8.2 Description Of The Initiative

By 1997, when the Vancouver Richmond Health Board asked that a public health emergency be declared in the DTES, the area was experiencing significant economic and physical decline, a great influx of a transient population, extremely high rates of drug-related activity and epidemics of HIV and hepatitis C. This led to the announcement by the federal Minister of Health of an emergency contribution of $1 million, and the beginning of the negotiation of the Vancouver Agreement among the federal government, the province and the City of Vancouver.

The five-year Agreement was negotiated during the period from 1997 to 1999, debated during public and community fora during the fall of 1999 and announced jointly in late 1999. It is structured as an urban development agreement, based on models developed by Western Economic Diversification in other western cities. It was officially signed by all three levels of government in March 2000, with an announcement of the timetable for major initiatives within the Agreement following in September 2000.

In response to public consultations as well its partners' analyses of the problems in the DTES, a structure was created for the Agreement that supported the intersectoral development of initiatives addressing specific concerns. There are two formally struck committees: the Policy Committee, consisting of the Mayor of Vancouver, the Minister of Community Development, cooperatives, volunteers and the Minister of State for Multiculturalism and Status of Women; and the Management Committee, composed of three senior management officials for each government. They are supported by a Working Group, with senior staff from relevant departments in each level of government. These Committees are supported in turn by committees in each of the three main component areas of the Agreement: Health and Safety (with Primary Health Care/Comprehensive Substance Misuse and Safety and Justice Sub-committees), Community Capacity-building, and Social and Economic Development (with Social and Economic, Employment and Training and Housing Sub-committees). These Committees also have representation from all levels of government; chairmanships are divided among the governments.

The Vancouver Agreement involves major financial contributions from all levels of government, delivered mainly through the re-structuring or expansion of existing budgetary envelopes, programs and services. The nine major Vancouver Agreement initiatives announced in September 2000 are:

• establishment of a treatment centre with a range of substance misuse services to improve the accessibility and continuity of care

• expansion of existing treatment services, especially for previously underserved populations

• creation of a health resources centre for frontline referral, life skills and social support for street-involved drug and alcohol users

• redeployment of police officers

• improved police coordination with local agencies

• enhanced enforcement efforts for drug dealers

• physical redesign of the site of major illegal drug activity

• expanded street clean-up programs (graffiti, needle sweeps)

• new housing developments outside the DTES designed to attract DTES populations

• establishment of an economic development fund for organizations and businesses in the DTES.

The total value of these initiatives is $13.9 million. The implementation schedule estimates that the new physical location will be occupied by September 2001. The implementation of the other announced initiatives is proceeding according to the schedule imposed by the various types of negotiations and agreements involved. A number of additional initiatives not yet announced are also being readied.

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