Opposition, Vancouver mayor raise questions about new Downtown Eastside consultant
The province's appointment of a special consultant to advise on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside has prompted backlash from the Official Opposition and questions from the city's mayor.
As Global News first reported Monday, the province has retained former Ontario cabinet minister Michael Bryant on a six-month contract worth $150,000 plus expenses to review Downtown Eastside (DTES) programs and future policy.
Bryant left his role as the CEO of Legal Aid B.C. last year and previously spent a decade in Ontario politics.
During question period at the B.C. legislature, the Conservatives demanded to know why the money was being spent, and why the province made no public announcement about the appointment — despite Bryant's contract starting in February.
2:48
NDP government appoints consultant to premier on Downtown Eastside
'It doesn't make a lot of sense — the fact is this is a $150,000 contract for six months of work that we are just finding out about because the news is reporting on it,' South Surrey-White Rock MLA Trevor Halford told Global News after a fiery exchange in the house.
Story continues below advertisement
BC Conservative Leader John Rustad said the appointment suggested the NDP was out of ideas on how to tackle problems in the DTES.
'They thought they had all the answers — we have seen the situation continually worsen, whether it's mental health, whether it's addictions, whether it's crime of very serious natures, there are so many things going wrong,' he said.
'So for them to have a consultant that's going to come and say, what we ran on in the election does that make sense — what are these guys doing? They had eight years. We know what the problems are.'
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Sheila Malcolmson, whose Social Development and Poverty Reduction ministry Bryant is contracted to, couldn't answer exactly who in the government had hired Bryant.
She did, however, take responsibility for the appointment not being publicized.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
'Honestly, a communication problem between me and the Premier's Office that it didn't get announced earlier,' she said. 'But his work has been very public as far as the people he is working with in the DTES.'
1:55
Vancouver seeks input into DTES housing changes
Malcolmson said he was contracted to provide an 'outside view' on systemic challenges in the neighbourhood and whether existing programs are 'speaking well with each other.'
Story continues below advertisement
'His legal background, his working in the civil liberties association, his political work as a minister of multiple files, and I would say what a lot of us are thinking about is his own personal struggles with addiction, his own recovery journey, brings a very different perspective from what we have around the cabinet table,' she said.
In 2009, Bryant was charged with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death after an incident that left Toronto bike courier Darcy Sheppard with a fatal head injury, but was never prosecuted after the charges were withdrawn.
He later wrote a book about the experience and his own battle with alcoholism.
34:55
Outgoing Vancouver police chief Adam Palmer on safety in the city
In a Monday interview, Bryant said he had met with officials in the ministries of health, housing, public safety, social development and Dr. Daniel Vigo, B.C.'s chief scientific adviser on toxic drugs and psychiatry, along with 'over 100 people in the Downtown Eastside with lived experience.'
Story continues below advertisement
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim told Global News on Tuesday that the city had been informed of Bryant's appointment after the fact, but had not been consulted.
'If you want to solve a problem in the Downtown Eastside, I think it would be really helpful if you consulted with, and I mean this in the most respectful way, the biggest stakeholder,' Sim said.
'We have Vancouver Fire and Rescue, the Vancouver Police Department, our engineering crews, arts, culture and community services, the businesses down there, the list goes on and on.'
He said he has not spoken personally with Bryant and that he wasn't aware of 'very many meaningful conversations' the consultant has had with the city.
He said Vancouver has been clear about its priorities for the beleaguered neighbourhood, including fixing the housing stock, cracking down on crime and involuntary treatment for people with serious mental health and addiction problems.
0:48
Police officer set on fire in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
'The province said they were going to take over the Downtown Eastside and make it better,' Sim said.
Story continues below advertisement
'We're all for that. We're excited about it, and we are a very willing and able partner. Absolutely we want to have conversations.'
Tslei-Waututh First Nation elected chief Jen Thomas, meanwhile, said she'd spoken with Bryant but that they hadn't been able to coordinate a time to meet.
Thomas said she feared the focus on Bryant's appointment risked overshadowing the goal of improving conditions in the Downtown Eastside.
'What concerns me is that people focus on the salary, when we should all be focused on improving the Downtown Eastside — that's the goal,' she said.
'If people are really concerned about the DTES we all need to work together, not criticize and put people down.'
Thomas said improving lives in the Downtown Eastside will require looking beyond surface-level issues like homelessness and addiction and at the underlying problems — like Indigenous youth who have aged out of care and end up in the neighbourhood because they have no connections to their familial communities.
'If he really listens to the Indigenous people, which I hope he will, I think we can get somewhere,' she said.
'Lets treat them like humans and find out what is going on in their lives and how to improve their lives.'
Story continues below advertisement
Bryant is contracted to provide a report for the province by late summer.
— with files from Rumina Daya
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
an hour ago
- Global News
Edmonton homeowners mull restrictive covenants to stop multi-unit builds
Some Edmonton homeowners are trying to take city development into their own hands by limiting where multi-unit homes can be built. They're exploring a legally binding agreement called a restrictive covenant, which goes on a property title and limits how a property is used or developed, even after it is sold to a new owner. Crestwood residents Jasmine Winter and Neil Bourgeois say they're considering putting one on their home. 'This is a last resort for homeowners,' Bourgeois said. The pair moved into their home in the sought-after west end neighbourhood a year and a half ago. They chose the established, upscale area as a quiet place to raise their kids. 'Playgrounds, the community, being able to walk to the school was a really big deal for us,' Winter said. Story continues below advertisement But they say potential development next door could change the neighbourhood feel they bought into. The City of Edmonton website shows the two lots directly north of Winter's and Bourgeois' home have development permits under intake review. Both applications are for the construction of a four-dwelling row house, with two secondary suites and an unenclosed front porch. 'We're just not sure that this is fulfilling the needs of the city's growth and it's definitely not fulfilling the needs of the community,' Bourgeois said. One community group is even trying to put restrictive covenants throughout their historic west-central neighbourhood. The Glenora neighbourhood, which is a century old and one of Edmonton's most sought-after neighbourhoods, was established in the 1910s with a restrictive covenant in place in some sections called the Carruthers Caveat. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy It was named after the businessman who sold the land the city with the caveat that only single family homes and wide expansive lots be allowed, to maintain his vision of Glenora as a prestigious residential area. The covenant was registered on some properties in Glenora, primarily on the south side (see map below.) Now, in a letter posted on its Facebook page, the Glenora Community League is asking for the 'support of fellow property owners to voluntarily agree to place a restrictive covenant on title to their property that would prohibit the construction of these large multifamily (sic.) dwellings' on their land. Story continues below advertisement A Calgary community is taking similar steps. 1:59 Citywide rezoning hits campaign trail as Calgary community explores restrictive covenants Real estate lawyer Shane Parker says this is becoming more common. 'The city has a land-use bylaw and zoning where the city seeks to have input and control over the growth and development,' Parker said. 'A restrictive covenant is on the private side, which seeks to do the same thing.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "A restrictive covenant is on the private side, which seeks to do the same thing." Parker says it will be hard for existing communities like Glenora to get enough coverage to completely shut out multi-unit homes. 'You may have 1,000 titles without the restrictive covenant. To bind those titles, you would need 1,000 people to agree,' Parker said. 'That may be a challenge. There's going to be a variety of opinions.' Story continues below advertisement Andrew Knack is the councillor for the area. He believes the conversation around restrictive covenants represents a tension point for city development. 'Everyone says, don't expand the boundary of our city, but when it comes to what does the change look like on my block, there's going to be a variety of opinions,' Knack said. He hopes potential revisions to the zoning bylaw will alleviate concerns. 'We have to try and find that good middle ground that allows us to address those citywide objectives,' Knack said. A public hearing on a zoning bylaw is set for June 30. 1:50 Edmonton backtracks on eightplex housing in zoning bylaw — With files from Karen Bartko, Global News
Global News
2 hours ago
- Global News
Welcome to šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street: Vancouver unveils Musqueam langauge signs
