A number of complex issues impact livability in New Westminster.
In October 2021, Council endorsed the Downtown Livability Strategy that included immediate, short-term, medium-term, and long-term actions.
That effort was one of the catalysts for the creation of the Crises Response Pilot Project (PDF), which was approved by Council in October 2023, with the pilot fully launching in September 2024.
The areas of focus in the Downtown Livability Strategy informed policy and implementation work in the Crises Response Project including:
Development of a City-wide toilet strategy
Access to washrooms is an issue for all municipalities. The toilet strategy includes recommendations to address gaps in the availability, safety, maintenance, and dignity of public toilets throughout New Westminster. It was adopted by Mayor and Council at the July 13, 2026 Regular Council Meeting.
Public washrooms exist across the city, including in most civic facilities and parks. Explore the hours for permanent facilities in parks.
Learn where public washrooms are located, what the city is doing to add more public washrooms and how to report issues.
Homeless outreach and added emergency shelter capacity
The City has developed two strategic plans related to addressing homelessness, mental health and substance use in New Westminster: the Five-Year Prevention, Support, and Transition Services Plan, and the Ten-Year Supportive Housing and Wraparound Services Plan. Together, these plans create a roadmap to increase emergency shelter capacity, and access to other housing options including transitional housing, supportive housing, and complex care housing. In addition to the recent improvements at the shelter at 502 Columbia funded by BC Housing and operated by a local non-profit organization, the City is advancing work on 52 units of permanent supportive housing at 602 Agnes Street and 30 units of transitional supportive housing at 502 20th Street.
Toxic drug crisis
The toxic drug crisis continues to have a devastating impact on individuals and families in our community. As part of the Five-Year Prevention, Support and Transition Services Plan, the City is working to improve connections to services for people who use substances. The City's Homelessness Services Outreach Team and Community Liaison Offer Program carry Naloxone and are trained in overdose response. These teams can also act as a bridge to connect individuals to supports and resources along the substance use care continuum; from harm reduction supports, to withdrawal management services, to treatment, and supportive recovery services.
Additionally, the City is advocating for comprehensive overdose prevention services that address the needs of people who inhale drugs. While the Fraser Health Authority established a Health Contact Centre which provides supervised consumption, drug checking, and harm reduction supports in 2021, modes of substance use consumption have shifted significantly in recent years, both in New Westminster and across the province. Whereas most people were injecting substances when the Centre opened, inhalation has become the primary mode of consumption: in 2025, 61% of drug toxicity deaths in the Fraser Health region involved inhalation. As part of the Five Year Plan, the City is advocating to the Ministry of Health and the Health Authority for overdose prevention services which better meets the needs of those accessing services as well as reduces public subtance use for the broader community.
Business support and outreach
Community Liaison Officers can receive reports of tents or structures in public spaces, discarded harm reduction supplies, potential encampment remnants, biohazards and human waste. They can also assist when people or belongings obstruct pedestrian traffic, sidewalks, doorways or fire exits, and redirect inquiries to appropriate resources.
Qualifying Downtown businesses may be able to participate in the biohazard waste pick-up program. This program involves a third-party contractor that regularly makes its way through parts of the neighbourhood from Monday to Friday.
To connect with either service, call the 24/7 One Number To Call: Community Support Line at 604-527-4502 or email crisesresponse@newwestcity.ca. Emails are monitored Monday to Friday, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Mental health response
Through the Crises Response Pilot Project, the City also has an outreach team that is able to make referrals and connect people to a variety of resources, including for mental health supports. We invite you to learn more about the pilot by reviewing its webpage.
In addition, New Westminster is home to a CRCL team. CRCL (pronounced circle) stands for Crisis Response, Community-Led, and was previously known as Peer Assisted Care Teams (PACT). CRCL is a mobile, community-led crisis response team that provides support to people 13 years and older who are experiencing a mental health crisis. If a mental health crisis is occurring, CRCL can dispatch a team of at least two crisis responders. CRCL is funded by the Province of BC, developed, and administered by the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC Division (CMHA BC) and delivered by local community- based organizations. Contact
In 2024, the City began rolling out its Crises Response Pilot Project (CRPP), which works to address homelessness, mental health, and substance use in the community. Included in this work is the creation of an outreach team. The members of this outreach team are able to connect those directly impacted by the three crises to faith-based and non-profit groups to try and assist them in obtaining access to resources to meet their needs.
Opioid epidemic and illicit drug response
The Health Contact Centre continues to provide a number of wrap-around services, such as harm reduction supplies, peer employment opportunities, educaiton on safer drug use, and regular need sweeps of the surrounding area.
As part of its Crises Response Project, the City of New Westminster is lobbying for addtional related funding and resources through two plans:
Five-Year Prevention, Support and Transition
Ten-Year Supportive Housing and Wrap-Around Services Plan
As an example of some of the related work, the Five-Year Prevention, Support and Transition Services Plan includes advocating to the Ministry of Health and the Fraser Health Authority for the incorporation of indoor inhalation services at the current Overdose Prevention Site in New Westminster's Downtown area.
Contact
If you have any questions regarding the Downtown Livability Strategy, please visit our FAQ section. For any questions which are not answered in the FAQ section, please send them to info@newwestcity.ca.
