Latest news with #SteveRai
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
New community policing centre opens in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
A new Vancouver community policing centre is opening in Gastown and Hastings Crossing in partnership with the city and the police department. The Gastown-Hastings Crossing Community Policing Centre (GHX CPC) will offer various crime prevention and outreach programs, including safety education, crime reporting, and initiatives such as community clean-ups, graffiti paint-overs, and neighbourhood safety walks. "Community policing centres aren't traditional police stations," Mayor Ken Sim said at a news conference on Wednesday. "They're not just about enforcement, they're about people. They're about building trust, strengthening relationships, and creating safer communities from the ground up." Sim said the opening of the new community policing centre at 109 West Hastings St. is a direct response to businesses wanting to feel safer in their community. He said the centre will be a community safety hub where people can ask questions, report concerns and learn about resources. The centre will host front-line police officers for engagement but will be primarily staffed by trained volunteers and civilian staff, according to its website. Vancouver Police Chief Constable Steve Rai said the community policing centre is "definitely needed" in the neighbourhood because of its crime rate. He said the Downtown Eastside accounts for about 30 per cent of all violent crime in Vancouver, but is only about two per cent of the city's geographic area. Rai said his experience working at the Davie Street community policing centre was the most rewarding assignment in his career. "It was because we were able to talk to people at the ground level to help fix those little problems before they become problems … where you're calling 911." The Gastown-Hastings Crossing Community Policing Centre will be run by an independent non-profit society staffed and governed by community members working in partnership with the VPD. Sandra Singh, deputy city manager, said the city spends about a "couple hundred thousand dollars" a year on community policing centres, and estimated the GHX CPC would cost a little bit more due to its larger size. She noted the goal will be to have the centre open seven days a week and expand the centre and its hours as it grows. The province gave a one-time $1-million contribution toward the development of the centre. Landon Hoyt, executive director of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association, said the new centre is one way to move toward a more community-focused approach to safety. He noted it will be more than a hub for policing. "It provides a drop-in centre, a stop-over space for our safety patrols, Gastown safety patrols, the EMS bike patrols, things like that." "It's really a place to better co-ordinate these safety approaches in the neighbourhood."
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
New community policing centre opens in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
A new Vancouver community policing centre is opening in Gastown and Hastings Crossing in partnership with the city and the police department. The Gastown-Hastings Crossing Community Policing Centre (GHX CPC) will offer various crime prevention and outreach programs, including safety education, crime reporting, and initiatives such as community clean-ups, graffiti paint-overs, and neighbourhood safety walks. "Community policing centres aren't traditional police stations," Mayor Ken Sim said at a news conference on Wednesday. "They're not just about enforcement, they're about people. They're about building trust, strengthening relationships, and creating safer communities from the ground up." Sim said the opening of the new community policing centre at 109 West Hastings St. is a direct response to businesses wanting to feel safer in their community. He said the centre will be a community safety hub where people can ask questions, report concerns and learn about resources. The centre will host front-line police officers for engagement but will be primarily staffed by trained volunteers and civilian staff, according to its website. Vancouver Police Chief Constable Steve Rai said the community policing centre is "definitely needed" in the neighbourhood because of its crime rate. He said the Downtown Eastside accounts for about 30 per cent of all violent crime in Vancouver, but is only about two per cent of the city's geographic area. Rai said his experience working at the Davie Street community policing centre was the most rewarding assignment in his career. "It was because we were able to talk to people at the ground level to help fix those little problems before they become problems … where you're calling 911." The Gastown-Hastings Crossing Community Policing Centre will be run by an independent non-profit society staffed and governed by community members working in partnership with the VPD. Sandra Singh, deputy city manager, said the city spends about a "couple hundred thousand dollars" a year on community policing centres, and estimated the GHX CPC would cost a little bit more due to its larger size. She noted the goal will be to have the centre open seven days a week and expand the centre and its hours as it grows. The province gave a one-time $1-million contribution toward the development of the centre. Landon Hoyt, executive director of the Hastings Crossing Business Improvement Association, said the new centre is one way to move toward a more community-focused approach to safety. He noted it will be more than a hub for policing. "It provides a drop-in centre, a stop-over space for our safety patrols, Gastown safety patrols, the EMS bike patrols, things like that."
