Pubdate: Wed, 28 Sep 2005
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005 Vancouver Courier
Contact:  http://www.vancourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474
Author: Mike Howell, Staff writer

CRUSADER AGAINST INJECTION SITE CHANGES VIEW WITH VISION

A former independent candidate who campaigned in the 2002 municipal 
election against supervised injection sites has joined the 
pro-injection site Vision Vancouver slate for this fall's campaign.

George Chow, president of the Chinese Benevolent Association of 
Vancouver, reversed his stance on injection sites after learning the 
site at 139 East Hastings is working.

"I wished it would work, and I think it's working for what it's 
intended for, which is to reduce transmission of disease and give 
people a place to inject safely," Chow said.

Since Insite opened two years ago, Chinatown and the surrounding area 
have seen fewer addicts injecting drugs in streets and alleys, he 
said. But he doesn't believe injection sites will solve the city's 
addiction problems and he argued all four pillars of the city's drug 
strategy-especially treatment-must be implemented.

Chow was one of three candidates announced Monday to run with Vision 
Vancouver. The others were parks board commissioner Heather Deal and 
Kwantlen University College philosophy instructor Heather Harrison.

The trio joins Vision's mayoral candidate Jim Green and councillors 
Raymond Louie and Tim Stevenson. The new party, which split from 
COPE, will not run candidates for school board or parks board in the 
Nov. 19 vote.

Chow received 17,849 votes in the 2002 election. It was the best 
showing for an independent, finishing ahead of vcaTeam's Stephen 
Rogers and Alan Herbert.

The 54-year-old Chow, who lives in Shaughnessy but grew up in 
Chinatown, believes he will increase his vote now that he has aligned 
himself with Vision. "My name will be widely known," he said.

He said he chose not to run with a party in 2002 because his 
candidacy was based on a "political protest on behalf of Chinatown," 
which believed the historic community was neglected by the then 
NPA-dominated council.

In Vision, Chow said he's found people who are like-minded.

Though some members of the Chinese community might be upset over 
Chow's pro-injection site stance, he believes the majority of 
merchants and residents in Chinatown will support him.

Chow is a senior engineer with B.C. Hydro, a director of the 
Shaughnessy Heights Property Owners' Association and an advisor to 
the Vancouver Chinatown Merchants Association.

Green is aware of Chow's anti-injection site stance in 2002, but 
doesn't see Chow's current beliefs as ammunition for other parties to 
use in the 2005 campaign.

"He was trying to protect his community and then he realized his 
position was incorrect, and he changed, so it's beautiful," Green said.

He added: "I don't think it's flip-flopping. Boy, if that's the case 
then we've really got a problem with [NPA councillors] Sam Sullivan 
and Peter Ladner, who are always trying to change their votes."

Given that Chow campaigned against injection sites in 2002, Ladner 
wondered what's behind Chow's thinking and what other shifts the 
public can expect from Vision Vancouver in the campaign.

"You could look at it as somebody who's learning and willing to 
adjust his thinking, or you could look at it as political 
opportunism. I'm not really sure which one would be more accurate."

Deal told the Courier in August she planned to present herself as a 
"big picture person" chafing at the limitations of parks board's mandate.

Harrison, a member of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, said 
getting people out of their cars and building more affordable housing 
are her priorities.
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MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman