Stanley verdict reignites simmering rural crime debate

Last November, dozens of rural Albertans travelled to the legislature to demand action on rural crime.
The delegation of ranchers and farmers described feeling besieged as break-ins, thefts and robberies become more brazen. The United Conservative Party pushed for an emergency debate, saying that in some communities crime rates have jumped more than 250 per cent since 2011.
The emergency debate didn’t happen, and the delegation went home.
Now, in the aftermath of Gerald Stanley’