The NOW asked each Burnaby candidate to answer 10 questions ahead of the provincial election on Oct. 19.
We will be publishing candidate answers by question daily.
Answers by candidates who participated are listed in alphabetical order by surname.
Question: What do you think is the biggest public safety concern in Burnaby, and how will you address it?
Reah Arora - BC NDP (Burnaby East)
The toxic drug crisis continues to take lives across BC and Burnaby is no exception. These drugs tear apart families, destroy lives, and ultimately make for less safe communities. We need to tackle the crisis from every angle. That means recognizing that for many, substance use starts from trauma or prescription painkillers. We need to build up our social supports, mental health system, and have early treatment options widely available so that people can get help when they want it. We also need to tackle the gangs and criminal element and make it socially unacceptable to spread and profit off the misery of others. We also need to invest in our youth and make sure they have opportunities for good jobs and support to thrive.
We’ve been taking action on all of these fronts, opening more than 650 new treatment beds and thirty-five Foundry centres that have already helped 50,000 young people. David Eby appointed Dr. Vigo, a psychiatrist and public health specialist, to build a plan to layer on top of our existing action. Moving forward, we need to be guided by evidence—not ideology, and make changes to make sure we keep Burnaby a great place to live, work, and play.
Simon Chandler - Conservative Party of BC (Burnaby East)
The biggest public safety concern in Burnaby is the rapid increase in violent crime and gang violence aided by the toxic drug crisis. A BC Conservative government will end the soft-on-crime policies enacted by the current provincial government. We will immediately increase funding to law enforcement, dramatically increase penalties for gang-related crime, end the revolving door justice system, and provide community investment to prevent gang recruitment of youth through education, job training, and outreach programs.
Meiling Chia - Unaffiliated (Burnaby South-Metrotown)
Public safety encompasses many factors, and it's concerning to see that many individuals feel unsafe in their own neighborhoods due to rising homelessness, break-ins, and public hard drug use. My primary focus on improving public safety will be to address the possession and public use of hard drugs more effectively. While various approaches have been attempted in other regions, firsthand experiences in our Downtown area reveal that the situation has not improved—in fact, it has worsened.
To enhance public safety and accountability, we need to eliminate the catch-and-release policy and implement tougher measures aimed at targeting repeat offenders. By prioritizing these strategies, we can work towards reducing crime and fostering a sense of security in our communities. It’s crucial that we take decisive action to protect our neighborhoods and ensure that everyone feels safe in their environment.
Paul Choi - BC NDP (Burnaby South-Metrotown)
The biggest public safety concern I see in Burnaby is the rise of organized crime, which brings with it violence, guns, gangs, and toxic drugs that threaten our streets. As a former police officer and now a lawyer, I’ve experienced first-hand how these issues impact our community. During my time on the force, I saw how violent offenders and organized crime groups put immense strain on police resources. As a lawyer, I continue to support victims and see the long-term effects of crime on individuals and families.
That’s why, if elected, I will work to ensure repeat violent offenders are kept off our streets by pushing for stricter bail rules and tougher enforcement. I’ll also focus on going after the root causes of crime—working to dismantle gangs, address the flow of toxic drugs, and support victims through expanded services like VictimLinkBC, which provides 24/7 support in over 150 languages.
I’ve seen how important it is to connect vulnerable people with housing, treatment, and support. Police can’t do this alone, which is why I’ll advocate for more mental health and addiction resources to help break the cycle of crime and keep our community safer. I’ve spent my career protecting others, and I’m committed to standing up to hate, racism, and discrimination to ensure Burnaby remains a strong, safe place for everyone. Together, we can build a community where no one has to live in fear.
Raj Chouhan - BC NDP (Burnaby-New Westminster)
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities, and the challenges we are facing around mental health and addictions have understandably left many people feeling unsafe and unsure. We’re taking action to reduce homelessness, enhance police and social service response, and fight crime to keep communities safe and strong. We’re focused on addressing the root causes of mental health, addictions, and homelessness and it’s starting to make a difference. We launched mental health crisis response teams so that people can get the right help, and police can focus on crime. We made investments in new treatment centres and have committed to expanding the vital work of community-based mental health organizations through a new $50 million Community Mental Health Resilience Fund. In our platform we also make clear our commitment to support policing through increased funding for investigations and case management. In 2001, Rustad’s old party cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the budget that supported vulnerable populations and at-risk young people. Cuts to these services created the dangerous gaps in our public safety net that led to the challenges we are seeing today. We cannot afford to go down that path again with John Rustad’s Conservative Party.
