Victoria mayor pitches new community safety plan
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto is pitching the creation of a new "Community Safety and Wellbeing Initiative" that takes a multi-pronged approach to safety in the downtown core.
The initiative would look at ways to improve downtown safety, both through city's own efforts and its behind the scenes support of partner agencies.
"Mayor and council recognize that increasing community safety and wellbeing for people living in Victoria requires a collective approach to multiple complex issues, such as declining civility and social cohesion, increasing social disorder, inadequate housing supply and homelessness, poverty, inequality, addictions, mental and physical health challenges, criminal activity, and other factors," reads the motion to be tabled by Alto.
"These efforts should include immediate interventions to reduce crime and chaos while creating longer term solutions."
The motion will be considered by city council on Thursday.
If the plan is adopted by council, it would give the city guidelines on how to approach issues like vandalism and assaults, and could include alternate ways of policing.
"[Police] have told us many times of their own frustrations about how much they are being asked to do for which they are not trained and do not have the capacity, from a resources perspective, to deal with," Alto told CTV News on Wednesday.
"We acknowledge that and so we want to make sure that we build on what policing can do well, which is a great deal, but to completely reimagine the way we resource and present different programs to deal with wellbeing and community safety," she said.
Alto's proposed initiative focuses on six pathways to improving community safety, according to her motion.
- Support a range of civilian, bylaw and policing crisis response and prevention services.
- Beautify, support and enhance Victoria’s downtown and urban villages.
- Advance city policies that support accessibility, equity, diversity and inclusion through a social justice lens.
- Develop and implement a community safety plan.
- Support innovative, wellbeing solutions to reduce harm for housed and unhoused people living in neighbourhoods where there are shelters.
- Work with partner agencies and governments to create life opportunities for unhoused people.
If adopted, the plan would be developed over the next 12 to 18 months.
The motion comes just weeks after city council approved a nearly $1 million plan to beautify downtown, largely by using revenue generated by recently increased parking fees.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.