Soft on crime is tough on business

Graffiti, homelessness, drug addiction and other signs of urban decay are becoming increasingly worrying for businesses and residents in Metro Vancouver | Rob Kruyt

Random stranger assaults, gratuitous vandalism, organized group shoplifting, addicts in fentanyl freezes in doorways, tent-filled city streets resembling set pieces from a post-apocalypse movie, overdose deaths at a rate of six a day. 

The signs of social decay and disorder can be seen in cities across B.C., but nowhere are they more acute or visible than in downtown Vancouver. Some residents no longer feel safe walking down the streets where they work and live.

Concerns about crime and security linked to drug addiction, homelessness and untreated mental illness now

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