Basran and other B.C. mayors call for complex care housing solutions

The mayors of British Columbia’s largest cities are putting new pressure on the province in a renewed demand for complex care housing solutions to support vulnerable residents in their communities.

Colin Basran, Kelowna’s mayor and the co-chair of the BC Urban Mayors Caucus (BCUMC), says their 13 participating communities are on the frontlines experiencing the same impact of gaps in the health, housing and justice system.

“Our most vulnerable are falling through the cracks. Municipalities have invested in supportive housing, funded more police and bylaw officers and created policies to increase inclusion in our communities and yet more needs to be done and for that we need the province’s support,” Basran stated.

The veteran Kelowna mayor said local retailers, restaurants and hotels who have already been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic are also experiencing the frontline impacts of the gaps with increased erratic behaviour, open drug use, crime and theft occurring outside their place of business.

The mayors have released the following video to emphasize their point.

The BC Urban Mayors’ Caucus (BCUMC) is a non-partisan group of mayors from Abbotsford, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, New Westminster, Prince George, Richmond, Saanich, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria. The 13 cities represent more than 55 per cent of British Columbians.

“We know the province is acting on a complex care housing framework, and we appreciate that we were invited to participate in the early formative conversations as the province developed the model of care. We are hopeful that the provincial government will make an announcement soon,” said Lisa Helps, Mayor of Victoria and BCUMC co-chair. “We can’t stress enough how urgently our communities need this complex care in place.”

The BC Urban Mayors’ Caucus Blueprint for British Columbia’s Urban Future outlines four key priorities for urban communities across the province:

1. Mental Health, Substance Use and Treatment
2. Affordable Housing
3. Public Transit
4. A New Fiscal Framework