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Kensington-Cedar Cottage CityPlan Committee

Meeting Notes

Kensington-Cedar Cottage Community Wide Meeting
Thursday, September 9, 2004
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Trout Lake Community Centre

In Attendance: John Buckberrough (Chairperson), Stewart McIntosh, Peter Wohlwend, David Marcantonio, Margaret Marquardt, Brenda Keizer, Mark Keizer, Kerry Williams, Donna Chang, Tom Little, Kim Nulty, Jeff Nulty, Paul Reid, Gary Shilling, and Jason O'Brien

Guests: Adrien Balazs (South Vancouver Community Policing Centre), Catherine Buckham (Planning Department, City of Vancouver), Frankie Kirby (Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform), Doug Robinson (Social Planning Department, City of Vancouver), Mark Smith (Triage Emergency Services), Suzann Zimmering (Terra Housing)

1) 5616 Fraser Street (Mark Smith)

Triage Emergency Services recently submitted an application to the City of Vancouver to construct and operate a 39 unit supported housing project at 5616 Fraser Street. This purpose-built facility is for people with a mental illness who are recovering from alcohol or drug addiction. Mark Smith made the following comments about the proposal:

This facility is for people with a mental illness who are recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. Some residents may be taking prescription drugs (including methadone). Methadone is used for the treatment of heroin addiction.
To qualify to live in this facility, residents must be clean and sober. If they lapse into using alcohol or drugs they would be evicted within 2 days.
The facility would be staffed by therapists, programmers, clinicians and administrative staff - mostly unionized (BCGEU).
Currently there is no housing available to people who are recovering from alcohol or drug addiction and who have a mental illness. These people need a place to live.
Public notification about this proposal has included an information session on April 15th and several meetings with local community groups.
Key concerns raised by individuals and groups include: the facility's proximity to local schools and safety and security.

When asked about the likelihood that residents would relapse, Mark noted that they estimate the relapse rate to be around 35%. He went on to say that staff are trained in aggressive intervention techniques if they suspect residents are using alcohol or drugs.

Margaret Marquardt, the pastor at St. Margaret's, noted that when her church developed housing for people with mental illness the same types of fears were expressed by local residents. She noted that the neighbourhood is safer because of increased surveillance (more people are at home) and the residents are safer in secure housing.

Two public information meetings have been scheduled to discuss the proposal with the local community: Monday, October 4th at John Oliver High School and Monday, October 18th at McKenzie Elementary School. Representatives from the Housing Centre (City of Vancouver), Coastal Health Authority and Triage will be available to answer questions.

2) Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform (Frankie Kirby)

The 160-member assembly was formed by the provincial government to examine models for electing members of the legislature. Assembly members were chosen by random to represent the views of their neighbours and communities across the province. The assembly has been meeting with British Columbians since May 2004 to get their input on electoral reform. The assembly is currently in its 'deliberation phase' of the process where members gather to review what they heard from British Columbians. The next phase is for the assembly to make a recommendation in December. For more information see www.citizensassembly.bc.ca

3) Plebiscite on October 16th (Wards vs At Large System)

Don't forget to vote on October 16th!

4) Kingcrest Park Improvement Process (Kim Nulty)

The Kingcrest Park Committee met with the landscape architect and planner from the Park Board to go over final plans. The final plan is a combination of Option 1 and Option 3. Construction is scheduled to begin this autumn. The budget for the playground is less than the committee thought it would be.

5) Windsor Way Greenway (Peter Wohlwend)

Peter noted that new signs have been installed and the new speed bumps are not effective. Peter met with staff from the School Board and Dickens Elementary to discuss the redevelopment of the school and its interface with the existing community gardens. Further discussion will take place when the new school has been constructed.

6) The KCC Neighbour

The team of residents and merchants working on the community newspaper held their 2 nd meeting on Wednesday September 8th. Local writers, photographers, editors discussed content, layout, etc. The lead story for the first edition of The KCC Neighbour will be on the Governor General's visit to KCC. The next meeting will be held on September 29th. For more information contact Paul Reid at paulreid@shaw.ca

7) My Own Back Yard (MOBY) (Jason O'Brien)

MOBY held a block party in August (under rainy skies). In September 11th they co-hosted a safety fair at the SkyTrain Station. Several hundred people attended the fair and listened to live bands, local speakers and viewed displays. MOBY is currently working on the first phase of the community garden project with the Food Policy Council.

8) Pan Vision Meeting (Cathy Buckham)

The Pan Vision Meeting has been postponed until January or February 2005 to accommodate the implementation schedule of the new communities - Renfrew Collingwood and Hastings Sunrise.

9) Budget (Cathy Buckham)

The balance is $1,992.42 (after a one-time allocation of $2,000 to the KCC Neighbour).

10) Dickens Multicultural Community Event (Peter Wohlwend)

The Dickens Community Group is hosting the 2 nd Annual Multicultural Community and Family Event on Sunday, September 19th from 1:00- 6:00 pm at McAuley Park, 600 East 15th Avenue. Entertainment will include: dancers, singers martial arts and more.

11) The Fringe Festival (Margaret Marquardt)

St. Margaret's is hosting a play for children on September 19th at 11:45.

Next Meeting:

Thursday, October 7, 2004
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Trout Lake Community Centre

Questions or Comments? E-mail: cityplan@vancouver.ca