A Message From Save Our Streets Co-Founders
Our priorities in this edition of Street Scene are to update you on the Communities Driving Change forum that is rapidly approaching and the results and impacts of our recent provincial election.
Communities Driving Change Forum
The Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver will provide an exceptional venue for highly focused, solutions-seeking discussions of issues relating directly to the crime, violence and public disorder being experienced in our communities. This day-long Forum on January 23rd will have expert panels addressing judicial reform, policing, addiction and mental illnesses response, and housing. Keynote addresses will speak to how other jurisdictions have responded. Provincial and municipal political leaders have been invited to address the forum and to listen to the discussions. Attendance is free of charge, but space is limited so please register today. To RSVP, click the Register Now button or email Priscilla Chui at [email protected].
Forum Sponsorship Opportunities
Please consider becoming a sponsor of the Forum. SOS has not charged for membership and has elected to fundraise on a project-by-project basis as needed. This is the first significant ask of membership as London Drugs has covered many of the costs to date. Opportunities range from $2,000 to $10,000, with sponsorship exposure dependent upon sponsorship levels. For further information, please visit our sponsorship package or contact Jess Ketchum ([email protected] or 604-644-2604) or Norman Stowe ([email protected] or 604-788-3311).
BC Election 2024
Some would say that our recent provincial election was the most interesting and possibly consequential in British Columbia’s recent history. The rather sudden slippage in popularity of the governing party combined with the total surrender of the existing centre-right coalition party while serving as the official opposition and, at the same time, the rise, almost to winning government status, of a party that has been practically dormant for decades. Quite amazing and it was close to boot.
It took Elections BC nine days to finally determine that Premier David Eby had earned the right to be asked to form the government. He is to be congratulated on his first election as Premier. He must have been shaken to realize his caucus was diminished by eight MLAs and five former Cabinet ministers in an enlarged legislature and that he had the thinnest of razor-thin majorities. On the other hand, while John Rustad and the Conservatives may have lost the election, they should have been the happiest of political warriors on election night. From obscurity to within easy reach of the Premier’s office and government. And then there is the Green Party. Only two members elected, but the government has no choice but to consider how those two may vote on any substantial votes.
In responding to the loss, Premier Eby has stated that British Columbians sent him and his government a message and that he and his colleagues had received it. Important to SOS, he has consistently referenced the issues around public safety as one of the primary causes of that message and pledges to bring renewed focus to resolving those issues.
“What you will see… is a commitment to you around additional resources for community policing for downtowns that are under this kind of stress. By having a strong and visible law enforcement presence, coupled with the social supports we’ve put in place… we’ll be able to ensure our communities are safe, everybody is looked after, and our downtowns recover, and are strong and successful for every British Columbian.”
– Premier David Eby
Official Opposition Leader John Rustad has also been outspoken on public safety issues:
“Rehabilitation and enforcement go hand-in-hand. We will offer people every opportunity to turn their lives around, but we will not tolerate criminals terrorizing our communities. We will always put the rights of law-abiding citizens first and bring back the safety that British Columbians deserve.”
– Conservative Party of BC leader John Rustad
Cabinet
We are confident that all elected officials are concerned about the seriousness of the crime and violence issues but those appointed to address these issues specifically warrant our congratulations, support and wishes of good luck in carrying out their duties on our behalf.
Premier Eby has made the following appointments:
- The Honourable Nikki Sharma continues as Attorney General but also becomes Deputy Premier, which provides an important Minister with even more influence.
- The Honourable Josie Osborne, Minister of Health, becomes responsible for response to the addictions and mental illnesses response previously in a standalone Ministry that has now been absorbed into the Ministry of Health. While we are hopeful this better aligns the needs with resources, it warrants close monitoring.
- The Honourable Garry Begg, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, brings the experience of being a long-serving senior RCMP officer to the issues.
- The Honourable Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, returns experience to the housing file that impacts special needs housing.
- The Honourable Christine Boyle, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, will have a role in addressing the fact our Indigenous community deals inordinately with issues of addictions, mental health issues, homelessness and poverty. True reconciliation requires working to address those issues.
- The Honourable Terry Yung, Minister of State for Community Safety and Integrated Services, brings important experience to the file as a former senior member of the Vancouver Police Department.
- A number of Parliamentary Secretaries have also been appointed and who could have influence on the issues we are concerned about. They include: Amna Shah, PS for Mental Health and Addictions; and Joan Phillip, PS for Community Development and Non-profits.
Shadow Cabinet
Leader of the Official Opposition, John Rustad, has made the following appointments:
- Steve Kooner and Dallas Brodie, Attorney General
- Elenore Sturko, Solicitor General and Public Safety
- Anna Kindy, Health
- Clare Rattee, Mental Health and Addictions
- Scott McInnis, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation
- Tara Armstrong, Social Development and Poverty Reduction
We wish our elected officials well in addressing these critically important societal issues and look forward to collaborations.
While it has been very much a spontaneous community effort, we are proud of the role our Save Our Streets coalition has played in keeping these issues front of mind for voters and candidates in the lead up to and throughout the election. A very big thank you to all involved.
Clint Mahlman
President & COO, London Drugs
Co-founder & Chair, Save Our Streets
Jess Ketchum
President, Ketchum Communications
Co-founder, Save Our Streets
SOS sent all victorious candidates a congratulatory letter within days of the election being concluded and followed up immediately with a letter to the Premier outlining 25 items we believe, if acted upon, would greatly reduce the level of crime, violence and disorder being experienced throughout BC. We proposed that those 25 items be addressed in the mandate letters he provides to his new Cabinet. Broadly speaking, they can be categorized into four topic areas: Judicial reform and resources; policing reform and resources; addictions and mental illnesses response; and finally, housing, including various levels of care for people with addictions and mental illnesses and those experiencing homelessness.
