Agenda Index City of Vancouver

Date: December 7, 2000
Author/Local: Judy Rogers/7626

RTS No. 01796

CC File No. 3701

Council: December 12, 2000

TO: Vancouver City Council

FROM: City Manager

SUBJECT: Vancouver’s Coalition for Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment

RECOMMENDATION

POLICY

PURPOSE

This report seeks Council approval for year 2001 funding support for the activities of Vancouver’s Coalition for Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment. Funding will provide for continued support and facilitation of partner actions to improve crime prevention and drug treatment throughout the City and most urgently in the Downtown Eastside.

Background

Vancouver’s Coalition for Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment was created in October of 1997 under the strategic leadership of the Mayor and the Urban Safety Commission. Since its inception, the Coalition has grown from 20 partners, to more than 63 partners. The Coalition represents a diverse cross section of community partners committed to taking actions to improve crime prevention and drug treatment in Vancouver.

The Coalition partners include:

Vancouver School Board Vancouver Park Board
Vancouver Police Department Odd Squad Productions

Vancouver Board of Trade Vancouver Port Authority
Vancouver International Airport Authority Tourism Vancouver

University of British Columbia Simon Fraser University
S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Vancouver Foundation
United Way VanCity Credit Union
Downtown Vancouver BIA Vancouver Hotel Association
Rotary Club of Vancouver Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Health Canada Insurance Bureau of Canada
Insurance Corporation of BC Browning-Ferris Industries (BFI)
The Gathering Place Kaiser Youth Foundation
The United Youth Movement Collingwood Community Policing Centre
Robson Street BIA The British Columbia Regiment
Vancouver Recovery Club Vancouver Family Court & Youth Justice Committee
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Vancouver Taiwanese-Canadian Cultural Society
Hope in Vision Downtown Vancouver Association
Downtown Eastside Youth Activities Society (DEYAS) Salvation Army
Mount Pleasant BIA Mount Pleasant Community Policing Office
BARWATCH Granville Street Community Policing Centre
Gastown Community Policing Centre Volunteer Vancouver
Kerrisdale BIA Kensington Community Centre
Alcohol-Drug Education Service First United Church
Vancouver Economic Development Commission Chinatown Police Community Services Centre
YWCA of Vancouver Grandview-Woodlands Community Policing Centre
Davie Street Community Police Office Cedar Cottage Community Policing Centre
Concert Properties Ltd. Canadian Bankers Association
Renfrew Collingwood Drug and Alcohol Committee Vancouver Police & Native Liaison Society
Anglican Diocese of New Westminster BC Coalition for Safer Communities
Together We Can


Partner Actions

Coalition partners continue to make valuable contributions in the City of Vancouver to improve crime prevention and drug treatment, both in the Downtown Eastside as well as in other communities throughout the City. Some highlights in 2000 include:

Continuum of Care Forums – Coalition Partners hosted a series of Continuum of Care Public Forums on the four-pillar approach to drug problems in Vancouver. The four pillars include: prevention, treatment, enforcement and harm reduction. The forums featured a panel of experts and community members representing each of the pillars. Forums were held in the DTES at the Carnegie Centre, at the Dunbar Community Centre, Collingwood Neighbourhood House, the Vancouver Board of Trade and Vancouver School Board.

Framework for Action, A Four-Pillar Approach to Drug Problems in Vancouver – Donald MacPherson, the City of Vancouver’s Drug Policy Coordinator, followed up on the Coalition forums and many other community meetings and discussions, by producing a draft discussion paper on the four-pillar approach, which balances public order and public health in dealing with Vancouver’s drug problems city wide. Vancouver’s Coalition for Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment is coordinating the public consultation for the discussion paper and assisting with the revision of the paper.

Coalition Web Page
The Coalition web page was launched in 2000 includes crime prevention and drug treatment information and Coalition activity updates. The web site is linked to the City of Vancouver web page as well as to Coalition partner pages. The web page is a particularly valuable tool in making the A Framework for Action available city-wide, regionally and across the country. The web-based feedback form also facilitates public review of the discussion paper.

UBC’s presence in the Downtown Eastside – Following thorough consultation with service providers and residents in the DTES to identify ways UBC could contribute to the area, UBC opened an office called the Learning Exchange in September 2000. The program includes a student volunteer program to assist service agencies, and will, as the Learning Exchange develops, also include participatory research designed to include DTES residents and service providers directly in the research process.

Economic Revitalization in the Downtown Eastside- the Vancouver Economic Development Commission continued to explore ways to economically revitalize the Downtown Eastside. Several tangible projects emerged including the Downtown Eastside Street Market and other economic initiatives.

Looking Ahead

The year 2001 will be another very busy year for Vancouver’s Coalition. In addition to on-going projects, such as Neighbourhood Watch on the Road, (supported by Browning-Ferris Industries in partnership with the Vancouver Police), and Youth Patrols in Stanley Park, (supported by ICBC in partnership with the Vancouver Park Board and the Vancouver Police), the Coalition will undertake a number of new initiatives. Many of these initiatives will relate to work that Coalition partners are doing in support of the DTES Community Revitalization program.

Coalition Goals

Vancouver’s Coalition for Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment has a two-pronged mandate to involve the community in actions that:

· improve drug treatment.

Coalition Communication Objectives

Coalition Building Plan for the year 2001

This plan focuses on several key areas to help build and strengthen Vancouver’s Coalition and expand its activities and overall impact on Vancouver’s broader community.

