Man charged in Downtown Vancouver attacks

Good morning, 

Nate here. Today, I wanted to use this space to pass along the message that I’ll be taking some scheduled time off from the weekly newsletters here at Vancity Lookout as I do some fall travelling in Europe. 

I truly appreciate the opportunity to write for and engage with the community we’re building here in Vancouver. I’ve had the chance to meet and speak with some fascinating people in my time thus far with the Lookout and I want to have even more of these conversations with readers, sources, and strangers in the future. 

You’ll be in great hands with Geoff, Dustin and co. in the meantime, and I hope to come back in October with new tools and a refreshed perspective to contribute to important local conversations about transportation, city building, civic life, and more. 

With that, let’s get on to the news and events to start your weekend.

A content warning before you continue – our top story today is about the violent attacks this week in downtown Vancouver. Please read, if you choose, with care and caution.

— Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout   

PS - If you find this newsletter valuable, please consider forwarding it to your friends. New to the Lookout? Sign-up for free.

WEATHER

Friday: 29 🌡️ 17 | ☀️

Saturday: 28 🌡️ 17 | ☀️

Sunday: 24 🌡️ 15 | 🌤️

Monday: 22 🌡️ 14 | 🌤️

VANCOUVER NUMBERS

📉 4.25%: The new key interest rate set by the Bank of Canada this week. It’s a third .25% or 25 “basis points” rate cut of the summer, as inflation continues to ease, the Bank’s governor said. [CBC]

❌ 500: The number of workers out of a job with the news that Canfor will be closing two northern B.C. sawmills. The logging company’s CEO said they’ll be working on an employee transition plan, including severance. The move comes after the U.S. nearly doubled duties on softwood lumber in August. [Vancouver Sun]

🏠 -17%: The decline in home sales in Metro Vancouver this August compared to August 2023. [CTV]

CRIME

Man charged in downtown Vancouver attacks

What happened: One man was killed and another suffered “life-altering injuries,” after being attacked by a man in downtown Vancouver in two separate events on Wednesday morning. The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said the incidents were linked, and they believe the attacks were “completely random,” according to a news release.

• The suspect was arrested an hour later on Habitat Island, near the seawall in Olympic Village. 

The details: The suspect is Brendan Colin McBride, a 34-year-old resident of White Rock, who has had over 60 documented mental health-related incidents with police in Metro Vancouver, VPD Chief Adam Palmer said. He’s now been charged with aggravated assault and second-degree murder in connection to the attacks, according to CBC. 

• “This appears to be a very troubled man,” Palmer said, noting the suspect has prior convictions for assault and was on probation in relation to a 2023 assault charge at the time of Wednesday’s attacks, according to Global. Police are investigating the possibility that mental health was a contributing factor in the incident, Palmer said.

While high-profile incidents like these are disturbing, they’re also rare, Palmer said. “We do live in a safe city,” he said, adding that “there’s too many unwell people walking around on our streets,” according to CBC. 

The data: Citing the VPD’s most recent crime numbers, Palmer said serious assaults in Vancouver have decreased by 17.8% and unprovoked attacks by strangers were down about 50%, compared to last year, according to Global.

• Instances of violent crime, including assaults, increased slightly each year from 2020 to 2023, according to raw VPD data. 

However, a brief analysis of crime data presented by the VPD’s board in late 2023 suggested a “steady decline” in unprovoked stranger assaults between 2021 and 2023. The VPD provided an estimate that unprovoked stranger assaults decreased from an average of 4.5 per day in the first half of 2021 to 1.1 per day in the first half of 2023, according to CTV.  

• In May, the province began operating their Repeat Violent Offending Intervention Initiative in 12 hubs across the province, including Vancouver, in an effort to provide early interventions in certain cases and break the cycle of repeated violent offences and incarceration. Vancouver-based data isn’t readily available, but early indications elsewhere in B.C. suggest the program is having positive effects, according to Nanaimo News Now.

The bigger picture: Guy Felicella is an advocate for people suffering from addiction and mental health challenges, rooted in decades of personally experiencing what he calls “the repeated cycle of gangs, addiction, treatment, and jail,” while living on the Downtown Eastside. 

• While not aware of the specifics or circumstances of the man in question, Felicella described the conditions he sees negatively impacting mental health in the region, in a conversation with Vancity Lookout. 

“I think the real underlying issue of it all is people are struggling with a lot of poverty and a lot of trauma,” Felicella said, adding that things like poverty, homelessness, a lack of sleep, and drug use and resulting brain injuries, all impact someone’s mental health. 

