Posts from — August 2008

The City of Toronto is putting pedestrians first at the busiest intersection in town — Yonge and Dundas — with a “scramble” or “Barnes dance” crossing that stops cars in all directions for 28 seconds to allow pedestrians to move side to side or corner to corner. Any candidates for Vancouver? Maybe Robson and Burrard?

Conservative health minister Tony Clement has been stepping up his attacks on Insite, Vancouver’s supervised injection site, ever since the Portland Hotel Society won a tremendous legal victory declaring the closure of the site a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. But as Clement hammered at this vital project, the City of Vancouver remained silent under the leadership of Sam Sullivan, Peter Ladner and the NPA, claiming to support Insite but leaving the non-profit PHS to fight the battle on its own. Today, Dr. Kerry Jang and I called on the city to intervene in the appeal of the case scheduled for April, joining PHS and the Attorney General of BC in defending this critical health service. Check out the video of Clement railing against Insite in terms that parallel those used in the Mayor’s Office documents I disclosed earlier this month.

August 27, 2008
Vision team says Vancouver should intervene in Insite appeal
to defend supervised injection site from Conservative legal attack
The City of Vancouver should formally intervene in a critical upcoming Court of Appeal case to defend Insite, the city’s supervised injection site, from the threat of closure by the Conservative government, say Vision Vancouver council hopefuls Geoff Meggs and Dr. Kerry Jang.
The Harper Conservatives are appealing a BC Supreme Court decision that struck down sections of Canada’s drug laws as unconstitutional because they prevent Insite from operating. The case was taken up by the Portland Hotel Society, the non-profit society operating Insite.
“The provincial Attorney General’s ministry has confirmed the province will intervene in the appeal, but so far the City of Vancouver has left the defence of Insite to a non-profit society,” says Jang, an acknowledged expert on mental health and addiction. “This is unacceptable given the importance of this program to hundreds of injection drug users.”
“If Insite closes, we will see a resumption of alley-way injections and a return to the disorder, illness and death that preceded the program,” said Meggs.
“It’s time for Peter Ladner and the NPA majority, who unquestioningly backed Mayor Sam Sullivan’s reckless experimental drug program to provide free drugs to addicts, to take a stand against Conservative attacks on a scientifically-proven program.”
Vision councillor Raymond Louie said he supports city intervention in the case and will take the matter before council when it next meets on Sept. 16.

Kashmir Dhaliwal made his candidacy for a Vision Vancouver council nomination official today at a downtown news conference where, moments before, the Khalsa Diwan Society endorsed Gregor Robertson and Vision Vancouver in the upcoming election. I’m very proud of the support Kashmir has expressed for my candidacy and will support his bid for a nomination. The Tyee carries a full report today on Dhaliwal’s decision and the impact it will have on the race. Pictured (right) at the news conference are council nomination candidate Kerry Jang, Dhaliwal, park board candidates Raj Hundal and Aaron Jasper, me, and Narinder Chhina, candidate for a Vision school board nomination.