Vancouver Sun
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Opinion: VPD Chief Rai, let's turn things around and make them right again
Dear Chief Steve Rai, congratulations on your appointment as the new chief constable of the Vancouver Police Department. As the first South Asian and Sikh chief of the force, you have a unique opportunity to renew the its commitment to reconciliation and to finally address systemic racism. Indigenous people have a complex and difficult relationship with the police. My nation, the Haíɫzaqv (Heiltsuk) Nation, has tried to build a better relationship with the VPD ever since Constables Canon Wong and Mitchel Tong wrongfully detained and handcuffed Heiltsuk members Maxwell Johnson and his granddaughter in Vancouver after they tried to open a bank account at the Bank of Montreal in 2019. Your predecessor, Chief Adam Palmer, refused to accept there is systemic racism in policing, going so far as to call the suggestion 'offensive' . A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. But I take heart from Mayor Ken Sim's statement on your appointment, which described you as 'a respected bridge builder who has championed reconciliation within the VPD and fostered stronger connections with Vancouver's diverse communities.' In your new position, I urge you to champion reconciliation, implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and carry out the calls for justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. In a 2019 report , the VPD acknowledged the findings of the missing women's inquiry, affirming that the calls for justice 'are imperative, and not optional.' Sadly, in a five-year progress report on the implementation of the calls for justice , released last June, the Assembly of First Nations concluded that no progress has been made to support police services reform. Given former chief's denial of systemic racism, this lack of progress is unfortunately not shocking. Our nation supported Maxwell Johnson in his human rights complaint and the historic settlement that included commitments to work on anti-racist and non-discriminatory policy reform together. Unfortunately, this work has stalled since Wong and Tong failed to show up to a planned apology ceremony in Bella Bella. To date, they refuse to respect Ǧvi̓ḷás (Heiltsuk law). This is troubling given the conclusions of Brian Neal, the retired judge who presided over their discipline hearing under the Police Act, that the constables 'have not fully accepted' the discipline findings and 'there is still uncertainty in the members' minds as to why their actions were improper.' He concluded, 'There is a real risk of further misconduct until the members come to terms with the details of the discipline decision.' The root of the misconduct was a lack of cultural competency and understanding of the historic and ongoing relationship between Indigenous peoples and police. The police were Canada's blunt instrument in the Crown's cultural genocide against Indigenous peoples. Chief Palmer's attitude, and that of the constables, show there is still a very long way to go before the VPD and Indigenous peoples can have a trusting, mutually respectful relationship. Meanwhile, Maxwell's fight for justice continues. The police complaint commissioner is considering his application for reconsideration under the Police Act, so that the constables will be ordered to attend the apology ceremony they refuse to go to voluntarily. But Heiltsuk will not wait for colonial institutions like the police to take accountability for their complicity in violence against Indigenous peoples. The Heiltsuk Nation continues to re-assert our inherent sovereignty and governance rights. We enacted our own written constitution on May 30, based on our Ǧvi̓ḷás (laws), which are part of an oral legal and cultural tradition passed down from our ancestors since time immemorial. The constitution incorporates shared governance between our elected and hereditary leadership and our W̓úm̓aqs du M̓ṇúyaqs Council (women's council). We took a band council system that was imposed without our consent, and made it our own, recognizing our Yím̓ás (hereditary chiefs) and never gave up inherent jurisdiction over Haíɫzaqv w̓áxv:w̓uísax̌v (Heiltsuk Territory). In our language, Haíɫzaqvḷa, we call this Haíɫcístut, which means to turn something around and make it right again. The ratification and celebration of the Heiltsuk constitution in our Gvákva'áus Haíłzaqv (the House of the Heiltsuk, or the Big House) , is a powerful symbol of Heiltsuk resurgence and Haíɫcístut in action. Chief Rai, we ask you to acknowledge what your predecessor refused to: There is systemic racism in policing. We must start the hard work of addressing it together by heeding the calls for justice of the missing women's inquiry, and implementing UNDRIP to ensure every VPD officer is competent to interact with Indigenous peoples in a way that respects their basic human rights and autonomy, and understands the deeply problematic role the police have played, and continue to play, in Canada's relationship with Indigenous peoples. To constables Wong and Tong, we ask you to do the right thing, and experience Haíɫcístut with our people at an apology ceremony in Bella Bella, where you can expect healing and forgiveness. Together we can turn things around and make them right again. Ǧiáxsix̌a (thank you). Marilyn Slett is the elected chief councillor of the Heiltsuk Nation.
