Latest news with #CommunitySafetyandWellbeingPlan
Global News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Global News
Victoria's new community safety plan gets council's green light
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto says she's 'thrilled' councillors have signalled support for a plan to address declining social order caused by homelessness, addiction and a fraying health care system in the city. Councillors meeting as a committee voted eight-to-one to endorse the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan and unanimously directed staff to analyze its operational and financial impacts. Another vote to formally approve the plan, which does not have a price tag, is scheduled for July 3. Alto says the city is facing crises that are 'unacceptable,' and the public has clearly told the city that issues of social disorder and 'uncivility' are paramount. 4:07 Calls for safety crackdown in downtown Victoria The report was commissioned in 2023 and responds to what it calls increased disorder and a diminished sense of community well-being in the face of multiple challenges. Story continues below advertisement The report says people in B.C's capital are 'discouraged, upset, and frustrated' with visible and invisible levels of poverty, homelessness and service gaps, despite efforts to revitalize the downtown, increase housing and improve safety. Alto says the plan with its 95 recommendations — many aimed at the provincial and federal governments — is not just another report, but instead marks a 'watershed moment' in the history of the city as it responds to social challenges. She said many of the causes behind those challenges are the responsibility of other levels of government and organizations. 'We can't deny that, and we will continue to work with them to ensure that the results are collaborative, and then eventually, the right authorities take responsibility for the costs and execution of those solutions,' she said. 'But meanwhile, we cannot wait any longer. We have an obligation to Victorians to take action.' Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Alto said the city will fill some of the gaps for now, with the hope that other levels of government will see what works and do their part to help the city. She also expressed hope that other communities in Greater Victoria will take their cues from the report. She said in an interview that residents could see additional bylaw officers on their streets sometime this year after council directed staff to implement 'preliminary actions' within the available 2025 budget to support the plan. Story continues below advertisement 2:10 Victoria business association calls for safety in downtown core Alto added that staff could hire additional bylaw officers even without the approval of council if money could be found without changing the 2025 budget. Alto acknowledged financial constraints and difficult choices. 'It's impossible to predict the storm clouds that are coming, but what this indicates is that every order of government, every decision maker is facing some really extremely difficult choices,' she said. 'In this case, I believe that this is a priority. That has been indicated strongly by the public generally, and that there is a high expectation that this will be a priority.' Specific recommendations within Victoria's control include measures to improve downtown safety, explore the establishment of designated shelters and tiny homes for people transitioning from homelessness, and support the delivery of mental health first aid training. Story continues below advertisement The report says that concerns about safety and the impacts of social disorder are 'negatively impacting business vitality' in Victoria, whose success as a renowned tourism destination depends on the local economy, with its array of unique businesses. These concerns are echoed by Suzanne Bradbury, who guided the drafting of the plan as part of a panel consisting of community leaders. 1:45 Victoria city councillors bringing motion to prioritize downtown movie theatres Bradbury, who co-owns a property management company and is also a trained mental health and addictions counsellor, said nobody is thriving right now. Businesses are closing and those struggling with addictions are not getting better under the current system, she said. 'Momentum is certainly building, but it is moving in the wrong direction,' she told councillors. 'We need an intervention urgently to turn this around.' Story continues below advertisement The Downtown Victoria Business Association said in its annual report released last week that 48 per cent of businesses surveyed said that if their leases were due soon, they would either not renew their leases, or were unsure if they would, because of the 'current conditions' in the neighbourhood. 'We need bold, immediate action in 2025, or we risk a wave of closures, job losses, and a dramatic erosion of downtown's vitality,' said Jeff Bray, the association's chief executive officer. Jonny Morris, chief executive officer with the B.C. division of the Canadian Mental Health Association, also served with Bradbury on the panel. He said in an interview that the 'ambitious' plan serves as a 'very robust North Star' for all levels of government. 'So the city is taking on its piece,' he said. 'We will need to see the province, and the federal government find ways to interact and interface with these recommendations.' Not all members of Victoria city council think that will happen. Coun. Marg Gardiner said the plan includes a 'good list of steps' to help individuals who are currently living on the streets and dealing with addiction. But she added that she is not confident that senior levels will fulfill their obligations.
Toronto Star
9 hours ago
- Health
- Toronto Star
Victoria council backs plan to tackle declining social order in B.C.‘s capital
VICTORIA - Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto says she's 'thrilled' councillors have signalled support for a plan to address declining social order caused by homelessness, addiction and a fraying health care system in the city. Councillors meeting as a committee voted eight-to-one to endorse the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan and unanimously directed staff to analyze its operational and financial impacts.
Global News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Global News
Victoria unveils new community safety plan, 2 years in the making
After nearly two years of input from residents, stakeholders and community leaders, the City of Victoria has unveiled a draft plan aimed at boosting public safety. Victoria city council is set to receive the draft Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan on Thursday. 'This is the beginning, not the end … of a very comprehensive and complicated journey,' Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto said. 'It is a plan that will, if endorsed and if executed well, which is always our hope, will quite dramatically and in a very sustained and comprehensive way reorient the services the city provides within the context of community safety and wellbeing.' The 79-page plan includes dozens of recommendations for all three levels of government, broken into categories including housing, health care, service delivery and policing. Alto said the plan represents a 'system change' that would see all aspects of municipal policy, including bylaws, public works, parks, land use, 'and pretty much everything a city does' reviewed through a community safety lens going forward. Story continues below advertisement 1:47 Victoria's Pandora Avenue safety plan deemed a 'success' 'It is important for us to look at everything we do and ask the question what impact does this have on the community safety and wellbeing of the city, and if we can't answer that clearly, crisply and succinctly, we need to ask the question again and again and again,' she said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Recommendations at the municipal level range from piloting a corporate 'blockwatch' program downtown to boosting police funding and staffing to exploring municipally owned health clinics. It also calls for a plan to manage current and potential encampments, the crafting of a 'vulnerable people strategy,' and the development of 'wellness indicators' to assess the impact of new municipal actions. Some of the recommendations could be implemented quickly, while others project a multi-year timeline. 'The goal at some level is to be able to walk up to an average resident and say, 'What is your experience of the city? Do you feel as if you are in a safer community?'' Alto said. Story continues below advertisement 4:07 Calls for safety crackdown in downtown Victoria 'If you can do that randomly with different residents, then yeah, we've done our work. Do I expect that to happen in two weeks? No. Do I hope it will happen incrementally over a couple of years? Absolutely. Are there things that can happen quick? Yes, I hope. Are there things that will take time? Absolutely.' Many of the recommendations were for senior levels of government, and Alto acknowledged that some of the most crucial issues, including housing, healthcare and the criminal justice, remain largely outside of the city's jurisdiciton. But she said the city has plenty of firsthand experience in those areas, and she believes listening to Victoria's recommendations will lead to better outcomes. If council adopts the plan, city staff will then spend the summer analyzing how it would impact the city's finances and operations, and come back with details this fall. Story continues below advertisement
