SULLIVAN PLANNING TO HALVE DISORDER IN CITY BY 2010

Mayor To Introduce Project Civil City Scheme Today

Mayor Sam Sullivan is putting it in writing - street disorder in the
city will be halved by 2010.

Sullivan's NPA-led council will formally introduce its Project Civil
City plan at Vancouver city council today.

He's promising a 50-per-cent reduction in homelessness, aggressive
panhandling and street-level drug-dealing. Sullivan, who met with
Housing Minister Rich Coleman yesterday, said the homeless problem is
his priority. "I'm very encouraged by what I'm hearing," Sullivan
said. "I have a lot of reason for optimism."

Sullivan said he's also pushing for the "reinstitutionalization" of
about 500 mentally ill people among the city's homeless.

"I think we're very close to that, not in the old sense of
institutions, but in the modern sense of good modern values of how we
treat people," he said.

"We've got some great possibilities happening."

The Provincial Health Services Authority is developing a "tertiary
care model" for the mentally ill, building smaller facilities with 25
to 40 rooms, along with medical supports.

There are already facilities in Victoria and Kamloops, with another
planned for Riverview in Coquitlam.

Sullivan said he's recently discussed alternative drug treatments with
the federal government, but added he's not ready to provide details.

"I'm looking forward to ultimately other solutions that will help get
control of drug addiction," he said.

Sullivan was disappointed to learn of a leaked internal RCMP report,
critical of the city's supervised injection site for encouraging drug
use. "I believe [it] has provided good benefits to the city of
Vancouver," countered Sullivan. "We need to move ultimately into a
better outcome for people with drug addictions, but I believe it's
good for the city right now, and we need to continue it."

Sullivan said he plans to appoint a Project Civil City commissioner in
the new year and set up what he's calling an implementation team. In
late January he will head a leadership meeting with cabinet ministers.