Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says public safety is “one of the most urgent issues facing our city” and wants whichever party that wins the April 28 federal election to make a series of investments and legislative changes to keep citizens safe.
Sim wouldn’t say which federal party is best to address his request but said the next government in charge in Ottawa has “to step up as a real partner in tackling the challenges” of public safety in Vancouver.
“Whether it’s crime, homelessness, or the mental health and addictions crisis, we need meaningful action to make our streets safer for everyone,” he told BIV in an email Monday.
Bail reform
To get there, he said, the next federal government needs to:
• Implement bail reform so repeat violent offenders aren’t released back into communities. “People should feel safe in their neighbourhoods, and that means keeping dangerous individuals off our streets while they await trial. We need stronger laws and resourcing of the criminal justice system.”
• Develop an integrated approach to homelessness, mental health and addiction.
“Our shelters and support services are overwhelmed, and it’s making our streets less safe for everyone. We need a long-term, national strategy with real, sustained funding.”
• Secure the ports.
“We need funding and legislation to adequately secure what is coming into our country via Vancouver’s and the region’s ports.”
• Replace unsafe single-room-occupancy buildings in the Downtown Eastside.
“These buildings are crumbling, unsafe, and often the last stop before homelessness. Investing in new, self-contained housing will give vulnerable residents a safe place to live and reduce street disorder.”
• Fund critical infrastructure to support new housing.
“We’re ready to build the homes Vancouver needs, but we need federal investment in water, sewer, and transportation to make that growth possible. Housing and public safety go hand in hand — we need the right infrastructure to support livable communities.”
Sim said public safety is a shared responsibility, and that he is committed to working with the federal government, no matter who is in office, “to deliver real solutions that make Vancouver a safer, more vibrant city for everyone who lives, works and plays here.”
Sim’s request comes as crime in major categories recorded by the Vancouver Police Department continues to fall. Break-ins to homes, businesses and vehicles have decreased since the pandemic.
So has violent crime.
60 interactions with police
But since Sim was elected in October 2022, he and Police Chief Adam Palmer have highlighted cases where long-time criminals with mental health and drug addiction issues, or both, have either killed or severely injured people in the city.
Sim said at a Greater Vancouver Board of Trade event in February that calls from his office to the federal government for bail reform have gone unanswered in relation to an incident in September where a man was murdered and another had his hand severed in an attack.
“That [suspect] had 60 interactions with the police, and we can’t do anything about it,” the mayor told the audience. “I remember the day after we asked for help, they called us and told us the 25 reasons why they couldn’t do anything, and they haven’t returned a call since.”
Added the mayor: “Excuse my language, but that's bullshit. Just tell us you're not going to do something. Don't ignore our calls.”
Manslaughter charge
Palmer shared details at a recent Vancouver Police Board meeting of a suspect arrested March 4 in connection with the alleged assault of a police officer in the Downtown Eastside.
Palmer said the officer, who was on foot patrol with his partner, was slashed in the leg in an unprovoked attack.
The suspect had 45 prior interactions with police and recently served four years in prison after being convicted of a manslaughter charge in the death of his girlfriend, said Palmer, noting the man was released in 2022.
He was arrested in 2023 and 2024 for breaching his probation, then arrested for uttering threats and assault. He spent time in custody, was released again and arrested in November 2024 for uttering threats to cause death and assaulting a police officer.
Palmer said the man, who was released from custody three weeks before the officer was assaulted, has a history of assaulting inmates and nurses.
“This is a person that attacked two fit, strong police officers in uniform, wearing guns and other weapons — he attacks them randomly on the street,” the chief said. “Imagine what this person could have been capable of in attacking an innocent person with no weapon, no training, no police authority, anything like that.”
Solaris Onatta Running Dey, 29, was charged with aggravated assault of a police officer and assault of a peace officer with a weapon. He remains in custody.
All federal parties are expected to roll out details on addressing public safety as the election campaign continues. The Conservative Party of Canada said prior to the campaign that bail reform is needed to keep violent offenders in jail.''
'National backlog'
Meanwhile, Coun. Rebecca Bligh, who is also president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, said the next federal government has to invest in infrastructure in Vancouver.
Bligh, a former ABC Vancouver member who now serves as an independent, said municipalities own more than 60 per cent of Canada’s core public infrastructure, yet collect only eight to 10 cents of every tax dollar.
“The national backlog for local infrastructure repair and replacement exceeds $240 billion,” she said in an email.
“When local infrastructure fails to keep pace with population growth, local economies suffer, and communities become less resilient. We need strong commitments to significant infrastructure investment—helping to address these challenges and, in Vancouver’s case, accelerate the delivery of more affordable housing.”
Bligh described the federal election as a “pivotal moment” for all parties to address Canada’s biggest challenges: rising costs of living, housing, homelessness, mental health, addiction and public safety.
“Strong federal leadership and a clear plan will enable a united, Team Canada approach—working across all levels of government to build a stronger, more resilient country,” she said.
'Tactical investments'
Green Party Coun. Pete Fry said the looming and ever-present challenge of housing affordability should be a call to action for a new federal government.
The cost of housing has outpaced income growth, and what was once “a big Pacific Rim city Vancouver-problem” is a crisis from coast to coast, Fry said in an email.
“The market cannot meet the housing needs of low- and moderate-income Canadians, but with significant and tactical investments the federal government could create jobs, healthy communities and climate smart affordable housing,” he said.
“By stepping in, the feds can balance the market, reduce homelessness, and help ensure that all Canadians have access to safe, affordable homes, while buffering the impacts of a potential trade war.”
When asked which party or leader can best address the multiple crises facing Vancouver of homelessness, affordable housing, overdose deaths and mental illness, Fry said:
“Working off the premise of a two-horse race, I think [Mark] Carney and the Liberals are likely to assemble the right kind of ethos, expertise, investment, and representation to help address those crises,” he said.
X/@Howellings
