DOWNTOWN CLEANUP DRIVES ADDICTS, VIOLENCE ELSEWHERE

Three weeks after the drive to clean up downtown Victoria began police
enforcement has far outpaced social initiatives.

And while downtown business is happy with the drug crackdown, tensions are
rising at outreach facilities for the city's street people. Several
facilities, including the Open Door on Pandora Avenue, have had to shut
down for a day due to violence or abuse.

"We need to do something," said Rev. Al Tysick of the Open Door.

He estimates the Open Door has peaked at about 600 visitors, as numbers
have increased over the last three weeks.

With such an intense police presence downtown, addicts and their dealers
are looking for places where cops aren't, which tends to be places offering
outreach, he said.

There have been fights, including one man slugging another client with a
chain and lock. The shelter shut down for one day during another altercation.

Disagreements in the drug trade that might have been settled previously in
a downtown alley are now erupting at places such as the Open Door, he said.
That is unsettling for other clients who depend on the outreach services
for some tranquillity.

The needle exchange at Aids Vancouver Island also shut its doors for a day
recently but executive director Miki Hansen can't be sure whether the
trouble was related to downtown.

"The violence was verbal and it was threatening and we weren't able to keep
the place open," she said.

Tensions have increased over the last year due to a variety of factors but
have been exacerbated with the downtown police crackdowns, she said.

"People are on edge," she said, pointing out that the number of clients is
increasing by 40 a month.

Don McTavish, the co-ordinator of shelters for the Victoria Cool Aid
Society, said the downtown crackdown cranked up the pressure on those who
are already dealing with addiction, health issues, government cutbacks and
homeless issues.

The city, its police department and the Vancouver Island Health Authority
earlier this month launched a downtown action plan to tackle the core's
social ills.

Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe also wants to get business, service providers and
community associations involved.

"My only concern is we can only do so much with enforcement until the other
parts of our strategy (are in place)," Lowe said. "Until then we are no
better off."

Police Insp. Bill Naughton said as of Wednesday bike, foot and vehicle
patrols had nabbed 45 people downtown for trafficking, 17 for possession
for the purpose of trafficking and 38 for possession of drugs.

As well, 37 people were arrested for breaching a court order, 50 for
outstanding warrants as well as more than a dozen offences such as theft or
obstruction of justice. Five prostitutes and six johns were also busted.
Police also issued 50 tickets for infractions such as cycling without a helmet.

The current drug task force, which consists of 20 members, is so far only a
temporary move though it will be evaluated after a few months on whether it
should become permanent.

Still, drug dealers are getting the message, Naughton said.

But the downside of successfully chasing drug activity off downtown streets
is that the addicts and dealers will move indoors or to other parts of
town. Police have strategies for that but other parts of the downtown
action plan will help when it fully kicks in, he said.

The health authority has improved the flow of psychiatric patients through
Royal Jubilee Hospital emergency and added more hours for which it is
staffed by a psychiatric nurse, spokeswoman Shelby Chamberlain said. The
health authority deals with mental illness and addiction under the same
umbrella.

As well, young detox is now funded for around the clock care rather than
the 17 days a month it was previously.

Also, the health authority has struck an implementation committee,
including groups such as the Open Door and Cool Aid, to look at
establishing a sobering centre as an alternative to the police drunk tank.
But so far it has yet to get any new social workers on the streets.

Regardless, downtown business is happy there are fewer drug dealers and
other desirables on their streets.

"That is what we have heard that there has been an improvement," Greater
Victoria Chamber of Commerce spokeswoman Laurene Clark said. "As soon as we
see the improvement in the downtown we will see more people coming downtown."

Denyce Burrows, owner of Old Fashioned Flowers and Gifts, was instrumental
in drawing attention to downtown when she complained about drug activities
in the adjacent Johnson Street parkade. "I'm sure it's getting better," she
said.

However, there are still too many transients, such as panhandlers, on the
street, she said. She and others want to launch a campaign to get people to
stop giving to panhandlers.