"Last night, our first responders faced, and handled, an extreme situation, and I commend them for their professionalism.
Thank you to VicPD for their quick, courageous response to this unprovoked attack on a paramedic providing medical aid. I am thankful that the paramedic is recovering from their injuries. Thank you to police from our neighbouring municipalities, who came to help ensure the situation resolved without further injury.
Our firefighters, nearby on another call, responded immediately, and I thank them for going above and beyond to protect their colleagues and the public.
First responders are trained to deal with dangerous situations, and, while this one was particularly challenging, our community knows that when police, fire and ambulance services are called, they are there for us, despite the danger. But it is never ok for our first responders to themselves be under attack while they are saving lives.
I have been in contact with Victoria Police Chief Del Manak, and the leadership of our fire department and ambulance service. This incident is under investigation by VicPD, and I will continue to work with them and all our first responders on next steps.
While commending our emergency service responders for their enduring individual and collective action, I continue to urge the province to recognize the challenges facing municipalities as we respond to the urgent issues of homelessness, mental health and addictions that are impacting Victoria and the rest of B.C., precipitated by gaps in health and housing programs and services."