Julian Somers: Victoria's Pandora Avenue is a hive of misery. But as its name suggests, there's hope
Victoria B.C.'s Pandora Avenue is living up to its name. Greek mythology tells the story of Pandora's Box being opened, unleashing untold misery on the world. Only one thing remained in the Box.
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A recent Globe and Mail article illustrates the rapid downward spiral of Pandora's street-level chaos, juxtaposing addiction and other forms of mental illness and the surrounding neighbourhood's despair over lawlessness, crime, violence and the frustration of their, so far, failed efforts to help to strengthen the community. The article dubbed the area one of the 'largest open-air drug markets in Western Canada.'
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Pandora's 900 Block is steps from the Ministry of Health headquarters, which I've been visiting for my work on addiction and homelessness since the 90s. Last year, I spoke with people living rough, on and around Pandora. Their stories reflect familiar, well-documented themes involving adversity, social isolation, and the experience that public services keep people stuck in a revolving door. A report commissioned by the BC Solicitor General revealed that repeated criminal sentencing and addiction began increasing markedly in BC around 2013. Drug poisoning is now the leading cause of death among youth in BC, two-thirds of whom were current or past clients of the Ministry of Children and Family Development. B.C.'s overall rate of drug-related deaths is about double the Canadian average.
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Meanwhile, the social consequences of our public policies have metastasized. Stores have closed, tourists stay away, and people are afraid to leave their homes, or move into newly built affordable rentals amidst tent cities on the sidewalks. A desperately needed childcare facility planned to be built at 930 Pandora will struggle to attract clients to the area when completed in 2029. First responders stopped entering the area without a police escort after a paramedic was brutally attacked last year. Homeowners, like those in other B.C. neighbourhoods have seen their quality of life and their home equity decline. Per the Globe: 'We can't sell. We can't move. We can't walk our dogs. We can't walk to the grocery store.' As former NDP MLA and current Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog said in 2020: 'There are many people who live in hell on our streets. And they are making it hell for many others.'
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Heralding the anticipated benefits of drug decriminalization and 'safe supply,' B.C.'s Provincial Health Officer wrote in 2019: 'As overdoses become more pervasive both domestically and worldwide, jurisdictions are looking to BC for leadership and guidance. The stage is set for the province to meet this call.'
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Instead, BC has become a national embarrassment and an international model of what not to do. Our policies prioritize providing publicly-funded drugs to people living in poverty, while demanding that citizens tolerate drug use in an increasing array of settings. Evidence from randomized trials has confirmed that B.C.'s 'low barrier' congregate housing has resulted in preventable crime and medical emergencies.
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