STREET ISSUES FORCE STRUCK BY MAYOR

Lowe Calls Task Force A "Turning Point" In Dealing With Mental
Illness, Addiction And Street Crime

To most seasoned journalists, the term task force is a euphemism for
"nothing is happening."

But Victoria Mayor Alan Lowe says that's not the case with his
recently announced Task Force on Breaking the Cycle of Mental Illness,
Addictions and Homelessness in Our Community.

"This is not just another study," Lowe promised during a well-attended
press conference at city hall Thursday. "This is an action plan that
will help us reconfigure our services and deliver them in a more
cost-effective way."

Chaired by Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe, the task force will consist
of three "teams" -- an expert panel, a gap analysis team and a
steering committee -- that has been given a 120-day mandate to
recommend a service model and business plan for addressing Victoria's
street issues

The expert panel, chaired by B.C.'s chief medical health officer Dr.
Perry Kendall, is charged with recommending a service model and
business plan for addressing Victoria's street issues.

"We have some of the best researchers and service delivery analysts
and I'm confident our role will be an important benchmark for the task
force," Kendall said.

The gap analysis team has been asked to provide inventory and cost
estimates of existing services, along with a business plan to finance
the recommended model.

The steering committee will oversee the preparation and review of the
recommendations. Its members include Kendall, Thornton-Joe, Victoria
police Chief Paul Battershill, city manager Penny Ballantyne, Bay
Centre manager Darlene Hollstein and Prostitutes' Empowerment,
Education and Resource Society executive director Jody Paterson.

Lowe has given the task force 120 days to report back with its
findings.

While that work is being done, police have agreed to increase their
contingent of downtown beat and bike patrol officers to 18 from 10.

Police chief Paul Battershill said the stepped up enforcement "needs
to be focused on the chronic repeat offenders."

In his opening remarks, Lowe called the task force "a definitive
turning point" in the community's efforts to tackle the "complex and
often interrelated issues of mental illness, addiction and
homelessness."

Since the task force is made up of volunteers, it's "not going to cost
us anything right now," Lowe said.

Afterward, Lowe said the task force wasn't a priority earlier in his
term because the city was preoccupied with increasing emergency
shelter beds and building more affordable housing.