Mayor Welcomes Hotel Purchase

Posted inIn the News

“Homeless Action Plan” SRO targets more than doubled: Sullivan

Mayor Sam Sullivan today welcomed the City of Vancouver’s purchase of the Drake Hotel to help increase access to affordable social housing in the city. Today’s announcement will help achieve Vancouver’s Project Civil City goal to reduce homelessness by a minimum of 50% by 2010.

“Delivering compassionate solutions to our social challenges is one of the goals I have established for my government,” said Mayor Sullivan. “Project Civil City is an opportunity to use the 2010 Winter Olympics & Paralympic Games as a catalyst to solve many of the housing challenges facing our most vulnerable citizens.”

Reinventing the asylum

Posted inIn the News

New uses for old mental hospitals are innovative but highly controversial
By Ken MacQueen
Macleans.ca
The massive old Crease Clinic of Psychological Medicine — on the southern fringe of the grounds of the Riverview Psychiatric Hospital in the Vancouver suburban of Coquitlam — exudes the sort of ominous aura that raises hairs on the back of your neck even on a glorious June day.
This vague unease isn’t helped by a crew on site from the science fiction TV series Battlestar Galactica filming a particularly creepy episode. “Terrified Man” and “Child in Cage” — two of the labels on mobile dressing room doors — hint at the fictional mayhem inside the decaying four-storey brick pile.

Vancouver seeks 2008 Paralympic torch

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By Jeff Lee
Vancouver Sun
Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan hopes to convince the organizers of the 2008 Beijing Games to bring the Paralympic torch relay to Vancouver.
The mayor announced today he’s had some discussions with the Beijing Organizing Committee, which is considering mounting an around-the-world relay for the Paralympic torch.

Motion to Promote Vancouver as Possible Host of 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games Torch Relay

Posted inIn the News

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan today welcomed a proposal to promote Vancouver as a possible host of the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games Torch Relay. A formal motion will be introduced to Vancouver City Council this month by Councillor BC Lee.

“Hosting the 2008 Paralympic Games torch relay could help promote Vancouver as one of the most accessible cities in the world,” said Mayor Sullivan. “In addition to promoting tourism, the torch relay will also help build community spirit in advance of 2010. I want to congratulate Councillor Lee for his work on this file.”

Mayor & Councillors Support Insite and CAST

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Mayor and Councillors Support Safe Injection Site and Chronic Addiction Substitution Treatment Research Trial Principles & Objectives

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan and City Councillors today voted for a City Council resolution to support two important drug policy measures, including:

  • Vancouver Coastal Health Authority’s federal application for a 3.5 year extension of Vancouver’s safe injection site
  • the general principles and objectives of the Inner Change Society’s Chronic Addiction Substitution Treatment (CAST) research trial

Panel looks at how Vancouver ranks as a business city

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Byline: Don Cayo
The Vancouver Sun
If all you knew about Vancouver’s business climate came from my columns, which tend to focus on things like tax inequities or land-use conflicts, you might think the city is a terrible place.
It isn’t.
But if your source was City Hall promotional material — things like a Pollyannaish posting, “Myth and Fact”, that appeared on the Web in April shortly after I wrote about the dearth of affordable workspace in the city — you might think everything’s perfectly fine.
It isn’t.

Mayor Welcomes Positive Vancouver Rankings

Posted inIn the News

Global & domestic reports reinforce city’s reputation as a great place to work and live: Sullivan

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan today welcomed the findings of two reports that will enhance Vancouver’s reputation as one of the best places in the world to work and live. The 2007 Cascadia Scorecard and 2007 MasterCard Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index have recognized Vancouver as a global and domestic leader in urban planning and ease of doing business.

“The five goals we have established for Vancouver are focused on improving our quality of life,” said Mayor Sullivan. “Over the past 18 months we have introduced measures to reduce urban sprawl and improve access to municipal services for local businesses. These reports suggest we are making progress.”

Easy living, easy business in Vancouver

Posted inIn the News

By Tavia Grant
The Globe and Mail
Vancouver, a city best known for laid-back living and soggy weather, is the easiest place in the world to do business, a global study of 50 cities says.
The West Coast city, along with Toronto and Montreal, were top three in the world in that category because of a “strong national health-care system, excellent infrastructure, low traffic and easy access to public transportation,” according to MasterCard International Inc.’s first annual ranking of global cities, to be released today.

Community Events for June 2007

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BARD ON THE BEACH May 31, 2007 to Sept 23, 2007 Location: Vanier Park bardonthebeach.org PORTUGUESE HERITAGE MONTH June 1, 2007 to June 30, 2007 Location: Various Venues portuguesemonth.com VANCOUVER…