MAYOR SULLIVAN PLEDGES TO 'CLEAN UP CITY'

Breakdown Of Public Order Has Been 'Like The Elephant In The Room
That Everyone Tries To Ignore'

VANCOUVER - Saying that "what gets measured, gets done," Vancouver
Mayor Sam Sullivan pledged Monday to cut homelessness, aggressive
panhandling, and the open drug trade by 50 per cent before the 2010
Winter Olympics.

"It's clear that our citizens want us to act on the growing issue of
public disorder," said Sullivan, speaking at a press conference held
to launch his new Project Civil Society anti-crime initiative.

Sullivan wants to allocate at least $1 million from the proposed
Olympic Legacy Fund in the 2007 civic budget to improve the handling
of nuisance and annoyance complaints.

That could include hiring more bylaw officers and prosecutors.
Sullivan also wants to streamline the bylaw enforcement process and
make it more effective.

The mayor said the breakdown of public order has been "like the
elephant in the room that everyone tries to ignore. And to be blunt,
that's been part of the problem.

"You see, we've ignored it, and over the years we've made the
unacceptable behaviour acceptable in Vancouver, and that has to change."

Vancouver Police Chief Jamie Graham said that "there are a lot of
good ideas in the document." He added that "a lot of what the mayor
is talking about is underway already."

The difficulty with curbing public disorder, added Graham, is that
the police can't stop people from engaging in anti-social activity
unless that behaviour is also illegal.

Meanwhile, Sullivan also wants to crack down on rowdy behaviour in
Vancouver's downtown entertainment district -- and he warned bar
owners that he might reduce bar hours if the situation doesn't
improve within 60 days of council approving the Project Civil City targets.

In response, John Teti, spokesman for the downtown bar industry,
said: "All this would do is take the existing problems and transfer
them to 2 a.m. instead of 3 a.m."

Teti said the problem isn't with the bars but with the justice system.

"There is no accountability for the people who create the problem.
People do what they want to do on the streets and there is no
punishment, no fines, no nothing."

Sullivan said the strategy will be developed by the new Project Civil
City leadership council, to be chaired by the mayor, and included
various provincial and federal ministers.

The initiative will be put into action by the Project Civil City
implementation team, which will include city manager Judy Rogers,
Police Chief Graham and federal and provincial government staff members.

Sullivan also said police need to increase their "street presence"
and that the issue of public disorder has to become part of the Four
Pillars Coalition approach to drug addiction. (The Four Pillars
approach refers to prevention, treatment, harm reduction and enforcement.)

There were no direct suggestions on how to reduce homelessness
mentioned in Sullivan's list of 10 immediate Project Civil City
measures. A study released in September by the non-profit Pivot Legal
Society claimed that there will be two and a half times the number of
homeless people in Vancouver by 2010.

Despite the predicted growth in homelessness and the reluctance of
senior levels of government to expand social housing, Sullivan said
he remains optimistic that his goals can be achieved.

"I am used to setting goals that are unrealistic in my life and I am
also very used to achieving them."

Vision Coun. Raymond Louie called the Project Civil City a "marketing
exercise" that ignores poverty, drug addiction and mental illness,
which are "the root causes of homelessness and public disorder."

Mayor Sam Sullivan's 10-Point Battle Plan Against Aggressive
Panhandling, Rowdy Behaviour, Open Drug Dealing And General Public Disorder

1. Proposed $1 million to crack down on nuisance and annoyance
complaints, possibly hiring new bylaw officers and prosecutors.

2. $300,000 to establish a Project Civil City implementation office
and hire a Civil City czar.

3. Launch a civil city leadership council, including mayor, federal
and provincial politicians.

4. Launch a civil city implementation team with city manager, police
chief, with federal and provincial officials.

5. Realigning neighbourhood integrated service teams to meet public
disorder reduction goals.

6. Bar owners and patrons have 60 days toward improving public order
or council may reduce hours to match other GVRD jurisdictions.

7. Measure current levels of aggressive panhandling, drug sales,
homelessness and public nuisance complaints with a view to reducing them.

8. Reconfigure the Four Pillars Coalition to target public disorder.

9. Boost police street presence.

10. Launch immediate 60-day review of ticketing, by-laws and fines to
improve efficiency and fight public disorder.