Kareem Allams' Vancouver Liberals accuse mayor of wanting a downtown 'prison' | Daily Hive

Kareem Allams' Vancouver Liberals accuse mayor of wanting to create a downtown 'prison'

Kareem Allam during the Sept. 28, 2026 press conference. (Vancouver Liberals)

Would converting part of the old St. Paul’s Hospital campus on Burrard Street into a facility for voluntary and involuntary mental health and addictions treatment amount to creating a prison in Downtown Vancouver’s West End?

That was the picture painted by mayoral candidate Kareem Allam and his Vancouver Liberals party today as they launched their “No Vancouver Prison” campaign against Mayor Ken Sim and ABC Vancouver’s proposal.

The campaign comes ahead of the non-binding advisory public safety plebiscite during the civic election on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026. Allam is urging voters to oppose both plebiscite questions.

The second question asks whether the municipal government should formally request that the provincial government convert portions of the old hospital, or another similar site, into a secure medical facility offering voluntary care and more than 100 involuntary care beds. Sim has criticized Premier David Eby’s BC NDP-led government over the slow pace of developing mental health and addictions treatment facilities, particularly in Vancouver, where the need is especially acute.

You might also like:

ABC envisions potentially using part of the old St. Paul’s Hospital campus as a temporary secure medical facility for several years at least, after Providence Health Care relocates its operations to the new hospital building in the False Creek Flats, which will begin to receive patients in 2027.

The old hospital campus on Burrard Street was sold to local developer Concord Pacific for an eventual high-density, mixed-use redevelopment, with the proceeds helping fund the construction of the new hospital. However, construction on the redevelopment could still be a decade away, given current economic challenges and weak housing demand. The developer has yet to prepare a master plan or submit a rezoning application.

ABC argues that this gap creates an opportunity for a years-long interim healthcare use. Concord Pacific has indicated it would be willing to discuss potential temporary uses with governments. The old hospital already has capacity for more than 70 beds for such specialized care.

The developer has also extended Providence Health Care’s lease for the old hospital beyond 2027. This specifically relates to interim space for researchers, as the new research building currently under construction at the False Creek Flats hospital campus will not reach completion until 2029.

The old St. Paul’s Hospital campus on Burrard Street in Downtown Vancouver’s West End. (Jeff Whyte/Shutterstock)

The old St. Paul’s Hospital campus on Burrard Street in Downtown Vancouver’s West End. (Margarita Young/Shutterstock)

Allam is highly critical of the idea of repurposing the old hospital, but the plebiscite question also allows for the consideration of another suitable site, although no specific alternative location has been identified. The full second plebiscite question reads: “Should the City of Vancouver formally ask the Province of B.C. to convert portions of the old St. Paul’s Hospital, or another similar site, into a secure medical facility that provides acute voluntary and 100-plus involuntary care beds for individuals posing a serious risk to themselves or others due to severe substance use and mental health disorders?”

Allam said he supports involuntary care in certain circumstances, but opposes using the old hospital because of its central location on the Downtown Vancouver peninsula. He also pointed to the possible high capital cost of adapting part of the hospital for such a facility, even on a temporary basis.

When asked where else a facility of this scale could go, if not the old hospital campus, Allam said he could not identify another appropriate location within Vancouver.

“I am not aware of any sites that would be appropriate for an involuntary care facility of this size and magnitude in the City of Vancouver,” said Allam during the press conference.

Allam repeatedly described the proposed secure facility as a prison, arguing that preventing patients from leaving would require security personnel and a building designed for that purpose.

This past summer, Premier Eby announced plans for two new involuntary care facilities elsewhere in B.C., both involving the conversion of existing secure buildings: a former long-term residential addiction recovery facility in Surrey and a former youth corrections facility in Prince George. The provincial government will spend $149 million renovating and expanding the two properties into modern secure treatment facilities, creating a combined total of 132 new involuntary care beds, with phased openings projected between late 2027 and late 2028.

Allam also suggested the proposal could amount to a developer “bailout,” arguing that the hospital property was sold before the current real estate downturn and that market conditions have since deteriorated sharply. Concord Pacific acquired the 6.6-acre property for about $1 billion in 2020.

