Change law to ban, evict criminals from supportive housing, outgoing VicPD chief says

Global News

28-05-2025

Victoria's outgoing police chief is calling for more tools to prevent crime in supportive housing buildings.
It comes after a 62-year-old man was arrested in a supportive housing facility near the city's Chinatown. Police searching the property found a kilogram of fentanyl, a loaded handgun and about $40,000 in cash.
Speaking at Victoria city council last week, Chief Del Manak suggested changes to B.C.'s Residential Tenancy Act that would proactively exclude known criminals from supportive housing facilities.
'We're responding after the fact, when there's a stabbing, or a major incident, or someone is exploiting individuals within a particular unit, or in a particular building. It would be great if we could get ahead of that and not allow somebody to actually get in the building in the first place,' Manak said.
'I understand the challenges around police oversight, sharing of information. But there must be a path forward, and I think it's important to put the safety of staff and the residents within our supportive housing locations as a top priority.'
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Manak also called on the province to amend legislation to give housing providers more tools to evict criminals who become 'embedded' in supportive housing.
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'That would create a level of safety, and at least there would be some consequences and some ownership, because you need a deterrent,' he said.
Earlier this month, a group of B.C. non-profit housing providers called for a ban on weapons after 34-year-old father Keith Scott was killed in a Victoria supportive housing building.
The group said that currently, under the Residential Tenancy Act, the only tool they have for tenants with weapons is eviction, but when a tenant refuses to leave, there is nothing more they can do.
Housing advocate Fiona York agreed the safety of residents and staff in supportive housing should be the top priority.
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But she said amending provincial legislation was overkill that could come with unintended consequences.
'My concern is that this becomes the go-to for any changes or concerns in supportive housing, and really I don't believe that's the place of the Residential Tenancy Act,' she said.
'I think it's more to protect people's rights, so I am concerned about an erosion of tenants' rights.'
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York said officials should speak the people who actually live and work in supportive housing facilities to ask what would make them feel safer.
She also called for more types of supportive housing, so that sober people, seniors or couples would not have to co-locate with the general population.
B.C. Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said Tuesday that the province has no current plans to amend the act.
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'We have a working group right now with police, not-for-profit providers, helping us guide what the next steps can look like, but at the end of the day we want to make sure that these facilities are safe, that the people living there are safe, that communities are safe, but they also have some basic rights,' he said.
Kahlon added that the province's job is to ensure everyone has access to housing, even people who have criminal records.