WOULD-BE MAYORS GO HEAD TO HEAD

Candidates Clash Over Supervised Injection Sites

Vision Vancouver mayoral candidate Gregor Robertson favours opening
more supervised injection sites in the city.

NPA mayoral nominee Peter Ladner does not.

The difference in opinion surfaced Wednesday night at the first
public debate between the rivals. Organized by Langara College and
held at the main branch of the public library, the contest attracted
more than 300 people.

"I think there is a place for more injection sites," said Robertson,
in response to a question from Courier panelist Mark Hasiuk. "I think
we need to be responsive to the demand that's out there, we need to
be saving lives wherever we can."

Robertson said the city could "try different formats, depending on
the part of the city we're in and what the demand is." He said dozens
of peer-reviewed studies on the Insite drug injection site on East
Hastings show the facility to be a "remarkable success."

Robertson said the city must also focus on treating addicts and
educating people not to use drugs. He added that the city has to get
"really serious about education and prevention" in schools and
throughout the city. Ladner said he is a supporter of Insite and has
visited the site several times to speak to the operators, clients and
police about the facility's purpose. He said he knows there are mixed
feelings about Insite but he believes it has a function in reducing disease.

"It was originally, remember, set up to stop the rampant transmission
of AIDS and hepatitis in that area, and it's had some successes
there," Ladner said. "It's also been successful in referring people
to treatment, but unfortunately there isn't enough treatment around."

Ladner pointed out that addicts who use the site only use it for
"about 10 per cent of daily fixes." So it has a very limited impact
on having trained staff supervise every injection in the city.

"To think that you could somehow use that model all over the city, I
don't get it," he said. "I don't see how that would work. I think
that our next spending priority, if we want to be really serious
about dealing with drug problems, is spend more money on treatment."

The views of both candidates were met with applause. Ladner and
Robertson had their supporters in the audience, including their
wives, councillors and candidates from both parties. Both leaders
agreed ending homelessness was a top priority, with Ladner
emphasizing the importance of working with senior levels of
government to build housing. He noted that under the NPA-dominated
council, 3,800 housing units are being built or in planning.

"This is something the mayor cannot do by himself," he said, before
taking a jab at Robertson, the former NDP MLA for Vancouver-Fairview.
"In fact, if Gregor was really serious about solving homelessness, he
would stay in Victoria and get the provincial government on the case."

In response, Robertson said ending homelessness is what propelled him
to leave his MLA's job and run for mayor. Although the provincial
government has direct responsibility to deal with the city's "health
care and housing crisis," he said the city has to lead the charge.

"When the waters were rising in New Orleans, do you think the mayor
of New Orleans kept saying, 'This is a federal problem, this is a
provincial problem? We're going to wait for the province and the feds
to show up and fix this one?' It doesn't really work that way."

Robertson said the city has seen an increase in homelessness under
the NPA-dominated council. He cited successive provincial governments
closing down Riverview Hospital for mental health patients, the
federal government's inaction on a housing program and an ineffective
drug policy as contributing factors. Although Robertson agreed the
city has to forge relationships with senior levels of government to
end homelessness, he said the city has to have "a bit of on edge" to
those relationships with governments.

"It mortifies me that we're going into another winter right now with
the problem continuing to get worse, despite all the stats and the
numbers and all the rose-coloured glasses about how we've turned the
corner, it's not getting better yet. It won't get better until the
mayor of Vancouver is 100 per cent committed to solving homelessness."

Both agreed there needs to be affordable housing in the city.
Robertson said the city should also consider "workforce housing" for
police officers, firefighters and health care workers. He noted many
people working in those areas live outside of Vancouver.

"If the proverbial doo-doo hits the fan in Vancouver, all of our
emergency workers live out in the valley and have to get in here,"
Robertson said. "We're going to be in a big problem."

The most commonly referred definition of "affordable housing" is that
the tenant is paying less than 30 per cent of his or her income
towards the house. Ladner said he's spoken to an architect on the
West Side who can build a 560 square foot house in a homeowner's
backyard-defined as laneway housing-for $150,000.

"I'll take it," shouted one audience member.

Ladner suggested the city consider zoning areas around SkyTrain
stations to allow highrises. He said the transit hub at Broadway and
Commercial is the busiest in the province. Yet the homes around that
area are in low-rise buildings. On the topic of Project Civil
City-which is an NPA initiative to reduce the open drug market,
homelessness and aggressive panhandling by 50 per cent by 2010-Ladner
admitted, "I don't think we've done a great job there and I think
there's more that has to be done."

If Vision Vancouver is elected to a majority on council, the party is
on record as wanting to eliminate the job of civil city commissioner
Geoff Plant. The party contends the money would be better directed in
areas such as community policing centres. In the last question of the
night from panelist Frances Bula, Robertson was asked how he would
lead city hall with no municipal government experience. Robertson
took a jab at NPA Mayor Sam Sullivan in his answer.

"If experience was the ultimate qualification for being a good
leader, then Sam Sullivan's dozen years as a city councillor would
have led to a fantastic three years at city hall," he said.

Robertson cited his experience as a small businessman (he co-founded
Happy Planet Juice company) and his service as the NDP MLA for
Vancouver-Fairview, where he worked with Cambie merchants affected by
Canada Line construction. When Ladner was asked about the difference
between him and Sullivan, whom Ladner beat in a leadership battle in
June, he said, "I'm running for mayor and he's not. So I think the
focus has to be on how I'm different from Gregor. That's the choice."

The Courier is hosting another debate Wednesday, Oct. 8 between
Ladner and Robertson at Science World. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the
debate beginning at 7:30. Seating is first come, first served.