MAYOR DOES DRIVE-BY, DECLARES MEAN STREETS 'IMPROVED'

The time and money sunk into cleaning up the Downtown Eastside are finally
paying dividends, says Mayor Philip Owen.

Owen said he recently drove through the area on a Saturday for about two
hours, after an absence of about a month, and noticed several improvements.

"I noticed less graffiti, less bad activity and less congregation around
Pigeon Park and the Carnegie Centre. It's not like it used to be and seems
like it's improved," said Owen at last week's Vancouver Police Board meeting.

The city, province and federal government have put enormous resources into
dealing with the area's drug and social problems over the past few years,
culminating with the Vancouver Agreement in 2000 and Mayor Owen's Framework
for Action-A Four Pillar Approach to Drug Problems in the Downtown Eastside
in 2001. The four pillars are enforcement, prevention, treatment and harm
reduction.

Last April, Owen was the first non-medical professional to win the
prestigious B.C. Provincial Health Officer Award for his efforts.

The city has established a Downtown Eastside Revitalization Program and a
$5-million Community Crime Prevention/Revitalization Project, backed by the
Vancouver Coalition for Crime Prevention and Drug Treatment.

A Downtown Eastside Economic Revitalization Strategy is underway and police
resources have been bolstered throughout the area. The city's engineering
department is also cleaning the sidewalks and gutters up to twice a day and
litter cans are emptied and roadways hosed down nightly. Lanes are being
hosed down six nights a week and a graffiti contractor is assigned to the area.

Insp. Ken Frail, the district commander responsible for the area, pointed
to several positive factors improving street conditions in the area,
including redesign of the streetscape outside the Carnegie Centre at Main
and Hastings streets, notorious for drug deals and drug use.

Frail said new security measures-including a buzzer at the front door-at
the Health Contact Centre in the old Roosevelt Hotel on East Hastings
Street have reduced crowds inside and outside the facility.

"It doesn't have a drop-in centre feel to it any more."

Insp. Al Niedener, commander of District 2, said policing in the area is
becoming more efficient, although he's concerned about how provincial and
federal government cutbacks will affect drug use and crime on the street.

"It seems right now there is only one of the four pillars [enforcement]
really working and the rest seem to be crumbling."