This month is the midway mark of my first mandate as Mayor of Vancouver. Looking back, I feel we are making real progress on many of the issues residents care about most including housing, the economy, the environment and a civil city.
We have established a strong foundation for achievement and success in the coming year. I want to thank you for your ongoing commitment and participation on the Four Pillars Coalition. Together we can restore hope for all our citizens.
I have established five goals to guide my government’s service to Vancouver. None is more important than maintaining safe and enjoyable public spaces. To achieve this goal we must develop compassionate solutions to the social challenges we face.
Project Civil City and the Four Pillars Strategy are helping achieve the goals we share. In partnership with senior levels of government we are working to deliver positive change for all our citizens – particularly related to housing. In the last 18 months we have:
- helped secure approximately 1300 permanent, transitional and sheltered housing units for vulnerable people suffering from mental illness and addiction - in partnership with BC Premier Gordon Campbell
- $95 million investment for 250 unit Southeast False Creek affordable housing project – resulting in a 23 percent set-aside for non-market housing units plus 120 market rental units secured for 20 years
- started to implement Homeless Action Plan and initiated the Dobell/Fairbairn study to identify public/private social housing partnerships
- invested almost $17 million to develop high quality social and supportive housing in the Pennsylvania Hotel, Helping Spirit Lodge, Kindred Place and other sites in the city
- encouraged BC to increase welfare rates – with success
- supported policies to preserve access to affordable rental housing
- proceeding with downtown Woodward’s housing development
We have introduced the Chronic Addiction Substitution Treatment (CAST) research program to substitute legal medications for illegal drugs. And last week I met with the NAOMI team to get a progress report on the heroin-assisted treatment trials. I am happy to report that real progress is being made.
In the coming months I look forward to opening Vancouver’s first Community Court, supporting the development of regional mental health investments and participating in a renewed national debate about drug policy.
To this end, I will be inviting the Four Pillars Working Group to strategic planning session in the coming weeks.
In addition to updating our general progress, the goal of the session will be to coordinate our efforts in association with the development of a new national drug strategy and the upcoming supervised injection site deadline. I hope you will be able to attend. Donald MacPherson will contact you shortly with details.
And speaking of Mr. MacPherson, I know I speak for all of us in offering congratulations for his National Award for Excellence in Reducing the Harm Associated with Substance Abuse. This award recognizes Donald’s tireless work to educate Canadians about drug policy. It also reminds us how fortunate we are to have him in Vancouver.
Finally, the Four Pillars Supported Employment Pilot Project has just been launched! Almost a dozen partner groups are working with us to support recovering drug users and provide them with job skills. This project delivers on a recommendation approved by City Council.
I want to thank the Drug Policy Program’s Zarina Mulla and Engineering’s Phil Karlsson for their help on this project. This is an exciting pilot and a model for other departments and the private sector to help those who are working to turn their lives around.
This is prevention in action!
