June19, 2025
Maninder Grewal
The Victoria City Council is meeting today to review a new Community Safety and Well-being Plan that includes 95 recommendations. The plan addresses growing concerns about public disorder and declining community well-being. Key focus areas include downtown safety, designated shelters, mental health services, and coordination with higher levels of government.
The plan recognizes that safety can mean different things to different people and seeks to unite the community by emphasizing belonging, connection, and dignity. Developed over two years through public engagement and consultation with local leaders, the 79-page document responds to a range of complex and interconnected issues, such as housing shortages, homelessness, lack of access to health care, mental health challenges, and increasing social disorder.
Victoria Mayor Marianne Alto noted that community safety and well-being is a top concern for residents in municipalities across Canada. Some of the plan’s proposed priorities include creating more space for shelters or tiny homes, launching a storage program for people experiencing homelessness, and introducing a corporate block watch program in the downtown area.
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