Vancouver Police Already Stretched - What the Canada Gun Buyback Program Could Mean for Local Safety

You are walking home in Vancouver at night. Police patrols are scarce, response times feel slow, and the SkyTrain platform can feel empty when you need it most. Now Ottawa’s Canada gun buyback program is beginning, and even the federal Public Safety Minister was caught on tape saying municipal police do not have the resources to enforce it.

He’s not the only one. Police chiefs across Canada have warned the program would overwhelm forces already stretched thin. The Ontario Provincial Police have refused to take part, and provinces like Alberta and Saskatchewan have passed laws to block their officers from being used. The federal government insists the buyback will go ahead, but the unresolved question for Vancouver is: will it come at the cost of local safety?

What Exactly Is the Canada Gun Buyback Program - and Does It Target the Guns Used in Crime?

In May 2020, Ottawa banned more than 1,500 models of assault-style firearms, including AR-15s and Ruger Mini-14s. Bill C-21, passed in December 2023, gave the ban teeth by creating the Canada gun buyback program.

The idea is simple: owners surrender their prohibited firearms in exchange for set compensation, ranging from just over $1,300 for an AR-15 to more than $6,000 for certain Swiss Arms rifles. A pilot for individuals began in Nova Scotia in September 2025, and British Columbia is expected to join in 2026.

But here’s the catch: most guns used in violent crime in Canada are not these rifles. National statistics show nearly half involve handguns — and those aren’t part of the buyback.

Even Police Chiefs Say They Do Not Have the Resources - So Who Will Enforce It?

The loudest warnings about the Canada gun buyback program have come from police themselves. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has said plainly the buyback would be an “administrative burden” on officers already struggling to meet demand.

Regina Police Chief Evan Bray called it “a massive amount of work.” The Ontario Provincial Police have declined to participate altogether. And in September 2025, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree was recorded saying: “Let’s be frank about this: I just don’t think municipal police services have the resources to [enforce] this.”

He later walked the comment back in Parliament, calling it “misguided.” But for residents who already feel police are absent when needed most, the remark reinforced a suspicion: if the minister doesn’t believe the buyback can be enforced, who will?

If Officers Handle Buyback Duties, Who’s Left on Vancouver’s Streets?

In Vancouver, the concern is not just about whether the Canada gun buyback program works. It is about whether it makes the city feel less safe.

Police are already stretched with calls about assaults, street disorder, and late-night disturbances downtown. Women riding the SkyTrain report harassment and unwanted contact, often with no officer nearby. Every officer reassigned to handle buyback paperwork or weapon collection is one less officer visible on Granville Street on a Friday night.

The Vancouver Police Department has not confirmed how it will be involved once the program reaches B.C. in 2026. Without new federal funding, the choices are stark: use local officers, rely on RCMP detachments, or contract out. Until Ottawa clarifies, the uncertainty fuels concern that resources could be pulled away from frontline patrols.

For Women in Vancouver, Safety Concerns Go Beyond Firearms

For women in Vancouver, the debate feels immediate. Violent crime with firearms is rare compared to other offences, but safety concerns persist. Transit Police data show most sex-related offences on SkyTrain lines involve harassment or unwanted touching. Vancouver Police reports list assaults and robberies as among the most common street-level crimes.

Nationally, nearly half of all firearm-related violent crime involves handguns. In Toronto, where tracing is more robust, police say most of those handguns are smuggled from the U.S. rather than owned by licensed Canadians. Vancouver doesn’t release comparable tracing data, leaving residents in the dark about how many local crimes involve legally owned versus illicit guns.

For women, that gap matters less than the basics: whether police will be on the street, in transit stations, and ready to respond when they need them. That is why the buyback debate resonates here — not as an abstract policy, but as a question of visible safety.

Why Provinces Like Alberta and Saskatchewan Are Refusing to Help

The resource question around the Canada gun buyback program has become political. Alberta passed its own firearms law in 2022, making it clear its officers will not enforce the federal buyback. Saskatchewan followed with similar legislation. Both argue the program unfairly targets lawful owners while leaving the problem of smuggled guns unresolved.

British Columbia hasn’t taken that line. But the concerns raised by other provinces echo in Vancouver: if Ottawa expects local police to carry the burden without providing funding, it could weaken patrols in communities already pressing for more visible policing.

The federal government has extended the amnesty for prohibited firearms until March 1, 2026, and set aside $742 million for compensation. What remains unclear is whether any of that funding will cover the cost of police enforcement.

4 Questions Vancouver Residents Should Be Asking About the Buyback

As the buyback moves from pilot to full rollout, here are the key questions Vancouver residents should watch:

1. Who will enforce it? Municipal police, RCMP detachments, or third-party contractors?

2. Will Ottawa pay? Or will enforcement be added to local police workloads without extra resources?

3. How much funding will B.C. get? Of the $742 million budget, how much will actually flow to the province?

4. What happens to patrols? Will buyback duties mean fewer officers downtown and on transit?

The answers will shape whether the program enhances safety or leaves Vancouver residents with fewer police where they feel they need them most.

The Real Issue for Vancouver: Will Police Still Show Up When You Call?

The federal Canada gun buyback program is meant to remove assault-style firearms from circulation, but in Vancouver the real worry is about what gets lost in the process. Police leaders across Canada say their forces are stretched too thin, and provinces are refusing to participate. The federal minister himself admitted as much in private.

For Vancouver, the question isn’t whether the program works on paper — it’s whether an officer will still be there the next time someone calls for help on a SkyTrain platform or a downtown street. Until Ottawa explains how enforcement will be handled, that uncertainty is at the heart of the buyback debate.