Vancouver community leader, advocate & politician
The City of Vancouver’s 2006 Remembrance Day ceremonies will be held on:
Saturday, November 11, 2006 at 10:30 a.m.
Cenotaph at Victory Square
West Hastings Street, between Cambie and Hamilton
These ceremonies, which include a wreath laying to honour those who gave their lives in the service of our country, will mark the 61st anniversary of the end of World War Two, and the 88th anniversary of the First World War Armistice.
Mayor Sam Sullivan applauded Council’s decision tonight to improve the City’s advisory bodies, noting that the new framework will increase the role of citizen volunteers, better align their work with City priorities and provide new funds for community outreach.
As part of the changes to advisory committees, Council established the following priorities which will be considered by all citizen advisory bodies as they create work plans for their committees through 2008:
In advance of a debate regarding a five-point proposal by Councillor Kim Capri to deal with Vancouver’s homeless crisis, Mayor Sam Sullivan is calling upon the Provincial government to provide emergency funding to support our most vulnerable population this winter.
“This is only a first step in helping to meet the immediate needs of the approximately one thousand homeless people wandering Vancouver’s streets on a nightly basis,” says Mayor Sullivan. “Our request for emergency funding to prevent any further SROs from closing in the next six months will go a long way in securing housing for those at risk of homelessness.”
A group that develops and delivers innovative peace programs and a long-time advocate for immigrants and refugees are this year’s recipients of the City of Vancouver’s Cultural Harmony Awards.
Mayor Sam Sullivan is planning to support a series of recommendations proposed by Councillor B.C. Lee that will serve to increase the role of advisory bodies, better align their mandate with Council priorities and provide them with additional financial resources to conduct their activities.
“I am proud of what our advisory bodies have done and continue to do in helping to shape City policy,” said Mayor Sullivan. “That’s why I have taken the time to carefully review the recommendations outlined in the May Brown Report and will support Councillor Lee’s recommendations to strengthen the role of our advisory committees.”
Shared stories between the Aboriginal and Chinese communities in Vancouver, presented through audio montages and story boards, will be part of the Heart of the City Festival in Chinatown on:
Saturday, October 28 from 12 noon to 3 pm
Chinese Cultural Centre
50 East Pender Street
The Province
October 24, 2006
Helping the least fortunate is one of society’s greatest responsibilities. And it is one of the best reasons for paying taxes to various levels of government.
But housing the homeless in Vancouver is a complex issue not easily solved by simplistic solutions. And the situation is not improved by political zealots, seized with self-righteous fury, staging an illegal protest and using the 2010 Winter Olympics as a convenient scapegoat.
In many cultures around the world, the days at the end of October and beginning of November are considered an important time for honouring the dead in our lives, through ceremony and celebration, and the practical maintenance of family gravesites.
Mountain View Cemetery once again invites the public to remember their dead at the second annual “A Night for All Souls”:
Saturday, October 28, 2006 1 pm – 10 pm
Mountain View Cemetery, north end, Fraser and 33rd
Vancouver Sun
October 18, 2006
When faced with pressing social problems such as drug addiction, prostitution or homelessness, we’re often confronted with a utopian mentality, one that sees the complete and immediate eradication of such problems as the only solution.