The Hook

hmmmmmm...

It used to be that the idea of public relations exercises was to highlight accomplishments, not failures. But in any event, I find the 'resource centre' at the top of the list of the most deeply offensive things done by our provincial government...
To take any amount of money away from people barely existing from day to day to trumpet the glacial pace of progress to date? It borders on the criminal, in my view.

propaganda

Of course it's propaganda, but these days, what isn't? The term comes from the "Sacred Congregation for Propagating the Faith" - the edict passed down from the Pope many long years ago(1622-Pope Gregory XV), to "spread the word" when church membership (and financial contributions)were down because of the disenchantment people had from all of the B.S. they were being handed. In fact, the directive was just one more load on an already huge pile of Papal Bull. It seems that not much has changed over the centuries. I wonder if it's mere coincidence that the last four letters of our Premier's name are so very close to... oh, never mind.

Of course, it isn't a spin

Of course, it isn't a spin centre.......

Didn't you know that the nazi side fought for "Freedom, Christianity and Western Civilization" in World War 2 and the communists for "Freedom, democracy and the Workers' Paradise".

Just as now the NATO soldiers, including Canadians, are dying in Afghanistan to spread "Freedom, Democracy and Free trade"

The sacred tradition of "free lunch" has been the mainstay of political ideologies, regardless of the colour of their flags, since beginning of history.

European empires conquered colonies and continents all over the world
to spread "freedom and the true faith", under the sacred flags of the "defenders of the faith" and now the Muslims are preparing to do the same.

Ed Deak.

CAVE Dwellers

(Citizens Against Virtually Everything) Should look around inside the centre and they might well be inspired by the huge success stories that are told. The facts, of course, are impressive.

Talk to any of the workers at the Woodward's site and they will tell you that they certainly wouldn't mind living in any of the social housing suites. The Lore Krill Centre across the street is also very, very nice with its courtyard and rooftop gardens. There are many others too.

Robertson and Coleman are right.

CAVE people

I don't see CAVE people offering much input to anything other than proposing general strikes or revolutions.

Got no time

We're too busy doing the work in the DTES to create those success stories, which you two specifically aren'tdoing. You think those good things happen all by themselves?

Robertson's free ride has come to an end, and you two haven't raised the level of debate at all.

@realisticman

Highlighting the accomplishments to date pretty much accomplishes nothing for those who remain beyond the reach of all efforts thus far. Furthermore, I'm not sure what's so inspiring about a job half (speculative numbers here) done.

While the Woodwards site workers would, no doubt, be happy to live in one of the new social housing units (as would I), there are many sro's currently in use that I would rather not examine, let alone move into. Additionally, I imagine that were you to talk to many of the folks still living on the DTES streets, many of them (very much like the Woodwards site workers) would very much appreciate a place in one of the social housing suites as well. This is really the point... by spending money in order "to be inspired by the huge success stories that are told," we are withholding resources that are needed for dealing with our remaining challenges not to mention breeding complacency with regard to the problem itself.

In any case, the point of social housing, unfortunately, has little if anything to do with the desirability of the living units themselves and everything to do with the problem of homelessness. Your emphasis on the desirability of the living units only highlights the degree to which you appear to interpret the problem of homelessness as a matter of choice... in other words, the degree to which you misunderstand the problem of homelessness (likely as a result of interpreting the issue with reference to your own life-situation).

As for Mr Laurier, only a coward or a sell-out (or both... either way more a representative of the herd than an exemplar of truly individual thought) would not see the necessity of the call to revolution in a state of affairs so obviously bereft of any commitment to humane co-existence with one's fellows.

Simply to brand as epithets the terms revolution and general strike "is to overlook how justified disgust can be in a society wholly permeated with the ideological outlook and moral standards of the bourgeoisie." ~Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism.~

zalm

You, specifically, don't know what you are talking about.

gnam

Au contraire, the accomplishments to date relieve pressure on those remaining in need. Highlighting those accomplishments encourages, inspires and elicits support for more being done. Would you rather leave any reporting on what is being done there to the private sector?

Your, "... necessity of the call to revolution ..." comment, clearly exposes a viewpoint that is extreme and unlikely to see the light of day anytime in the foreseeable future. As long as you concentrate on that, the incremental improvements will have to proceed without any assistance from you.

Just read the article

In fact, Robertson's little gambit is precisely about 'spin'.

...an international media and tourist centre designed to educate visitors on the social issues facing the Downtown Eastside and, more specifically, the steps that are being taken to improve Canada's poorest neighbourhood.

Until this ISN"T Canada's poorest neighbourhood any longer, the presence of an "international media and tourist centre" in its midst will, by definition, not be anything other than spin/

Homelessness has increased over the past 9 years - not gotten better.

THAT'S WHY THEY NEED THE SPIN and that's why the usual suspects are chiming in to sing the same old song.

