HOTEL NOT ALL ITS CRACKED UP TO BE

Thomas McEvoy Holds Dozens Of Letters Praising His Work In The
Neighbourhood.

Downtown Eastside hotel owner Thomas McEvoy is furious the city has
revoked his business licence, despite dozens of letters of support
from current and past tenants supporting his reputation and work in
the neighbourhood.

"This is not the most violent hotel in the area, it's not the only one
where dealers live," said McEvoy, who in 1998 was given a police
commendation for helping stop a robbery. McEvoy said he also tries to
get tenants off drugs. Tenants pay $390 a month to stay at the12-room
hotel at 566A Powell St., although McEvoy often offers free rooms to
people in need. The hotel, which has no name, is owned by Harmack
Enterprises.

"I actually care about the people living in my hotel and I help where
I can," he said.

Police and city staff paint another picture of McEvoy, claiming he has
become a crack addict over the past eight months and the hotel has
become rundown since McEvoy's business partner died in 2002.

Coun. Sam Sullivan, who sits on the city's business licence review
panel that revoked the hotel's licence, said it became apparent at
last Thursday's hearing that McEvoy was at one time a hero of the
Downtown Eastside community. "At one time he was a good manager, then
his partner, Leah, passed away. He got into addiction and depression
and it's ended up quite a bad operation," said Sullivan, who drove
past the hotel last week and was approached by two Vietnamese drug
dealers.

"I know in some of the letters they called him a hero. I was
struggling with that, but I couldn't reject the idea that this guy was
causing a lot of problems for the last eight months. It's a real
tragedy that this guy that used to be the best manager in the whole
area has now become one of them."

Sullivan said his support for McEvoy also wavered when the hotel owner
fell asleep during Thursday's hearing and needed to go to the bathroom
several times. When the Courier went to visit the hotel on Monday, a
sick looking girl outside the hotel in a dirty white hoody whispered,
"Six up."

She then called out a little louder, "Six up," before turning quickly
and wandering away.

The "six up" call was to warn that police were inside the upstairs
rooms of the hotel. Locals are sometimes paid to stay on the street
and warn any potential drug buyers not to go into a certain hotel if
it is being raided.

McEvoy, who lives in one of the hotel rooms, was standing in the back
lane behind the hotel while the police completed their search. McEvoy
took full ownership of the property in January 2002, after his
long-time partner died. She handled the books and he handled the
tenants, many of whom McEvoy admits use and deal crack cocaine.

McEvoy said he had a relationship with police, where they would not
raid the hotel, despite knowing that it housed drug dealers.

However, eight months ago city inspectors began assessing the building
and found it breached fire and safety codes. The police raided it and
found drugs and knives.

As part of his defence submission before the business licence review
panel hearing, McEvoy tendered 37 hand-written letters from current
and past tenants, attesting to his character and compassion.

City staff countered with a statement from police that McEvoy was
caught smoking crack during a police raid and that the premises had
been going downhill for the past eight months.

McEvoy, who appeared tired and weak during an interview, denied he
smokes crack or has a crack problem, although people do sometimes
smoke crack in his room. "They tried to make me look like a bad
person, but all the letters I had say what a great job I've done."

Barb Windsor, the city's deputy chief licence inspector, said the city
will relocate hotel tenants, including any women that are currently
living there for free and are not on welfare.

Windsor said the police and city have encouraged McEvoy to seek help
and will be monitoring the property to ensure it does not become a
flophouse or crack-house.