Would you prefer to make Kijiji transactions at a police station?
Aurora is asking York Region Police to provide space for these transactions to occur within the police stations.

YorkRegion.com
Nov. 29, 2016
Teresa Latchford  

Aurora wants to help create safe spaces for people using online selling apps to conduct in-person transactions.

More and more people are posting items on selling sites like Kijiji and VarageSale to seek buyers for items they no longer need. These sites allow a user to post an item, receive messages from interested buyers and make arrangements for an in-person meeting to exchange the goods for cash.

However, with each in-person transaction comes an element of risk since it is unlikely the two parties involved know each other. This is why Councillor Tom Mrakas suggested Aurora take the reins and approach York Region Police with a request to create designated spaces in police stations where residents can feel confident and safe when making such transactions.

“In this day and age a lot of people are doing business online and meeting for transactions and you don’t know who you are meeting with,” Mrakas said. “This would give residents a place to feel safe while making these transactions.”

While it seems the majority of sale site users conduct these transactions without issue, occasionally the media reports on an incident that went very wrong.

For example, the Tim Bosma case. Bosma disappeared in 2013 after taking two men for a test drive in the truck he was trying to sell on Kijiji and his charred remains were found in an animal incinerator more than a week later.

Mrakas stated he couldn’t take credit for the idea since he is following in the footsteps of the Region of Peel which has already implemented these spaces and the City of Toronto which has passed a motion to implement a proposal.

“These transactions are happening more and more so this just makes sense,” Mrakas added.

He also took the opportunity to add to his own proposed motion to send communications to the rest of the York Region municipalities seeking their support and endorsement for the creation of these spaces as well.

Mayor Geoff Dawe confirmed that the proposal can be sent to York Region Police but that it would have to be reviewed by the Police Services Board.