Focus on tariffs squeezes crime and public safety to side note in B.C. budget [Video]

Crime and public safety took centre stage in B.C.’s 2024 provincial election campaign, but have been relegated to a side note in the province’s tariff-focused 2025 budget.

The B.C. NDP’s new fiscal plan includes just $325 million in new spending over three years focused on public safety measures and is virtually silent on the hot-button issue of involuntary treatment.

Included in the new spending is $30 million a year for BC Housing’s Homeless Encampment Action Response Team (HEART) and Homeless Encampment Action Response Temporary Housing (HEARTH) programs.

The initiatives will go toward expanding wrap-around services and connecting people experiencing homelessness with temporary supportive housing or shelter beds.

Another $235 million is being allocated over three years for police and justice initiatives.

Of that, $67 million is being earmarked for programs targeting chronic offenders, including the Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative and the Special Investigation and Targeted Enforcement Program launched in …