“project civil city”

Mayor Sullivan and Councillor Kim Capri today welcomed the success of the Vancouver Police Department (VPD)’s pilot project to reduce public disorder in the Downtown Entertainment District. The VPD closed Granville Street to traffic during the August and September long weekends this summer.
“Reducing public disorder in the entertainment district is one of the key objectives we have identified in Project Civil City,” said Mayor Sullivan. “As Chair of the Police Board, I want to congratulate Chief Chu and the men and women of the VPD for this innovative approach.”

Mayor Sam Sullivan and Vancouver Councillor Kim Capri welcomed the launch of the Government of Canada’s new Mental Health Commission. Earlier today, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the final selection of the Commission’s Board of Directors at a gathering of international leaders in the mental health field.

“Delivering compassionate solutions to social challenges is one of the goals we have established for our government,” said Mayor Sullivan. “While we are making significant progress, municipal governments cannot tackle these issues alone. Renewed leadership, direct investment and innovation are required from all levels of government to battle mental illness across Canada.”

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.

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

Progress report, national drug strategy and supervised injection site extension to be discussed

Mayor Sam Sullivan today announced his intention to convene the City of Vancouver’s Four Pillars Coalition for a strategic planning session next month. Today’s announcement is further to the Mayor’s commitment to introduce new consultation measures for the second half of his first mandate.

“Finding compassionate solutions to the social challenges we face and being the most inclusive local government in Canada are two of the five goals I have established for my government. Today’s announcement will help achieve these goals.” said Mayor Sullivan. “The Four Pillars Coalition has been a tremendous resource for the City of Vancouver and I look forward to working with them in the months ahead.”

Tri-City News
With less than 1,000 days to go before B.C. welcomes the world for the 2010 Winter Olympics, anxious officials are starting to wonder if the region’s homelessness problem won’t overshadow the celebrations.
Some critics have even speculated there could be more homeless bedding down in the streets than athletes marching into BC Place on opening night. The thought of legions of homeless freezing in doorways, sleeping in tents or crowding into shelters has some top politicians, including Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan and Premier Gordon Campbell, wondering aloud if closing Riverview wasn’t a bad move.

By Sarah Payne The Tri-City News
A Port Coquitlam-based mental health support organization has responded with some skepticism to the possibility of re-opening Riverview Hospital.
Gisela Theurer, director of rehabilitation for the New View Society, said staff members had “mixed feelings” about the suggestion from Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan that some 1,500 mentally ill homeless people be housed at Riverview.
While it was greeted as a positive way to provide short-term recovery services, Theurer said any plans to re-open Riverview would have to come with strategies to transition clients to long-term, supported housing.