BOARD OF TRADE HOLDS FORUM ON CRIME

The Vancouver Board of Trade is sponsoring a forum tomorrow on crime
in Vancouver.

"It's not just crime. It's also a sense of disorder," said the board's
chief economist, Dave Park. "A lot of people are saying in the
downtown area and the West End, 'This isn't livable any more.' "

Stiffer penalties are needed for property crime, and drug addicts need
treatment options, Park said.

Featured speakers at the Hyatt Regency forum will be Vancouver police
Chief Jamie Graham, MLA Lorne Mayencourt and Elisabeth Burgess, who
chairs the Street Crime Working Group.

Cristen Gleeson of the Pivot Legal Society is unimpressed by the
lineup. "It's very clear that they've excluded community groups and
interest-based groups that represent the interests of the marginalized
and the under-privileged," Gleeson said.