Thoughts on BC Politics and More

A commentary by a Victoria resident. Recalling her own family’s tragic experience with addiction — and our government’s utter incapacity to tackle the problem — a letter-writer wonders: “But what’s to be done?” Good question, since nearly every large community reports problems with addictions, ­homelessness or both. As the writer points out, nothing we try seems to work. Despite billions spent on health care and law enforcement, successive governments — federal and provincial — have failed to turn the tide of fortune for some of our most vulnerable neighbours. Over time, if it seems ­government responses to ­addictions and ­homelessness (whether compassionate or ­punitive) have improved ­nothing, perhaps then this might be a clue that solutions to addiction and homelessness lie somewhere other than with our governments. If not governments, then who?  CLICK HERE for the full story

The head of a large shelter on Pandora Avenue in Victoria — in the midst of the street disorder of the city's most high-profile homeless encampment — told delegates at the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) conference that the province needs to shift its focus on homelessness. Our Place CEO Julian Daly said BC must treat it as a health issue, and that the most compassionate way forward may be involuntary treatment for some. "That is controversial, I know," Daly said, "but if someone is so unwell that they cannot make informed decisions about their health care, then leaving them to die on the sidewalk with little but their liberties intact is not compassion. It is abandonment" ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Municipal politicians used the first day of the Union of BC Municipalities convention in Victoria to push the BC government to do more to curb ongoing street disorder in their downtown cores, saying the addictions, crime and mental health issues have grown far beyond their ability to control. A collection of urban mayors representing cities with 60 per cent of the province’s population said the government has left thousands of housing units that could address homelessness unfunded. Victoria mayor Marianne Alto said cities are overwhelmed trying to handle the social services, shelters, housing services, transportation and other upstream costs needed to slow the demand on policing and public works budgets that respond to the disorder ... CLICK HERE for the full story 

Conservative   MLA Gavin Dew (Kelowna–Mission), Opposition Critic for Jobs, Economic Development, and Innovation, says small businesses across British Columbia are being abandoned by the NDP government in the face of rising vandalism, violence, and street disorder. A new survey from the Business Improvement Areas of BC (BIABC) found: 67% of downtown businesses  report street disorder has worsened in the past year, fueled by drugs, mental health crises, and homelessness. 74% of business owners  say staff fear and anxiety have increased. 61% face rising operating costs  linked to crime and vandalism. Nearly  1 in 5 businesses  warn they may not survive another year if conditions do not improve. “ Small businesses have been left to fend for themselves ,” said Dew.  “ Every day brings another story of property crime, open drug use, violence, or even a body found outside a storefront. The NDP’s failed policies are making the situation worse .":...

High taxes, new tip rules, street disorder undermining local entrepreneurs already struggling  ... in March, small business confidence in BC reached its lowest point in 25 years, as measured by the Monthly Business Barometer from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). That’s lower than levels seen after 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, or the COVID-19 pandemic. But this pessimism speaks to more than just trade troubles—it reveals homegrown challenges that have been holding back entrepreneurs for years. Small businesses still face uncertainty as President Donald Trump’s mercurial trade policies shift the ground under their feet ... CLICK HERE for the full story

The City of Nanaimo is considering building a 1.8-metre-high fence to protect its staff from "congregations" of people, violence and disorder associated with an overdose prevention site next to city hall. Staff proposing the $412,000 fence cite "intimidation and harassment" of employees, particularly those working early or late, as well as damage to staff vehicles, fires near doorways and building perimeters, human waste, and a general deterioration of the site ... CLICK HERE for the full story

  ONE OF THE MOST UNFORTUNATE FEATURES of B.C.’s ongoing crisis of mental health, substance use and street disorder is how often we are provided glimmers of hope followed by mind-numbing silence from the NDP government.   It’s not that the work the province has done on this file is bad or wrong. It’s that it’s entirely incomplete ... CLICK HERE for the full commentary