Then-Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell poses with the new Vancouver 2010 host city sign which will be displayed at all entrances to the city after unveiling it in Vancouver, B.C., Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Richard Lam

VICTORIA — Former senator and past Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell has been appointed as British Columbia's new point-person to improve quality of life for those living in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

Campbell, who served as mayor between 2002 and 2005, then in the Senate until 2023, said in a statement that he will use his experience and relationships to improve housing and care for unhoused people, especially women, Indigenous people and those with complex mental health and addictions.

Campbell replaces Michael Bryant, whose contract was cancelled in May 2025 after questions arose over lack of transparency about his appointment and the cost of the contract.

Crime, poverty and addiction plague the Vancouver neighbourhood, but housing minister Christine Boyle said her government is determined to deliver better outcomes for the community.

Campbell, whose contract will run until March next year, said that working together with locals groups will help move the "unique and incredibly resourceful" neighbourhood forward in a "focused, compassionate and effective way."

The government said Campbell's focus in the neighbourhood will be on co-ordinating and advancing provincial improvements for people, public spaces, infrastructure, health care, housing and economic development.

Lea Caragata, director and associate professor at UBC's School of Social Work, said Bryant's appointment seemed to accomplish little.

She added that Campbell "certainly has the right background" as a former RCMP officer, chief coroner and supporter of harm reduction.

"So provisionally, I think this could be a great appointment but subject of course to what the role really is, about which I have seen little detail," she said.

Caragata said Campbell appears to be getting resources for his job, but is not sure whether that will make a difference within his mandate.

"My sad bet is that within six months very little will change," she said. "Make no mistake, I wish him well."

Conservative MLA Claire Rattée questioned Campbell's appointment in a statement.

“British Columbians don’t need more czars or consultants," she said, adding that the New Democrats under Premier David Eby "must abandon" what she called the "failed social experiment" of drug decriminalization and end what she called "taxpayer-funded drug consumption sites."

Campbell was Vancouver's mayor when Insite, the first legal supervised safe injection site, opened in 2003 in the Downtown Eastside.

The former mayor initially supported drug criminalization but has since criticized its effects on public safety.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 29, 2025.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2025