He said the existing hospital property, located near Davie Village and the Central Business District, should instead provide residential and commercial uses and public spaces. He argued that placing a large secure care institution there would undermine efforts to bring more positive activity to Downtown Vancouver.

However, ABC’s proposal has drawn very strong vocal support from Downtown Van (the local business improvement association representing the Central Business District and Granville Entertainment District), the BC Schizophrenia Society, and clinical psychologist and addictions researcher Dr. Julian Somers, as well as some local businesses and recovery workers.

The old St. Paul’s Hospital campus on Burrard Street in Downtown Vancouver’s West End. (Adam Melnyk/Shutterstock)

Dr. Moira Stilwell — a physician and former BC Liberal MLA and cabinet minister running for City Council with the Vancouver Liberals — said she has worked at St. Paul’s Hospital for more than 30 years, and has major concerns. She cited a previous Providence Health Care review identifying major earthquake vulnerabilities in parts of the old campus. These concerns were a driving factor in the decision to relocate the hospital to a modern purpose-built campus in the False Creek Flats, constructed from scratch.

Stilwell also described a complex that requires continual repairs, with aging equipment and infrastructure spread across buildings constructed in different periods. She said the hospital is becoming increasingly expensive to operate and maintain, raising concerns about both the construction cost of converting part of the complex and the ongoing expense of operating a secure medical facility there.

Beyond the buildings’ age and condition, she argued that their layout is poorly suited to secure psychiatric treatment. She said the existing hospital cannot provide the proportion of single-patient rooms sought in modern facilities.

“Safe units are built from the ground up with clear sight lines, safe fixtures, private rooms and calm spaces to de-escalate. Modern hospitals aim for most rooms to be single occupancy, and of course we can’t do that here,” said Stilwell.

“Involuntary care is serious medicine. If we take away someone’s liberty to treat them, we owe them a building that’s fit for care and St. Paul’s is not one of them.”

Allam’s proposed alternative includes negotiating what he described as a new “Vancouver Accord” to bring the municipal, provincial, and federal governments together on a joint strategy addressing mental health, addiction, housing, and public safety.

He wants to expand the four-pillar approach into a six-pillar plan, adding youth mental health and housing as distinct priorities.

Allam argued that more resources should reach young people before their problems worsen. He also said too much attention has been concentrated on enforcement and harm reduction, without enough focus on the other services people need.

His priorities include beds where people can stabilize, longer-term treatment, housing for people in recovery, and involuntary care for those who need it.

Mayor Ken Sim during ABC’s press conference on Aug. 13, 2026, announcing the public safety plebiscite during the October 2026 civic election. (Kenneth Chan)

Allam also criticized the first plebiscite question concerning public hard drug use. He argued that police already have enforcement powers and that Sim should push for their use without first seeking another public mandate.

The first question reads: “Are you in favour of the City of Vancouver strengthening its laws to forbid open-air hard drug (Heroin, Meth, Fentanyl, and Crack) use in public spaces?”

ABC has argued that a vote in favour would give the City an explicit political mandate to introduce new enforcement measures against public hard drug use, amid continued questions and sentiments from its staunchest critics about whether its previous enforcement-based efforts to address crime and public disorder had sufficient public backing.

In Spring 2023, Sim and ABC moved to dismantle a long-running homeless encampment along Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside, where very dense clusters of tents and makeshift structures spilled into the curbside lanes and completely blocked the sidewalks and building entrances. Numerous propane tanks also heightened safety concerns. Fire and police officials supported the removal, citing serious safety risks and concerns about rampant crime and other illicit activity associated with the encampment’s growth. However, the decampment operation drew fierce opposition, particularly from activists, including some who protested and tried to physically obstruct the work. Allam has also previously criticized the removal.

During the civic election on Oct. 17, voters will receive two ballot forms. One ballot will be used to select their choices for mayor, city councillors, Park Board commissioners, and School Board trustees, and to answer the capital plan plebiscite questions. A second ballot will contain the two public safety plebiscite questions.

Then a week later on Saturday, Oct. 24, voters will return to the polls for the provincial general election to select the MLA in their riding.

It should be noted that the Vancouver Liberals are not affiliated with the federal and provincial political parties of the same name.

You might also like: