Posts Tagged ‘Rich Coleman’

DTES information centre an endeavour unlikely to change coverage

February 2, 2010 - 1:32 pm | 0 Comments Posted by Jonathan Ross

In spite of Douglas Coupland's take on Vancouver, we shouldn't be afraid of the inevitable rocks that will be thrown by international media in the coming weeks.

I tend to agree with Jack Knox of the Victoria Times Columnist in his assessment of the kinds of press the City of Vancouver is going to receive for anything and everything during the Games.

So, based on that expectation, I am not exactly convinced that the joint effort by the city and the province to set up an information centre about the Downtown Eastside is going to do anything to shift that course.

Yes, I understand – Communications 101 dictates that you tell your own story…you stet the agenda…before others set it for you.

And like Minister Rich Coleman said in the press conference yesterday to open the centre, there has been a lot of progress made in the neighbourhood with regards to harm reduction, addiction treatment, housing and business and residential development popping up in the area.

That being said, the evolution of a troubled neighbourhood doesn’t sell as many newspapers as images of people shooting up in an alley – never has, and never will.

So while our media have grown up over the past 15-20 years in their coverage of the area, we can expect the same kind of pedestrian, introductory stories about social decay, open air drug markets, addiction, etc. from our international visitors looking for something to cover with a little more teeth than the curling finals.

The bad also comes with the good, however.  I as an example like stories about how Canadians are stepping up and challenging the world for podium finishes.

So kudos for at least making information about the area easily accessible – but not so much for the transparent way that the centre’s opening was almost begging for some kind of positive coverage.

Like I have said before, a mature city understands that utopia – the typical perception of the left coast – is not the only thing that we need to try and display to the world.

Remember – every city has its problems.

Let them cover what they’re going to cover…our positives far outweigh our negatives.

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Post-Olympics no picnic for Premier; Watts prepares to run

January 11, 2010 - 1:05 pm | 0 Comments Posted by Jonathan Ross

It is unlikely that Premier Gordon Campbell will be able to bask in the afterglow of the Olympics.

It is unlikely that the Premier will be able to bask in the afterglow of the Olympics.

This article by the Globe and Mail’s local stalwart Ian Bailey is interesting for the possibilities it outlines for Mayor Gregor Robertson, but far more intriguing for analysis of how the Olympics are unlikely to add life to the career of Premier Gordon Campbell.

This could be the beginning of a political arc upwards for Robertson.  Now while I would argue that for the purposes of re-election the Mayor’s profile is more than adequate, I can also see the global media propelling Robertson to a new status within his own city, province and country.  We are all familiar with the typical Canadian syndrome – paying more attention to home grown talent only after the rest of the world notices them.

But with Campbell, I foresee a far different scenario – one that ends prematurely for a man who just claimed that “he isn’t planning on quitting politics after the Olympics.”

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2nd HEAT shelter opening in familiar location

January 5, 2010 - 1:41 pm | 0 Comments Posted by Jonathan Ross

The homeless camped outside the Granville Street HEAT shelter after in got shut down last July.

City of Vancouver staff just wrapped up a briefing on the reopening of the second temporary HEAT shelter for the winter – and yes, it is the infamous Granville Street shelter that created all the controversy last year.

B.C. Housing has committed $1.2 million towards temporary winter shelters so that the four shelters can stay open until the end of April.

Now in spite of the fact that the city seems poised to incorporate much more public consultation into the mix, I expect that Vancouver NIMBY residents will once again show up in force to protest against the “undesirable” homeless from co-habitating within their respective neighbourhoods.  Although, one must say that this time around, the outcry (Mount Pleasant thus far) seems to be far less heated than last year.

Regardless, both Housing Minister Rich Coleman and Mayor Gregor Robertson are pushing ahead with their plan, determined to ensure that people are kept off the street with the colder temperatures to prevent tragedies like the kind thR befell Tracey last year.

I can already hear the future complaints about how the City should have engaged in far more consultation before moving ahead with such a plan.  I say BS.

If the Province only announced funding in mid-December, then there is only so much consultation that can be accomodated before action is required.  Is there supposed to be months of public meetings, accounting for nearly half of the scheduled shelter time framce, before spaces can be opeded up?  That is simply not an option if the whole point of the exercise is to keep people safe from the elements.

Let’s see if we can get through this winter without someone once again dying on the streets.

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Vancouver Police Chief makes a bold statement on policy

December 8, 2009 - 11:20 am | 1 Comment Posted by Jonathan Ross

The police have taken a stand, and will be using a gentle and non-forceful approach in spite of the provincial legislation.

The police have taken a stand, and will be using a gentle and non-forceful approach with the homeless in spite of provincial legislation to the contrary.

I think that it is a huge development for Vancouver Police Department Chief Jim Chu to in essence state that he will not be enforcing BC Minister of Housing and Social Development Rich Coleman’s new legislation on the homeless.

“If there is overt resistance, then we will back away and disengage. There will be no further physical contact. They will be allowed to remain where they are.”

The ministry is trying to put their best foot forward in response:

“The policy that the VPD has put in place appears to be a reasonable interpretation of the act. We appreciate the VPD respects the spirit of the act and we respect their position,”

but the VPD have passed a debilitating judgement on a piece of legislation that is not only controversial with Charter and homeless advocates, but is also unrealistic and nearly impossible to properly enforce.

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FACT OF THE DAY

In 2010, Vancouver had fewer than half the number of murders than it had in 2009.  There were nine homicides within Vancouver’s city limits, down from 19 killings the previous year.

Quote OF THE DAY

“Perhaps it was my silk dress or the new perfume I’ve been wearing lately. When I asked Suzanne Anton what her New Year’s resolution was, she replied, “To kiss a pretty girl!” and pecked me on the cheek.”  – Writer Emily Barca describing her encounter with the lone NPA City Councillor on New Year’s Eve.

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