Mayors from around B.C. will use the annual meeting of municipal politicians to again call on the provincial government to address concerns related to public safety, as a new survey shows continued fear from residents over crime and violence in their communities.

The Union of B.C. Municipalities’ convention began Monday at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The mayors will hold a news conference Sept. 17 to request “five actions” from the provincial government to “improve community safety, public confidence and quality of life.”

The Save Our Streets (SOS) coalition issued the news conference advisory Monday, releasing results of a Research Co. poll to shed renewed light on the state of residents’ public safety concerns in their communities.

‘Just isn’t doing enough’

Clint Mahlman, a co-founder of SOS and the retired CEO of London Drugs, said he was disappointed with the lack of progress. SOS released a similar survey in 2024 that showed concerns from residents and business operators about crime and street disorder.

“While there has been some perceived improvements, they’re very minor statistically and probably not even correct,” Mahlman told Business in Vancouver.

He said there is a fundamental covenant between governments and its people to protect citizens from harm. Mahlman said that covenant extends to helping prevent further harm to people living with mental illness and brain disorders.

He commended the provincial government for appointing Dr. Daniel Vigo as B.C.’s first chief scientific adviser for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders. At the same time, he said, the government “just isn’t doing enough.”

Addiction and mental illness

The poll, which surveyed 1,207 B.C. residents between Sept. 2 and 5, found:

• More than half of residents (53 per cent) say there are areas in their community they actively avoid for fear of their own safety.
• Eighty-seven per cent say addiction and mental illnesses are to blame for much of the crime and public safety issues in their communities.
• Eighty-eight per cent per cent say they believe crimes go unreported in the province, with 66 per cent saying it is because of a lack of confidence in the judicial system.
• Eighty-one per cent per cent believe retail crime makes the products they buy more expensive.

Another finding highlighted by the SOS was that 48 per cent of respondents “fear for the safety of their families” in their community.

The response was to a question that asked: All things considered, how much do you fear for the safety of the following people in your community?

The five answer choices were: a great deal, a fair amount, not too much, not at all, not sure. The data was separated by gender, age and region, with Research Co. president Mario Canseco noting a geographical shift in the responses.

“Going back to when I started asking about crime and public safety, usually northern B.C., southern B.C., [Vancouver] island were very low on this indicator,” he said.

“One of the major changes over the past few years is the fact that you have areas in many municipalities that are similar to what the Downtown Eastside used to be 10 to 12 years ago.”

In addition, Canseco said residents’ perception of being vulnerable to crime has shifted, with people years ago not thinking high-profile gangsters battling over drugs was necessarily going to affect their daily lives.

“Now it’s what is going to happen with somebody in my community who I might run into and is under the influence of the drugs,” he said. “We’ve had a few stories like that. They have been covered [by media] extensively. And I think that is what is leading people to be more fearful.”

Concerns across B.C.: Prince George, Sechelt, Nelson

Mahlman echoed Canseco’s analysis, citing the widespread concerns across the province and naming mayors in Prince George, Victoria, Nelson and Nanaimo who have all noticed an uptick in drug-fueled crime and vulnerable people with brain disorders and injuries.

“Even smaller towns like Sechelt, where Mayor [John] Henderson has been calling for changes loudly for the last few years,” he said.

“This is not a big-city problem. This is not a downtown Vancouver problem. It’s not a Pandora Street problem in Victoria. This is sadly impacting the safety of British Columbians in most towns and cities throughout our province.”

Mahlman was reluctant to release the entire poll spreadsheet to media before Thursday’s news conference.

The “five actions” from mayors and details about a “community safety and accountability pledge” will also be revealed Thursday. But Mahlman identified concerns over government ministries not working together and the immediate need to help drug-dependent people with brain injuries.

Sentencing of chronic violent offenders also needs to be taken seriously, he said.

“When Save Our Streets say it’s safe streets for all, we mean not only for the citizens that are on the streets and shouldn’t be fearful, but also for those that are unable to take care of themselves or unable to make health-care decisions for themselves in a responsible way,” Mahlman said.

SOS is a coalition of 120-plus community and business organizations representing B.C. residents. The coalition launched its campaign for safer streets in October 2023 from the Woodward’s building in the Downtown Eastside.

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