A list of our suggestions can be found in our media release:
Save Our Streets calls for 25 priority goals and actions in letter to Premier Eby
Crime and Disorder in BC’ s Downtowns: We need action NOW
Op-ed by Jeff Bray
Rarely does a day go by when there is not a news story about crime or disorder in a downtown or main street in BC. Open drug use, encampments on busy commercial streets, constant retail theft, vandalism, and random acts of violence appear commonplace.
Ten years ago, this was seen as a Vancouver downtown eastside issue. Today we see it in communities large and small around BC; indeed, this is the major issue facing downtowns and main streets across North America. We all know the main root cause; people suffering from mental health and addictions and the criminal element that preys upon them.
We also know that for years we have tried, with all the right motivations, to help this population through community-based services and harm reduction strategies. We have heard if we just do MORE of what we are doing things will improve. For many who work downtown, shop or dine downtown, or live downtown, the results have been the opposite.
“It is time for bold action to support the tens of thousands of people who own, run, staff, and frequent our largest provincial employer: the small business sector. It is time for the needs of their staff and customers to come first.”
The impact has been immeasurable. The narrative for downtown Victoria has been that downtown is unsafe, violent, and is dying. The same narrative exists in many communities in BC. This has a huge negative impact on small and medium-sized businesses. These businesses rely on local customers, and on those customers to make the trip downtown.
So, what to do?
We know much of the downtown street crime and disorder stems from people suffering from mental health and addictions, fueled by the criminals that feed on this despair. The provincial government is responsible for the delivery of both health care and Crown prosecution.
First: Recognize that by almost any measure, the current focus on community-based services is NOT working. Neither for the people suffering and dying on our streets, or the communities in which these community services are provided.
It is time for meaningful investment in secure care for those suffering the most, who are incapable of maintaining any normal housing or accessing services in the community. Long-term residential care, with the sole focus on detox and treatment, is needed. The immediate result would be a much healthier and safer environment for those in need, even if they do not ‘want’ the help. The second result would be a reduction in the low-level criminal element that currently has a field day exploiting this population. Finally, we would see an immediate and steep drop in street disorder issues.
Second: The current catch and release criminal justice system has failed Canadians. Persons with dozens of criminal convictions for theft, disorder, etc. are arrested but then immediately released; in many cases they simply repeat offend in direct contravention of their bail conditions, get arrested, and are then again immediately released. This is unacceptable. Businesses, their staff, and customers should be the priority and deserve to feel safe.
The federal government must immediately further amend the legislation regarding bail, to ensure that repeat offenders (not just violent offenders, as the current legislation specifies) that plague our downtowns are held in custody pending trial. Once convicted, the sentences must first consider public safety for these offenders, then look at options around rehabilitation and so forth. Again, this one change would create a dramatic improvement in the level of lawlessness we see on some of our streets, as this numerically small group of chronic repeat offenders has the most impact.
Businesses and communities are exhausted. They feel as though the only focus, concern. and effort has been on the street population. If this approach had been effective there would be no issue. But for most communities, the problems are getting worse.
It is time for bold action to support the tens of thousands of people who own, run, staff, and frequent our largest provincial employer: the small business sector. It is time for the needs of their staff and customers to come first.
It is time to make bold choices around involuntary care for the most marginalized, to focus on detox and treatment, and to invest in the health of every member of our community. It is time for action.
Jeff Bray is a former member of the BC Legislature and CEO of the Downtown Victoria Business Association. Jeff is a highly experienced communicator and vocal champion for not only business in BC but British Columbia and all its residents.
This newsletter will provide the ability to review much of the media coverage on the issues including columns and interviews from SOS:
December 10 – Op-ed (Jeff Bray): Crime and Disorder in BC’ s Downtowns: We need action NOW
It will also provide you with results of research projects we and others have conducted in the pre-writ, writ and post writ period. These projects have been critical in preparing our fact-based communications with government.
September 25 – Save Our Streets Province-wide Survey Press Conference Sept. 24, 2024
November 2023 – Crime & Safety in Western Canada: The Small Business perspective
We are now transitioning to a phase in which we will lay out clearly to government actions that research indicates will lead to substantial improvements in public safety and in the solving of issues so many have previously given up on.
Media clippings certainly confirm that the issues we speak to are province-wide and not restricted to urban areas. Please refer to the Press Clippings segment of www.saveourstreets.ca for a broad range of the clippings that have come to our attention. SOS has generated a great deal of media attention, and we draw your attention to four specific examples that have generated significant attention:
December 5
Caren McSherry interview on Carole Taylor’s Journal
December 3
Vaughn Palmer interview on CKNW (mornings with Simi)
November 26
Jess Ketchum interview on CBC (On the Coast with Gloria Macarenko)
October 25
Clint Mahlman interview on CKNW (The Mike Smyth Show)
(Go to 11:17 mark)
The following media releases were issued by SOS during this Newsletter period:
November 7
Save Our Streets calls for 25 priority goals and actions in letter to Premier Eby
November 1
Save Our Streets Congratulates RCMP on Canada’s Largest Drug Bust
September 11
New BIABC poll shows street disorder threatening viability of businesses across BC
September 5
Vancouver attacks highlight urgent need for coordinated mental health care