$4-million funding ask to create VPD training academy and office at Woodward's | Daily Hive

$4-million funding request to create Vancouver Police training academy and Downtown Eastside operational headquarters at Woodward's

The former London Drugs space at the Woodward's complex. (Kenneth Chan)

A Vancouver city councillor is pushing a plan that could reshape how the Vancouver Police Department’s (VPD) new officers are trained, arguing that a province-wide shortage of training capacity has become a choke point for public safety staffing.

ABC city councillor Brian Montague has put forth a member motion calling for the City of Vancouver to set aside up to $4 million in one-time funding to help stand up two initiatives: VPD’s new District 5 and the creation of a VPD-operated recruit training academy, contingent on the provincial government’s approval.

The proposal frames current training capacity at the Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) as a “structural training bottleneck,” noting that each recruit seat costs about $50,000 and that demand from municipal departments now outstrips supply.

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According to the motion by Montague, who is a former VPD constable, the squeeze has had real consequences for Vancouver. It links the limited number of seats to chronic staffing pressure at the VPD, rising overtime costs, operational strain, and impacts on officer wellness and frontline service performance.

The Vancouver Police Board is already pursuing the provincial government’s approval for a VPD-run academy, with curriculums, facilities, and instruction following the provincial standards.

The proposed academy would be located at the Woodward’s complex and is described as a way to “increase annual recruit training capacity,” while giving the department more flexibility and reducing reliance on external facilities. The motion also stresses that a VPD-run program would “complement rather than displace” the existing JIBC model by freeing up seats for other municipal police departments across B.C.

The creation of District 5 specifically relates to establishing a specific policing district for the Downtown Eastside and its peripheral areas.

VPD’s patrol operations across the city of Vancouver are divided into geographical areas. In September 2025, the VPD and Mayor Ken Sim announced the creation of the brand-new additional District 5 spanning Gastown, the Downtown Eastside, Chinatown, and Hastings Crossing. Sim says District 5 builds on the success of the VPD’s Task Force Barrage operations, which were first launched in February 2025 to target criminal activity concentrated primarily in the Downtown Eastside.

As previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized, District 5’s headquarters is an office space of about 10,000 sq. ft. at Woodward’s, with the space currently undergoing renovations for its opening early this year. As well, the policing academy is potentially being eyed for London Drugs’ former store space at Woodward’s, which closed early this month due to a prolonged period of heightened losses and safety issues stemming from the deteriorating condition of the area. The retailer’s space spanned 26,000 sq. ft. across two levels.

Locating the academy within the former London Drugs space could avoid a years-long period of vacancy and provide the area with additional foot traffic.

Last year, the former TD Bank branch space at Woodward’s was also converted into the VPD’s new Gastown-Hastings Crossing Community Policing Centre, which is a volunteer-based community outreach facility.

Financially, the motion requests roughly $2.8 million for District 5 and about $1.2 million for the training academy, drawn from the municipal government’s General Revenue Stabilization Reserve and aimed at the upfront capital improvements, equipment, and setup costs.

The motion notes that early this month, the chair of the Vancouver Police Board told City Council it would seek City funding for both projects, and that Sim wrote to B.C. Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Nina Kreiger last month urging a response to the academy proposal. To date, the City has not received a “clear response or timeline” from the provincial government.

If City Council approves the motion, City staff would be directed to report back on implementation, provincial approvals, changes in training capacity, and any projected cost savings or service improvements tied to District 5 and the academy.

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