Kelowna's mayor brings city's message on bail reform, property crime to Ottawa

Dyas pushes bill in Ottawa

Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas was in Ottawa Wednesday to urge for the passage of the Liberal bail and sentencing reform bill.

Dyas was one of three people asked to speak to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights in Ottawa about Bill C-14, along with Toronto Police Association president Clayton Campbell and Regina Downtown Business Improvement District executive director Judith Veresuk.

Dyas has been a strong advocate for bail reform, specifically pertaining to property crime and the “catch-and-release” model of justice he says is not working.

The Liberal proposal tabled in October would make it harder to get bail for a variety of offences, including vehicle thefts, extortion and breaking and entering.

It would also impose a reverse onus on bail for certain offences. That would move the burden of proof from the prosecutor to the accused, meaning they would have to justify being granted bail.

When asked if he could support the bill as written, Dyas said while he would like to see some modifications around reverse onus and the addition of repeat “property offences,” it’s important the bill be passed into law.

“There are communities, municipalities, cities throughout this whole country who need this addressed,” he told the committee. “It’s affecting businesses, it’s affecting our residents."

“It may not be at this particular point in time exactly the way it needs to be and I think that comes to a future discussion to identify, but it does need to be addressed.

“The idea of moving this forward as was said in my comments, we are grateful and hopeful this committee and both parties are successful in moving this forward.."

During his opening remarks, Dyas told the 10 member committee business owners are “frustrated” and “losing confidence” in the justice system.

He talked about one individual who had accumulated 223 police files from 2021 to 2025 including 32 times where they failed to show up in court.

“Offences occurred almost monthly including assaults, thefts, threats and public disturbances, many shortly after release," Dyas said.

“In 2024, just 15 individuals in Kelowna were responsible for 1,335 police files. This trend is regrettably not isolated.”

Dyas called repeat offenders brazen, stating they know there are minimal consequences in a system that does not hold them accountable.

“This is common in cities across Canada. It is systemic, it is not acceptable and it requires a significant change in policy and legislation," he said.

The bill was given first reading in the House of Commons Oct. 23. It is currently making its way through committee before it returns to the House for final debate.