For too long there has been a taboo that surrounds the discussion of the Vancouver Downtown East Side (DTES).
Businesses have shut down, streets are strewn with garbage and human feces, fires set ablaze in the streets, and people on mind altering substances at every corner, this part of the beautiful city of Vancouver has been abandoned by everyday Vancouverites
On January 23rd 2025, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim announced his new plan to address “Major Initiatives to Revitalize the Downtown Eastside”. Anti-poverty activist and Vancouver city councillor Jean Swanson has criticized the Mayors new plan for the DTES, calling it a “Trumpian” plan.
Even with activists negative reaction to Mayor Sims plan; is it time that Vancouver tries a new approach to the DTES? All else has seemingly failed for decades.
The City of Vancouver has acknowledged this issue on their website saying the DTES: “has struggled with many complex challenges including drug use, crime, homelessness, housing issues, unemployment, and loss of businesses in the community.” This is an understatement for the reality of many Vancouverites who live around the DTES area.
For 30+ years the DTES has been a not-so-hidden embarrassment for Vancouver. The city now faces a migration of unhoused individuals with substance abuse issues moving further into the downtown core, and across the bridges to the Broadway/Kitsilano area.
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The Vancouver DTES has a major crime problem
Compassion and empathy should be used when viewing individuals who live in the DTES, and at the same time, there needs to be a recognition that many Vancouverites do not want a portion of their city overridden by a dumpster fire of crime.
The historic district of Chinatown is seeing a plummet in tourist foot traffic. This is due to public safety concerns of Chinatown being in close proximity to East Hasting. This decrease in foot traffic has caused restaurants and businesses to close, affecting the livelihoods of many.
Crime in Vancouver has been rising, seeing as the “Downtown Eastside crime rates are 87% higher than the national average” as per data from Statistics of Canada.
In September of 2024, a man by the name of Ibrahim Abdela Bakhit stayed in the DTES in a single occupancy room where he lit that room on fire, proceeding to rampage the streets of Vancouver, wielding a machete. Bakhit attacked 4 people, leaving life altering injuries, including a severed hand and severed fingers.
A 25 year old man was critically shot on January 30th 2025, as he stood in front of his office in the DTES.
Back in 2023, after multiple shootings in the DTES, the Vancouver Police added more officers to try to curb the gun violence spike. Sergeant Addison said: “Residents of the Downtown Eastside already face so many hardships, and they shouldn’t have to worry that someone with a gun, a machete, or bear spray is going to make their lives more difficult”.
Yet, has anything really changed if residents still hear gunshots on a reoccurring basis coming from the DTES in 2025?
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Businesses in the Vancouver DTES are rapidly leaving:
Businesses have been steadily leaving the DTES for years. Now London Drugs has announced the possibility of closing their store located on Abbott Street, in the Woodwards building. The decision stems from a loss of 10 million dollars and the rise of crime in the area. As well as theft and safety concerns for employees.
Londons Drugs possible leave follows the TD Bank and JJ Bean cafe closures in the same building.
Vancouverites have become resentful and scared of the DTES:
Vancouverites avoid discussing the DTES for fear of being seen as uncaring toward a vulnerable population.
The truth is, they are tired of feeling scared to enter a large portion of the city.
We can empathize with those struggling in the DTES while acknowledging that Vancouverites and tourists should be able to move freely, without fear for their physical safety in the city. The reality of being stabbed, shot, or hacked with a machete should not be a common fear in Vancouver.
The population in the DTES is struggling, with homelessness, addiction, poverty, and the list goes on. It is in the best interest of everyone to see the individual human dignity in each individual.
However, that does not negate the fact that Vancouverites are growing more fearful and resentful of the DTES by the day. There are no nice words or “we are in this together” sentiment that can easily fix this problem. Vancouverites have lost a large portion of their city to crime and drug infestation.
There has to be a collective reckoning with the current crime rates stemming from the DTES.
Do you agree with Mayor Sims plan to revitalize the DTES?
