CANDIDATES DEBATE DRUGS

The COPE-dominated council has "dropped the ball" in its goal to
eliminate the open drug market in the Downtown Eastside, says NPA
mayoral candidate Sam Sullivan.

Sullivan made the comment at an Oct. 26 debate held in the Courier
newsroom with Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate Jim Green.

"[The COPE-dominated council] has squandered a huge opportunity, an
incredible mandate, a big majority that was given to them by the
citizens to accomplish their promise of reducing the dysfunction and
the open drug market on the Downtown Eastside and they've failed to
do so," Sullivan said.

Sullivan was responding to the question, "In Larry Campbell's
inauguration speech in December 2002, he said, 'If we do our work
well, we should be able to eliminate the open drug market on the
Downtown Eastside by the 2005 election.' In your opinion, has the
open drug market been eliminated?"

Sullivan pointed to the infighting within COPE-which led Green, Mayor
Larry Campbell and councillors Raymond Louie and Tim Stevenson to
form Vision Vancouver-as partly to blame for council's inattention to
the drug market.

"I have seen within this council, divisions that have been created
such that a lot of energy has been spent fighting each other and
energy that should have been spent moving the city forward," Sullivan said.

Though Green agreed the open drug market continues, he said the
supervised injection site at 139 East Hastings, which opened in
September 2003, has helped save lives.

"You know there's been some great things that have happened and there
are thousands of people that are alive because we were able to bring
in a safe injection site," Green said.

He acknowledged Campbell's stated goal of eliminating the open drug
market was "optimistic," but said "we have to have optimism and
pragmatism in order to deal with these issues."

Green also said the Vancouver police did some enforcement in the
Downtown Eastside "that was questionable on how good it helped deal
with that issue." He was referring to the police crackdown on drug dealers.

"It moved it around some so other neighbourhoods got the feel of what
the Downtown Eastside experiences every day, and that was a pretty
tough one on the communities. We don't direct the police, that's their thing."

Green, however, said more police are needed in the city. He pointed
out that he supported hiring 50 more officers this year and 50 more next year.

The increase in police has to be complemented by more treatment for
people affected by mental illness and drug addiction, and by building
more housing, he added.

"I'm lobbying very strong for that," he said. "We have a guarantee of
$1.6 billion coming from the federal government over the next two
years for housing and we're looking at about 50 per cent of that
being supportive housing for people in great need and this is
endorsed by the Board of Trade."

An edited version of the full debate will appear in the Nov. 9
edition of the Courier. Green and Sullivan also answered questions
about the Woodward's redevelopment, reducing lanes on the Burrard
Bridge for cyclists, the money problems at the now-defunct Four
Corners Bank and Sullivan's explanation for supplying money to drug
addicts for drugs.