Anne Kang - BC NDP (Burnaby Centre)
Addressing homelessness and the lack of policing resources are crucial public safety concerns in Burnaby.
I will continue to work with the BC NDP team, the City of Burnaby, and with police and first responders to make neighbourhoods and streets safer. I will continue to support affordable housing initiatives through David Eby and the BC NDP’s Housing Action Plan to make homes more available and affordable.
Experts confirm that our plan is already working. Our province, in partnership with local governments and private sector partners, are on the way to create 300,000 homes for people. To tackle homelessness, I will work to support increasing access to mental health and addiction services. Many individuals experiencing homelessness also struggle with mental health and addiction. By expanding access to these services, we can address root causes and reduce the risk of people ending up on the streets. While John Rustad said he wants to cut billions from health care and bring in American-style privatization, David Eby and the BC NDP team are strengthening health care, hiring and training more doctors and nurses, and providing the support people need when and where they need it.
These are just some of the strategies that would ensure a more holistic approach to public safety, focusing not just on enforcement but also on prevention and support for vulnerable populations.
Martin Kendell - Independent (Burnaby North)
The biggest public safety concern in Burnaby is the disastrous BCNDP policies when it comes to the consumption and distribution of hard drugs such as fentanyl and other opioids that are causing a majority of British Columbians to feel unsafe in their own communities. Crime, random violence and vandalism are fuelling these concerns within our municipality and needs to be addressed immediately.
We need to do a substantially better job when it comes to providing shelter and resources to the vulnerable unhoused population in this province. Without safe and reliable shelter, these people cannot seek treatment of the trauma they have suffered along with the resulting substance abuse.
Han Lee - Conservative Party of BC (Burnaby South-Metrotown)
The biggest public safety concern in Burnaby is the increase in violent crime and open drug use in public spaces. The Conservative Party’s plan is to reverse the decriminalization of hard drugs and close down so called “safe” injection sites that have become hotspots for crime. We will crack down on repeat offenders and increase law enforcement presence to ensure our streets are safe for families. Additionally, we will appoint principled judges who prioritize the safety of our communities over leniency for criminals.
Carrie McLaren - BC Green Party (Burnaby South-Metrotown)
This depends on where in the city you live and who you are. I know in Metrotown with various incidents in the past few years, crime is a continuing concern and as it relates to robberies, drugs, and violence. Part of that could be reduced by getting to the root of the causes… be it lack of mental health support, addiction treatment and recovery, or a lack of a home. The BC Greens would implement all recommendations from the Transforming Policing and Community Safety in British Columbia report.
Janet Routledge - BC NDP (Burnaby North)
Everyone deserves to feel safe in their community. Burnaby isn’t alone in seeing the effects of toxic drugs and a stretched mental health system manifest in the streets. We're focused on the root causes of these
problems. We’ve hired more than 250 police officers, and we’ve created 12 teams across the province to monitor repeat offenders. We’re bringing mental health intervention teams online so people can get the help they need and we're developing new tools to intervene with people who can’t make their own decisions about their care. We’re also opening more homes and treatment centres so people don’t need to be in the streets.
Tara Shustarian - BC Green Party (Burnaby East)
Property crime continues to plague homes and businesses, and there needs to be a concerted effort by RCMP and the citizenry to form a task force on solutions arrived at through consensus. However, the elephant in the room is the Trans Mountain Project and the lack of a cohesive evacuation plan in the event of a tank farm fire or a gas leak from the farm. I have been knocking on doors up at SFU and on Forest Grove Drive and people are stunned after the graphic simulations on the City website. We heard that we would get a thorough evacuation plan in place, in 24 months. Now the City has signed a $20 million dollar deal with Trans Mountain. I hope this does not compromise our situation. Well, this has not been signed by the province and if elected I will ensure that we have a consultation with all stakeholders, the people, the city, the province, Trans Mountain and yes the federal government. It is preposterous that we the people, our children and our families who would be the most affected have no say in the matter. My riding would be engulfed in disaster. When I did my interview with CBC, I called our area the “Incineration Zone.” I have been interviewed several times through the years, been in solidarity with Indigenous and climate activists for our safety. I will continue to do what is right by my community.
