Public Disorder & the Decline of Vancouver's Livability

[Sheba]

Closing Riverview in 2012 was a ‘mistake’, former attorney general tells safety forum

A one-day event addressing provincewide public safety concerns was held in Vancouver on Thursday.

Organized by Save Our Streets (SOS), a coalition of businesses and community groups, the Communities Driving Change forum features panels consisting of experts on policy, housing and addiction.

Many incidents of random street violence in Vancouver have been tied to mental health issues, Vancouver police chief Adam Palmer told the forum.

“If somebody is that severely addicted or mentally ill, this is where I agree with the idea of secure mandatory care,” Palmer said. “There’s compassionate care, many other names, but there are some people that are not safe for us, or for themselves to be in community and that’s not compassionate society, that’s not a safe society.”

One of the topics raised at the event on Thursday was the 2012 closure of Riverview Hospital.

Former B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal said that in retrospect, it was the wrong decision.

“There was a thinking at the time, I guess, that the best way to treat people was in the community,” he said.

“The problem is, the community suffered by virtue of the experiment, and I call it an experiment at the time, the shutdown of Riverview. I think with 2020 hindsight, it was a mistake.”

SOS said the issues it raised when the group formed in 2023 have yet to be addressed by the province.

“It feels like there’s a bit of classism that we’re allowing this permissive environment, repeat chronic offenders with violent histories to continue to impact the safety in our communities,” Clint Mahlman, co-founder of SOS and president and CEO of London Drugs told Global News.

“For us, it’s about protecting our employees, service workers, and ensuring our business community and organizations thrive throughout the province.”

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