Coalition of Metro Vancouver officials call for immediate action by feds, province to address public safety

A coalition of Metro Vancouver officials is calling on the provincial and federal governments to do something about public safety and the ongoing mental health crisis.

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim fronted the media Monday morning, flanked by his city’s fire and police chiefs, and counterparts from other Metro Vancouver municipalities.

The coalition issued a three-point plan, urging immediate action to be taken “on the public safety and mental health crisis gripping Vancouver and other communities across this great province of ours, and we’re united in calling for immediate action to address this crisis on three critical fronts,” Sim said.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!

Firstly, they want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to provide funding to help care for those dealing with severe mental health and addiction.

“Secondly, we are requesting quick and decisive action, both by the Premier and the federal government to bring forward meaningful bail reform for repeat offenders,” Sim explained.

Finally, the coalition is calling, “once again,” on the Prime Minister and the federal government to “take decisive action when it comes to implementing actual policing at Metro Vancouver’s ports to combat organized crime by stopping the importation of illicit toxic drugs.”

Sim explained he, and the other members of the coalition were buoyed by Premier David Eby’s announcement on Sunday that a re-elected NDP government would create a billion-dollar forced involuntary treatment program for people suffering from a combination of mental illness, addiction, and brain injury.

Eby shared at the time that legislation would provide clarity and ensure people, including youth, would be able to receive care when they are unable to seek it themselves.

“I do want to take a moment to recognize Premier Eby for his announcement yesterday to implement mandatory care and the creation of 400 mental health beds across the province. Now, the provincial government’s willingness to partner with us on public safety by pivoting on policies like decriminalization and now addressing the mental health and addictions crisis shows a commitment to real change,” Sim shared.

“This is an incredibly vital step forward, and I know if you asked anyone here today, they would agree that our top priority as mayors and community leaders, once again, regardless of political affiliation, is the safety and the well-being of every single person in our communities that are struggling with mental health and addiction challenges or if they’re just kids or parents or business owners or visitors to our region.”

Sim went on to say the current system has “failed British Columbians and their families for decades. This has been going on for a long time,” calling out those who have been the victim of assaults and “random attacks.”

“And it’s failed those who’ve been struggling with severe mental health and addictions challenged. We can’t afford to let this continue any longer, can’t afford people to fall through the cracks,” Sim continued.

“The number of individuals that are battling severe mental health and addiction issues, and pose a risk to themselves and others due to lack of adequate care has reached a critical point.”

Sim questioned why individuals with severe mental health challenges or substance use disorders are allowed to “direct their own care.”

“It’s not compassionate. That’s actually neglect,” he stated. “And while yesterday’s announcement of the 400 mental health beds across this province is an incredible first step, more needs to be done. … the mental health crisis has only intensified. Vancouver needs at minimum 400 beds in our city alone.”

Sim looked back at an incident earlier this month in downtown Vancouver where one man was killed and another critically injured allegedly by an accused with a history of severe mental illness.

“Our system is failing to protect our residents by repeatedly allowing individuals with a history of violence and criminal behaviour back onto our streets,” Sim said. “These offenders are responsible for a large portion of the crime in our communities, yet the current judicial system does little, if anything, to deter them, even those with extensive criminal records like this. This creates a revolving door of justice.”

Vancouver Police Department Chief Adam Palmer says those who need the most help can’t be “wandering the streets.”

Palmer reiterated that while the overall rate of crime in Vancouver is down, “it is cold comfort to people who feel unsafe when they hear reports in the news” of incidents involving a repeat offender, “who’s been released from custody, who then reoffends.”

Predictable is preventable: VPD chief says of recent spate of violence

Palmer said that the Sept. 4 incident is not acceptable “by anyone’s definition” and that the proliferation of drugs and other illegal items in the city can cause fear in the community.

“We need to take immediate action, to come together, to take thoughtful and humane actions for the benefit of everybody in our communities throughout British Columbia,” he said.

