The Conservative Party of British Columbia won a smashing, historic majority. During the provincial election, it promised far tougher policing and an end to the policies on open drug use fostered under the BC NDP government.In the City of Vancouver, the citadel of the mythical “Left Coast,” the Conservatives took four ridings after nearly being shut out there in 2024. One of those was Vancouver-Yaletown, right in the heart of downtown, bucking the left’s dominance of the inner city.It was a remarkable result, given that leftist and progressive slates had romped to victory in Vancouver’s municipal election just a week earlier.Pete Fry of the Vancouver Greens defeated incumbent mayor Ken Sim of the centre-right ABC Vancouver by more than 30,000 votes. All but one ABC councillor went down in defeat, with the city council now dominated by four hard-left councillors from the Coalition of Progressive Electors (COPE). They are joined by a councillor from the NDP-aligned OneCity and four of Fry’s Greens.Following the landslide defeat of the provincial NDP just a week later, Vancouver City Hall and the provincial legislature have been set on a collision course that will be hard to dodge. Lorne Doerkson, the Conservative premier-elect, has pledged more police officers, mandatory treatment for drug addicts, and an end to “safe supply” drug policies. COPE wants to defund the police and expand government funding for addictive narcotics. Mayor Pete Fry, who presents himself as a moderate, wants to lift restrictions on supervised drug consumption sites..However, it would be a mistake to believe that Vancouverites voted to see their city descend further into addiction and social disorder. In a separate plebiscite held on municipal election night, nearly 70% of Vancouverites backed stronger city bylaws and restrictions on hard-drug use. An almost identical share wanted the province to procure a secure facility dedicated to voluntary and involuntary care for people with severe addictions or mental illness.Indeed, ABC Vancouver’s defeat had more to do with the left’s ability to organize well, ABC’s alienating governing style, and Mayor Sim’s aloof reputation. While advisory, these plebiscites have provided a mandate for action by any level of government. If Vancouver’s new mayor and council refuse to act, the BC Conservatives should. The plebiscite results have given the lie to any claim that ousting ABC Vancouver meant rejecting its modest but real progress on addiction and street disorder.Pete Fry has dismissed the plebiscites as a “cynical reelection ploy.” Fry has also promised to support the Vancouver Police Department (VPD). His performance as mayor should be judged against that promise, but he cannot honour it if he allows the radical factions now on council to dictate City Hall’s approach to law enforcement.Interestingly, Ken Sim and ABC drew their strongest support from areas that went on to elect BC Conservatives a week later. These include Oakridge, Kerrisdale, Shaughnessy, Marpole, and neighbourhoods along the Fraser River in South Vancouver. That is a substantial constituency that will now be represented by Conservatives in the legislature.Vancouver-Yaletown is an even clearer example: a downtown riding that will now be represented by Conservative Margareta Dovgal, who ran as a hawk on public safety. Crime and drugs are unavoidable issues in such a riding, which includes the affluent, professional neighbourhood of Yaletown as well as parts of the Downtown Eastside (DTES). .Far from being defined solely by drug dealing and addiction, the DTES is home to thousands of white-collar professionals and other working Vancouverites who must navigate the chaos.Under the Vancouver Charter, the city is a statutory creation of the province. The legislature can override almost all municipal policies with the stroke of a pen.To honour those who voted for them and those who supported tougher drug restrictions in the plebiscites, the BC Conservatives should not allow Vancouver’s city council to turn the city into an open-air drug den.Mayor Fry can be an asset or an impediment. If he chooses the former, he will gain real credibility with voters who tentatively bought his promise to govern as a moderate. If he cannot control his council, Victoria should step in.As the municipal and provincial elections were held just a week apart, the two governments will serve concurrently for up to four years. There may be fireworks, but Vancouverites deserve more than the smoke.
