Anti-bullying bylaw backed
PoCo council moves toward passing first regulation of its kind in B.C
Jasmine Pilling and her dog Lulu participate in the Snowflake Walk, an anti-bullying initiative that took place on Sunday. One day later, Port Coquitlam council took steps to make PoCo the first municipality in B.C. to enact anti-bullying legislation.
Photograph by: Lisa King , NOW
It was raining pink in Port Coquitlam on Monday night.
At City Hall, where every politician and staff member was decked out in pink shirts with the slogan, "I Am Someone," PoCo council began putting together the framework for what could become B.C.'s first anti-bullying bylaw.
The move included unanimously approving a resolution directing city staff to prepare a report around how other jurisdictions - namely Edmonton and Regina - have instituted similar bylaws.
Along with the request for a bylaw, the resolution also called for assurances that the necessary support be available to those who are bullied.
Monday's unanimous vote was preceded by a presentation from Dominion Lending Centres president Gary Mauris, who is spearheading the Be Someone anti-bullying awareness campaign.
"I want the councillors and the mayor to look at this bylaw and say, "Listen, we can make a difference,'" he said.
Compelled to act after the suicide of PoCo teen Amanda Todd in October, Mauris created the Be Someone campaign last month. And according to the life-long PoCo resident, he has received both national and international support on the issue from virtually all walks of life.
"I have put a very, very strong program together with a legion of volunteers with thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars to serve as a gift to our community," he said.
PoCo Mayor Greg Moore previously told The NOW the bylaw could entail fines ranging from $200 to $2,000, though the focus would be around education and behavioural changes rather than ticketing.
"I know . we're not going to have a whole bunch of RCMP officers out there ticketing people," Mauris conceded. "That's not what this is for. It's a statement. It's optics. It's about saying we are going to make a difference."
Once complete, the report coming out of Monday's meeting will be sent to the city's community safety committee.
