BC Housing CEO retiring, says he no longer feels he can solve ‘complex problems’

Shayne Ramsay is throwing in the towel at BC Housing. He’s announced his upcoming retirement as CEO with a damning public letter in which he says he’s concerned for his personal safety and declares “I want to tackle problems I still feel like I can solve.”

In a lengthy letter posted online, Ramsay said “something shifted” for him three months ago.

“On Saturday morning, May 7th, something shifted. I watched out my window as police descended on Crab Park. I had just returned, minutes earlier, from taking our dog Fred for our regular morning walk. On the beach, a man lay fatally stabbed. My neighbour, who lingered a bit longer than Fred and me, was bowled over by the two young men accused of his murder as they ran across the park to get to him,” he wrote.

Ramsay went on to cite disturbing attacks on people experiencing homelessness in Metro Vancouver, as well as a time when he was personally threatened.

“Over the past week, people who were homeless and formerly homeless were murdered, and a women [sic] was intentionally lit on fire just a block from where I live.

“Then, last Tuesday afternoon, after talking to the media about my closing remarks at the Arbutus public hearing, I was swarmed by opponents and threatened with physical violence. I had to be escorted to a private elevator, for my safety. Security at the City have since advised that after reviewing the video footage, they believe the swarming and threatened punch amounted to assault. This time it was angry words and a fist, next time it could be worse.”

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He said these are only a few examples of incidents “that have caused me to lay awake at night.”

“From the Interior to the West Side, doubtless small but vocal groups of people are increasingly angry and increasingly volatile. While one community faces the almost certain prospect of poverty, poor health, violence, and pre-mature death, others are now unwilling to provide a welcoming space, a space that could save lives.”

The last straw for Ramsay

Ramsay’s breaking point, he says, was the police-involved shooting on the Downtown Eastside, an incident the VPD says began when an officer was attacked while sitting in their car.

“I think the shooting on Hastings Street, surrounded by the encampment and during another heat wave, finally did it for me. I no longer have confidence I can solve the complex problems facing us at BC Housing,” Ramsay wrote.

Ramsay’s decision to retire follows the B.C. government’s decision to fire BC Housing’s board last month, after an Ernst and Young review found it was handing out contracts worth millions of dollars without clearly documenting the reasons for those decisions.

Ramsay, 61, has been with BC Housing for 26 years, and CEO of the organization since May, 2000.

“I want to see more of my kids and get to know my grandkids, while I can still wrestle on the floor and shoot hoops or throw a ball with them. I want to tackle problems I still feel like I can solve,” he wrote near the end of his public statement.

“It is time for someone else to step into the leadership role at BC Housing. My last day will be September 6th.”

CityNews reached out to Ramsay for comment about his retirement. He declined, directing us to the letter posted online.

Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart issued a statement in response to Ramsay’s public statement, saying BC Housing has had a “vastly increased mandate combined with unprecedented housing demand brought on by COVID-19, the toxic drug crisis, and decades of underinvestment.”

Stewart says this has made Ramsay’s work “more challenging than ever before.”

“On behalf of the City of Vancouver, I would like to offer my sincerest thanks to Mr. Ramsay for his years of service and dedication,” he said.