Solutions to qathet’s surging crime situation: Changes since Part 1

An end to surging crime: Part 3

BY PIETA WOOLLEY

Here is a short summary of what, politically, has changed on crime and the social issues underpinning crime, since qL went to press for Part I of this series:

1. September 27: A Tale of Two Provinces: Assessing the Opioid Crises in BC and Alberta

This report, by the Ottawa-based MacDonald Laurier Institute for Public Policy, compares Alberta’s emerging recovery-centred approach, versus BC’s harm reduction approach. It is early days. Both provinces have not-yet-fully-realized strategies to address the crisis, but numbers released in the early fall suggest that overdose deaths are declining in Alberta, and climbing in BC. Although trying to pin down why overdoses may be climbing or declining in both provinces is complex, to say the least, anyone interested in drug policy will be watching for complete 2022 numbers of overdoses and overdose deaths in these two provinces, which will be released in the new year.

2. October 1: A Rapid Investigation into Repeat Offending and Random Stranger Violence in British Columbia is released.

This report, commissioned by then-Attorney General David Eby, found that crime is indeed surging in BC, is impacting front-line workers and contributing to the employee shortage, and the public has lost trust in policing and the justice system. The authors blamed dramatic public policy failures in supporting mental health care and addictions, for fuelling crime. They offered 28 recommendations for curbing the surge in crime.

Two things came out of the report immediately. First, the Province issued a statement listing the recommendations it is working on. Second, Provincial and Territorial leaders from across Canada met with Ottawa about crime, and Ottawa promised to re-visit 2019’s Bill C-75 – the so-called “catch and release” bill. Since that was announced, no further details have emerged.

3. November 1: Closing Gaps, Reducing Barriers: Expanding the Response to the Toxic Drug and Overdose crisis is released.

This report, from BC’s Select Standing Committee on Health, supports much of BC’s current policy, and recommends expanding access to harm reduction such as overdose prevention sites and take-home naloxone. The report was soon slammed by critics for failing to recommend “safe supply” of opioids – regulated, accessible and affordable drugs – and instead supporting just the current “safer supply” approach, such as Opioid Replacement Therapy (ORT) and Injectable Opioid Agonist Therapy (IOAT).

4. October 15: Powell River, Kelowna, Kamloops and Vancouver (among other BC cities) elect anti-crime mayors.

In Vancouver, Ken Sim and his ABC party won a sound victory on the promise to clean up the Downtown East Side with policing and mental health working together. In Powell River, Ron Woznow – in his role as President of the Westview Ratepayers – chaired two public meetings on crime during the election period, and promised to crack down on crime. He got more votes than the other two candidates combined.

5. November 7: Vancouver Police Department’s “Vancouver’s Social Safety Net: Rebuilding the Broken” report leaked.

The public is spending $1 million a day on social supports in the Downtown Eastside and $5 billion a year on social supports in Vancouver, says this report, which was commissioned by the VPD. And yet, overdoses, overdose deaths, homelessness and public squalor are continuing to increase, rather than decrease, it claims. The Province questioned the figures in the report (some of the $5 billion includes universal programs like the Canada Child Benefit). The report recommends a focus on outcomes, rather than just inputs.

6. November 17: Soon—to-be-installed Premier Eby promises to help the Downtown East Side recover.

The day before he was sworn in, Eby spoke about the Downtown East Side – the most prominent neighbourhood symbolizing social problems and failed social policy that are found throughout BC. He noted it was “headed in the wrong direction” and that it is increasingly desperate – much more so than when he worked as an activist-lawyer there 20 years ago.

7. November 20 on: Premier Eby promises to act on “public safety.”

In a series of announcements and speeches, Premier Eby announced significant new spending on reducing crime. These include $240 million for additional RCMP, plus, according to the Vancouver Sun, “$12 million for repeat offender response teams; $44 million over three years for Indigenous justice centres; $10 million for peer assisted care teams; $3 million for integrated mobile community crisis response by police and health care workers; $3 million a year to expand virtual bail hearings; and $4.5 million over three years for brain injury services in 13 B.C. communities.” He also announced a stand-alone ministry on housing to solve the housing crisis.

8. Mid-November: Shakeup at BC Housing.

After a damning report on a major BC Housing contractor was leaked, the BC Liberals demanded a full audit of the Provincial corporation. Before Eby became premier, he was the Attorney General, and BC Housing was under his ministry. Later, Eby revealed that before he stepped down as Attorney General, he ordered a forensic audit of the Crown Corporation. BC Housing is responsible for much of the Province’s social housing, including the Supported Housing projects (such as the one on Joyce) that were part of the 2017 Rapid Response to Homelessness.

9. November 15: Federal Auditor General’s report on chronic homelessness released.

The federal government promised to cut chronic homelessness in half by 2027, and Infrastructure Canada spent $1.36 billion through the National Housing Strategy between 2019 and 2021 to do so. The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation spent an additional $4.5 billion. However, the Auditor General found that there was no reporting about whether the money had actually caused homelessness to decline. The AG said the government had assumed “minimal federal accountability” to reach the target.

10. October through November: Crime continues.

On November 23 alone, in the Lower Mainland, an armed robbery shut down Highway 1 and several SkyTrain Stations, a stabbing left one teen dead at a Surrey High School, and another teen was found in a downtown east side hotel holed up with a stash of drugs and weapons. Here, in criminal court, a local who had been caught stealing from stores, homes and cars and breaking windows five times in late 2021 and early 2022 was convicted on one charge – for breaking and entering – and got a conditional sentence of 30 days and a year of probation.

And much more.

An end to surging crime: Part 3

This article is the third in qathet Living magazine’s three-part series on crime in this region.

Part 1 explored the crimes themselves: what is happening, and what is the impact on this community?

Part 2 dived in to courts and corrections: how changes to our justice system are playing out locally.

Part 3 asks what those who are perpetrating the crimes need to be able to stop harming this community and themselves, and re-join society.

Note: In the January 2023 issue, we will run a special follow-up story on new approaches to toxic drug and addictions policy, as so much has emerged over the past month.

We hope these stories help inform the current conversation about crime, justice, addiction, and solutions. And, we hope to hear from you.

Please send letters (ideally before the 20th of the month) to isabelle@prliving.ca.