MAYORS and councillors from small and large communities across B.C. joined Save Our Streets (SOS) on the steps of the BC legislature on Wednesday to call on Premier David Eby’s government to address the widespread public disorder that they said had gotten dramatically worse in recent years.
The municipal officials are gathered in Victoria for the Union of B.C. Municipalities annual convention, where issues related to public disorder are taking centre stage in the 2025 program. On Monday, UBCM held a study session called Disordered Downtown: Rethinking Care for Those in Need, which noted, “Over the past decade, communities across B.C. have seen a dramatic increase in the number of unhoused residents with significant mental health and addiction issues. In addition to the personal suffering of those who struggle with these challenges, downtown businesses and residents also struggle with a corresponding increase in vandalism, random acts of violence and theft. As local governments respond to this complex social issue, they find themselves on the front lines trying to fix a problem that is multi-faceted and in many cases beyond their capacity and mandate.”
This year, 14 UBCM convention resolutions are focused directly on public safety issues such as homelessness, poverty reduction, repeat offenders, addiction and mental illnesses.
Wednesday’s SOS event was an opportunity for B.C. mayors and councillors to bring their concerns in person to the very steps of the legislature and the provincial government which is being urged to take bold action to achieve the transformational change needed to address crime, violence, vandalism, addictions and mental illnesses.
Among the dozens of mayors and councillors at the event were Mayor Marianne Alto of Victoria, Mayor Leonard Krog of Nanaimo, Mayor Brad West of Port Coquitlam, Mayor John Henderson of Sechelt, Mayor Tom Dyas of Kelowna, and Prince George City Councillor Cori Ramsay, the new President of UBCM.
“Addressing these issues in a meaningful way requires the cooperation of all levels of government,” said Jess Ketchum, co-founder, SOS. “As we heard from our speakers today, and as respondents in our province-wide survey have told us, municipalities are eager to work with the Province and the public is ready for new, bold approaches to the issues their communities are facing. Municipalities cannot address these issues on their own and it is not sustainable for them to shelve services and projects in order to reallocate funding to address health and housing issues which fall under the provincial government’s mandate. Urgency is required.
“The growth of our membership and the excellent turnout of mayors and councillors today should send a message to the Province that communities of every size in every region have reached a tipping point. British Columbia is perceived as a global epicenter for these issues. Shouldn’t our goal as a community be to be perceived as the epicenter for the solutions? We have the real-life experience. We have the expertise. We have launched so many pilot projects. We now need the political will of our governments.
“On Friday, Premier Eby will address the delegates at the UBCM convention. Our hope is that his words will make it clear he heard what our mayors said here today and that his government’s actions reflect the desires of British Columbians who have been pleading for safety to return to the streets in their communities for far too long.”
