The Province will go after houses, cars and luxury goods of high-level organized criminals by introducing “unexplained wealth order” legislation in spring
THE Province is making changes to help keep British Columbians safe, launching a new Safer Communities Action Plan with immediate steps that will strengthen enforcement to keep those who commit repeat violent offences off our streets, and strengthen services to build safe, healthy communities for everyone.
The new measures respond to a rise in repeat violent offending linked to unintended impacts of federal law changes and subsequent Supreme Court decisions, and increased mental-health and addiction challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and the toxic drug crisis.
“Being compassionate, concerned and taking action on mental-health and addiction issues does not mean that we have to accept repeated criminal behaviour or violence,” said Premier David Eby on Sunday.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community. We are making changes to bring key groups together to keep people and communities safe – ensuring those who commit violent acts face consequences, and creating as many opportunities as possible for them to address mental-health and addiction issues to break the cycle of a life in and out of jail.”
Jonathan Morris, CEO, Canadian Mental Health Association, B.C. Division, Victoria branch, pointed out: “We know when a person is experiencing a mental-health or substance use crisis, what they need and want, is the support from someone who knows what they are going through. That is the heart of the Peer Assisted Care Team (PACT) model. We are very excited to lead this transformation of crisis care with partners in British Columbia. Today marks a bold commitment by this government to support mental health for all. A community-led care response, informed by people with lived and living experience, operated by local organizations is part of the transformation we need.”
Vancouver Police Chief Constable Adam Palmer noted: “Better co-ordination, information sharing and transparency will lead to better outcomes and overall improvements in community safety and well-being. We support any initiative that improves safety and ensures people living with mental-health issues get the care they need.”
The Safer Communities Action Plan lays out concrete steps at the provincial level to make communities safer under two tracks: enforcement, and intervention services. Each initiative is structured to improve co-ordination between law enforcement, community service organizations, justice system actors, health providers and people who are recovering from addiction and mental-health challenges in a collaborative, co-ordinated approach to address the issues people are seeing in their communities.
New measures announced include:
* launching new repeat violent offender co-ordinated response teams, made up of police, and dedicated prosecutors and probation officers;
* expanding mental-health crisis response teams into more communities so police can focus on crime, and people in crisis are met early on by health-care workers and community members;
* taking the next steps in creating a new model of addictions care at St. Paul’s Hospital so people can seamlessly move from crisis response in the emergency room, to detox, to treatment services, in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health and Providence Health Care, with plans to expand this model in the future;
* opening 10 new Indigenous Justice Centres to provide culturally appropriate support for Indigenous Peoples involved in the justice system to address the root causes of their involvement in the system and help them break the cycle;
* going after the houses, cars and luxury goods of high-level organized criminals who profit on misery by introducing “unexplained wealth order” legislation in spring 2023; and
* building public confidence in the prosecution system with new direction from the attorney general to prosecutors to implement a clear and understandable approach to bail for repeat violent offenders within the existing federal law. The new policy will take effect on Nov. 22, 2022.
The plan includes other co-ordination measures, such as better support for people with acquired brain injuries through overdose or other injury – with a focus on those involved in the criminal justice system – through increased funding for the Brain Injury Alliance, more integrated information sharing between justice and community partners to strengthen case management and expanding the use of technology to guide police in gathering, and sharing information with doctors and nurses during mental-health crisis situations.
These actions align with recommendations from a number of reports on community safety, including the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act, the First Nations Justice Strategy and the Investigation into Repeat Offending and Random Stranger Violence.
The Safer Communities Action Plan complements the B.C.-led action with other provinces and territories to pressure the federal government to address the consequences of changes to the federal bail system that have made it more difficult to hold people who commit repeat, violent offences in custody while they are waiting for trial.
The action plan also builds on work already underway by the provincial government to help break the cycle of repeat offending and build safe and healthy communities, including complex-care housing, new and expanded community transition teams to better support people who are leaving correctional facilities, and funding to support work by the BC First Nations Justice Council to develop better, culturally appropriate supports for Indigenous people in the legal system.
Since 2017, the government says it has taken steps to make B.C. communities safer by taking action to stop the money laundering and organized crime that fuels the toxic drug crisis, providing resources to police, reversing cuts to sexual assault centres, increasing crime prevention and victim support services funding, and record investments in housing, mental health and poverty reduction.
Quick Facts:
* The LePard-Butler investigation into repeat offending and violent stranger attacks’ 28 recommendations were released on September 21, and the full report was made public on October 1.
* The recommendations cover several areas, including:
– improving the system of care for people in the criminal justice system with mental-health and substance-use challenges;
– creating more opportunities to divert people from the criminal justice system;
– improving services for Indigenous Peoples;
– improving collaboration between partners, including community services, law enforcement, and all levels of government; and
– addressing repeat offending and improving public confidence in the justice system.
To read more about the Safer Communities Action Plan, visit:
https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/
