A day after Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim pledged a crackdown on gangs in the city’s Downtown Eastside, there are more questions than answers about the details of the plan.
Speaking at a public safety forum Thursday, Sim vowed to collaborate with the Vancouver Police Department to target organized crime in the neighbourhood.
Sim offered no details on what that plan would look like, other than the creation of a task force.
Global News asked to speak with Sim on Friday about the proposal, but was told he was unavailable for interviews.
“While we’re unable to share further details at this time, a detailed joint announcement with the Mayor and VPD will be made in the coming weeks,” Sim’s chief of staff Trevor Ford said in an email.
The mayor’s office would not explain why Sim was unavailable.
Key questions remain about the proposal — including how much it will cost and how the project would differ from the work already being performed by the VPD’s own gang unit.
Vancouver police were also slim on specifics Friday, saying only that the department will work with the city and that details about the plan would be released in the coming weeks.
Save our Streets (SOS), the community group that hosted Thursday’s forum, said it welcomed the commitment, but that it will celebrate when it sees results, not over announcements.
“We certainly have had a willing ear. We have yet to have action, but we have to give them the opportunity to put that in motion,” SOS co-founder Jess Ketchum said.
“We’d like to see further discussions with retailers on what they require, further discussion with the province on taking these ideas and maybe spreading them to other municipalities of concern.”
Crime and public safety are expected to be key issues for Vancouver voters in the city’s upcoming byelection.
Voters will be casting ballots on April 7 to fill two council seats, after councillors Christine Boyle and Adriane Carr resigned.
— with files from Rumina Daya