Chatham-Kent (CK) council has approved two reports looking into strategies to combat vandalism in the community.
At Monday night's council meeting, Councilors Anthony Ceccacci and Carmen McGregor brought forward motions requesting that staff prepare reports on vandalism.
Ceccacci's motion will highlight areas of concern in the municipality and provide potential placement for additional CCTV cameras. The report will look into Erieau and Mitchells Bay, as well as areas that see a large influx of people and continued vandalism.
"I think we need to do more to protect our municipal assets," said Ceccacci.
He noted that the public Bathrooms at Erieau are damaged significantly every year, and it's disheartening.
In addition to new CCTV placements, his report will also include information on estimated costs, funding opportunities, and any privacy or operational considerations.
"I think that any time you have a state-of-the-art camera that's able to solve crimes in the area and people are knowledgeable about that, it's going to make people very apprehensive of being a delinquent," Ceccacci continued.
At the meeting on Monday, Councillor Ryan Doyle brought up the concern of what the cameras could be used for in the future.
"With the current use of how these cameras are going to be used, I'm in 100 per cent agreement with that. My worry is potentially how these would be used long term," said Doyle. "We had four cameras in 2024, and two years later we have 171 cameras around CK."
He instead thinks the provincial and federal governments should enforce stronger laws and keep people in jail longer, noting these cameras could take privacy away from residents and be used to control the movement of the population in the future.
"I would hate to look back and say that I was one of the people that agreed to put these things up, which down the road gives the government more control and power over the population," Doyle continued.
Ceccacci's motion passed 16 to one, with Doyle voting in opposition.
McGregor's notice focused on a single municipal infrastructure project.
She's asked for a report on beefing up security at the L.O. Stonehouse Memorial Walking Bridge in Wallaceburg, after it was allegedly vandalized twice since major repairs were completed.
She added that when municipal infrastructure is vandalized, it costs taxpayers money, disrupts public access, and impacts community events and services.
"We need to understand the cost every time something like this happens," said McGregor. "It's not even just the cost of the repair. It's the cost of the effect of what it does to the community and the events within the community."
Her motion will look into enhancing security measures at the bridge. The report will include information about the costs and recommendations of improving surveillance, access controls, lighting, intrusion detection, physical security enhancement, and any other measures deemed appropriate to protect the bridge.
McGregor's motion passed unanimously.
