HEALTH BOARD'S RABBLE-ROUSING SOCIAL CONSCIENCE NOT GIVING UP

Bud Osborn can be his own worst enemy. But he is also a compelling,
articulate voice for many of those in need.

Bud Osborn is a pain in the bureaucracy.

The American-born Downtown Eastside poet, rabble-rouser, musician,
ex-addict-turned-advocate and Wilde look-alike sits on the
Vancouver/Richmond Health Board.

But they'd like to kick him off.

Osborn is a long-haired, leather-clad social conscience with a megaphone.
His incessant Byronic clamour on behalf of the city's most-wretchedly drug
dependent has so annoyed the New Democratic Party government and its
surrogates on the board that both are trying to shut him up.

In Victoria, they believe his criticism of government policy is
exacerbating the self-inflicted damage the NDP administration has suffered
in recent months. Cabinet ministers took pains to impress their displeasure
upon Osborn during a trip he made to Victoria last month to lobby for more
addiction treatment services and measures to stem the appalling number of
overdose deaths.

Their command was to zipper it and start toeing the party's line: "We're
the only friends you've got."

Last week, Osborn got the same message from the powers that be on the
regional health board: "You'd make a better advocate if you weren't on the
board."

While taken aback, Osborn told me he has no intention of quitting,
especially since he is vehemently critical of the region's administrative
staff and its priorities.

"I think what [community health services vice-president] Jack Altman is
doing is dreadful," Osborn said.

This clash has been coming for some months, ever since regional staff
mounted stiff opposition to the safe-fixing sites Osborn believes are
essential to reduce the overdose deaths.

Altman maintained that to open safe injection sites without a major
expansion of alcohol and drug treatment services would be "really
ludicrous." (A position supported by many others, including European
specialists who pioneered such harm-reduction measures.)

And earlier this year Osborn and other activists hammered regional staff
for their response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Vancouver after an
independent review found the board, which declared a public health
emergency, failed to mobilize resources appropriately.

Altman, however, defended the region's response and maintained the HIV/AIDS
problem is not a classic health emergency where ready solutions such as
vaccines are available.

The nastiest tangle between Osborn and Altman occurred over funding for the
Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, a group of 200 or so addicts.

Formed in 1997, VANDU began receiving public funding last year and operates
from an office provided by the Lookout Emergency Aid Society's Powell
Street building. VANDU, whose coordinator is Osborn's close friend Ann
Livingston, received nearly $100,000 from the health board in 1998 through
Lookout.

In the past year, VANDU formed a non-profit society (its aim is to "develop
a network of informed and empowered people who can work together to ensure
that public policies and practices are favourable to those who use illicit
drugs"), and this spring asked the health board directly for more than
$200,000.

Needless to say, the regional health staff balked at giving a huge whack of
tax money to such a controversial new group without financial controls.

After the subsequent back-room brawl, Livingston said it was agreed VANDU
would receive about $120,000 this year funnelled through the established
Portland Hotel Society. The money will pay for Livingston, an outreach
worker (one of the addicts), food and bus fare for those who attend
meetings, education, rent and miscellaneous expenses.

I thought it was clear from the bitterness of that squabble that the
relationship between Osborn and health board staff, particularly Altman,
was poisoned. Still, I don't think that's reason to punt him.

Osborn is a hard guy to deal with, and he can be his own worst enemy, yet
he brings an important perspective to the discussions about how to
resuscitate the inner city.

He doesn't speak for everybody, but he is a compelling articulate voice for
many of those in need.

And that is rare.