The City of Victoria has adopted a 99-point to address street disorder and improve the perception of safety in the city. Now it just has to figure out how to pay for it.
Council voted 8-1 in favour Thursday of endorsing in principle the community safety and well-being plan, which has been in the works since 2023. Only Coun. Marg Gardiner voted against it.
In approving the plan, council directed city staff to enact immediate initiatives to address disorder in the streets, and to have Mayor Marianne Alto work with other levels of government to fund some of the recommendations.
Alto called the plan a blueprint for action that will “change the experience of living in Victoria,” and said actions outlined in the document will be tested and adjusted along the way.
“Endorsing this today only gives the city permission to start,” she said, calling the plan a “watershed moment.”
“Our public has clearly told us that social disorder and uncivility are paramount, our crises are unacceptable, and that actions must be taken regardless of who is ultimately responsible.”
She acknowledged that many of downtown’s problems are related to mental health and social services, which are the responsibility of senior levels of government, but said the city cannot wait any longer to do something about it.
“We have an obligation to Victorians to take action,” she said. “Local government is actually well poised to do much of this work, certainly in the short-term and on a temporary basis.”
The plan’s 99 recommendations are divided into eight categories, ranging from housing and health care to aesthetic changes to the downtown and increased bylaw and policing presence and enforcement.
The recommendations include 26 actions that can get underway this year, including increasing the visibility of both police and bylaw enforcement, improving safety and security of parkades, improving communication with the business community, piloting a corporate block watch program, investing in downtown amenities like benches, trees and lighting, and having city staff create a plan to better manage current and potential encampments.
Coun. Jeremy Caradonna said the city is simply not set up to end homelessness or deal with the mental-health crisis on its own, calling the plan a wake-up call for senior governments.
“We absolutely need the province back at the table with us and we need a renewed commitment from the federal government.”
This week, business owners frustrated with ongoing social disorder downtown demanded immediate action from the mayor and police.
Victoria Police Chief Del Manak said he believes the new well-being and safety plan provides some answers.
“[Businesses] need immediate change around downtown safety, around support that they’re looking for from the city, the bylaw teams and Vic PD,” he said.
Manak said he has committed to the business community to do everything he can with the resources he has to prioritize foot patrols and police visibility downtown, and to work more closely with bylaw officers, so there is a “force multiplier” effect of having people on the street.
He said he intends to make an announcement in the next two weeks about a new operation, funded by the province, that will result in new downtown foot patrols, bike patrols and generally increased police visibility.
As for the safety and well-being plan, the city has committed to enacting the short-term recommendations without asking for new money.
City manager Jocelyn Jenkyns said existing resources would be redirected, as needed. For example, to get more bylaw personnel on the street, some investigations will have to take a back seat to dealing with street disorder.
Funding for medium- and longer-term projects is expected to be part of future budget discussions and negotiations with senior levels of government.