City-wide Perspective – A Framework for Action

Vancouver’s Coalition for Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment continues to have a city-wide focus. Publication of A Framework for Action, A Four-Pillar Approach to Drug Problems in Vancouver (a discussion paper) establishes clear recommendations for action balancing public order and public health in dealing with Vancouver’s drug problems. Coalition Partners will thoroughly review the discussion paper and will facilitate public discussion through a series of public forums.

Public Forums

While public support for A Framework For Action is generally positive, the Mayor and the Coalition has encouraged as many individuals and organizations as possible to review the discussion paper. In addition to providing feedback by fax, E-mail, and mail, the public is encouraged to participate in one of five forums to be held across the city in January and February.

Public Education

Another key area of activity for Vancouver’s Coalition in the year 2001 will focus on public education, bringing information about crime prevention and drug treatment to as broad an audience as possible. These vehicles to increase public education will compliment the Coalition s quarterly Newsletter and Discussion Paper updates (see attached). The public education component of the Coalition Building Plan for the year 2001 will compliment the work that the City’s Communication Department is doing around public education in the DTES.

Newspaper Insert

The Vancouver Sun has generously agreed to circulate an insert summarizing A Framework for Action throughout the Lower Mainland. The Coalition will coordinate design and production of the flyer, which will include a feedback form to encourage public comment on the discussion paper. In addition, the newspaper insert will show the dates, times and locations of the public forums being held across the city in January and February.

Partner Recognition

The Coalition will implement a recognition program for partners to reinforce the importance of community involvement in crime prevention and drug treatment. Awards, publications and media public service announcements are being considered for use in the recognition program.

DTES Perspective

Vancouver’s Coalition for Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment continues to assist the City of Vancouver with its strategy for the Downtown Eastside. As a co-sponsor in the application to the National Crime Prevention Centre for $5 million dollars, Vancouver’s Coalition has worked closely with the City to develop and implement this initiative. In the year 2001, the Coalition will further expand its role and participate, where appropriate, in the work of the Evaluation Steering Committee for the project.

Coalition partners are supporting the DTES Community Revitalization program in a variety of ways. Some partners, such as DEYAS, YWCA Crabtree Corner and the Vancouver Economic Development Commission, are playing an active role in the community development and consultation component of the project. While others, such as UBC, are engaging the community utilizing student volunteers, providing learning opportunities for DTES residents and further exploring opportunities for meaningful, respectful, participatory research. Coalition partners will continue to be asked to contribute to the DTES Community Revitalization program, working in partnership with the community, with other Coalition partners and with the other levels of government, to help bring real change to the area.

Strengthening our Partnerships

Expand the number and variety of Coalition partners

This initiative will require the City’s continued leadership to encourage greater community involvement in crime prevention and drug treatment activities. The City will also need to continueefforts to include and co-ordinate all three levels of government as well as other relevant agencies in Coalition activities where appropriate.

Continue to encourage Coalition partners to contribute to crime prevention and drug treatment by involving their organizations in specific actions that compliment their mandates. Although significant gains were made in this area in 1999 and 2000, plans for the upcoming year will provide new opportunities to link with Coalition partners, helping to support them to take actions to help make Vancouver a safer, healthier city. As well as working with individual Coalition partners, special support will be given to Coalition Working Teams formed to address specific issues in a concrete and action-centred way, especially in the Downtown Eastside and surrounding communities.

Other Jurisdictions

Finally, steps will be taken to monitor initiatives related to crime prevention and drug treatment being embraced in other cities throughout the world. This base of information will be shared with
members throughout the Coalition, continuing to encourage a more informed, broad based perspective to the issues at hand.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

The proposed budget for January - December, 2001 is $ 150,000, detailed as follows:

Project Co-ordination $ 38,500

Public Education
consisting of:
- Mayor’s Forums - $ 4,000

- Discussion Paper - $ 1,000
- A Framework For Action Flyer - $ 9,000
- Web coordination - $ 1,000
- Coalition Partner Recognition Program - $ 4,000

Coalition Building - Partner Contact

- Coalition Liaison Officer - $53,500
- Administrative/Office/Technology Support - $12,000

Research $ 8,000

TOTAL $150,000

CONCLUSION

1999 and 2000 were very busy and significant years for Vancouver’s Coalition for Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment. Assisting with the successful development and launch of A Framework For Action, A Four-Pillar Approach to Drug Problems in Vancouver in late 2000 followed being the successful co-applicant for $5 million dollars awarded by the National Crime Prevention Committee to help revitalize the DTES. These two major achievements are in addition to Community Crime Prevention Forum in October, 1999 and the Drug Prevention Awareness Flyer, many other contributions throughout the City.

What has been especially encouraging over this past year is watching Coalition partners, with diverse interests and opinions, come together to address complex issues, building areas of agreement for action, particularly in moving towards a four-pillar approach to drug problems across the city.

In the last year, many organizations have expressed interest in the work that the Coalition is doing in encouraging community involvement in crime prevention and drug treatment. As momentum continues to grow, it is supported by a growing recognition among all of our partners, the community, the City and all other levels of government, that we must work together to prevent crime and improve drug treatment throughout Vancouver. Mayor Owen has provided strong leadership in this area emphasizing the need for ongoing partnerships to ensure that Vancouver remains one of the best Cities to live in the world.

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