Vancouver council votes to delay decision on Granville Bridge suicide barriers

Vancouver metropolis councillors person voted to hold a determination connected whether to instal termination prevention fencing connected nan Granville Street Bridge.

The move came Wednesday, successful consequence to a mobility from OneCity Coun. Christine Boyle seeking to person barriers installed arsenic a portion of ongoing activity connected nan span.

According to Boyle’s motion, location person been 21 termination incidents connected nan span since 2019, including six fatalities.

She compared that fig to nan adjacent Burrard Street Bridge, which has seen nary termination deaths since termination prevention barriers were installed successful 2017.

“ABC councillors weakened and delayed that request, reducing nan backing committedness to conscionable a 3rd of nan cost, and pushing it into nan adjacent superior scheme by nan adjacent council, truthful 2027 to 2030,” Boyle said.

Boyle’s mobility comes a week aft Granville Island issued its ain telephone for termination prevention fencing connected nan bridge.

“It’s conscionable incredibly sad, and these councillors would beryllium successful location and perceive to nan stories, cognize that it works, cognize from nan Burrard Street Bridge, they put nan barriers in, there’ve been zero attempts since then, and they won’t walk nan money,” said Granville Island building head David McCann.

The mobility was besides supported by respective different groups, including nan Crisis Centre of B.C.

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The mobility comes pinch nan span already undergoing upgrades arsenic a portion of nan Granville Bridge Connector project, and Boyle argues adding barriers successful nan early will beryllium overmuch costlier than integrating them into nan existent work.

Boyle is calling for nan metropolis to perpetrate to backing and installing prevention fencing arsenic a portion of nan connector task while seeking money from elder levels of authorities to thief pinch nan work.

If you aliases personification you cognize is successful situation and needs help, resources are available. In lawsuit of an emergency, please telephone 911 for contiguous help.

For a directory of support services successful your area, sojourn the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention at suicideprevention.ca.

Learn much about preventing termination pinch these informing signs and tips connected really to help.