Okay. Thank you.
Good afternoon. Thank you for this opportunity to address you. As the speaker said, my name is Charles Gauthier. I'm the executive director of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, a role I've had for 20 years.
The DVBIA was established in 1990 and represents more than 8,000 businesses within a ninety-block area of downtown Vancouver's peninsula. Some 145,000 employees work downtown, and more than 80,000 people live downtown.
I'm presenting today in my capacity as executive director of the association, in support of private member's Bill C-309, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (concealment of identity).
The DVBIA board of directors voted unanimously at its January 24, 2012, meeting in support of the bill, because it will provide law enforcement officials with an additional tool to arrest individuals who wear a mask or disguise with the intent of committing unlawful acts and seeking to avoid identification. We believe this amendment to the Criminal Code will also serve as a deterrent to would-be rioters.
Vancouver has a rich history of peaceful protests, but it also has a dark side: riots that have cost millions of dollars in property damage and traumatized employees, residence, and business owners.
During my tenure at the DVBIA I have witnessed two riots and a peaceful march that turned into a brief but expensive spree of vandalism and property damage. I do not have a full and complete memory of the June 14, 1994, riot that took place after the Vancouver Canucks lost to the New York Rangers in game seven of the Stanley Cup finals. What I do remember, however, is the pain and suffering our members and their employees endured for months afterwards.
Fast forward to the 2010 Winter Olympics, hosted by Vancouver and Whistler. As most of you will likely recall, there was a peaceful protest of thousands of people leading up to the opening ceremonies at B.C. Place Stadium. However, amongst the peaceful protesters was a group of individuals known as Black Bloc, who conceal their identities by dressing in black clothing head to toe. They infiltrate peaceful protests and use the crowd as a shield. Given the right opportunity, with their identity concealed they engage in unlawful acts such as assaulting individuals, committing acts of vandalism, and damaging public and private property. To avoid arrest they scurry like cowards into dark corners, shed their disguise, and then blend in with lawful citizens again.
On this first day of the Winter Olympics, Black Bloc was unable to leave its mark. This was likely due to the size of the crowd and the strong police presence. But on the following day, during a much smaller peaceful demonstration with less police presence, Black Bloc members went on a short but expensive spree of smashing in windows and spray-painting facades of banks, retail outlets, and office buildings, while also terrorizing employees and passersby. Video images of the unlawful acts were captured, including images of the cowards shedding their disguises in laneways.
This was the turning point for the balance of the Winter Games. Public sentiment turned against all types of protest, peaceful or otherwise. There were a few peaceful protests, but they were very small in comparison with those of the opening day ceremonies. Unfortunately, peaceful protesters were taunted and chastised by passersby. Thankfully what people remember most about the games is the friendly crowds that met and celebrated our athletes' victories in the streets of downtown Vancouver.
With the success of the 2010 Winter Games and a renewed confidence that we could celebrate responsibly in public spaces, the city of Vancouver welcomed thousands of people downtown during the Vancouver Canucks 2011 Stanley Cup run to watch the games on a number of large screens in the public realm. West Georgia Street, a major downtown artery, was closed to vehicular traffic to host upwards of 50,000 people each and every night during the playoffs.
As you know, just as game seven of the Stanley Cup finals was coming to an end, a riot started. I was at home watching the game. I thought about heading downtown when news about the riot was announced, but I was advised by many not to. During the course of the evening I watched the event unfold on television. I also responded to calls from the media and City of Vancouver staff, who were on the scene to board up businesses after the police had regained control of the situation after three hours.
The next day I surveyed the damage with my staff, board members, and elected officials. I met with our members who were impacted by the riot. The carnage was extensive. Sixty businesses in the DVBIA area had some type of property damage. Twenty of these businesses had been looted. Estimates of the damages have been reported in the $3 million to $4 million range. The Vancouver Police Department has labelled the night of the riot as the largest crime spree in Vancouver's history, with over 15,000 criminal acts identified.
Employees who were working that night were traumatized by the rampage. Here are some examples of what happened that night.
Department store employees fought off crazed looters by deploying fire extinguishers. The owner of a coffee shop and her employees sought refuge in the restroom while the interior of the business was being destroyed. Employees of another retailer feared that their building was on fire and panic set in. In fact, vehicles parked immediately outside the building were on fire and the smoke entered the building. Employees of another business were prepared to fend off the looters with baseball bats if they breached the doors. Thankfully, the would-be looters left.
Almost 11 months later, and with only one riot conviction, our members are disillusioned and skeptical about the effectiveness of our criminal justice system. There is evidence that on that night there was a core group of instigators who came prepared to incite a riot. They had weapons, incendiaries, and masks and disguises to conceal their identities. The Vancouver Police Department estimates there were hundreds of people masked in various stages or types of masking. It took weeks of computer time to get the exact numbers.
The investigation has cost the Vancouver Police Department hundreds of thousands of dollars to process the video to try to associate the pictures of masked persons to the video of them earlier in the evening without masks. An investigation of a masked offender takes the police hundreds of hours to, in effect, get the mask off.
One retail establishment hit particularly hard by the riot has video showing masked looters coming through its front doors in waves. It is unlikely that the rioters and looters who wore masks or disguises will ever be caught. As a result, they will continue to engage in criminal acts of this nature until our laws change.
As our country's lawmakers you can begin the process of rebuilding the public's confidence in our laws by supporting private member's bill C-309 and giving notice to would-be looters, rioters, and criminals that donning a mask, disguise, or other facial covering will be met with the full force of the law. Any and all efforts to further strengthen the laws of our country to mitigate any unlawful public gatherings and demonstrations are welcomed by our association and our members. Our collective wish is that citizens across our country can gather, protest, and celebrate responsibly and lawfully in our public spaces without fear of riots or other unlawful acts occurring.
Thank you.