• Whether it’s prisons, addiction treatment facilities, or mental health institutions, Felicella said the key is to set people up for success when they’re finishing their rehabilitation stints. “If we don’t do that part then we’re going to be stuck in a revolving door,” Felicella said.   

In terms of policy, Felicella pointed to the province’s partial closure of Riverview Hospital – a psychiatric facility in Coquitlam –  in 2012 as an example of mental health services being defunded. While Felicella is optimistic there will be more investments coming soon for mental health services in the region, plans for the Riverview site – now known as səmiq̓ʷeʔelə – have been slowed down as the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm First Nation and BC Housing “take time” to further define their partnership.

Political reaction: In a statement, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim — who appeared at the press conference alongside Palmer — said, “significant changes need to happen… on how we deal with mental health,” calling on both the provincial and federal government to be involved “when it comes to tackling repeat offenders and the mental health crisis.” 

Premier David Eby called the attacks “devastating,” promising to look into the background of the case to see if there’s anything that could have been done differently. “My profound concern is that this is someone grappling with a mental health, addiction, brain injury [issue],” Eby said, according to CTV. 

• In a statement, Conservative Party of B.C. leader John Rustad blamed the attacks on the “broader pattern of lawlessness” created by the BC NDP. 

What it means: Frankly, this is an incredibly challenging story to cover. We don’t usually focus on crime here at Vancity Lookout – as horrifying situations like this one typically get lots of coverage from mainstream outlets. However, we decided it was necessary given the gravity and location of the attacks, and the broader social implications on discourse around public safety, mental illness, policing, and social cohesion.

• My thoughts: To be honest, I feel sick as I write this story. Sick at the senseless violence. Sick at the widespread social ills that leave so many people in our communities suffering. And sick at the political and social implications that arise out of violence, fear, and further marginalization of those who need the most help.

We certainly don't have all the answers, though we do our best to help you understand what happened and the issues around it. For myself, I’m trying to stay open to the humanity of everyone involved while attempting to unravel fact from fear, especially during an election. I know my shock pales in comparison to the pain of the victims and their loved ones, but the thing about something like this is that it affects all of us. 

I hope this story helps all of you reading this to digest and make some sense of a horrible event, with a little more compassion and humanity than what's expected in traditional crime reporting.

SPONSORED BY LOG OFF

How to reclaim 11.25 years of your life

Seems like a lot right? We crunched the numbers and the average person will spend this much time in their life scrolling on their phone.

Log Off is here to help. It's a free newsletter for busy professionals who want to disconnect and reconnect with the real world, so they can spend more time with family and achieve their goals.

Instantly subscribe for free today by clicking this link.

THE AGENDA

✝️ There was a lot of talk in early 2023 about the East Van Cross being moved to make way for a new development on the corner of Clark and Great Northern Way. Well, now the building is half-finished and the Hastings North BIA – one of the neighbourhood associations vying for the iconic art piece – said it’s their understanding the cross won’t be moved after all. [The Tyee, Vancity Lookout] 

🚌 Add this one to the election promises board: the Green Party is proposing free public transit for everyone in B.C. However, this idea doesn’t address the major funding challenges currently facing transit operators, according to researchers and Translink officials. [CBC]

🏘️ In an effort to reduce building costs and speed up housing approvals, the province has released a catalogue of 10 standardized, free home designs. Now, it’s up to municipalities to expedite approval of these designs, allowing construction companies a more straightforward process for buying materials, while reducing holding costs. The province is looking to work with interested municipalities to create a pilot project that would expedite approvals for the 10 designs. [Vancouver Sun] 

👀 The province decided to suspend plans for a 90-unit supportive housing complex in Richmond amid opposition from local residents. Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie said he feels “an element of frustration,” about the decision, after working with BC Housing on the proposed facility for years. Premier David Eby said he’s committed to still building the complex in Richmond, but it may not be at the previously planned location. [CTV]

💰 A construction company is suing the City of Burnaby for over $11 million, for what they claim are unpaid dues and damages due to negligence. The claim comes from the company’s work on the Rosemary Brown Recreation Centre, which opened this April — two and a half years behind schedule. [CBC] 

🐳 Not a Vancouver specific story, but remember the young killer whale that was trapped in, and successfully removed from, a Vancouver Island Lagoon this spring? Well, apparently it was quite an expensive endeavour, with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Ehattesaht First Nation spending over half a million on the effort. [The Tyee]

⚓ Unionized foremen working at B.C. ports have almost unanimously voted to authorize a strike if necessary, but stopped short of issuing a strike notice. The union’s president — representing 730 workers — said they want a fair new contract, not a lockout or strike. The previous agreement expired over a year ago. [Vancouver Sun]

🪦 The confidence-and-supply agreement between the federal Liberals and NDP came to an end this week after two and a half years of cooperation between the parties. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh didn’t offer specific reasons for his decision to nullify the agreement, leaving analysts to speculate it’s a way for the NDP to distance themselves from an unpopular government. [CBC]

FOOD

Straight & Marrow shows late-night food can be exquisite

If New York is the city that never sleeps, then Vancouver sleeps a bit too much. It’s a city where the server ushers you out after 10:30 pm. Politely, sure, but insistently. Most places aren’t open that late.