Global News
12-06-2025
- Global News
B.C. government plans to transition supportive housing out of Granville Street, mayor says
The provincial government has announced plans to transition supportive housing out of the Granville Street entertainment district, according to Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim. This announcement comes after a fire broke out in a single-room occupancy building on the strip on Wednesday, leaving two people needing treatment for smoke inhalation. The fire broke out in the former Howard Johnson hotel that now serves as a single-room accommodation housing facility. The B.C. government bought the building at 1176 Granville in 2020, and controversially converted it to housing as it sought to shelter the city's homeless during the COVID-19 pandemic quickly. It has since generated thousands of emergency calls, with residents setting fires, pulling fire alarms and setting off the building's sprinkler systems. 'We want to support the entire community, the business community, with our resources,' Vancouver Police Chief Steve Rai said at a press conference on Thursday. Story continues below advertisement 'The resources are finite, and we have to be responsible with those resources. So attending one residence or one building, I think since COVID, some of the stats show that we've been here almost 4,000 times to one facility. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'And when you cram people into one building… and there's tension amongst the residents, this spills out over into the streets. It impacts the businesses.' 5:13 Big changes in the works for the Granville entertainment district Sim said the city will help the provincial government identify and provide city-owned lands to build supportive housing that are capped at 40 units that provide on-site security. 'Initiatives that will include Road to Recovery, so it will help the residents that will live in these units, an opportunity to get better, and overall wraparound services that will address mental health challenges that the residents face,' he added. Story continues below advertisement There are currently eight SRO buildings, containing about 600 rooms, along the Granville Strip. B.C.'s Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon told Global News that the next move is in the City of Vancouver's hands. 'They've committed to us that they will find three net-new locations for supportive housing and once they're able to do that, we'll get going on that,' he said. 'In the end, our priority is two things. One, we want to see a healthy and safe community but we also want to make sure that people have housing and they have the supports they need. In this plan, we believe we can do both.'
The Province
23-05-2025
- The Province
Steve Rai is Vancouver police's new chief constable
Steve Rai has been with the VPD for more than 30 years, starting his career as a front line patrol officer in Vancouver's east side Steve Rai is the new chief constable of the Vancouver Police Department. Photo by Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS The Vancouver Police Department has a new chief constable, and he's a familiar face to the department. Deputy Chief Steve Rai, who has been serving as interim chief since the retirement of Adam Palmer earlier this year, has been appointed as the police force's 32nd chief constable. The police board reached a decision to appoint Rai on Thursday following a 'demanding and comprehensive' search, including using the assistance of a third-party executive recruitment firm that specializes in policing. 'We are looking for a leader with deep operational experience, sound judgment, and the trust of not just the community but of the department as well, and we did find that leader in Steve Rai,' said Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The son of immigrants, Rai was born in the Punjab region of India and grew up in Vancouver, graduating from Kitsilano Secondary school in 1984. His father found work in the VPD's building services team and regaled a young Rai and his brother Roger with stories about police officers. Roger also joined the VPD and had a 29-year career. Rai served with the Canadian Forces Reserves while working towards his undergraduate degree in Asian studies at the University of B.C. He later completed a master's degree in criminal justice from the University of the Fraser Valley. Rai joined the VPD in 1990, starting his career as a patrol officer in Vancouver's east side. His many roles within the department include being a hostage negotiator, forensic interviewer, community policing officer, field trainer, and commander of the public order unit. He has led public order operations during major citywide events, including the Occupy Vancouver protests, the 2010 Winter Olympics, and the 2011 Stanley Cup riot. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Rai also has experience in key VPD areas, including human resources and training and recruitment. He has served as deputy chief of support services since June 2015. Rai had a baptism of fire soon after becoming acting chief when an SUV rammed into a Filipino street festival on April 26, killing 11 and injuring dozens more. The Lapu Lapu Day festival attack drew international media attention and shone a spotlight on Rai as he spoke to reporters from the scene, calling April 26 'the darkest day in our city's history.' Steve Rai speaks during a news conference after the Lapu Lapu Day tragedy. Photo by DON MACKINNON / AFP via Getty Images He appeared at subsequent news conferences alongside Sim and other officials and spoke at a memorial mass for the victims of the attack at Holy Rosary Cathedral. 'We were looking for a leader who can really jump in,' said Sim. 'First day on the job, absolutely incredible.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Contract negotiations for Rai's position are underway and will be finalized in the coming days, said police board chair Frank Chong. The talent pool for the position within Canada is 'very small,' he said. There was a shortlist of fewer than 10 candidates. Rai was flanked at the news conference by Deputy Chiefs Howard Chow and Fiona Wilson. Wilson was recently hired as the police chief of the Victoria Police Department. She will take over the position on Aug. 15. Asked by reporters whether there was rivalry between him and Chow, who was promoted to Deputy Chief in September 2017, Rai said he and Chow were good friends. Chow said Rai was an 'excellent choice.' 'We're in a good position, a good spot with public safety with Steve at the helm.' chchan@ Read More Vancouver Canucks Vancouver Canucks Local News Local News Local News