Musqueam leaders and representatives of the City of Vancouver gathered on the city's west side on Friday to unveil the official signage for a street that has been renamed in the First Nation's language. The road, formerly named Trutch Street, now bears the name šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street (pronounced sh-MUS-quee-um-AW-sum), which translates to Musqueamview in English. Signposts bear the English name below the official Musqueam name. 'It's a great feeling to actually see the name being changed, regardless of the political issue, just to see our language out in the public eye where people are living,' Musqueam elder Larry Grant, who manages the band's language and culture department, said. 'It's a really, really heartlifting feeling. Our youth can see it, we can see it, that our language is finally out in the open rather than stifled.' The street was formerly named after Joseph Trutch, B.C.'s first lieutenant governor, whose policies had devastating effects on Indigenous communities. Story continues below advertisement Trutch, who arrived in the province in 1859 and became B.C.'s chief commissioner of land and works in the 1860s, was considered an extreme racist. Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim called the new name an 'important milestone' in the city's ongoing journey towards truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. 'The legacy of Joseph Trutch is one of harm. He was openly racist and actively worked to erase the rights of Indigenous peoples,' Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'He dismissed the very existence of Indigenous title, stripped communities of their land, reduced the size of reserves, and helped entrance policies that caused lasting harm with effects we feel to this day. That's not a legacy we should commemorate on a street sign.' 1:58 Vandals put 'Truth' in Trutch Street ahead of official name change Trutch Street runs between 18th and 1st Avenues on the city's west side in the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam people. Story continues below advertisement 'This day has been coming for over 10 years,' Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow told the crowd. Vancouver has gone through three mayors since the Musqueam first brought a request for the street's name to be changed. Council voted unanimously in 2021 to change the street's name, and the Musqueam gifted the new name to the city the following year. Sparrow acknowledged the new characters and the Musqueam hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language may be a challenge for some people at first, but said it will be a process of learning together. 'One lady, when we were in a public hearing, they were upset it was in our language, and they were going to have a hard time pronouncing it. And I invited those individuals down to our celebration we are having at our community today, to come down and learn,' Sparrow said. 'Our ancestors were forced to speak English. They were forced to do away without language. And if we are walking reconciliation, we walk together. And we all have a part to learn our language, and we will get there.'' 2:11 B.C. mayors look to change street named after politician Sir Joseph Trutch As a next step, the city will be installing an audio box and an interpretive sign near šxʷməθkʷəy̓əmasəm Street at West Point Grey Road that provide more information about the new name, along with Joseph Trutch and why the name change happened. Story continues below advertisement Neighbour Patrick Purcell said the change will mean a bit of work around updating official documents for people who live on the street, but that the move was 'progress.' 'I think it's beautiful, and I think it's overdue … I am glad it shows the respect to Indigenous people they deserve,' he said. Sim said the city could look at renaming other streets in the future as a part of its efforts towards reconciliation.
Calgary Herald
3 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
Braid: With Bill C-5, some politicians say federal power is a great thing after all
Is that the House of Commons I'm watching, or a hacked broadcast from some other country? Post election realignment in the chamber is a spectacular display of mutating principles. Article content Article content Conservatives back the Liberals on Bill C-5, which gives the federal cabinet more power. Article content They spent the whole Justin Trudeau era complaining about every Liberal power grab. Now they support a significant centralization, because it promises a result they want. Article content Article content The New Democrats and Greens, great lovers of central power, suddenly don't want it at all. Article content Article content The bill is an 'abomination,' said Green Leader Elizabeth May, who once said Ottawa should have full wartime powers to fight climate change. Article content Bill C-5 itself is a vital tool for breaking down the many barriers to development created by Trudeau and his gang of zealots. Article content The Conservatives grit their teeth to support the bill. It's not easy seeing another government implement your policies. Article content For many years, every resource project that came before the Liberals was an environmental problem rather than an economic opportunity. Trudeau set Canada's economy back a full decade Article content The bill gives the federal cabinet extraordinary power to approve and speed up new projects. Prime Minister Mark Carney wants it slammed through before the national will for a new economy begins to fade. Article content Article content Fall could bring an entirely different mood in Canada, especially if he gets a good result on trade from U.S. President Donald Trump. Article content To that end, quick passage of the bill is supported by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, and Premier Scott Moe in Saskatchewan. Article content Article content Smith brought in the Sovereignty Act. She fought the feds in court at every turn. Moe refused to collect federal tax on home heating fuel — an act branded criminal by Trudeau's crowd. Article content Now, the premiers are ready for more federal power, with some trepidation, because someday it might be used by a federal government even more hostile than Trudeau's.
