Thoughts on BC Politics and More

There is a void at the BC NDP’s convention in Victoria this weekend about an issue that party members’ own government grapples with constantly and is high up on the public agenda. In 418 pages of resolutions submitted by members and two days full of meetings, the mentions of “crime” are few and far between. Street crime, how the judicial system handles it and the mental health and addiction problems behind much of it, have been the dominant issues of Premier David Eby’s time in office. But party members have found just about everything else in the world to talk about except that ... ... Crime in the broader sense gets scant mention anywhere  ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Crime down, health care swinging upwards, housing booming. B.C. throne speech paints a picture too rosy for some. When reality begins to fracture in a Hollywood movie, it’s usually called the multiverse — but when it happens in B.C. politics apparently it’s just called a throne speech. That was the feeling you got reading the government’s speech from the throne Tuesday, in which New Democrats painted a spectacularly rosy picture of the province that you might not recognize from your own community . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story

  BC's official opposition is out with a new public safety platform, with the focus centred on getting tough on crime. BC United leader, Kevin Falcon, sits down with Sonia Sunger for more   CLICK HERE for the full interview

Every summer, Statistics Canada releases crime rate and crime severity data for the previous year. This year, Canada’s Crime Severity Index (CSI) increased by 4.3 per cent, the violent CSI increased by 4.6 per cent, and the non-violent CSI increased by 4.1 per cent. Moreover, aside from a drop during the COVID-19 pandemic, these indices have been on the rise since 2014. An April poll found that 65 per cent of Canadians felt crime has gotten worse compared to before the pandemic. Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has criticized the Liberal government for the rising crime figures in recent months.    Canada’s new justice minister, Arif Virani, said it was empirically unlikely that Canadians are less safe, but that the government would act to address feelings of growing insecurity.   But what is the CSI and what do changes in cri...

Last week, JJ Bean Coffee Roasters, a socially progressive chain of over 20 cafés in the Greater Vancouver area, closed its location in downtown Vancouver’s Gastown district due to public disorder and drug abuse.   Company CEO John Neate said drug users would shoplift incessantly, harass staff, vandalize bathrooms and leave needles in the garbage.    The café’s windows were also repeatedly smashed, leading to considerable repair bills. At times, staff were fearful of going to work and, worse yet, there appeared to be a near-total lack of accountability on the part of authorities as “nobody seemed to go to jail for anything because it’s considered a minor crime,” Neate told Global News ... CLICK HERE to read the full story

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION  It's always a challenge to work to improve social issues in community - homelessness, mental health challenges, substance use disorder. There are not easy fixes here. These issues also sometimes cause social disorder and criminal activity. Often our most vulnerable citizens are preyed upon and become victims of crime.   Over the past years, Kamloops council and city hall management have increased our capacity to work on social issues. We haven't seen ourselves as a primary funder and have worked hard to facilitate and coordinate effective work. We have had a lot of successes relatively recently helping secure more social housing in the community.   Unfortunately, the challenges for our most vulnerable citizens have increased. This was the trend before COVID, and COVID has made it much more challenging. Social disorder has increased. And there seems to be less accountability for really bad behaviour and criminal activity.   S...