Larry W. Campbell has played a sustained role in Canadian public life across law enforcement, municipal leadership, and federal legislation. From his early career with the RCMP to his tenure as Mayor of Vancouver and later as a Senator of Canada, his work has consistently focused on public safety, health policy, and evidence-based approaches to complex social issues. This overview outlines the key stages of his career and the lasting policy impact of his work.
Public Leaders as Advocates for Safe Gambling Practices
Leaders like Larry Campbell, who focus on solving social problems, also play a big role in making gambling, especially online casinos, safer for everyone. They support rules that help protect players, like setting deposit limits, offering self-exclusion tools, and making sure games are fair. For those in Ontario, understanding which platforms align with these safety standards can be helpful. A trusted source for reliable choices for online casinos Ontario offers insights into secure and regulated playgrounds, making sure players can engage responsibly.
In Ontario, these protections are not informal best practices but regulatory requirements. Since the launch of the province’s regulated iGaming market in April 2022, licensed online gambling operators must comply with standards enforced by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and iGaming Ontario. These standards cover player verification, responsible gambling tools, advertising controls, and data security.
By 2024-2025, iGaming Ontario began publishing regular market performance and compliance reports, reflecting a shift toward transparency and ongoing oversight rather than one-time licensing. This regulatory model treats online gambling as a monitored digital service, similar to other regulated consumer industries, rather than an unregulated form of entertainment.
In this context, discussions about safer gambling are increasingly framed around enforcement, auditability, and public accountability. The emphasis has moved away from promoting individual platforms and toward explaining how regulation, monitoring, and harm-reduction principles are applied at a system level.
From Steelworker to RCMP Officer
Larry Campbell started his working life as a steelworker in Hamilton, Ontario. In 1969, he decided to take on a new challenge and joined the RCMP. Soon after, he was posted to Vancouver, where he began tackling drug-related crimes.
By 1973, Campbell was part of the RCMP drug squad, focusing on Vancouver’s heroin crisis. His time in law enforcement gave him a close look at the damage addiction caused, and this shaped his ideas for change later in his career. Interestingly, Campbell avoided charging people for marijuana offences, showing his practical and understanding approach to the issue.
Creating Vancouver’s Coroner Services
After 12 years with the RCMP, Campbell made a big change in 1981. He became Vancouver’s first District Coroner, setting up services to investigate deaths in the city. His work often dealt with overdose deaths, making him deeply aware of the growing drug crisis.
In 1996, Campbell was promoted to Chief Coroner for British Columbia. In his role as Chief Coroner for British Columbia, Campbell emphasized harm reduction at a time when measures such as needle exchange programs were still contested. While these services are now considered standard public health infrastructure, they laid the groundwork for later approaches focused on overdose prevention, supervised consumption, and responses to the toxic drug supply.
The TV Show Inspired by His Work
Campbell’s career as a coroner became the inspiration for the popular CBC television drama Da Vinci’s Inquest. The show explored real issues in Vancouver, like addiction, homelessness, and crime. Campbell worked as a consultant and writer for the series, making sure it showed the realities of his work. The spin-off, Da Vinci’s City Hall, continued to tackle these big challenges, highlighting the kind of leadership Campbell brought to public service.
es, highlighting the kind of leadership Campbell brought to public service.
Making Big Changes as Vancouver’s Mayor
In 2002, Campbell ran for Mayor of Vancouver and won by a huge margin. His time as mayor was all about tackling major issues like addiction, homelessness, and public safety.
One of his most important achievements was launching the Four Pillars Drug Strategy, which became a groundbreaking approach to addressing addiction. This strategy included:
- Harm Reduction: Opening North America’s first legal safe injection site, Insite.
- Prevention: Educating communities about addiction and offering support to reduce risks.
- Treatment: Expanding access to recovery services like counselling and methadone programs.
- Enforcement: Fighting organized crime while keeping public safety in focus.
