There has been a tremendous spike in illicit graffiti on private and public property over the past two years.
Not only does graffiti impact public spaces, but more importantly it carries significant costs for removal — especially for businesses and organizations responsible for their street fronts, and are subject to vandalism repeatedly, sometimes even daily for areas within and near the Downtown Eastside.
Municipal policies also require property owners and tenants to remove graffiti within 10 days of receiving a City notice or face fines.
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As another election platform promise, ABC Vancouver, the party of mayoral candidate Ken Sim, is vowing to address “controversial bylaws which fine businesses that don’t clean up graffiti within a certain window of time.”
Businesses and property owners are being punished for graffiti that stems, in large part, from the municipal government’s response to the homelessness, mental health, and opioid overdose crisis.
The strategy will also roll out measures to “proactively stop” vandalism before it happens.
As well, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) would be directed to focus on identifying and confiscating materials from prolific offenders responsible for vandalism through their unwanted graffiti.
“Focusing on prevention tactics that have been proven to work will help businesses and taxpayers alike. Bylaws that punish the repeat victims of graffiti are beyond absurd. We should be punishing vandals, not their victims,” said Sarah Kirby-Yung, who is a city councillor seeking re-election with ABC, in a statement.
The new strategy includes rolling out initiatives to create legal graffiti zones and murals that “celebrate community and cultural heritage,” and invest in victim support initiatives like the free paint program, graffiti abatement grants, and city-funded removal teams.
Over the past two years, Vancouver City Council has already increased its funding towards graffiti removal programs, especially with further support to business improvement associations. ABC appears to be promising to provide even more support towards removal costs given the inadequacy of existing support levels.
ABC has also made various other campaign platform promises relating to law enforcement, including hiring 100 VPD officers and 100 mental health nurses that work as teams to respond to non-emergency mental health calls, bringing back the VPD school liaison officers to public schools, and rolling out body-worn cameras for all VPD officers.
Other than Sim as the mayoral candidate, ABC has fielded seven candidates for City Council, six candidates for Park Board, and four candidates for School Board.
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- Ken Sim's ABC Vancouver promises to bring back VPD school liaison officers
- Ken Sim's ABC Vancouver party promises 200 more police officers and mental health nurses
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- City of Vancouver exploring sanctioned free-for-all graffiti areas