Threats of lawsuits and police investigations are raging through Fort Nelson just a day after council gave escort services the green light – despite overwhelming public opposition to the plan.
Council voted 6-to-1 this week in favour of licensing sex-related businesses in certain areas, including an escort-service zone right beside a school on Fort Nelson First Nations land.
Coun. Doug Roper – the lone politician opposed – said “this smells to high heaven . . . the whole process was tainted.”
Roper said he’s upset that staff have refused to name the escort service that applied for the changes last fall, and added that “it’s a slap in the face” that Fort Nelson First Nations were never consulted about zoning changes.
He fears that aboriginal people will be recruited for the sex business, he added.
Roper said he is calling on the RCMP or provincial authorities to investigate council’s move, as accusations fly that some councillors are connected to anonymous interests behind the zoning changes.
“Basically the whole town is against [the zoning changes], so people are saying if it doesn’t make any sense, just follow the money,” Roper said.
“The thing has to be investigated to find out whether or not there is influence on council.”
Mayor Bill Streeper angrily denied suggestions his council has acted inappropriately.
Streeper said council acted on legal advice that escort services are kosher in Canada and the town can’t turn the businesses down – so it decided it would regulate them instead.
“You are innocent until proven guilty,” Streeper said, when told of Roper’s call to investigate his council’s handling of the bylaw amendments. “Until someone can supply one solid proof, I have no concerns that any councillor acted outside his boundaries.”
Streeper suggests that many in the town support the zoning change, but are not as vocal as their opponents.
In a letter to a Province reporter titled “Council is being made out to be monsters,” Coun. Doug McKee argues that if the zoning changes were voted down, “we [would] have only allowed escort agencies to operate wherever they choose.”
A better approach was: “Let’s try to control it and keep it away from our houses and schools,” he said Tuesday.
McKee acknowledged that an escort zone is slated to be put into place beside a First Nation school, but said council would be willing to consider changing that.
Chief Kathy Dickie of the Fort Nelson First Nation said “we won’t accept [escort zoning bordering First Nation land] . . . We’re looking at our legal options right now.”
Dickie said her council was stunned to learn about the city’s plan from a third party, just two months ago.
“We’re flabbergasted,” she said. “We’re wondering why this is happening and why we haven’t been consulted.”
Dickie noted the town and her band reached an agreement on common development goals to protect shared family values last summer – which makes Fort Nelson’s move to allow sex-related businesses, and the lack of consultation, all the more shocking, she said.
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