Wednesday, December 17, 2025
ADVT 
National

Mental health trouble leads to public safety issues, Vancouver's mayor says

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 30 Apr, 2025 11:00 AM
  • Mental health trouble leads to public safety issues, Vancouver's mayor says

Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says people are "sick and tired" of inquiries and reviews into the recurring pattern of people in a mental health crisis that become a public safety crisis. 

Sim says the man accused of killing 11 people by driving a vehicle through a street lined with festival goers Saturday was under the care of a mental health team and on extended leave.  

He says the information was incredibly difficult to hear and even harder to accept because it points to the deeper failure in the mental health care system in British Columbia.  

Premier David Eby has said he will call an inquiry if the criminal trial doesn't have answers into the attack.

But Sim says he wonders how many more such reports are needed into what they know is a pattern of mental healthchallenges that lead to "significant negative incidents." 

The mayor says the city has started a comprehensive internal review of the events surrounding the festival, including permitting, site safety, planning and emergency response, and will identify steps forward for future events with a preliminary report out in a few weeks.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Rich Lam

MORE National ARTICLES

Advance poll turnout breaks record with 7.3M ballots cast, Elections Canada says

Advance poll turnout breaks record with 7.3M ballots cast, Elections Canada says
The waning days of the federal election campaign saw voters turn out in record numbers for advance polls and party leaders attempt to poke holes in each others' platforms.

Advance poll turnout breaks record with 7.3M ballots cast, Elections Canada says

Spring, icy snow bring danger to B.C. backcountry, outdoor experts say

Spring, icy snow bring danger to B.C. backcountry, outdoor experts say
Spring is a dangerous time to head into British Columbia's backcountry, outdoor experts warn, as sun and warm daytime temperatures melt snowpack that can become hard and treacherously slippery as it freezes again overnight.

Spring, icy snow bring danger to B.C. backcountry, outdoor experts say

Hikers scramble for alternatives after damage shuts B.C.'s popular Juan de Fuca Trail

Hikers scramble for alternatives after damage shuts B.C.'s popular Juan de Fuca Trail
Trish Fougner still remembers the taste of the beer she enjoyed after completing the 47-kilometre Juan de Fuca Trailon Vancouver Island two years ago.

Hikers scramble for alternatives after damage shuts B.C.'s popular Juan de Fuca Trail

Bells toll, faithful gather in Toronto and Montreal to honour late Pope Francis

Bells toll, faithful gather in Toronto and Montreal to honour late Pope Francis
Catholic faithful gathered for multiple events in Toronto andMontreal to commemorate the late Pope Francis on Tuesday, a day the Archbishop of Toronto described as one of sadness but also thanks for a pontiff dedicated to building bridges andoffering compassion to marginalized groups.

Bells toll, faithful gather in Toronto and Montreal to honour late Pope Francis

Crews fight fire in downtown Vancouver as smoke spreads across city

Crews fight fire in downtown Vancouver as smoke spreads across city
Firefighters are fighting a large blaze in downtown Vancouverthat's sending a smoky haze and the smell of smoke acrossthe city. 

Crews fight fire in downtown Vancouver as smoke spreads across city

Poilievre defends economic growth projections in Conservative platform as 'essential'

Poilievre defends economic growth projections in Conservative platform as 'essential'
The Conservative leader was in Hamilton, Ont., on Wednesday, with just days to go before the federal vote on Monday and a day after he released the party's costed campaign platform.

Poilievre defends economic growth projections in Conservative platform as 'essential'