27630 replies to this topic

[Beacon]

Get ready, rest of Victoria:

 

Everyone has seen this trainwreck and understands Victoria attracted them, it will be a huge uphill battle to place any type of "temporary" location for people to set up and bring all the social issues, drugs and crime that comes along with it.

 

We are going to have pushback like we saw on Dowler Street, I hope politicians will wake up and realize the solution is dry, no drugs allowed, strict rules rehabilitation housing - there will be way less pushback.  It's been the drugs all along, all the issues radiate out from this.

[Mike K.]

Yes, true. The free drug experiment has miserably failed, and created a dependent population of mentally ill addicts who no longer care for or understand right and wrong. There are thousands of people heavily addicted to drugs in Greater Victoria. Many are still couch surfing and trying to make do, but the addiction wins in the end.

What did Island Health say? There are 225,000 opiate addicts in BC?

[Victoria Watcher]

Nobody gonna take them. Rightly so.

[Beacon]

Yes, true. The free drug experiment has miserably failed, and created a dependent population of mentally ill addicts who no longer care for or understand right and wrong. There are thousands of people heavily addicted to drugs in Greater Victoria. Many are still couch surfing and trying to make do, but the addiction wins in the end.

What did Island Health say? There are 225,000 opiate addicts in BC?

 

Drug addiction → functioning addict → homeless → "Supportive Housing" to do drugs → OD (x??) → brain damage → violent/unpredictable tendencies → kicked out of supportive housing → left on street to create chaos (convergence of the system)

 

It doesn't take much to see what the future will hold if we keep doing this, the streets will be Beyond Thunderdome

[Mike K.]

The key priority here is ‘move this along.’

[Barrister]

Sounds like they are primarily expanding the size of the poverty industry and getting jobs for the boys. 

 

Most of these poor souls are brain damaged and need to be institutionalized if they are to have any hope of recovering. 

 

In spite of vague promises by Ebby during the election I dont see this happening.

[Beacon]

Sounds like they are primarily expanding the size of the poverty industry and getting jobs for the boys. 

 

Most of these poor souls are brain damaged and need to be institutionalized if they are to have any hope of recovering. 

 

In spite of vague promises by Ebby during the election I dont see this happening.

 

Unfortunately, in our attempt to "save lives" once enough ODs and brain damage occur, there will be no full recovery possible - one could argue our outcome overall is worse by letting how ever many we could have helped through early forced drug addiction rehab and recovery continue to use drugs and also be left brain dead.

[Beacon]

Sounds like they are primarily expanding the size of the poverty industry and getting jobs for the boys. 

 

Most of these poor souls are brain damaged and need to be institutionalized if they are to have any hope of recovering. 

 

In spite of vague promises by Ebby during the election I dont see this happening.

 

Hush money, so they play along with the extra Police / Bylaw coming

[LJ]

Nobody gonna take them. Rightly so.

Set up an Alligator Alcatraz somewhere out in the boonies, give them all the free drugs they want, don't supply naloxone.

[dkuitu]

I'll be taking drone shots of Pandora often to see if this plan is in fact doing anything.

 

 

 

Key Actions Announced

Significant New Funding

• $1.9 million annually to bolster bylaw services, allowing the hiring of 12 new staff focused on humane management of street disorder and encampments.

• $1.35 million annually for nine new police officers, specifically assigned to high-need downtown zones. Additional provincial grant funding will be matched by the city for targeted, non-violent crime prevention.

• $390,000 to public works to enhance cleanliness and maintenance, aiming to improve public spaces affected by encampments.

Major Infrastructure & Support Investments

• $3.75 million dedicated to the initial phase of revitalizing the 900 block of Pandora and nearby streets, making them more accessible and welcoming.

• $1.1 million set aside for similar planning on Princess Street.

• $624,000 to support non-profits in relocation services—helping unhoused residents connect with health, housing, and other services.

• Pilot of innovative transportation services for assessment and first aid, linking people directly with needed resources.

• Additional funding to experiment with temporary housing solutions, aimed at reducing the number of people living in unsafe street conditions.

How the City Is Paying for It

To avoid tax increases, the city will reallocate over $10 million from existing budgets:

• $1.5M from upgrades at Royal Athletic Park (only non-essential enhancements delayed)

• $1.65M from the housing reserve fund

• $700K from planned future reserve transfers

• $2.5M from Centennial Square renewal (some upgrades postponed)

• $4M from the city’s financial stability reserve (emergency fund)

Pandora Timeline & Expectations

• Immediate Focus: The mayor confirmed that the initial actions and resources (bylaw, police, public works) are being concentrated on Pandora Avenue (especially the 900 block), Princess Street, and the downtown core.

• Visible Changes Soon: She said residents should expect a much more visible presence of bylaw officers and police in these areas in the coming months. The goal is increased frequency and intensity of patrols and support—so the impact should be noticeable fairly quickly, especially downtown and on Pandora.

• Rehabilitation Plan: The city has allocated $3.75 million for the first phase of rehabilitating Pandora, focusing on making the area safer and more accessible for public use. This money is for "preliminary work" and some adjacent blocks, but full-scale reconstruction (estimated at $7–12 million) is not immediate—it’s a multi-year effort.

• Short-Term Outcomes: The mayor could not promise specific outcomes “within one or two months,” noting it takes time to hire and train new staff, but she committed to returning to the Downtown Victoria Business Association before the end of the year to report on progress.

• Long-Term Vision: Over the next year and beyond, the plan is to transition Pandora away from being a center of encampments and street disorder, with more people accessing proper housing and services

[Mike K.]

This is why the DCC scheme can be so questionable. What is the housing reserve fund doing funding street disorder abatement efforts?

Taking $1.5M out of RAP’s improvements must make the HarbourCats upset.