Public Disorder & the Decline of Vancouver's Livability

[Changing City]

Originally Posted by Glow Fun City

Pacific Centre destroyed three historic theatres, a much bigger impact than the change to a pedestrian/transit mall. Those could have been changed back to live theatre/music use, since the demand for that is higher than for cinemas these days…

Pacific Centre Mall had an impact on a small stretch of Granville Street, but the transit mall affected the entire street. I think there were two cinemas where Pacific Centre was built; the Lyric and the Colonial. Was there a third? Several other cinemas have closed and been redeveloped on Granville since the mall was built. There aren't any today. When those theatres were being considered for redevelopment there was little demand for live theatre / music, and newer buildings like the Playhouse provided better alternatives. In some ways it's remarkable the the Orpheum and the Vogue are still there at all.

[jollyburger]

A 48-year-old man was arrested and detained under the Mental Health Act after barricading himself in a Vancouver SRO to avoid police all day Tuesday.

The Vancouver Police Department closed a stretch of Granville Street surrounding the Regal Hotel for nearly 11 hours when officers first responded to reports of someone throwing items onto the sidewalk from a third-floor window around 11:30 a.m.

Const. Darren Wong tells CityNews that the thrown objects included pieces of concrete and glass.

He says no one was struck by any of the projectiles but there were “narrow” near misses.

“Coming in from a third floor window, I mean, it could have devastating results, especially for pedestrians,” said Wong.

The suspect reportedly barricaded himself in a room when police arrived.

The VPD says “more than 50 officers, including crisis negotiators and specially trained tactical officers from the Emergency Response Team” responded to the scene throughout the day.

Police say the man was wanted under the Mental Health Act at the time of his arrest and taken to hospital for treatment after 10 p.m.

Wong explains that the length of the operation was due in part to waiting for a judge to authorize a warrant to enter the suite.

“Our crisis negotiators were on scene, deploying their tactics to try to negotiate a surrender. In this case, he ultimately refused to come out.”

The incident, he says, had a “huge impact” on police resources for the day.

“Fifty officers during the day for one scene, for one block, means that we’re redeploying resources all there. So that means any other calls that are coming in during the day, they might not get met just because of everything happening downtown.”

Wong says the department will recommend charges against the man to the BC Prosecution Service.

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/01/28...hrowing-objects-granville-street-window/

[jollyburger]

Residents shaken by screaming, property damage after care agency rents house on quiet Port Coquitlam street

Police have been to a once-quiet street in Port Coquitlam over 50 times since a non-profit social-housing provider moved in two staff members and a person under their care in September.

Several neighbours of the property said the person under care has repeatedly ripped up the property’s front door, kicked holes in the garage door and smashed the windshield of a car parked in the driveway.

He has also appeared on the property’s balcony, yelling expletives for hours on end in a neighbourhood filled with young children and that has both a daycare and an elementary school.

“From what my vantage point is, it seems that his mental health has deteriorated, and that the staff are just not quite qualified for this level of care,” said Kerby.

Kerby said she then reached out to the city, which contacted the owner of the property. She said she was told police and the landlord did a walk through and found the staff had built a bunker inside to hide in when the resident had his screaming episodes.

Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West corroborated Kerby’s version of events and said the city has fined Connective and CLBC over $10,000 since September for bylaw violations.

https://vancouversun.com/news/port-coqui...aming-community-living-bc-rents-property

[logan5]

Social housing is something everybody has to put up with. You can't just let someone else deal with it. That's not fair.

There are 2 supportive housing (many addicts) buildings a few blocks away from Mt. Pleasant Elementary School. There are neighbourhoods that have to put up with far worse than Coquitlam, where they have it quite easy compared to Vancouver, where most of the high maintenance addicts reside.

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by logan5

Social housing is something everybody has to put up with. You can't just let someone else deal with it. That's not fair.

There are 2 supportive housing (many addicts) buildings a few blocks away from Mt. Pleasant Elementary School. There are neighbourhoods that have to put up with far worse than Coquitlam, where they have it quite easy compared to Vancouver, where most of the high maintenance addicts reside.

No one should deal with this. It's just not fair

[whatnext]

Originally Posted by GenWhy?

No one should deal with this. It's just not fair

What’s needed is an expanded Riverview. It’s time to admit some people just can’t be “in the community” without making the lives of others miserable.

[kikin]

Originally Posted by logan5

Social housing is something everybody has to put up with. You can't just let someone else deal with it. That's not fair.

There are 2 supportive housing (many addicts) buildings a few blocks away from Mt. Pleasant Elementary School. There are neighbourhoods that have to put up with far worse than Coquitlam, where they have it quite easy compared to Vancouver, where most of the high maintenance addicts reside.

keep it out of residential, tourist, and business districts

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by kikin

keep it out of residential, tourist, and business districts

So, in the middle of industrial parks?

[GenWhy?]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

So, in the middle of industrial parks?

Can't put it there. Too much expensive equipment and near major places of work

[Lexus]

Originally Posted by WarrenC12

So, in the middle of industrial parks?

