CITY'S OPEN DRUG CULTURE 'UNSETTLING' TO TOURISTS

Vancouver's drug problem was giving the city a reputation as a lawless place
where visitors did not feel safe, tourism officials and the Vancouver Board
of Trade said on Tuesday.

Tourism Vancouver vice-president Walt Judas said visitors had filed many
complaints about open drug use on the streets and petty crime in the
downtown area.

"From a visitor's perspective, that's very unsettling, particularly for
Americans," Judas said.

"We get convention delegates who report they are quite shocked at the open
drug use downtown, and stoned people walking the streets make them feel
unsafe."

Vancouver Board of Trade executive director Darcy Rezac said the city's
image was taking a battering.

"We're quickly gaining a reputation as a city that doesn't uphold the law,"
he said.

"We have enjoyed a good reputation. Now, with the whole world coming for the
2010 Olympics, our crime problem is putting our international reputation at
risk."

Rezac said a recent survey showed Greater Vancouver had the highest rate of
property crime among 354 major metropolitan areas in North America.

Meanwhile, Vancouver Mayor Larry Campbell said although he did not condone
the illegal sale of marijuana in city cafes, he did not see what the "big
deal" was about it

"Where's the impact? What's the big deal?" Campbell said on Tuesday during a
media conference at his city hall office.

Campbell agreed with fellow Committee of Progressive Electors councillors
that there were "higher priorities" facing the city than shutting the cafes.
He said that before the media highlighted the sale of marijuana in shops on
Commercial Drive, the shops had operated for four months without drawing
public or police attention.

He said if the shops' owners hadn't been so open about what they were doing
that likely would have continued.

"I'm amazed they've been selling for four months," said Campbell. "And if I
was running that cafe, there'd never have been media allowed in. I have no
idea why they feel they can be that open."

Campbell said the mail to his office on the subject had been three-to-one in
favour of allowing the cafes to remain open. He said a large proportion of
that response had been from Americans telling him they were impressed that
when they came to Vancouver they could go to an Amsterdam-style pot cafe.

Tourism figures show two million Americans visit the Greater Vancouver area
each year, making the US easily the region's largest source of international
visitors.

Judas said tourism officials often received complaints about the presence of
homeless people in Vancouver, as well as others who appeared "quite strung
out."

He cited the example of a man visiting from New York with his family who
became scared for their safety when they encountered some street people.

"The [New Yorker] wanted to make sure one of these guys wouldn't jump one of
his kids," Judas said. "This is indicative of the comments we get from
visitors, particularly those who have children. It clearly makes them feel
uncomfortable enough that they won't want to visit here again."

Although he acknowledged there was "a whole underworld infrastructure
associated with the sale of drugs", Judas refused to comment on media
reports about Commercial Drive shops admitting to openly selling marijuana.

"I don't want to venture into that side of the equation," he said.

Rezac was reluctant to comment specifically on the operations of marijuana
shops such as the Da Kine Smoke and Beverage Shop at 1018 Commercial, which
is the subject of an upcoming business licence hearing at city hall on Sept.
15.

"One of our highest priorities should be addressing crime and upholding the
law," Rezac said. "If that applies to marijuana sales, so be it. But I will
not single out that one area."

Rezac said all three levels of government needed to work together to reduce
crime -- and stiffer prison terms and less lenient parole eligibility for
repeat offenders were required.

He said he was alarmed by a recent comment from Vancouver police that while
they were aware of marijuana sales on Commercial Drive, they did not have
the resources to take action.

"If the police are too busy, that tells you something about the level of
crime in this city," Rezac said.

Police spokeswoman Const. Sarah Bloor said the police department was aware
of stores selling marijuana and investigations were continuing into them.

A representative for Vancouver's Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic
and Paralympic Games declined to comment on the city's drug problem.

"We have every confidence that Vancouver's image is something we're all
going to be proud of," said Jane Burnes, VANOC's executive director of
government relations and communications.