Vic News: Needle Exchange location eyed

Victoria News
Needle exchange location eyed
By Roszan Holmen – Victoria News

Published: July 31, 2009 4:00 PM
Updated: July 31, 2009 4:12 PM

A building in the Burnside-Gorge neighbourhood has been singled out as the frontrunner for a new fixed needle-exchange site.

An agreement looks promising for the new pilot project, said Robert Randall, a member of the needle exchange advisory committee.

It’s been 14 months since the needle exchange on Cormorant Street closed. Ever since, the Vancouver Island Health Authority has been on the lookout for a replacement building.

Resistance from landlords has been a major reason why alternative sites fell through, Randall said. The landlord in the Burnside-Gorge building, however, likes the idea. “He supports the idea of harm reduction … To find a landlord OK with this is pretty amazing,” Randall said.

VIHA confirmed that one landowner has come forward with a proposal to house the facility.

“It’s our hope that this will be a viable location,” spokesperson Shannon Marshall said.

But work still needs to be done, she said.

First, the advisory committee needs to make a recommendation. Next, the broader community will be consulted.

Randall confirmed the potential site is in an industrial area.

Ideally, he said, the new location would be downtown, but that’s not realistic given budget cuts at VIHA and high lease rates in the core.

rholmen@saanichnews.com

Find this article at:
http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/victorianews/news/52222537.html

I weigh in on public urination and the opinions flow.

I was asked about the revised urinal idea on C-FAX today (it’s also today’s poll), specifically if I thought it discriminated against women.

I said first that there are devices that would allow women to use a urinal but really it is the fratboy/lager lout crowd that is primarily responsible for the unacceptable behaviour downtown. I was also asked whether this was catering to law-breakers (Murray Langdon’s editorial) but I pointed out that in daytime there are many washroom opportunities but practically nothing at night, so it’s a needed service.

Phillipe Lucas appeared via phone and he thought public toilets should take into account the disabled and parents with babies (but that adds another level of complication in my mind). I don’t think you need any special apparatus to change a baby in public and I seriously doubt any parent would take a baby into a urinal even if it came equipped with a change table.

Rob on C-FAX

Thursday, April 9 from 12:30 to 1 p.m., I’ll be a panelist on the Ryan Price show on C-FAX 1070 AM talking about random Downtown things. Click the link to listen live.

Social issues meeting follow-up

UPDATE April 2, 2009: More impressions by Yule Heibel and Davin Greenwell

Our Monday night event, On The Front Lines: Community Solutions for Homelessness and Social Issues, was a great success. A good sized crowd attended to hear the latest on policing, justice and social issues from Police Chief Jamie Graham, Councillor Charlayne Thornton-Joe, GV Coalition to End Homelessness director Jill Clements and the DVBA’s Ken Kelly.

Ken gave us an update on Downtown initiatives from the business standpoint, including the Clean Team, Con-Air, Retail C.O.P. and the Clean and Safe Committee. Charlayne and Jill got us up to speed with the Mayor’s Task Force and the Coalition including how they’ve reached the first year goal of housing 200 people.

But it was Chief Graham who received the most interest, with residents wanting answers on a diverse range of topics including jaywalking, camping in parks, open drug use and calling 911.

On the latter topic, Graham was clear: don’t hesitate to call 911 if you see something illegal or you feel someone’s safety is in question. It’s true your call will be queued and you might not get an immediate response, especially if it’s a busy time. But you need to call because this information is needed to track crime hotspots. And the Chief said, even if he were to be driving by the area by chance when the call came in he wouldn’t hesitate to investigate it himself.

Graham gave no opinion on the topic of safe injection sites, saying he would let politicians decide and he will enforce whatever law is in place.

The Times Colonist follows up on our meeting here “Police Chief: Victoria’s Drug Problem Not as Big as Some Say“:

“From experts in the field that go undercover, and trust me they are undercover to try to buy drugs, they are not there in the kind of volume you might think. When over a period of two weeks or so we end up with only 12 or 15 arrests, those numbers are really small,” Graham said.

Overall, Graham said, Victoria has a small group of hard-core drug users.

“It’s not widespread. It’s small. They’re disruptive and we know they create difficulties.”

The Times Colonist further expands on Graham’s comments in this editorial “The Real Downtown Problem“:

“Many of the issues our officers are sent to, they act almost as referees,” Graham said, adding the most common calls city police respond to are reports of alcohol-related disorder — people yelling or screaming, arguments, doors being slammed or pushing and shoving.

By comparison, a recently completed undercover operation in Victoria was hard-pressed to turn up any drugs or arrests at all. Over the course of two weeks, police made only about a dozen arrests, and undercover officers reported surprise at how difficult it was to buy illegal drugs.

This is not to downplay the need to deal with the illegal drug trade in downtown Victoria: One need only look at the numbers from needle exchanges and social agencies to be assured the problem is very real. And those addicted to illegal drugs should have every opportunity to seek help and get the treatment they need.

But alcohol is just a different kind of drug — the only difference is that it’s legal. That doesn’t make the fallout from its abuse any less harmful to individuals, families and communities.

The DRA is happy to have sponsored this talk which has spurred some thoughtful dialogue in the community. We look forward to talking to our guests in the future and look forward to hearing about more progress.U

TC: Urban Safety on Town Hall Agenda

Urban safety on town-hall agenda

Times Colonist
March 30, 2009

Victoria police Chief Jamie Graham will address the forum, which will also include representatives from city council, the Downtown Victoria Business Association and the Coalition to End Homelessness. “We’re going to have an opportunity for these people to get up … and just talk about what the issues are and how they’re handling them,” said Robert Randall, chair of the Downtown Residents Association.

