For the second year in a row, mayors and councillors taking part in the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention stood side-by-side to express how fed up they are with what they feel is a rising crisis of street disorder, homelessness and drug addiction in all corners of the province. Read More
Dozens of local officials said repeat and violent crime, as well as mental health and addiction issues, are wreaking havoc in their towns
Dozens of local officials said repeat and violent crime, as well as mental health and addiction issues, are wreaking havoc in their towns
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For the second year in a row, mayors and councillors taking part in the Union of B.C. Municipalities Convention stood side-by-side to express how fed up they are with what they feel is a rising crisis of street disorder, homelessness and drug addiction in all corners of the province.
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This time the backdrop was the front steps of the legislature itself, with the goal being to ensure their message is directed squarely at the provincial government.
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Among the calls from mayors this year is for the province to hire more crown prosecutors to speed up the trials of repeat and violent offenders and introduce a comprehensive system of involuntary care for people with complex addiction and mental health issues.
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They also want Premier David Eby and his ministers to continue pushing the federal government for bail reform so that people who are a risk to themselves or others are kept behind bars while awaiting trial.
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Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto pointed to her city’s $10-million public safety plan, which was announced in July and will help hire nine new police officers and 12 new bylaw officers, as well as create temporary housing and rehabilitating Pandora Avenue, which is the epicentre of Victoria’s issues with homelessness and street disorder.
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She said that many municipalities are stepping up in the same way as Victoria but are having to defer other key priorities as a result and need help from more senior levels of government.
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“They’re facing hard choices and making decisions that put off other priorities in order to deal with this, and I think that’s the paradigm that we’re following in trying to say to the provincial and federal governments that sometimes you have to make big, big priority choices, and this is the time to do that,” said Alto.
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“We understand, and I will always say that I applaud much of what the provincial government has done around housing, but let’s be clear, it’s taking a really long time, and meanwhile there are a lot of gaps in service provisions and availability in social services, health services, housing and other areas, which all need to come together much, much faster.”
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Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West said “the status quo makes victims of crime fight like hell to experience even a modicum of justice” and that repeat offenders have been allowed to “effectively hold communities hostage.”