Surrey council is expected to ask the provincial government to set up a 鈥渃ohesive鈥� B.C.-wide strategy to tackle catalytic converter theft throughout the province.

A notice of motion, to be voted on at council鈥檚 Sept. 25 meeting, was presented by Mayor Brenda Locke on Monday, Sept. 11. It notes there is 鈥渃urrently an absence of robust province-wide regulations to address the problem鈥� and calls for a 鈥渓egislative framework鈥� to deal with catalytic converter theft.

In April council tweaked the city鈥檚 Scrap Metal Dealer Regulation Bylaw, Business License Bylaw and Surrey Municipal Ticket Information Utilization Bylaw and Surrey Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw in an effort to curb local thefts. Among actions taken were to raise the maximum fines under the scrap metal bylaw to $50,000 from $10,000.

Surrey鈥檚 plan was conceived in January, when catalytic converter theft was significantly on the rise and made up almost 45 per cent of thefts from autos in this city.

Monday鈥檚 notice of motion asks city staff to discuss with the provincial government the possibility of enacting provincial legislation to 鈥渃ombat catalytic converter thefts throughout the province.鈥�

tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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