Of course it's a spin centre.

Stupid question!

r'man

I suggest you take your own advice and leave this place. After all, you've only made the problems in this world worse with your advocacy of a failed ideology.

The rest of us will first fix the damage you've done over the last 9 years and then proceed on making things better.

Lore Krill Centre

Apparnetly you've forgotten when the Lore Krill Centre (and Woodwards for that matter) got going.

No thanks to the current bunch of carpetbaggers:

The Lore Krill Housing Cooperative was formed in 1997 to develop new co-op housing in the Downtown Eastside. The group is named after Lore Krill, who was a housing advocate and ran a training and employment centre in the neighbourhood, before her death a few years ago.

Neither of the projects YOU want to laud deserves to be filed in Campbell's column - and yet they're the only two developments you mention.

Curious.

Credit (I don't think so) where it's due

In fact what the Gordo Govt contributed to the Lore Krill centre amounts to a little over a million dollars a year in operating subsidies for 35 years and the Olympics and Vanoc contributed not a red cent....

Curious.

says, G West.

Woodward's was purchased by your NDP government in 2001 for $22 million. The project was put on hold because the NDP couldn't assemble the project into a feasible development.

In March 2003 the Liberal government of Gordon Campbell sold the property to Vancouver for roughly $5 million, thereby starting the redevelopment process with a more practical financial foundation.

Mayor Larry Campbell's administration was able to steer the project forward and what we see today is the result - including the temporary information centre that describes some projects and organizations that work in the neighbourhood.

(the Lore Krill Centre happens to be across the street. Others are nearby).

Then realisticman didn't write this?

Because it sure as hell looks to me as if someone called realisticman brought it up.

Funny the only two examples of 'progress' mentioned by the aforesaid realisticman have bugger all to do with either Coleman or St. Gregor.

Talk to any of the workers at the Woodward's site and they will tell you that they certainly wouldn't mind living in any of the social housing suites. The Lore Krill Centre across the street is also very, very nice with its courtyard and rooftop gardens. There are many others too. - wrote realisticman

Thank you very much for acknowledging that neither the Woodward's project or the Lore Krill centre would have been built if it were for the Campbell government.

I appreciate it.

But perhaps 'realisticman' will be a little more careful about doling out praise to Robertson and and Rich Coleman...because 'realisticman's' comment also concluded with this phrase:

Robertson and Coleman are right.

Or did you forget you wrote that too?

YOU specifically, don't know what you're talking about!

The fact is, it's about nothing but marketing and sales and trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear!

Gee West

Perhaps you would read what I wrote:

"In March 2003 the Liberal government of Gordon Campbell sold the property [Woodward's] to Vancouver for roughly $5 million, thereby starting the redevelopment process with a more practical financial foundation."

Could I also direct you to what The Tyee writer (Matt Kieltyka) also wrote:

"Robertson staunchly defended the venture and said there's value in highlighting the work of organizations in the area."

Neither Gregor Robertson nor Rich Coleman are attempting to take personal credit for any particular projects, they are praising the work of organizations in the area.

I'll say it again, Robertson and Coleman are right.

Someone certainly deserves credit for the 1,220 shelter and homeless outreach clients in the Downtown Eastside and immediate vicinity that were found permanent housing in 2009. Perhaps it was at Kindred Place or the Salvation Army's Belkin House or perhaps the Portland Hotel. There are many possibilities.

As Mark Townsend of the Portland Hotel Society, which operates the Downtown Eastside supervised-injection site, said, "The point [of the info centre] is not to sugarcoat it, but to show there are also good things happening,".

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Operation+Phoenix+share+lessons+with+international+visitors/2507735/story.html

Oh, also, the centre has nothing to do with marketing or sales. If you come over from Vancouver Island in the near future you might want to drop in and see for yourself. There are some inspiring stories featured.

The point is that the centre is sugar-coating it

Of course it's all about sales - it's selling the lie of the Olympics and puffing up Vancouver's image as something other than the most unaffordable place to live in the world....

realisticman made that foolish observation - now he's simply going to have to live with the fact that the only projects HE gave any praise to were both projects which would have had NO CHANCE of being built under the current government's philosophy.

The centre has nothing whatever to do with anything except marketing or sales - marketing the 'idea' that the Olympic boondoggle is good for anyone but a few close friends of the Premier and selling the notion that a chameleon like St Gregor really cares about anything but 'appearances'.

I see lots of inspiring stories every day - and none of them have anything to do with the Olympics. And I certainly don't have to come to Vancouver to see them - although, sadly, business does compel me to visit the place several times a year.

I actually used to enjoy the place - now I just hold my nose and get out as fast as I can...

Furthermore, why would I care who quotes someone who's spouting absolute garbage? I know what Robertson says and I suspect he even believes it - that makes it no more true than the lies his partner in crime Coleman is selling.

