Recent Vancouver attacks highlight urgent need for coordinated mental health care

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Last week, all British Columbians were horrified with the news of yet another violent unprovoked attack by a person with a history of mental illness and violent offences. Two men were violently attacked in separate but connected incidents in which one man had his hand severed and another lost his life.

According to Vancouver Chief of Police Adam Palmer, the suspect now in custody is a 34-year-old White Rock man with a history of mental illness, violent offences, and dozens of interactions with police. His history includes convictions for assault; at the time of his arrest, he was on probation for an assault from 2023.

While the details of the attacks were shocking, sadly they were not surprising. Nor was it surprising that the attacker was known to police, or that unaddressed mental illness was part of his story. Unfortunately, street disorder, attacks on strangers, and retail crime have become commonplace across the province. In fact, the severity and frequency of such incidents is what prompted the creation of Save Our Streets: a coalition that has now grown to well over 100 community and business organizations representing every region of the province.  

From Victoria to Vanderhoof and Delta to Dawson Creek, people do not feel safe in their communities, and BC residents and business owners are begging for change, for public safety, for safer streets. Because of safety issues, businesses have trouble retaining not only their customer base but also their employees. That doesn’t even consider the dramatic cost increases resulting from theft, damages, and additional security, which in turn result in increased costs to consumers. Some businesses have been forced to close, resulting in lost jobs, lost public services, and lost revenue to the government.

Much of the public narrative driven by media coverage and social media has focused on those among us who suffer from addiction and mental illnesses, and the crimes they commit as a result. But the bigger issue here is the system that continues to fail these people.

Our only hope for progress is for all levels of government to stop pointing fingers at each other, put the rhetoric aside, and work together. We need judicial reform that will halt the revolving door for repeat offenders; we need law enforcement reform to provide police with the tools they need to maintain the law; and we need immediately-available access to a full continuum of care to treat those suffering from addiction and mental illnesses.

Moreover, we need all three levels of government to address these issues together with a renewed sense of urgency. There must be the political will to make the investments and policy changes necessary to bring these solutions to fruition. Establishing that political will means not only highlighting the problems, but helping governments assess the human and financial costs of not rectifying them and—equally important—supporting governments in making the necessary investments and changes.

With a provincial election on the horizon, voters will be looking for less finger-pointing and more action focused on results rather than intentions. If our system isn’t working, and it is obviously not, then it’s foolish, reckless, and irresponsible not to make changes.

On January 23, 2025, Save Our Streets will host the Communities Driving Change Forum in Vancouver, where panels of experts and community leaders will explore how we can better address the many issues related to mental health, addictions, and crime, including judicial reform, policing reform, addictions and the mental illnesses continuum of care, and housing. We’ve invited provincial party leaders to join us and are looking forward to streaming the forum live to all British Columbians.