October 24, 2024
For immediate release
Media contact:
Landon Hoyt
[email protected]
604-219-3196
Yesterday, Vancouver City Council commissioned a new Community Policing Centre (CPC) for the Hastings Crossing and Gastown areas. While Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association (HxBIA) has been requesting safety interventions like this for years and has been part of early conversations for this CPC, the approved model being put forward is not what we requested and have been working toward with City staff and Vancouver Police Department up to this point.
We understand the intention of this approved motion was to commission a CPC in the Hastings-Gastown area and allocate funding to establish and start up the project, and that there will be work done in coming months to get the CPC up and running. HxBIA submitted a letter of conditional support to Council with our comments, specifically requesting:
- An update to the name of the CPC and references to the area to be inclusive of HxBIA,
- Removal of out of scope items from the contextual content of the motion, and
- A recommendation that the CPC’s governance be representative of the community.
However, throughout conversations and engagement with City staff, VPD leaders, and political staff, we were assured the model of this CPC would be led by an independent society with a board, dedicated staff and a Neighbourhood Policing Officer. We were not informed until after comment period for this motion closed that this new CPC would instead take the model of a VPD-run CPC with no timeline or strategy on transitioning to a community-driven model, like the majority of CPCs in Vancouver.
Despite several amendments introduced at Council to align this model with the identified needs of the community, the final approved motion does not include the key benefits of a CPC that we believe our 800+ member businesses and property owners need to address the root causes of safety in our community. From our unique perspective of leading a challenging BIA with diverse members, this is deeply concerning, and we believe will not lead to community buy-in, and will not bring about the solutions for impactful change.
While we are disappointed with this result, we will continue to work toward shaping a CPC that is reflective of the needs of the Downtown Eastside, which is inclusive of Hastings Crossing and Gastown.
About HxBIA:
HxBIA includes 800+ business and property owner members in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. We are an organization that takes a leadership role in managing change and shaping a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable local economy in the DTES. Through collaboration with our business members, grassroots, government, private sector, and non-profit partners we bridge the needs of local businesses with the capacity of community focused organizations to foster a vibrant, healthy, and diverse area for all.