In my travels around the world, the best cities, the most fun and memorable, have late-night food options. But not just any food, good food, the type of meal you’ll remember well past the sixth cocktail, that sticks with long after the hangover subsides. 

It’s a space Vancouver falls short. Maybe you’ll find a small hotdog stand at late into the evening. But don’t expect much culinary excellence, as kitchens have long been closed. 

Of course, it’s hard to blame a restaurant for keeping traditional hours. Never having worked in the industry for any consistent amount of time, I can only absorb what I read and watch.  Late-night dining means late-night clean-up, which means late evenings at home. Transit only runs so late. It’s not an easy job. 

SEPTEMBER GUIDE

VPL Used Book Sale | Sept. 6-8, 10 a.m. | VPL Central Library | Friends of the VPL are hosting a used book sale with great prices ($2-$3 per book) | More info

Magdalena Bay | Sept. 6, 8 p.m. | Commodore Ballroom | Catch this rising alt-pop duo as they bring their brand new album Imaginal Disk to Vancouver | Tickets $77

Car Free Day | Commercial Drive (Sept. 7) & Main Street (Sept. 15), noon | Take to the street for the annual festivities that transform busy streets into vibrant public spaces | Free

Public Disco Downtown Block Party | Sept. 7, 2-10 p.m. | 1025 Dunsmuir St. (Bentall Centre) | Dance to local & international DJs at this free outdoor day party with pop-up bars and family friendly activities | Learn more [Sponsored]

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard | Sept. 12, 8 p.m. | Pacific Coliseum | The prolific Aussies are in town (they’ve released 12 albums since 2020); with their many fans in tow it’s sure to be a memorable evening | Tickets $60

The Great Outdoors Comedy Festival | Sept 13-15, 6:30 p.m. | Stanley Park (Brockton Oval) | Tom Segura and Theo Von headline this “wildly hilarious” touring comedy festival | Tickets $90

Barnside Harvest Festival | Sept. 13-15 | Paterson Park (Ladner) | Enjoy food, fun, and farm fresh beer along with a huge helping of musical acts all weekend long | Tickets $70 per day

Bits + Bobs Craft Sale | Sept. 14, 11 a.m. | 3102 Main St. (Heritage Hall) | Shop craft materials, discontinued items, display goods, and stuff by some of your favourite makers | Tickets $4

Dolly in the City | Sept 14, 10 p.m. | 236 Clark Dr. | Bring your dancing shoes for an epic night with legendary NYC DJs at one of Dolly’s last events before going on hiatus | Tickets $27

Under the White Gaze | Sept. 18, 7 p.m. | VPL Central Library | Journalist and writer Christopher Cheung will be speaking about his new book on race and representation in Canadian journalism | RSVP 

Fields Guides | Sept. 27 - Oct. 6 | Various times and locations | See the work of artists and cultural facilitators participating in the park board’s Fieldhouse Activation Project | More info

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• If you were driving fast on the West Side on Wednesday, you may have been one of 23 people who got a speeding ticket, which included this driver… [VIA] 

• A dinner time power outage on Thursday affected 18,000 people in East Van. Luckily, one commenter was able to move their chicken from the oven to the BBQ. [Reddit, News 1130]

• Subscribe to Log Off, a free newsletter to help you disconnect from the internet and reconnect with the real world. Subscribe instantly here. [Sponsored]

• The Straight has released their Best of Vancouver award winners for 2024. [Georgia Straight]

• Oops… I didn’t know EVO sponsored that roundabout garden. [Reddit]

Want to have your announcement featured? Learn how here.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Lime’s e-scooters being installed around Hastings and Grandview-Woodland on Thursday. One operator said they should be up and running as soon as next week!

GAME TIME

Congratulations to Jennifer, Joslin, Kandi, Lisa, Scott, Nina and Janise who all correctly guessed the answer for the Vancouver Guesser on Wednesday was the West End. 

Today’s Worlde is from the event section. Can you pick out what is?