Developments in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside reveal gentrification for what it is: a form of structural violence.
DTES
The verdict is in: Insite saves lives
The verdict is in: Insite saves lives. A study by UBC scientists at the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS adds to the collection of data already showing that North America's first medically supervised safer injection facility saves lives and money.
The study, published last month in the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet, concludes that the opening of Insite in 2003 was associated with a 35 per cent reduction in overdose deaths in the neighbourhood surrounding the facility. This reduction translates into real lives saved at no expense whatsoever to the federal government.
Survival, strength, sisterhood: The women of the Downtown Eastside
Today: 20th Annual DTES Womens Memorial March for Missing and Murdered Women in Vancouver
Related rabble.ca story:
Groups petition for limited spots in Missing Women Commission
The Missing Women Commission of Inquiry held hearings in Vancouver on Monday to determine which groups and individuals should be granted standing at the Inquiry, which will begin later this year.
Commissioner Wally Oppal began the proceedings by addressing a roomful of lawyers who represented victims' family members, women's rights advocates, aboriginal leaders, and other interest groups seeking standing.
In his opening remarks, Oppal explained that the government of B.C. established the Commission of Inquiry in September 2010 to answer questions raised during the Robert William Pickton trial.
Vancouver city hall cancels hearing, vote in support of higher density rezoning in DTES
Vancouver City Council voted Thursday to postpone hearings on the controversial Historic Heights Report which would have recommended higher density zoning for the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown.
The hearing, scheduled for 2 pm Thursday afternoon, would have allowed Council to hear reactions from affected groups and residents of the communities concerned.
Councillor Andrea Reimer told reporters in front of Council Chambers that they were postponing hearings and a vote on DTES rezoning for higher density in order to conduct social and economic impact studies first. The portion of the report that makes recommendations for zoning in Chinatown will be brought before council at a later date, perhaps in February.
Moving on up: Gentrification in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
In the poorest urban neighbourhood in Canada, Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES), gentrification has been on the move for decades. Plotting these new developments on a map of the DTES and walking along the now unfamiliar streets reveals gentrification for what it is: a form of structural violence.
Upcoming Women's Memorial March: A time for remembering, grieving and seeking answers
Violence against Indigenous women implicates all people who make their home in today's "Canada." According to the Native Women's Association of Canada's (NWAC) 2010 report, there are over 600 missing and murdered Indigenous women in "Canada." Of these deaths, nearly half of the murder cases remain unsolved. NWAC's report also indicates that Indigenous women are five times more likely to be murdered than other women in Canada. Rates of violence against Indigenous women are highest in British Columbia, with 28 per cent of the cases of missing and murdered women occurring here.
