Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells Issues Statement On Downtown Assault

Courtenay Mayor Bob Wells has issued a statement in response to an assault in downtown last week.

On a Wednesday, a youth was quickly arrested after someone attacked several people with a knife in front of the library. Thankfully, there were no serious physical injuries.

To address some of the information being shared online, Wells said they were told by Comox Valley RCMP that this incident was not linked to the Connect Centre in any way and the youth suspect was not known to police.

Wells says Council takes public safety seriously and has been making investments to support the tools we need to respond to community issues, with $8.6 million budgeted in 2024 for police services.

He says that also includes working with the RCMP on initiatives such as downtown foot patrols.

The City has added two new members to the Bylaw Enforcement team since 2021, while modernizing bylaws, and updating policies to support bylaw compliance throughout the community, with additional bylaw updates to be considered by Council this fall.

For more information, visit City of Courtenay.