‘Fed up’: Street disorder tops agenda at annual B.C. municipalities convention

Tackling street disorder will be one of the first topics on the agenda when the 2025 Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention kicks off Monday in Victoria.

Over the past decade, the UBCM said communities across the province 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,” states the summary for ‘Disordered Downtown: Rethinking Care for Those in Need’.

Eight presenters will address the Sept. 22 session, including three city mayors, a deputy mayor and councillor, the province of BC’s chief scientific advisor for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders, Our Place Society, the BC Chamber of Commerce, and BC Crown Counsel Association.

“Residents and businesses are really fed up,” Vancouver deputy mayor and councillor Lisa Dominato told Global News in an interview Thursday.

As local governments respond to this “complex social issue”, the UBCM said 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.

“Municipal politicians are tired of having to deal with a problem they cannot fix and they did not cause,” said Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog, who will join Dominato on the panel.

According to the UBCM, the session will explore the factors that have contributed to the growth of street disorder as well as viable response options, incorporating perspectives from impacted agencies, leading authorities and other key stakeholders.

“We need the province to step up and provide leadership, particularly around supportive housing, around detox, around treatment and recovery, particularly, to offer the kind of supports that are needed for people with severe mental illness and addictions,” said Dominato.

“It’s important for the government to realize this isn’t a big city issue but this also affects rural jurisdictions,” added Nelson mayor Janice Morrison, who accepted an invitation to speak.

The West Kootenay city has a population of more than 11,000 according to the 2021 census, and while Morrison acknowledged the B.C. government has plans and strategies in place to deal with violent offenders, she said there’s been little action on prolific non-violent offenders committing property crime.

“That catch and release that happens with these offenders, we really need to rein that in,” Morrison told Global News Thursday.

The BC Crown Counsel Association represents more than 500 frontline prosecutors, and president Adam Dalrymple said members are overwhelmed with workload issues.

“We’re seeing significant burnout,” Dalrymple said in an interview.

Prosecutors are receiving increased disclosure and evidence – including body-worn camera footage – which they have a legal obligation to review, he said.

“What we’re seeing is a lot of the lower-level property crime not getting the attention that it needs,” Dalrymple told Global News.

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Dalrymple said more reliable technology is required, along with an estimated 50 more Crown counsel, to meet the public’s needs and allow for proper property crime prosecutions.

“Give us the human resources and the technology to prosecute in 2025 and beyond,” said Dalrymple. “Right now we do not have that.”

The BC Chamber of Commerce said the criminal justice and health systems need to be adequately resourced and ready to help people who are suffering when they need it.

“I think we can and should be doing better,” interim CEO Alex McMillan told Global News. “We need transformative change, not incremental change.”

Nanaimo’s mayor said he will be asking the B.C. government to recognize that secure, involuntary care is needed for a portion of the population on the streets.

“Stop pretending that that isn’t part of the continuum of needed care to make our streets safer and our citizens healthier,” said Krog.

In June, the province said British Columbia’s first involuntary treatment facility for people who are not in the criminal justice system would soon begin accepting patients who have met the criteria for involuntary treatment under the Mental Health Act.

The Alouette Homes facility in Maple Ridge is equipped with 18 beds for patients with “severe and persistent mental-health disorders, often combined with other challenges, such as addictions and brain injuries, which may impact their behaviour and ability to interact safely with others,” according to the Ministry of Health.

Dr. Daniel Vigo, B.C.’s chief scientific advisor for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders, called the facility a “first-of-its-kind” service in B.C.

Vigo was appointed in June 2024 and tasked with developing solutions for people suffering from mental health, addictions and brain injuries due to toxic drugs.

Global News requested an interview with Vigo ahead of the UBCM session but the Ministry of Health said it was unable to reach him on Thursday.

Our Place Society Executive Director Julian Daly declined to be interviewed before the UBCM session, while Global News was told Dawson Creek Mayor Darcy Dober was unavailable for an interview.

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