Warning: This story talks about suicide and may be distressing to some readers. Available resources are available at the bottom of the article.
A coalition of Granville Island leaders, mental health experts and others with interests regarding the waterfront community have called on Vancouver city council to fast-track the installation of suicide prevention fencing on the Granville Bridge.
In a July 17 letter released Wednesday, the coalition said it supports a motion going before council July 24 from OneCity Coun. Christine Boyle to add fencing to the span to prevent further suicides and attempts from the bridge.
“In our view, suicide prevention fencing is not a luxury addition to the bridge; it is critical to maintaining safety on and around Granville Bridge,” said the letter, which noted there have been numerous fatal and non-fatal incidents over the past 15 years.
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 letter to council is signed by Tom Lancaster, general manager CMHC-Granville Island, Stacy Ashton, executive director of the Crisis Centre of BC and Jonny Morris, chief executive officer of the B.C. division of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
The trio has previously told Glacier Media that suicide prevention fencing is needed on the bridge, noting how the addition of fencing to the Burrard Bridge and others in the region has reduced suicides from those spans.
Jeannine Martin, president of Vancouver Regional Construction Association, Ruhamah Buchanan, president of PSAC Local 20378 Granville Island, and Jane Talbot, executive director of the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, also signed the letter.
'Experience significant trauma'
While the goal of the coalition’s call is to prevent what it describes as “unbelievable tragedies,” it also wants to reduce the trauma-inducing incidents witnessed by employees and visitors to Granville Island.
On a number of occasions, people have landed in the water directly beside Granville Island, according to the coalition, which said first and supportive responders “have saved these lives whenever possible, at great risk to their own physical and mental safety.”
“The security staff, mariners, and other responders involved experience significant trauma from these incidents,” the letter said. “Similarly, the staff, visitors and tenants on Granville Island who witness suicide on the Island are also deeply affected.”
Glacier Media heard from mariners in June about their concerns and stories of going to the aid of people who jumped from the bridge. Grant Brandson was navigating a boat in August 2023 when he rescued an unconscious man from the water.
“Granville Island is a beautiful place to be,” he said at the time. “Everyone is generally pretty positive down here and tourists come from all over the world to be here. They want to have a positive experience, and this is what they ended up seeing.”
Brandson also wrote a letter to council to ask for suicide prevention fencing.
$50M upgrade to bridge
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 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.
Estimated cost is $10 million to $20 million.
“With the high cost to install means prevention fencing on the bridge due to the length [including ramps] and weight limitations, fencing was not included in the first phase, however, the city is in ongoing discussions regarding funding for means prevention measures for Granville Bridge with VCH and senior levels of government,” the city’s email said.
$300K for design work
A staff report on the city’s capital budget, which goes before council July 23 — the day before Boyle introduces her motion — requests that $300,000 be spent on a Granville Bridge “means prevention fencing conceptual design.”
“The conceptual design will provide greater certainty on the cost and scope of means prevention fencing,” the report said. “This information will be used to help secure funding from senior levels of government required to complete this project. The study is estimated to be completed by end of 2025.”
For several years, Boyle has pushed for suicide prevention fencing on the Granville Bridge, and raised the issue at city hall in 2020 during debate on the cost of the upgrade to the span.
At the time, council received a letter from Dr. Mark Lysyshyn, the deputy medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, in support of fencing.
“This is an essential component of suicide prevention and part of Vancouver Coastal Health’s injury prevention plans to install means prevention fencing on all high-rise bridges in the Lower Mainland,” Lysyshyn wrote Sept. 2, 2020.
He pointed out that fencing added to the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and Burrard Bridge have had “a considerable impact, with early evidence suggesting that means prevention has saved lives and significantly reduced health care and emergency service costs.”
'Important public safety issue'
In an interview Wednesday, Boyle said installing fencing is worth the expense and the city should look to senior governments to assist with covering the cost. Boyle lost two friends to suicide from local bridges.
“It’s an important public safety issue that we continue to hear about,” she said, referencing the coalition’s letter and noting the effect fencing has had on reducing suicides from bridges.
“The numbers reflect that they make a difference and that they are one important piece of the full spectrum of supports that people need to protect and support them and also to support Granville Island itself.”
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.
