The original version of this story has been updated to include a statement from VisionQuest. 

A group of neighbours living on Tunkwa Lake Road are calling for action to address the ‘lack of security at the Vision Quest Recovery Society following a series of ongoing problems in their community.

Dated July 26, 2022, the letter asks Logan Lake council for help to have adequate funding for onsite security at Vision Quest and additional RCMP coverage in Logan Lake so police can better respond to an emergency.

It says if both those things cannot be achieved, the group is asking that Vision Quest be relocated.

Their calls for action come as each of the signatories has had Vision Quest clients come onto their property breaking into their homes and vehicles. While some of them have also had guns and vehicles stolen.

Area resident Chelsea Heppner says the breaking point, prompting the group to take action was from a situation a few months ago where she explains her husband was physically attacked and threatened by a Vision Quest client.

“Somebody was honking my horn (in my car), and the flashers were going. My husband came back into my car and I needed to call the police.”

“As soon as he stepped out of the car, he started to walk towards the house, and Rory (my husband) didn’t want him coming near the house. So Rory ran outside and went around him and (the man) punched Rory in the face, and then he started chasing Rory around the yard.”

“Rory had to find a shovel because this guy that was chasing him was a really big guy and he seemed like he was violent and Rory got the shovel and had to hit him to keep him away and my father-in-law got there and he had a big stick and the guy was taking his shirt off trying to fight him.”

“Meanwhile, I was on the phone watching this all happen and the RCMP, 911, is telling me it is going to take over an hour for cops to get here because there is no RCMP available in Logan Lake.”

Logan Lake Mayor Robin Smith says she understands the frustration Tunkwa Lake Road residents have been expressing regarding clients from Vision Quest on their properties.

“It’s a really tough situation because all of it needs to be addressed and I feel for all those people that live along that road,” she said.

“Especially the family where that incident occurred because it would not have been a very good feeling for that poor gentleman knowing his family is in his house and he is trying to protect him while this fella is actively trying to assault him and who knows what else.”

Smith adds council is open to having discussions with the management at Vision Quest to help find solutions that will work for all parties.

“But at the end of the day it’s a really tough situation, there are demands for facilities like that so you always have to balance the need, and there definitely is a need as well.”

Additionally, Smith says more police resources is something council has been advocating for quite some time.

“It’s not even necessarily for public safety as it is for an opportunity for RCMP to have a break and if they don’t have coverage for themselves to even have a break, it makes it really tough for everybody.”

The residential treatment facility is built on 20 acres of land– located just outside Logan Lake.

As many as 80 per cent of its clients have been ordered to participate in the program; acting as an alternative to incarceration.

They are dropped off at the facility by B.C. Corrections with the expectation that they stay for about six months.

“It’s a mix of people who choose to be there and people that don’t necessarily choose to be there. But they are given an option either there or jail, so that’s the option they choose,” suggests Smith.

“You never really know what you are going to get. You don’t know if the people that are there are there because they want to be or because they have to be.”

Once there, Vision Quest cannot force the clients to stay on-site, which Smith also suggests could be an issue.

“If they decide it doesn’t suit them, then that’s the first place they get to is those residents along that road and I think that’s where the problem lies,” added Smith.

Vision Quest has responded to RadioNL with a statement regarding the incent.

“VisionQuest takes any incident or threat of violence, onsite or off, very seriously. We have a zero-tolerance policy and will ensure the party is held accountable. We understand the community’s concerns and take their safety just as seriously. Our staff lives in this community. We are a part of and contribute to this town regularly, both economically and in terms of volunteering. Therefore, we are no more or less a part of the community than any other member living there,” Vison Quest said in a statement.

“While this incident was highly concerning and heartbreaking, it is also isolated. In the seven years, VQ has been in Logan Lake, there have been no instances of assault on a community member. We have spoken with the affected family numerous times and offered our support. We have even had one member out to our site to meet the staff and residents to aid in providing comfort and supports.”

“VisionQuest fully supports adding RCMP or security to further the safety of community members. The officers currently stationed in this town have our utmost respect and trust, and we have a great working relationship with them. Adding more will only increase the already outstanding quality of work here,” added the statement.

“While safety and security are essential discussions in any community, it is also important to not lose sight of the very real and necessary service societies like VQ perform. For every individual who graduates from our program, there is one fewer person committing crimes, one more family reunited, one more life saved, and one more contributing member of society paying taxes and paying it forward. Of course, there is no ideal location for a treatment centre. All folks have differing ideas of where facilities like ours should be; to satisfy all is an impossible task, so we focus on where we are, and we think where we are is pretty close to paradise; our residents have experienced much trauma in their lives and deserve a paradise to heal in. It is not perfect, but we will always work to make things better for our residents, our staff, and our community.”