'I no longer have confidence': BC Housing CEO stepping down, citing recent violence against homeless

Shayne Ramsey, 61, is pictured. (BC Housing)

BC Housing CEO Shayne Ramsey is stepping down from the organization, saying he no longer has confidence he can "solve the complex problems facing us at BC Housing."

Ramsey's announcement comes just a week after several homeless people were shot and killed in Langley, B.C., and after a woman living on the street was set on fire in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Ramsey says these incidents, and several others, have caused him to "lay awake at night."

He noted that last week, he was "swarmed by opponents and threatened with physical violence" following a media appearance, and that he has been advised that the incident could constitute assault.

"I think the shooting on Hastings Street, surrounded by the encampment and during another heat wave, finally did it for me," he said in a statement Tuesday.

"I no longer have confidence I can solve the complex problems facing us at BC Housing," he said.

Ramsey's last day as CEO of BC Housing will be Sept. 6. He says he wants to spend more time with his children and grandkids, and "tackle problems I still feel like I can solve."

A condo building is seen under construction surrounded by houses in Vancouver, B.C., on March 30, 2018. ( THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

BC HOUSING BOARD CHANGES

Ramsey's announcement comes weeks after the B.C. government reported changes to BC Housing's board of commissioners.

In early July, the province fired all seven commission board members and replaced them with new members.

The shakeup came after a significant third-party report of BC Housing was released, which included 26 findings and 44 recommendations on how to improve the organization's operations.

The report was ordered by the B.C. government since the scope and resources available to BC Housing have ballooned in recent years.

In the 2017/2018 year, BC Housing's expenditures and revenues totalled $782 million. Three years later, in 2020/2021, its total expenditures and revenues were $1.9 billion, according to the review.

Over the same time, the organization's borrowing capacity rose from $165 million to $2.8 billion.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Ian Holliday.