Neighbours are planning a rally Monday at 5:30 p.m. outside the Chilliwack home where it’s believed repeat sex offender James Conway is being housed.
Conway has been in Chilliwack since last year, but neighbours recently discovered just how close he was to families and an elementary school.
Bill Kelly, who lives two houses down, says he wants B.C. Corrections to take responsibility.
“They need to announce to the directly affected neighbours as well as the city,” said Kelly.
He worries for the safety of his daughter who he says fits within the target range for Conway to re-offend.
The mayor of Chilliwack says she stands by the residents.
Mayor Sharon Gaetz says she does not believe that Conway should be allowed to reside anywhere near children or schools.
“Pedophiles should not be housed in any area where children are present and I have asked that he be removed from the area,” said Gaetz.
“I was equally disturbed by the news that James Conway may be living less than three kilometres away from a school in Chilliwack. I have spoken with B.C. Corrections and shared my concerns and the concerns of our community.”
In a statement to Global News, B.C. Corrections spokesperson Cindy Rose says
“We understand the community has concerns about James Conway’s presence in Chilliwack and that is why we take his supervision extremely seriously. Mr. Conway has been under strict supervision for the past three years and has been fully compliant with his court-ordered conditions during this time. Since his relocation to the Chilliwack area a year ago, he continues to be under intense supervision and he continues to comply with everything the courts have laid out. Those conditions include him being under 24-hour house arrest and on GPS electronic supervision, which means B.C. Corrections monitoring staff receive an alert immediately if he leaves his home at any time. As well, he cannot leave his home without prior approval and without an approved adult. In addition, [Community Living BC ] CLBC provides a support worker that resides with him 24/7.
In the interest of public safety, B.C. Corrections issued a public notification when he relocated to Chilliwack in July 2017 to ensure the community was aware of his presence and of the 25 strict, court-ordered conditions in place. This move occurred after [CLBC] worked closely with B.C. Corrections to ensure the home met the court-ordered conditions. As his private residence does not violate his court-ordered conditions, B.C. Corrections does not have the legal authority to relocate Mr. Conway, as we only have the authority to operate within the confines of his court order.
Privacy laws prevent us from providing details beyond those included in the public notification, including more specific information about where he is residing.”
Conway moved to Chilliwack after a Global News investigation found that his placement at a Mission home was deemed a conflict of interest. WJS Canada, which was contracted to make living arrangements for Conway, rented a home recently purchased by Lynett Stucky-Mack, a manager for the organization.
Global News also discovered Stucky-Mack shared the same address as Anne Nikon, a shareholder, board member and executive director of WJS Canada.
Nikon left WJS Canada altogether shortly after Conway was relocated.
Conway was also met by protests while he was being housed in Abbotsford.
Both Abbotsford and Mission pursued legal action to have him removed.
WATCH: (Aired Dec. 23, 2016) A report finds a conflict of interest in the placement of convicted sex offender at a house in Mission. But as John Hua reports, the findings are doing little to satisfy the community.
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