More surveillance cameras will be installed as crime rates continue to cause concern along Lakeshore Drive.
Council was presented with the Lakeshore Drive Safety Initiative report at Tuesday’s regular meeting. Julie Czeck, the city’s manager of public safety, presented public safety options for consideration before the 2026 tourist season pulls into full gear..
Council approved using the Jubilee Pavilion building near the Peach as a temporary summer RCMP detachment.
It will cost $63,000 to complete interior upgrades of the building. Phase 2 recommends further upgrades in 2027 to return the building to a full-time RCMP detachment.
Staff is also recommending several more surveillance cameras be installed to protect city infrastructure, including new ones near the pump station, S.S. Sicamous, Jubilee Pavilion and public washrooms.
There has been more than $400,000 in vandalism since 2021 to these facilities. The $40,000 investment is intended as a preventative measure.
The Chamber of Commerce is also interested in expanding its surveillance camera program to numerous locations along Lakeshore Drive, at a cost of $25,000.
Czeck said that “In recent years, there’s been a lot of public feedback in our RCMP data, which have identified reoccurring concerns along Lakeshore Drive, related to late night disturbances, noise, traffic and disorder during key summer months.”
She said problems identified with Lakeshore Drive include inadequate lighting, limited surveillance, enforcement gaps related to overnight parking and lack of enforcement of park closure hours.
•••
During the summer of 2025, the city implemented a number of short-term measures, including more RCMP and bylaw staff foot patrols along Lakeshore, closing fire pits in the early evening hours, introducing better lighting in certain areas and installing cameras to protect city infrastructure, Czeck said.
RCMP data indicates calls for service along the Lakeshore Drive corridor increased to 910 calls in 2025, marking the highest amount of calls since 2019.
“Not surprisingly, July and August are when we see the highest calls for service,” Czeck said.
“The 2025 call profile reinforces that Lakeshore demand is driven primarily by high-frequency, lower-acuity incidents, rather than serious violent crime,” she said.
The majority of calls relate to disturbances, suspicious incidents and traffic-related incidents and there are also numerous wellness check calls reported, said Czeck.
Calls related to theft and assault were reported at much lower levels copared to noise complaints.
“The pattern is consistent,” she said. “Lower level incidents are driving up our operational pressures … underscoring the need for a visible presence and prevention -focused approaches.”
Service calls related to drugs and alcohol account for between 16 and 22 per cent of overall calls along Lakeshore Drive annually and only a tiny percentage of three per cent relate to drugs and alcohol and violence, she said.
The introduction of allowing alcohol use on certain areas of the beach along Lakeshore Drive back in 2023 had a brief spike in the number of service calls, but last year’s statistics show similar numbers to which were in place before the Covid pandemic, she said.
Increased police presence and enforcement, increased crackdown on traffic and parking infractions and better control of noise and late-night gatherings were identified as top priorities through all social engagement initiatives, she said.
Budget savings from the city hiring a new private security firm at its temporary winter shelter and other city-owned facilities will go towards a pilot project to provide security overnight from 9:30 p.m. until 6 a.m. along Lakeshore Drive from late May until September, said Czeck.
Lighting upgrades along the Rotary Park walkway and Kiwanis Pier are underway.
Due to of drought concerns, a fire ban is now fully in place and all public fire pits will be locked every night throughout the summer of 2026, she said.
Council voted unanimously in favour of spending over $100,000 to install more cameras and upgrade the Jubilee Pavilion building.
By Keith Lacey, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Original Published on May 22, 2026 at 08:48
Recent Comments