Just days after a national spotlight on Victoria’s growing street disorder, the provincial government announced a new initiative to improve safety in downtown areas across BC.
On Thursday, the province unveiled the ‘Community Safety and Targeted Enforcement Program (C-STEP)’—a $5-million initiative to support police efforts tackling property crimes and street-level disorder in BC’s downtown cores.
The announcement follows a Globe and Mail article that examined the troubling transformation of Victoria’s Pandora Avenue.
Once known a vibrant corridor, the stretch has become synonymous with open drug use, street crime and visible sheltering, largely fuelled by the intersecting crises of toxic drugs, housing shortages, strained mental health services and the long-term fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2023, the City of Victoria says it has spent nearly $25 million on services for unhoused residents, encampment cleanup, and increased bylaw enforcement.
Back in October of 2024, fencing was erected by the City in several areas along the 900-block of Pandora Avenue to prevent unhoused people from sheltering in the boulevard spaces.
By installing fencing along the boulevard sections of Pandora Avenue, the City has relocated individuals who were sheltering there as part of the City and VicPD’s ‘Pandora and Ellice Safety Plan.’
As a result, some individuals have begun setting up on nearby sidewalks, rather than in the boulevard areas where they had previously stayed.
Just one month later, in November of 2024, the City confirmed to Victoria Buzz the fencing had already cost Victoria approximately $10,000, with an additional monthly cost of around $1,350, according to the City.
Another move that displaced unhoused individuals in Victoria was the City’s decision to ban overnight sheltering in all parks except three, including Gonzales, Pemberton, and Oaklands Parks. Most which are not located near a
City officials say a new Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan is coming in June, focusing not just on how to respond to issues, but how to prevent them and shift the way the city handles these challenges.
While renewed attention may help spark policy changes, many business owners say the spotlight is taking a toll. Street-level disorder has affected foot traffic, public perception and the overall vibrancy of downtown, issues that are not unique to Victoria.
The new C-STEP program is designed to strengthen policing around non-violent but high-impact crimes such as theft, shoplifting, and vandalism. It also aims to improve coordination between police, social services, and local businesses in addressing chronic public safety concerns.
“This initiative is about ensuring people can build a good life in a safe community,” said Terry Yung, BC’s Minister of State for Community Safety and Integrated Services.
C-STEP builds on the province’s Specialized Investigation and Targeted Enforcement (SITE) initiative. Between October 2024 and January 2025, Vancouver police reported a 27 per cent drop in violent crime in Hastings Crossing and a 45 per cent drop in weapons-related assaults in Gastown following targeted enforcement through SITE.
According to the media release, the program will support proactive patrols, increased police visibility, and more integrated efforts between police and frontline social workers to ensure individuals in crisis are connected to the right services.
These initiative will prioritize high-incident areas, such as busy shopping corridors or streets experiencing repeat offences, with the goal of restoring safety and confidence in downtown communities.
The announcement was welcomed by business and policing leaders across BC Vancouver Deputy Police Chief Howard Chow said public disorder has undermined confidence and safety in city cores, while Downtown Vancouver BIA president Jane Talbot called the initiative an encouraging step forward.
London Drugs’ head of loss prevention, Tony Hunt, noted that downtown violence and organized retail crime continue to rise, and added that business owners are eager to see meaningful outcomes.
With $235 million allocated for public safety measures in the upcoming provincial budget, the government says it is “committed to ensuring BC’s downtowns remain places where people feel safe to live, work and visit.”
