Video surveillance cameras soon could be coming to downtown Brantford.

City councillors, at a Tuesday committee meeting, voted in favour of having staff prepare a municipal video surveillance plan for the core. Their decision will come before council for final approval on May 28.

“This is to address problems we’ve had in the downtown,” said Mayor Kevin Davis, who brought the motion forward. “There are areas of the downtown that are hard to monitor and this would be something that would cover areas not already covered by private cameras.

“Dealing with problems in the downtown requires a lot of different initiatives and this is another tool that we can look at.”

The plan will include a map showing proposed locations for cameras, a cost for equipment and staff training and a summary of grants available to help cover expenses.

As well, the plan will detail strategies to minimize the impact on the public’s expectation of privacy and a policy governing the collection of personal information through the surveillance system.

Consultations are to be held with Brantford police, the Downtown Business Improvement Area, Laurier Brantford and Conestoga College, which have campuses downtown, and the Wilfrid Laurier University Student Union.

The mayor’s resolution notes the city has put a lot of time, effort and money into the downtown revitalization, focusing on growing post-secondary education in the core.

The resolution also points out that the city, like many others, has been hard hit by the opioid crisis. As well, the city has seen an increase in gun-related crime, with more than a dozen incidents, including eight shootings and one murder, since January. Recently, police made four arrests for possession of loaded handguns, a shotgun and a sawed-off shotgun and seized a sawed-off rifle.

Brantford Police Chief Geoff Nelson called the spate of gun crimes “unprecedented for our community.”

The mayor said the issue of video surveillance cameras downtown must be properly considered.

“The report could come back to us by the fall and then it could become part of our (2020) budget deliberations.”

If councillors decides to proceed with the plan, the cameras could be in place in summer next year, Davis said.

Coun. Brian Van Tilborg was one of several councillors to speak in favour of surveillance cameras.

“At one time I’d be uncomfortable with this but society has changed a great deal,” Van Tilborg said. “I’m in full support of this and I would like to see it implemented sooner rather than later.

“I can’t see, at this time anyway, a better way to address these issues and we need to this quickly.”

Coun. John Sless also spoke in favour of the cameras.

“I was part of the council that decided to spend money on the downtown to improve it and I think we have to stem what’s going on in the downtown before spreads,” said Sless.

Coun. Richard Carpenter said he raised the idea of video surveillance cameras years ago, adding that he believes everyone should be able to watch what’s happening in the downtown.

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