In close 5-4 vote, trustees approve bringing police back into Vancouver schools
The Vancouver School Board has voted in favour of reinstating a controversial program that places police officers in city schools.
Trustees approved the return of school liaison officers in a close 5-4 vote Monday night, less than 18 months after the previous board ended the program over concerns about its impact on some students.
A third-party report commissioned by the board found students who are Black, Indigenous, disabled, LGBTQ2S+ or low-income were far more likely to report negative experiences with SLOs.
During Monday's meeting, trustee Jennifer Ready suggested bringing the school liaison officer program back would call the new board's commitment to anti-racism, reconciliation and equality into question.
"This decision runs contrast to those things – you know it and I know it," Ready said.
"It will stigmatize and target specific students who already don't see themselves represented here, and who will be further marginalized and excluded by this decision. It will let the public know that we do not have the best interests of all students at the forefront of our decision-making."
Opponents called for more consultation and discussion before bringing police back into schools, but were outnumbered. While trustee Preeti Fardikot's motion proposed a "reimagined" SLO program, it's unclear how it will differ from the previous one.
"I appreciate everyone's opinion on this matter," Fardikot said ahead of the vote. "I understand that police do not belong in schools but (neither do) gangs, (neither) does crime, (neither do) drugs – none of those things belong in school as well, so we need to look at everyone's perspective on that."
Reinstating the program was a campaign promise of Mayor Ken Sim, and all four trustees from his A Better City Party – Fardikot, Victoria Jung, Alfred Chien and Joshua Zhang – voted in favour of doing so.
So did Christopher Richardson, who ran under ABC until the party cut ties with him upon learning the Canada Revenue Agency had revoked charitable status from a foundation of which Richardson is a director.
Ready and fellow trustees Janet Fraser, Suzie Mah and Lois Chan-Pedley opposed the motion.
Last week, B.C.'s human rights commissioner spoke out against SLO programs and questioned the idea that they are necessary for school safety.
"I strongly recommend that all school districts end the use of SLOs until the impact of these programs can be established empirically," Kasari Govender wrote in an open letter to trustees.
"For school boards who choose not to take this step, it is incumbent on you to produce independent evidence of a need for SLOs that cannot be met through civilian alternatives and to explain the actions you are taking to address the concerns raised by Indigenous, Black and other marginalized communities."
Fardikot's motion cites a "notable increase in youth-involved violence" that she claims corresponds to the end of the SLO program.
The Vancouver Police Department does not release youth-specific crime statistics in its quarterly reports to the Vancouver Police Board, but did highlight a handful of youth-involved incidents in its third-quarter update.
Statistics Canada data on youth crime includes both incidents in which charges were laid and incidents in which youth were diverted out of the criminal justice system. The most recent report, which covers 2021, notes that nation-wide these numbers have been trending downward for decades.
The Youth Crime Severity Index, which measures both the volume and severity of crime involving youth accused has fallen 50 per cent in Canada since 2011, and B.C. had the second-lowest in the country last year behind Prince Edward Island.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Lisa Steacy
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.