VANCOUVER — Mayors, First Nations leaders, and law enforcement officials are pleading with the federal and provincial governments to take "immediate action" to address what they call dual "crises" of public safety and mental health issues in communities across British Columbia. At a news conference Monday, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and several other politicians from around B.C.
announced the request to senior levels of government, touting a letter sent to Premier David Eby and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling for action on "three critical fronts." The letter, signed by 10 mayors, three First Nations leaders, Vancouver's police chief and others, calls on the governments to bring in "mandatory care" for people with severe mental health and addiction disorders, reform the bail system for repeat offenders and the "bolstering" of policing at Metro Vancouver's ports. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said at a news conference Monday that the "broad based coalition" behind the letter is "demanding immediate action to be taken on public safety and mental health crises gripping Vancouver and other communities.
" "We can't afford to let this continue any longer," Sim said. "We can't afford to let people fall through the cracks. The number of individuals that are battling severe mental health and addiction issues and pose a risk to themselves and others due to a lack of adequate care has reached a critical point.
" Sim applauded Eby's announcement Sunday to provide mandatory involuntary care u.