This is the 13th in the series of reports “Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside: Past and Present.” The Downtown Eastside is a neighbourhood with severe issues, amongst them, poverty, homelessness and drug overdose, all of which have intensified with the pandemic.

The week before last, Emma Gregory and I walked the streets of the Downtown Eastside and interviewed a number of people.

We noticed Moms Stop the Harm from across the street. Maybe it was the matching T-shirts, or maybe because they aren’t from the area. They were downtown that day because the opioid crisis killed their children. They came from all over the Lower Mainland to protest the current health policy, which, they say, doesn’t see the facts for what they are. Addicts have a disease, they say, and should be treated with care.

Each day this week, we’ll publish another of these interviews.

Watch the full series here.

Jase Tanner has worked in the film industry for 30 years where he frequently serves as a shop steward. During this time he’s been active in social justice issues and has produced a handful of short, web-based documentaries.

Emma Gregory recently graduated the Langara journalism program. She is interested in animals, agriculture, power dynamics, and the difference between free trade and fair trade. She believes that she is being spied on by her computer, but only for the mundane purpose of market research.