected. We’ll have to see if the person or people eventually charged have similarly long records.

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Paul H., Nanaimo: The Alex Fraser Bridge and interconnecting roadways were fast tracked for Expo86. 30 years of daily traffic jams, collisions, deaths etc and the GVRD finally approved interchanges at all traffic light locations. I would urge the Nanaimo Causeway be prioritized for interchanges asap. Don’t wait 30 years, the accident rate will only continue to climb, as will the injury and fatality rate.

NanaimoNewsNOW: There are few things more ‘Nanaimo’ than traffic jams on the Parkway in rush hour. As keen observers of the traffic view on Google Maps, we constantly see long, red stretches toward the south end of the Parkway, mainly at the identified Northfield Rd. and Third St. intersections.

Regrettably, it will have to wait until provincial will and cash is there to actually change what is, somewhat, working. Traffic lights aren’t the best solution but they are allowing for a flow of traffic a majority of the time.

Nanaimo is also fortunate to have two highways, meaning if slow downs on the Parkway are known, the Old Island Hwy. or combination of City roads remains an option, unlike further to the north (Hwy. 19) or south (Hwy. 1).

According to ICBC data, the Aulds Rd. intersection with the Parkway is Nanaimo’s second-most crash-prone intersection with 236 incidents between 2017 and 2021.

Third St. had 218 crashes over the same time period, while Northfield Rd. recorded 149, Mostar Rd. 141 and Fifth St. at 74.

Join the conversation. Submit your letter to NanaimoNewsNOW and be included on The Water Cooler, our letters to the editor feature.

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