New changes to Vancouver’s Olympics bylaws could be used to clear homeless people from the Downtown Eastside, city councillor David Cadman worries.
“Obviously this is one of the poorest areas in town,” he told council. “My fear is that this is going to be an ability to harass people and remove them.”
City council debated new amendments to its contentious Olympics bylaws today. The main thrust of the changes is to make a clear distinction between commercial and political speech.
But they also give the city greater leeway to write $250 tickets for offences such as street vending. Normally, violators receive a notice to appear in court and fines are issued at a judge’s discretion.
The powers are temporary measures that apply throughout the city. They run from Feb. 6 to March 21.
Cadman was concerned changes could be used to “clobber” homeless street vendors in order to force them from public view.
“We have no intention of using this opportunity to so-called ‘cleanup’ the Downtown Eastside,” City Manager Penny Ballem said. “We’re going to use this judiciously.”
B.C. Civil Liberties Association executive director David Eby had some doubts.
“The intentions are always good,” he said. “It’s the implementation that can be problematic.”
Bylaw enforcement is a sensitive issue in the Downtown Eastside. Critics charge Vancouver police with a “ticketing blitz” to clear the streets last winter. Officers handed out hundreds of fines for minor infractions such as jaywalking.
Geoff Dembicki reports for the Tyee.
3
Login or register to post comments
liddlethought
2 years ago
Olympics Video
Send your video clips, taken by your cell phones or any other video device, of the Olympic, Paralympic, Torch Relay and Celebrations to
to participate in my art project. Video clips will be projected in a large-scale video public art project in Vancouver during the games. Project details can be found at www.liddlethought.blogspot.com
Thanks, and pass it on!
MichaelT
2 years ago
Cadman is putting himself in
Cadman is putting himself in the nutter category recently with his baseless and completely evidence-less comments on MMA and the UFC.
Anything he says that is not reasonable will be interpreted as someone not credible on other issues as well.
Sorry but COPE is deeply out of touch and perhaps cannot be trusted to have a realistic assessment of what is what.
max von smartt
2 years ago
I am a Free Speech Zone
Waiting to get my COPE t shirt and boxer shirts with above logo. Got a fast 200 mm Nikon digital SLR to catch the action for 2010; kops gone wild to protect corporatocracy at expense 900 million taxpayer dollars!