Campbell’s bold and caring approach made Vancouver a leader in addressing addiction. He also played a critical role in securing the city’s bid to host the 2010 Winter Olympics, which boosted Vancouver’s economy and brought it international recognition.
Taking His Advocacy to the Senate
In 2005, Prime Minister Paul Martin appointed Campbell to the Senate of Canada. As a senator, Campbell focused on drug policy, mental health, and human rights, continuing the advocacy work he had started in Vancouver.
Campbell strongly opposed Bill C-2, which created barriers to opening supervised consumption sites. He believed these sites saved lives and reduced harm in communities. He also supported legalizing prescription opioids for use in treatment centers, an idea inspired by successful programs in Europe.
Another key focus for Campbell was Canada’s Assisted Dying Law (Bill C-14). He pushed for changes that would allow people with degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s to make end-of-life decisions in advance. For Campbell, this was about respecting dignity and personal choice.
Since that period, federal policy has evolved through court decisions, exemptions, and pilot programs, with supervised consumption services becoming more widespread across Canada. However, debates around access, community impact, and public safety remain active as of 2025.
Driving to Ottawa During COVID-19
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Campbell showed his dedication by driving from British Columbia to Ottawa to vote on emergency legislation. To avoid the risks of flying, he made the cross-country trip with his dog, Sue. This journey reflected his strong sense of duty and responsibility as a senator during a national crisis.
This episode is now best understood as a historical moment from the early pandemic period, illustrating the extraordinary conditions under which Parliament operated in 2020 rather than current legislative practice.
Writing About Vancouver’s Challenges
In 2009, Campbell co-authored A Thousand Dreams: Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and the Fight for Its Future with Neil Boyd and Lori Culbert. The book explores the struggles of one of Canada’s most vulnerable communities and calls for compassionate, evidence-based solutions. It remains a powerful contribution to the discussion on urban poverty and addiction.
Always Fighting for What’s Right
Since leaving the Senate in 2023, Campbell has remained a public commentator on drug policy, harm reduction, and end-of-life issues. While no longer holding public office, his past work continues to be referenced in discussions around addiction policy and public health governance in Canada.
Education That Supported His Work
Campbell holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from City University in Vancouver. This formal education complemented his hands-on experience and helped him effectively navigate leadership roles throughout his career.
Advocating for Safer Drug Policies
Campbell’s work in harm reduction extended to proposing the legalization of prescription opioids for treatment purposes. He believed that providing safe drugs in controlled settings could reduce crime, improve public health, and offer those struggling with addiction a chance to stabilize their lives.
By the mid-2020s, this debate had shifted toward broader discussions around toxic drug supply, safer supply pilot programs, and provincial experimentation with decriminalization. In British Columbia, a three-year decriminalization pilot launched in January 2023 was modified in May 2024 to restrict drug use in most public spaces, reflecting ongoing policy recalibration rather than a settled consensus.
Shaping the Future of Assisted Dying Legislation
Campbell was not just a supporter but a leading voice in shaping Canada’s laws on assisted dying. His insistence on including provisions for advance directives made him a champion for Canadians facing degenerative diseases, ensuring their rights were protected under the law.
As of 2025, eligibility for Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) where mental illness is the sole underlying medical condition remains excluded, following a federal delay that extended the exemption until March 17, 2027. Campbell’s position anticipated many of the ethical and legal debates that continue to shape MAID policy today.
Why Larry W. Campbell’s Work Matters
Larry W. Campbell’s life has been all about making real, lasting change. From his time as an RCMP officer to his work as mayor and senator, he focused on saving lives, promoting public health, and fighting for human rights. His leadership in harm reduction, addiction treatment, and compassionate policymaking has had a lasting impact on Canada.
Viewed from a 2025 perspective, his legacy is most closely associated with harm reduction, evidence-based policymaking, and the recognition that social problems such as addiction, mental illness, and public safety require coordinated regulatory responses rather than single-issue solutions.