Vaughn Palmer: Eby’s Bold Plan to Take Ownership of DTES

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VICTORIA — Prime Minister-designate David Evey has yet to release details of his plans for his first 100 days in office, but he has taken some ambitious steps to address the crisis in Vancouver’s downtown East Side. promised

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The area has never been worse, says Eby, who knows where he’s talking. As a young activist attorney, Eby began his work representing residents of DTES.

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Instead of joining Buckpasser’s legion, Evie suggests that his government take ownership of the troubled area.

“A key piece that was missing was a single level of government to figure out what was going on in the neighborhood,” Eby declared early in his bid for leadership of the NDP. .

“The downtown Eastside crisis is far beyond what the city of Vancouver can handle alone. Ottawa is too far.”

As Eby explained in an interview with CKNW’s Jas Johal in August, it leaves state governments as the only viable option.

“The opportunity here is for the state to take a leadership role and say we are accountable. We will coordinate this. We will work with the large number of indigenous people who live there.”

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Measures “include replacing burnt-out, uninhabited single-room hotels and replacing them with suitable housing,” says Eby.

He also replaces the city of tents clogging the sidewalks, the most obvious sign of degradation in the area.

“I don’t support camps,” Eby told Global TV’s Richard Zussman this week. “I don’t think it will solve the homeless problem. I don’t think it’s safe for people living there. I’ve seen too many fires, too many injuries.

Another element of Eby’s thinking about the crisis on the streets became apparent in August when he came out in favor of involuntary treatment for people who repeatedly overdosed.

“If someone overdoses twice in one day and shows up in the emergency room the second time, if they overdose a second time on the same day, put that person back on the street and die from the third overdose. Or having a severe brain injury and going back to the emergency room again seems very strange,” Evie told Katie DeRosa of The PostMedia.

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“We need to do better interventions, which can and should include involuntary care to ensure that people have at least a chance,” he said. rice field.

Eby’s stance surprised some of his former allies, such as the BC Civil Liberties Association. But he didn’t back down.

“Any kind of movement in that direction would have to be done very carefully,” he told DeRosa. I fundamentally disagree with the idea of ​​respecting

Recently, Eby added another element to the mix with his proposal to found a modern version of Riverview, a Coquitlam-based rural mental hospital that closed ten years ago.

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“Many, myself included, look back on the closure of Riverview and the lack of support for the community as a significant turning point for both the Downtown Eastside and how mental health and addiction issues are impacting our communities. I look back at how I’m being watched,” Eby told Mike Smyth on CKNW earlier this month.

Eby did not rule out the possibility of resuming versions of Riverview.

“Yes,” he replied, quickly adding: pain. “

Physicians evaluating someone’s mental state in a hospital or prison shouldn’t have to make decisions based on whether there’s an appropriate treatment facility, Eby says.

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They have to decide, “Does this person need therapy?” at a given facility.

So, in summary, the Eby-led government will be responsible for the Downtown East Side.

SROs and tent camps will be phased out and replaced with suitable housing. People who repeatedly overdose are subject to involuntary treatment to protect themselves.

And severely psychiatric patients are diverted from the streets to modern treatment facilities.

More details to come, but clearly this won’t happen overnight. A modern version of Riverview could take years of planning, consultation and construction before opening.

Still, based on what Eby has said so far, his plan seems both risky and bold.

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The results, he suggests, will be revealed on the streets of the downtown East Side.

“People passing through the neighborhood, or even tourists passing by, the obvious indicator is if you’re seeing improvements. Do you see them getting healthier? That’s going to be a big indicator.”

If you agree and the improvements are evident, Eby can justify claiming credit.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been the first well-intentioned politician to lose to the Downtown East Side.

vpalmer@postmedia.com

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