Fraser Valley/Vancouver – – The 13 mayors representing more than 55 per cent of British Columbians are once again calling on the Provincial Government for the urgent implementation of complex care housing solutions to support the most vulnerable residents in their communities. They are releasing a video to reiterate their call.Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNeHreeChlQ
Since being formed in the summer of 2020, the mayors have been in conversations with the Ministries of Mental Health and Addiction, Health, Housing, Municipal Affairs, Social Development and Poverty Reduction, and Justice, advocating to see appropriate housing and supports for people with complex needs to be operational in a matter of months, not years.
As a unified voice on critical issues facing urban British Columbia communities, the BC Urban Mayors’ Caucus (BCUMC) is a non-partisan group of mayors from Abbotsford (Mayor Henry Braun), Burnaby, Coquitlam, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, New Westminster, Prince George, Richmond, Saanich, Surrey, Vancouver and Victoria.
Urging the Province to take immediate action, the video highlights the strain that leaving those with complex needs out on the streets is having on our communities and on the vulnerable people requiring care.
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 BC Urban Mayors’ Caucus Blueprint for British Columbia’s Urban Future, outlines four key priorities for urban communities across the province:
- Mental Health, Substance Use and Treatment
- Affordable Housing
- Public Transit
- A New Fiscal Framework
To Learn more, visit www.bcurbanmayorscaucus.ca.
