Warning: This story talks about suicide and may be distressing to some readers. Available resources are available at the bottom of the article.
Vancouver council agreed this week that suicide prevention fencing is needed on the Granville Bridge but when the money is available to add such a barrier to the span was left an open question.
Council discussed the need for fencing Wednesday after OneCity Coun. Christine Boyle introduced a motion for the city to fully commit to paying the estimated $10 million to $20 million to install the fencing as soon as possible.
What happened during debate was ABC Vancouver Coun. Lisa Dominato successfully introduced amendments that commit the city to only pay a third of the cost and direct city staff to seek matching funds from senior governments.
In addition, Dominato said she will push the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to lobby the federal government for money to assist municipalities with the costs of adding fencing to bridges.
“I want to assure you that I am 100 per cent behind this, and the intent here with these amendments is to move this forward,” said Dominato, noting she has family members who have been impacted by suicide.
“If there's an opportunity to do that more quickly, we will certainly have those conversations with staff and as a council.”
The day before the debate, council approved updates to the city’s capital plan that includes $300,000 to develop a Granville Bridge “means prevention fencing conceptual design.”
The city is currently working on a $50-million upgrade to the Granville Bridge, but it does not include suicide prevention fencing. The city’s communications department said via email June 7 that the fencing is part of the bridge’s long-range design.
'Act faster'
During debate, Boyle said she was disappointed with “the weakening of the language” from her original motion for the city to fully fund the cost of the fencing and avoid further delays.
At the same time, she said “I'm glad we have a plan. I'm glad it will eventually happen, and I will keep pushing that we act faster and implement these lifesaving barriers sooner.”
Added Boyle: “That is a nice start, but we have been in conversation with senior levels of government. I have amended multiple staff reports to ask for cost sharing of this project for a number of years now. I think we just need to be willing to do it, show that we're willing to do it and get it done.”
Stacy Ashton, executive director of the Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of BC, said the fencing should have been incorporated into the initial upgrade of the Granville Bridge.
She was one of the speakers to council Wednesday advocating for the fencing.
“There is no better time than when a bridge is being redeveloped to take this action,” Ashton said. “It’s something that must be done and it is something that isn’t going to get cheaper over time — and it’s something that’s going to save lives, as soon as it’s in place.”
Police called to bridge 173 times
As Glacier Media has previously reported, the lack of fencing on the span has been a concern form Ashton, Granville Island leaders, mariners and mental health experts.
BC Coroners Service data coupled with statistics provided by a Vancouver Coastal Health deputy medical health officer show there were more than 40 suicides or suspected suicides from the bridge between 2007 and 2023.
In addition, Vancouver Police Department statistics for calls to the bridge for suicidal persons show officers responded 173 times to the Granville Bridge between 2016 and 2023.
The statistics do not provide details of the incidents, or the outcomes.
The bridge was one of five the BC Coroners Service annual report identified in 2008 as needing to be retrofitted with a barrier to prevent suicides. The Burrard, Lions Gate, Ironworkers and Pattullo bridges were the others.
The Burrard and Ironworkers bridges now have barriers.
Senior governments 'duty bound'
Coun. Pete Fry said he takes some responsibility for not including a budget for the fencing when the discussion about the bridge’s upgrade occurred in the past term of council.
“We had the opportunity to really champion means prevention on the Granville Bridge redesign back then,” Fry said.
“Of course, cost was a factor. And of course, we were struggling with all the COVID-related costs and downturns. But like councillor Boyle, I'm struggling with sending this to a future capital plan and knowing that people will die as a result of that delay.”
Coun. Mike Klassen said he never wants to see another bridge built without suicide prevention fencing.
"It makes no sense that we are engineering these things and leaving them so vulnerable for tragic incidents around suicide,” Klassen said.
“I am resolved to make sure that we actually do get the funding on this. And I think that the pressure needs to be borne equally by other levels of government who are duty bound to try and support this, as well.”
Note: If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of suicide, help is available.
• In an emergency, call 9-1-1
• In a crisis, call 1-800-784-2433
• In need of support, call 310-6789 (no area code needed)
You can find a full list of resources on the B.C. government’s website.
