Vancouver council votes to delay decision on Granville Bridge suicide barriers

Vancouver city councillors have voted to delay a decision on whether to install suicide prevention fencing on the Granville Street Bridge.

The move came Wednesday, in response to a motion from OneCity Coun. Christine Boyle seeking to have barriers installed as a part of ongoing work on the span.

According to Boyle’s motion, there have been 21 suicide incidents on the bridge since 2019, including six fatalities.

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She compared that figure to the adjacent Burrard Street Bridge, which has seen no suicide deaths since suicide prevention barriers were installed in 2017.

“ABC councillors weakened and delayed that request, reducing the funding commitment to just a third of the cost, and pushing it into the next capital plan by the next council, so 2027 to 2030,” Boyle said.

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Boyle’s motion comes a week after Granville Island issued its own call for suicide prevention fencing on the bridge.

“It’s just incredibly sad, and these councillors would sit in there and listen to the stories, know that it works, know from the Burrard Street Bridge, they put the barriers in, there’ve been zero attempts since then, and they won’t spend the money,” said Granville Island building manager David McCann.

The motion was also supported by several other groups, including the Crisis Centre of B.C.

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The motion comes with the bridge already undergoing upgrades as a part of the Granville Bridge Connector project, and Boyle argues adding barriers in the future will be much costlier than integrating them into the current work.

Boyle is calling for the city to commit to funding and installing prevention fencing as a part of the connector project while seeking money from senior levels of government to help with the work.

If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.

For a directory of support services in your area, visit the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention at suicideprevention.ca.

Learn more about preventing suicide with these warning signs and tips on how to help.