David Eby and the BC NDP have left British Columbia’s streets and communities in chaos. The BC NDP hard drug experiment only codified the soft-on-drugs approach that they long held since being elected in 2017.

  • As Attorney General, David Eby pushed to fast track the drug decriminalization program.
  • While David Eby was Attorney General, from 2019 to 2022, the number of simple possession charges recommended by police declined by 87%.
  • British Columbia, with only 13% of Canada’s population, now accounts for one third of all opioid deaths in Canada, making drug overdoses the number one cause of death in people aged 19-39, accounting for half of all deaths.
  • 87% of British Columbians say addiction and mental illness contribute significantly to crime and public safety problems in their communities.
  • In November 2025, nearly nine out of ten businesses surveyed by the Business Improvement Association of B.C. (BIABC) reported that they were subject to property crime; 40% chose not to report the crime.
  • Almost 90% of businesses stated that crime is impacting their business or district; nearly 40% reported losses exceeding $5000.
    • In Prince George, estimates put downtown losses at $4.2m;
    • In Kamloops, annual losses for 2025 exceeded $1m;
    • Downtown Victoria estimated that graffiti cleanup costs were $1m in 2025;
    • In North Vancouver, theft and fraud were up by 12% and 18% since 2023; and
    • A 7-11 in downtown Victoria closed after losing up to $2,400 a day to shoplifting.
  • A September 2026 Research Co. survey by Save Our Streets (SOS) shows residents are continuing to live in fear in their communities, with 68 per cent saying crime and violence is impacting their quality of life and 37 per cent saying they’ve been the victim of a recent crime.
    • 48% fear for the safety of their families in their community;
    • Over half of British Columbians (53%) say there are areas in their community they actively avoid for fear of their own safety;
    • 87% say addiction and mental illnesses are to blame for much of the crime and public safety issues in their communities;
    • 88% say they believe crimes go unreported in the province, with 66% saying it is because of a lack of confidence in the judicial system; and
    • 81% believe retail crime make the products they buy more expensive.

Meet David Eby’s Street Chaos Candidate

David Eby’s handpicked candidate in Vancouver-Strathcona, Amanda Burrows, has spent the past year calling for cuts to police budgets and saying that putting more police on the street does harm.

Burrows In her own words:

  • “Yes, yes of course we need to reallocate it (the police budget).” OneCity Vancouver, Meet Your Mayors: Debate Night in Vancouver, February 4, 2026
  • “I’ll sit down right away and let’s say ‘let’s take some money away from the police budget'” OneCity Vancouver, Meet Your Mayors: Town Hall, Jan 27, 2026
  • “Probably diverting some money away from the police budget” The Tyee, Dec. 18, 2025
  • “We know that a ‘policing-first’ policy is not a solution.” Cambie Report, E3-281 OneCity’s mayoral candidates, Jan 9, 2026
  • “We have existential threats when it comes to policy directives, certainly from the city of Vancouver’s elected officials, saying that they’re going to pause supportive housing, adding more police into this community, creating more harm.” The Discovery Pod, First United With Amanda Burrows, July 10, 2026
  • “What we are prioritizing, i.e. the police, is not okay.” Cambie Report, E3-281 OneCity’s mayoral candidates, Jan 9, 2026

– 30 –

Media Contact:
Alex Shiff, Director of Media Relations
media@conservativebc.ca