Ship to Whitehorse

[MIPS]

Originally Posted by jollyburger

https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2026/01/28...hrowing-objects-granville-street-window/

"The VPD says “more than 50 officers, including crisis negotiators and specially trained tactical officers from the Emergency Response Team” responded to the scene throughout the day.

Police say the man was wanted under the Mental Health Act at the time of his arrest and taken to hospital for treatment after 10 p.m.

Wong explains that the length of the operation was due in part to waiting for a judge to authorize a warrant to enter the suite."

"You aren't paying me enough to actually get this dealt with in half an hour. It's more cost-effective to wait until someone tells me to do my job."

[whatnext]

Lock him up!

[s211]

Originally Posted by Lexus

Ship to Whitehorse

Nah. Edmonton is the new Whitehorse.

[officedweller]

Overdose prevention site on Howe Street in downtown Vancouver permanently closes

After just under two years of operations, the controversial Thomus Donaghy Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) will permanently close at its current location of 1060 Howe St. in downtown Vancouver at the end of operating hours today, Jan. 31, 2026.

In April 2024, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority first opened this OPS in the rear of non-profit housing operator Community Builders’ Metson Rooms & Shelter building, within a fenced-off area with tents on the rooftop of the two-storey parkade fronting the laneway.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/thomus-d...wntown-vancouver-1060-howe-street-closed

[kikin]

Originally Posted by officedweller

Overdose prevention site on Howe Street in downtown Vancouver permanently closes...

wow! thank goodness

I used to go to an RMT near there and ended up stopping and finding another one to go because of multiple incidents of crazy behaviour I ran into on that block

now we need to make sure governments aren't just relocating them somewhere else downtown

[jollyburger]

He moved on from sexual assault to fraud?

Man who falsely accused Starbucks of injuring him took aim at a Vancouver bakery

A man from B.C., who falsely accused Starbucks of injuring him with a coat hook last year, has now filed a dispute against a prominent Vancouver bakery franchise.

MB filed a dispute with the BC Civil Resolution Tribunal against Terra Breads, claiming that the bread he consumed contained a wood fragment, damaging his teeth and gums.

He claimed $5,000 in dental expenses and other damages.

Terra Breads denied the accusation and asked the tribunal to dismiss the claims. MB represented himself, while Terra Breads was represented by its president.

According to the facts in the dispute, MB bought a loaf of bread at a local retailer on April 29, 2023. He told the tribunal that when he ate the bread, he suddenly bit into a hard object. He claimed that he removed the object from his mouth, discovering it was a piece of wood.

https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-bakery-starbucks-tribunal

His old attacks in New West/Taiwan

https://www.skyscraperpage.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9739233&postcount=1698

[kikin]

would it be wrong to think he's probably already unemployed but definitely making himself completely unemployable and will be a burden on society forever? in this type of situation jail costs society but it feels like it evens out so jail is a good decision

[whatnext]

This article was in regards to London Drugs leaving Woodwards but it raises many more general points:

Opinion: Chasing another store to fill the big void at Woodward's misses the point of why London Drugs left
Guest Author
Feb 10 2026, 12:58 pm

When London Drugs closed its Woodward’s location, many people framed it as the loss of a convenient place to shop.

For those of us who work nearby, it felt like confirmation of something we’ve quietly known for years....

...I work at Working Gear Clothing Society, a non-profit organization that provides free clothing and job-readiness support to people trying to re-enter the workforce. Our office sits near the intersection of Main Street and East Hastings Street — a few blocks from the Woodward’s complex — and I’m on these streets every day.

Recent suggestions to simply add another retailer aren’t revitalization, they’re setting the next business up to fail.

This isn’t a retail problem....

....In five years in our building alone, six tenants have moved out, and none have moved in to replace them.

We’ve lost a coffee shop, a dollar store, an art gallery, a travel office, independent artists, and even a public defender’s office. When everyday retail, discount retail, creative businesses, and essential services all struggle under the same conditions, the issue isn’t the tenant; it’s the environment....

... Staff and volunteers regularly witness overdoses, deaths, and assaults. I’ve been accidentally maced twice. Volunteers have been randomly assaulted while simply walking to and from our office. We’ve seen violent attacks and overdoses that ended with the coroner. Even when you aren’t the victim, it takes a toll on the people working here every day....


https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/london-drugs-retail-vacancy-woodwards-downtown-eastside

[GenWhy?]

Anyone know what a good month rent is for an old space in the area?
https://www.prospero.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/475-Main-Street-October-2025.pdf
L2 Offices:
1,975 sf (including GST) $4,320.31
1,573 sf (including GST) $3,440.94
1,303 sf (including GST) $2,850.31

Looks like 3 units are vacant on L2 and 3 on L1 (the former Waves at $7,804.00 and H&R Blck at $5,539.45)

[Zepfancouver]

I've been waiting for years for this trial to begin Suspect pleads not guilty to murder in Vancouver Starbucks stabbing trial
The way I saw it, he is guilty and should get maximum sentence, 20 years minimum.
Anyone standing or walking around with a knife ready at hand is waiting for an opportunity to use it.