Latest arson fire fans flames of Victoria business owner’s fears
Published 12:58 pm Tuesday, December 2, 2025
When smoke and flames devoured a company vehicle, it was just the latest in a string of incidents that have a downtown Victoria glass business on edge.
“It was the last straw for me,” general manager Jeff Devine told the Victoria News. “I’ve been pretty patient … just fixing everything at our own expense.”
Allied Glass has been operating in the area – a stone’s throw from Rock Bay Landing and neighbourhood known for its street residents – for more than six decades. Over the last two, they’ve coexisted fairly respectfully with the residents and sex workers, he said. Simply waking someone hunkered down in the parking lot to move them along rather than taking an aggressive approach.
This series of “increasingly violent” incidents is largely attributed to one person, he said. It started with a rock through a window about a year ago and continued as he tracked them with more surveillance gear.
Devine’s understanding is that one person, living with addiction and on the street, is creating the dangerous situation. The business, and its staff, are victims of one man’s delusions.
“He needs help. He needs involuntary care. He needs to be put in a place where he can thrive and survive … That’s the reality,” Devine said.
Police have recommended charges, but none show as yet with BC Court Services; the person is under orders to stay away from the area; and VicPD promises more patrols, Devine said, but “there’s nothing in this equation that’s going to bother a guy who’s in that situation.”
The early morning fire outside the business on Nov. 30 left a van gutted and an employee without the means to work.
“Now I have a guy who’s out of work and without his tools… It’s one more family that needs help in Victoria, through no fault of our own.”
The VicPD dashboard that tracks calls shows Victoria responding to around 12,000 calls for “social order” in the first three quarters of 2025. It also shows more than 1,700 dubbed “other”, 1,600 under “property” and more than 800 labelled “violence”.
This summer, the City of Victoria implemented a community and safety plan that increased police and bylaw officer presence in the city. The focus is on Pandora and Princess avenues and downtown, with Rock Bay an outlying neighbourhood. But even with officers promising upped patrols and his own investment in equipment, Devine notes it takes just a moment to light a flare or throw a rock. And it can happen any time.
“It’s a needle in a haystack when the guy shows up,” Devine said. “It is not inconceivable that this person will put us out of business. That is what keeps me awake at night.”