A new documentary on Vancouver’s homelessness, mental health, addictions, and opioid overdose crisis, released on YouTube more than a week ago, has become the single-most viewed video material of the 2022 civic election.

At the time of writing, Vancouver Is Dying has already amassed 460,000 views — and based on the comments, it is capturing the attention of not only local residents, but individuals in other jurisdictions in Canada and the United States that are seeing the same type of afflictions in their communities.

In the hour-long documentary, local resident and independent journalist Aaron Gunn hit the pavement in the Downtown Eastside and other areas of Vancouver impacted by escalating crime, public safety, and public disorder issues.

He interviewed residents, small businesses, law enforcement, experts in mental health and addiction recovery, and recovered addicts to challenge prevailing assumptions and narratives and provide new perspectives in the complex, multi-faceted crisis. Key statistics and news stories on notable violent attacks and the encampments were also summarized.

On Tuesday, Gunn told Daily Hive Urbanized his team’s work on the documentary first began in March 2022, and it was originally planned as a shorter, 25-minute video with a June or July release. But it was pushed back and expanded, as their interviews and research demanded a longer, more in-depth piece.

“Growing up in BC, it seemed to me that over the past 20 years governments, of all political stripes, have been doubling down on the same failed suite of policies despite the fact they continue to produce worse and worse results,” said Gunn.

“Violent crime is up. Homelessness is up. And overdose deaths have exploded. I’ve always personally felt these issues to be interconnected and, after learning about the alternate approach taken by Portugal and the success they’ve had in treating addiction, I thought the issue worthy of investigation.”

When asked whether the video’s release was timed with the municipal election cycle, he said it is “a bonus,” but they produced the documentary in a way to remain relevant for months and, in all likelihood, for years to come.

One of his many interviews was with Marshall Smith, who is the chief of staff of new Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Up until this month, for three years, Smith was the chief of staff for the Alberta Minister of Mental Health and Addiction.

In the early 2010s, while working as a ministerial assistant for the BC provincial government in Vancouver, Smith fell into an alcoholism addiction and spent over five years homeless in the streets of the city.

“What helped me was getting to treatment. I got into recovery. My life has been good because of that. That’s my story,” said Smith, who had been working in Alberta’s government to advocate to help people in a similar situation he was once in.

Smith pointed to government statistics that show 90% of the issues deal with drugs and addiction, 70% of overdoses happen when people are alone at home, and 50% of suspected deaths from overdose in the city occurred inside SROs and other supportive housing.

“People are not living in tents on the Downtown Eastside because they can’t afford rent, they’re doing that because they’re severely addicted to heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl. People are not living under overpasses because they don’t have an opportunity to get an apartment, they are there because they suffer from significant mental health and addiction issues. Yes, they’re homeless, but there’s a reason why, so we need to make sure we’re attempting to solve the right problem,” said Smith.

“As a person with an addiction, the worst thing you can do for me is to give me four walls and a door that I can lock. You will quite likely find me dead on the living room floor at some point because we know that 70% of fatal overdoses happen at home alone. Statistically, you know, rapidly housing people who have serious addictions and secreting them away into hotel rooms and apartments is very dangerous for them.”

Amongst the many individuals interviewed, Vancouver Is Dying also sat down with Cody Hall, a former Downtown Eastside resident and recovered addict.

Hall recollected how after spending 60 days at a treatment facility to get clean, he was sent to a government-funded SRO. He relapsed soon after arrival on the first day because of the unsupportive and permissive environment he found himself in.

“I arrived there and they took me upstairs, and as I was passing an office heading into my room, they basically had offered me meth pipes, crack pipes, needles, and sent me off to my room, which at the time I turned down,” said Hall.

“But approximately 10 minutes after I got into my room, I had a knock on my door and it was the person across the hall from me offering me a free sample of heroin. So, I relapsed that night and was living there for I think approximately a year. And I’m in a situation where there is a drug dealer across the hall from me, and down the hall from me. So, I’m thinking, I’m gonna end up dying in this situation.”

Watch Vancouver Is Dying on YouTube:

The documentary also interviewed Arezo Zarrabian, a Vancouver Police Department crime analyst who is running for Vancouver City Council with the Non-Partisan Association (NPA).

“What used to be normal in the Downtown Eastside, which I’m not saying is right, has now transferred to Kitsilano, downtown, and Mount Pleasant areas. There are four random attacks a day, and your likelihood of being a victim of a random assault is one in four if you are a Vancouver resident. And that’s for reported crime… If someone looks at you the wrong way, you shouldn’t look back or you shouldn’t say something back, because you don’t know what may happen,” she said.

“That was a story that I remember hearing as a kid about certain cities in the United States. I never thought that would happen in Vancouver.”

Gunn’s Vancouver Is Dying documentary is inspired by a 2019 documentary made to explore the homelessness, mental health, and overdose crisis in Seattle — Seattle Is Dying by ABC affiliate KOMO TV, with KOMO News anchor Eric Johnson taking a closer look at the impact of the crisis in his community and possible solutions. The hour-long Seattle Is Dying has 13.5 million views on YouTube.

Gunn attracted some controversy a year ago during his prospective bid to become the new party leader of the BC Liberals, but he was rejected from contention by the party over some of his previous social media comments. At the time, he defended his comments and right to freedom of speech.

He was also previously a member of the Canadian Forces and an executive of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.