“Existing public policy decisions and approaches by higher levels of government have been inadequate and are not working. They’re full of gaps, and they have led to significant public safety concerns, not only by the people standing here today but by the members of the public that we serve.

“You [have] probably heard that saying, ‘predictable is preventable,’ and the things we’re talking about today are very predictable. These are things that we have seen countless times before, and many of the tragic outcomes that we’ve seen in our cities are preventable,” Palmer said.

Involuntary care helps them get their life back: Coquitlam mayor

Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart said he was speaking to the media as a father, detailing his and his family’s personal experiences with mental illness and addiction.

Stewart disclosed his own use of opioids after a very serious car accident about 20 years ago.

“I was prescribed a number of very strong painkillers. I know people who took the same painkillers — oxycodone, Percocet, codeine — who ended up addicted,” he explained. “I am thankful every single day that that’s not how things turned out for me.”

“It is very easy for society, perhaps, to blame addicts, when we really want to understand, I think, the medical realities of addiction,” he continued.

Stewart went on to share that around a decade ago, his daughter was forced into care after experiencing mental health challenges.

“The first time she was put in involuntary care, it was because she desperately needed involuntary care to save her life, to protect her, to protect others around her,” he explained.

“The reality is that involuntary care is in many cases, the most compassionate, the most supportive, of the rights of the person who has a mental health issue or serious addiction.

“I speak as a father, saying no one wants their child, their son, their daughter, to be put in an institution, to be held against their will for an illness, except when you get to that point and you’re on the end of the rope, and that is the saving grace,” he added.

Stewart attributed his daughter’s experience in forced care to her being alive today. “She changed her degree, and after successful treatment … she went back and became a psychiatric nurse and works in some of those same institutions,” he said.

“If we’re truly a compassionate society, a compassionate city, province, country, look at the rights to live, to have their life back, and we will do everything we can in our power to try to help them. There are many of those on the street who no longer have someone advocating for them. Mental illness and addictions are incredibly alienating within families, and so society has to step in and help.”

Provinces need to step up and enforce the law: feds

Chantalle Aubertin, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani’s spokesperson, told 1130 NewsRadio Monday that people across Canada want safe communities. She explained that is why last year, the federal government made it “even harder for repeat, violent offenders to get bail.”

“We have passed stricter gun laws, tougher penalties for organized crime gangs and car thieves, and provided extensive support for police forces across the country. This work is ongoing and we are collaborating with all levels of government along the way,” Aubertin shared in an email.

She says the federal government listened to provinces and territories when they requested changes to the Criminal Code of Canada, “now they need to step up and enforce the law, which falls within their sphere of jurisdiction.”

“Provinces, including B.C, are responsible for the administration of bail, and more needs to be done to make sure police and prosecutors have the tools they need for effective monitoring and enforcement,” Aubertin said.

“In B.C., a judicial Justice or a judge in a provincial court most often makes bail decisions are provincial appointees. Provincially appointed Prosecutors have the ability to initiate a bail review to challenge a bail decision. Provincial courts, prosecutors, and police hold the data needed to evaluate how the bail system is working. We expect provinces and territories to collect and share that data diligently, as they committed to do.”

In a statement to CityNews Monday afternoon, the Office of the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions said a full continuum of health and social services are needed with any intervention to ensure people who are struggling have the support they need.

“In Budget 2024, we announced the Emergency Treatment Fund, to support municipalities and Indigenous communities in addressing their urgent need related to the toxic drug and overdose crisis. The fund will provide short-term support to rapidly mobilize and build capacity for enhanced access to culturally appropriate, trauma-informed, evidence-based substance use treatment, harm reduction and integrated services,” the minister’s office said.

But, it says provinces and territories are the “primary deliverer of healthcare in Canada” and are best placed to identify the needs of their population and how care should be delivered to be the most effective.

You can watch CityNews 24/7 live or listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver to keep up to date with this story. You can also subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.

—With files from Sonia Aslam.