Victoria’s downtown is much like a huge “dysfunctional” family with many competing interests, Randall said.

“It’s really complex. In some ways it’s getting a lot better. We’re seeing a lot of really positive work from some of angles. We’re seeing more residents in the downtown and lot of good businesses opening up so a lot of the dead parts of downtown that you really didn’t want to go to are now walkable.

“The needle exchange is gone, so Cormorant Street is now a place you no longer avoid, but at the same time, Pandora’s getting a bit dicey although it’s still safe,” Randall said.

On the down side, Randall said, the downtown is beginning to see the emergence of a new breed of more aggressive drug dealers.

“That’s a bit worrying. So [the downtown] is going in both directions,” he said. “Overall I’m optimistic but I’m troubled about these continuing trends.

Who’s afraid?

Edward Albee’s classic play about alcohol-soaked intellectuals battling it out after midnight should be a must-see for theatre fans and UVic professors. And I’m not saying that just because I made the poster. So go help Victoria’s art scene and souse yourself in quality drama at the same time.

Monday and Times Colonist endorse Randall

Times Colonist:

A guide to voting this Saturday

Robert Randall, Lynn Hunter and Barry Hobbis have all demonstrated that they would be assets to council; Randall brings welcome experience as a representative of downtown residents and regularly attends council meetings as an interested observer.

Monday Magazine:

City on the verge

As well as being chair of the Downtown Resident’s Association and a familiar face at council meetings, Randall is a working artist and, as such, would be a much-needed strong voice for the arts on council.

It’s disappointing not to see Chris Coleman’s name on the list. He’s a hard worker (his specialty is housing initiatives) who deserves your vote. Likewise, Geoff Young’s reputation as a financial watchdog makes him worthy of your consideration. He’s also a commuter cyclist like me and is very pro-transportation.

Video: St. John All Candidates Meeting

Excerpt: St. John The Divine All Candidates Meeting

The focus on this one was homelessness and affordable housing. Video by electionsvictoria.ca. I’m immediately after the first speaker, the well-spoken Joseph Boutellier:

James Bay All-Candidates-Forum

I attended the November 4th All Candidates Forum at the James Bay Community School.

All things considered tonight’s James Bay Community School ACF went pretty well. There was good attendance by candidates and a good turnout of 150-200 people (the public, not the candidates).

The candidates all sat behind tables lined up along the long side of a gym with the Mayoral candidates in the middle of the long line.

There were no introductory statements which was a relief to me because we’ve heard them all already several times and there’s nothing said that isn’t already on the brochures so get on with it, already. Each candidate got to answer two questions over the course of the evening which was a luxury compared to other meetings. The mayoral candidates got more questions and a little more time. Strangely, hardly anyone went over the time limit. The guy only had to ring the bell two or three times.

The audience submitted questions to the moderator who read them out. That sped things up incredibly because as I mentioned before when the audience asks questions they ramble on for five minutes venting and wasting time and never do get around to asking an actual question.

I think the questions were more or less random. My first question was if I was pleased about the massing of the latest condos in Downtown. The second was is the City getting good value for the amenities it asks from developers. Those were pretty good questions, relevant to what I’m working on with the DRA so I think I lucked out, or maybe the questions were tailored to me, I don’t know. Twice during the forum the moderator mistakenly called Dean “Mayor Fortin”.

A few candidates started acting out and one had a full on raging tantrum. He managed to stop the meeting and things were chaotic for a few minutes. I didn’t get the sense that this man was truly angry. I think causing a commotion and getting attention is something he’s been doing for many years and it’s as natural to him as making toast is to us. Just when I think I’ve seen the most arrogant, disrespectful instance of public bullying I get treated to a new one. They protest their perceived lack of democracy by infringing on the rights of others.

Several times during the forum the moderator asked for a show of hands in answer to a question. One question was “do you support the construction of a hotel on the Belleville Terminal land”. I was puzzled at this question and didn’t know how to answer it and I was glad to see the other candidates were too. What kind of question is that? It depends, of course. A two storey hotel? 25 storeys? Just a hotel or what else is on the site? The panel unanimously and voiciferously refused to display a show of hands. The moderator was forced to move on to the next question.

It took about 2 1/2 hours but it was interesting and the time passed quickly. It was good to finally hear a few development questions–something the City has influence on instead of constant homelessness all the time. It’s our biggest issue for sure, but there’s not much to say about it: implement the Task Force recommendations and get regional assistance, the end.

Half-way through the moderator interrupted with news of Obama’s victory. A huge sustained cheer broke out.

To sum up, the questions were intelligent and the audience well behaved. Well done.

Robert Randall’s “Dream City”

I was interviewed by Focus Magazine’s Aaren Madden for an article on “What’s your dream city?” It’s a short blurb and if I had more space I would have liked to elaborate on the incredible potential lying in the northern reaches of Downtown, especially along the waterfront.

Currently forgotten by most Victorians the potential for the upper harbour is enormous. It could rival or beat the finest harbours in the world, eclipsing even Stockholm, Copenhagen, Naples and could even give parts of Venice a run for its money. The challenge will be balancing redevelopment with the desire by some to retain a viable industrial presence.

So go out and grab a copy of the new Focus. Also, don’t miss the articles by Yule Heibel on James Bay and Gene Miller on the problem with City Hall (and how you can solve it by voting wisely).

Here’s a scan:

Focus Magazine November 2008