We don't solve society's ills by telling anecdotes - in fact, such thinking is little more than prestidigitation.

G West

Since you are over on the island we can understand how remote you are from what is actually happening in Vancouver. Knowing now how infrequently you say you visit and for only a brief and as short as possible time, we wonder how you can be such an authority and be so critical. This type of ignorance is precisely what the Centre is there for. As to saying that Mark Townsend of the Portland Hotel Societey is "spouting garbage", as is Rich Coleman and Gregor Robertson, you have now covered the spectrum in condemning a Liberal, an ex NDP 'Vision' Mayor and a social worker.

Not many groups or people left to insult, are there. Since Jim Green had a profound influence in bringing the Woodward's project to completion and was lauded for his work at the opening, we presume you feel the same towards him too.

Perhaps it's better that you stay on your island.

I'm not rejecting their work

Which should have been obvious from the start.

I'm rejecting the flakery of a mayor and a minister of the crown, not to mention a city budget, putting dollars into bullshit promotion when the problems you and they pretend to care about are going wanting.

Doesn't matter who's taking the bows, the whole pathetic exercise is facile and shallow and unworthy in a CITY WHICH IS THE MOST UNAFFORDABLE IN THE WORLD IN WHICH TO OWN A HOME.

An anonymous commentator who calls himself realtistic man but can't seem to cope with the dismal reality of 'that' situation and prefers self-promoting puffery is simply a waste of space.

As for who's spouting garbage, you know precisely who I was referring to.

Support at Last - Cool

I'm glad you came around. As we know, this is an information kiosk, rather than any promotion point and the rent is free. The one-stop information shop should enable those working in the area to concentrate on their work.

The groups involved in the Connect project include the Salvation Army, the YWCA, Vancouver Native Housing, Covenant House, and the Vancouver Police Department, etc.

Mark Smith, who is the executive director of RainCity Housing, a shelter and support organization that will have a booth in the centre, said it serves a couple of purposes.

"It just seemed like a very cool way for us to say, 'OK, here we are. This is what we do. This is why we do it. This is why we think it works,' and not have to field a million requests for interviews day in and day out," he said.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2010/02/01/bc-downtown-eastside-vancouver-connect-homeless.html#ixzz0eaE72KK4

What are you talking about?

The subject of this article is an exercise in puffery and BS - I could care less how many of the usual suspects - for example the Vancouver Police - are involved.

At least it keeps them off the streets and prevents them tuning up innocent Chinese immigrants who can't speak English and seem to think they have a right to the undisturbed shelter of their own home.

There is nothing 'cool' about it and anyone who uses such facile and disrespectful language about this city - which is still, no matter how YOU IGNORE THE FACT, the MOST UNAFFORDABLE PLACE IN THE WORLD.

This is a poverty problem, an inequality problem and an affordable housing problem - in addition to a lot of other things – not least of which a moral problem. Dressing it up as a fun kiosk to try and derail the efforts of responsible foreign journalists who’d like to get to the bottom of the Vancouver LIE is pretty typical of the usual suspects though.

It is not a problem of Public Relations and the suggestion it is, is almost as offensive as the suggestion that you'd tell anyone - even someone you apparently despise like me - to stay away from what's reputed to be such a green, friendly city....

I'm shocked and disappointed.

And why anyone would want to interview Mark Smith is a very good question, if I recall, he's been an apologist for BC Liberal failures for some time...

G West

I don't despise you at all. I merely attempt to bring you up to speed on some subjects when you thrust forward with insufficient information, I also strive to provide a realistic perspective on subjects discussed here, rather than accept ideological and narrow minded partisan opinions.

Affordable housing is a problem with many reasons: limited land in a desirable place, limited density, DCC charges, property transfer taxes, property taxes, labour and materials costs, etc. Homelessness is also a complex issue. Substance abuses and unfortunate personal backgrounds all contribute, as does the desirable location in this instance too.

Vancouver and Canada in general has developed a good society by any measure and support for those that strive to make it an even better place should be commended.

I disagree

You don't need to bother trying to bring me up to speed.

My invitation to join me at the soup kitchen where I volunteer stands - that's where the rubber hits the road on the issue of poverty and homelessness.

If you're not there, you're not anywhere and Vancouver is most definitely not a good society when it cares more about PR than people.

The fact is that you and your neocon brethren think you're better than the people you look down upon for being troubled and homeless - if you actually cared you'd behave differently and I think you know that.

It's just too damn hard to actually take yourself in hand and be realistic about the greed and selfishness of your class.

You provide no perspective at all because you think your own experience is somehow relevant to the whole world. It isn't. In fact, it's little more than a tiresome and anonymous anecdote.

Just like the idea that this little PR exercise has any bite at all.

Vancouver as a humane city is an abysmal failure - never more than now.

Canada was once a good society - now it's little more than a collection of pecksniffs.