Pubdate: Fri, 03 Oct 2008
Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC)
Copyright: 2008 Vancouver Courier
Contact:  http://www.vancourier.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474
Author: Mike Howell

WOULD-BE MAYORS GO HEAD TO HEAD

Candidates Clash Over Supervised Injection Sites

Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate Gregor Robertson favours opening 
more supervised injection sites in the city.

NPA mayoral nominee Peter Ladner does not.

The difference in opinion surfaced Wednesday night at the first 
public debate between the rivals. Organized by Langara College and 
held at the main branch of the public library, the contest attracted 
more than 300 people.

"I think there is a place for more injection sites," said Robertson, 
in response to a question from Courier panelist Mark Hasiuk. "I think 
we need to be responsive to the demand that's out there, we need to 
be saving lives wherever we can."

Robertson said the city could "try different formats, depending on 
the part of the city we're in and what the demand is." He said dozens 
of peer-reviewed studies on the Insite drug injection site on East 
Hastings show the facility to be a "remarkable success."

Robertson said the city must also focus on treating addicts and 
educating people not to use drugs. He added that the city has to get 
"really serious about education and prevention" in schools and 
throughout the city. Ladner said he is a supporter of Insite and has 
visited the site several times to speak to the operators, clients and 
police about the facility's purpose. He said he knows there are mixed 
feelings about Insite but he believes it has a function in reducing disease.

"It was originally, remember, set up to stop the rampant transmission 
of AIDS and hepatitis in that area, and it's had some successes 
there," Ladner said. "It's also been successful in referring people 
to treatment, but unfortunately there isn't enough treatment around."

Ladner pointed out that addicts who use the site only use it for 
"about 10 per cent of daily fixes." So it has a very limited impact 
on having trained staff supervise every injection in the city.

"To think that you could somehow use that model all over the city, I 
don't get it," he said. "I don't see how that would work. I think 
that our next spending priority, if we want to be really serious 
about dealing with drug problems, is spend more money on treatment."

The views of both candidates were met with applause. Ladner and 
Robertson had their supporters in the audience, including their 
wives, councillors and candidates from both parties. Both leaders 
agreed ending homelessness was a top priority, with Ladner 
emphasizing the importance of working with senior levels of 
government to build housing. He noted that under the NPA-dominated 
council, 3,800 housing units are being built or in planning.

"This is something the mayor cannot do by himself," he said, before 
taking a jab at Robertson, the former NDP MLA for Vancouver-Fairview. 
"In fact, if Gregor was really serious about solving homelessness, he 
would stay in Victoria and get the provincial government on the case."

In response, Robertson said ending homelessness is what propelled him 
to leave his MLA's job and run for mayor. Although the provincial 
government has direct responsibility to deal with the city's "health 
care and housing crisis," he said the city has to lead the charge.

"When the waters were rising in New Orleans, do you think the mayor 
of New Orleans kept saying,  'This is a federal problem, this is a 
provincial problem? We're going to wait for the province and the feds 
to show up and fix this one?' It doesn't really work that way."

Robertson said the city has seen an increase in homelessness under 
the NPA-dominated council. He cited successive provincial governments 
closing down Riverview Hospital for mental health patients, the 
federal government's inaction on a housing program and an ineffective 
drug policy as contributing factors. Although Robertson agreed the 
city has to forge relationships with senior levels of government to 
end homelessness, he said the city has to have "a bit of on edge" to 
those relationships with governments.

"It mortifies me that we're going into another winter right now with 
the problem continuing to get worse, despite all the stats and the 
numbers and all the rose-coloured glasses about how we've turned the 
corner, it's not getting better yet. It won't get better until the 
mayor of Vancouver is 100 per cent committed to solving homelessness."

Both agreed there needs to be affordable housing in the city. 
Robertson said the city should also consider "workforce housing" for 
police officers, firefighters and health care workers. He noted many 
people working in those areas live outside of Vancouver.

"If the proverbial doo-doo hits the fan in Vancouver, all of our 
emergency workers live out in the valley and have to get in here," 
Robertson said. "We're going to be in a big problem."

The most commonly referred definition of "affordable housing" is that 
the tenant is paying less than 30 per cent of his or her income 
towards the house. Ladner said he's spoken to an architect on the 
West Side who can build a 560 square foot house in a homeowner's 
backyard-defined as laneway housing-for $150,000.

"I'll take it," shouted one audience member.

Ladner suggested the city consider zoning areas around SkyTrain 
stations to allow highrises. He said the transit hub at Broadway and 
Commercial is the busiest in the province. Yet the homes around that 
area are in low-rise buildings. On the topic of Project Civil 
City-which is an NPA initiative to reduce the open drug market, 
homelessness and aggressive panhandling by 50 per cent by 2010-Ladner 
admitted, "I don't think we've done a great job there and I think 
there's more that has to be done."

If Vision Vancouver is elected to a majority on council, the party is 
on record as wanting to eliminate the job of civil city commissioner 
Geoff Plant. The party contends the money would be better directed in 
areas such as community policing centres. In the last question of the 
night from panelist Frances Bula, Robertson was asked how he would 
lead city hall with no municipal government experience. Robertson 
took a jab at NPA Mayor Sam Sullivan in his answer.

"If experience was the ultimate qualification for being a good 
leader, then Sam Sullivan's dozen years as a city councillor would 
have led to a fantastic three years at city hall," he said.

Robertson cited his experience as a small businessman (he co-founded 
Happy Planet Juice company) and his service as the NDP MLA for 
Vancouver-Fairview, where he worked with Cambie merchants affected by 
Canada Line construction. When Ladner was asked about the difference 
between him and Sullivan, whom Ladner beat in a leadership battle in 
June, he said, "I'm running for mayor and he's not. So I think the 
focus has to be on how I'm different from Gregor. That's the choice."

The Courier is hosting another debate Wednesday, Oct. 8 between 
Ladner and Robertson at Science World. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the 
debate beginning at 7:30. Seating is first come, first served.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart