Keeping Safe on Public Transit

Are the transit police around enough to make people feel safe?

Whenever I need to go downtown I like to take the bus. It's relatively on time, I can spend the time reading, and it takes away the hassle of driving and paying for parking.

Taking the bus back home though is another issue; usually there are drug-addicted homeless people who just get on without paying. Some keep to themselves, but others make you feel unsafe. 

Like yesterday.

I got on the bus around 3.30pm and immediately could feel something was wrong. At the back of the bus all by himself was a guy struggling to get a yellow hoodie on, but because he was not sober, he didn't realise he had put his head in the hood. 

Buses are great for getting downtown

After I sat down, he shouted several times that it was cold and someone needed to close the window.

Except nobody answered him.

Luckily at the next stop three transit police got onboard and in a friendly tone tried to persuade the guy to get off the bus. He still struggled with his hoodie for a few more minutes and then one of the transit police decided time was up, as the rest of us were waiting, and he had to be removed.

The rest of us stood or sat there in silence, staring at the situation unfolding. The guy was completely dishevelled, he had blood on his forehead and face, was bare chested and his pants hanging loosely over his hips. 

We were relieved when they escorted him off the bus and he sat in the bus shelter. 

But then the transit police noted there was blood stains on the floor. The bus driver announced to passengers the bus would cross the Granville Street Bridge and then let everyone off because the vehicle would be out of commission (to be cleaned up).

The transit police only work at the Granville and Georgia stop. Sometimes they come on board to make sure everyone has paid the fare, or in this case, remove someone who is causing a disturbance.

While I appreciate the transit police being there, could they not be stationed in the Downtown Eastside and Chinatown to deter these people from getting on the bus in the first place? It would make things safer for everyone, the drivers and passengers.

I have sent the suggestion to Translink and am waiting to hear back...

Public transit should not be an uncomfortable ride for anyone.

The Ongoing Challenges Downtown and Chinatown

Unusual to see a blue lion on display

Yesterday and today was the 22nd Chinatown Festival, with a mix of performances, food trucks, painting, calligraphy and Asian-related products out in 26-degree heat.

I got there this afternoon by bus and the ride was fine until we got downtown at the stop for Cordova and Homer when a disheveled passenger with mental issues had an argument with the bus driver over the route he was taking.

Giant mahjong, anyone?

The passenger didn't understand the route was correct and that it would eventually get to Hastings and Renfrew, but kept claiming the driver was going the wrong way. 

Thankfully the driver kept his cool and patiently waited for the man to collect his belongings and get off the bus, while other passengers murmured for him to stop wasting others' time. Luckily there was no incident, but there was the potential something could have happened. 

After getting off the bus at the next stop, Cordova and Carrall, I had to navigate blocks of homeless people and their belongings, and the putrid smells of urine and old sweat to get to a contrasting bright and cheery area of Chinatown. People were there to have a good time and police officers were also there to keep the peace.

A topless homeless man was hanging out on a grassy area until two officers came up to him and asked him to put on a shirt and move along. While he didn't provoke anyone, it was discomforting to see him there.

The Vancouver Chinatown Business Improvement Association is trying hard to encourage people to come to the area to patronise shops and restaurants, but it's hard when there are drug addicts and homeless people wandering about, making people feel unsafe.

People curious about rice whisky

Wandering around the small bazaar was trouble-free after that. I visited the stalls of entrepreneurs I had written about before and was pleased to see they had a steady stream of customers. One sells various chilli oils made with local duck oil; another makes rice whisky as well as other products like ginger wine, honey wine and rice wine. 

While it was good to see a decent crowd of people there, interested in seeing traditional Chinese culture demonstrations and try some food and drinks, these festivals are only twice a year. But there is no definitive solution to the problems in the downtown east side and Chinatown, which is why they continue to fester and accumulate into bigger issues that cost more money and effort to solve... 

Chinatown Festival Ends with Stabbings

The stabbings occurred near this stage at Keefer and Columbia

"Light Up Chinatown" was meant to be an open invitation for people to come to the neighbourhood and patronise the shops and restaurants in the run up to the Mid-Autumn Festival at the end of this month.

However, just as the two-day event was wrapping up, before 6pm, a 64-year-old man suddenly stabbed three people near the stage at the intersection of Keefer and Columbia streets.

The victims, a couple in their 60s and a young woman in her 20s were given immediate care and sent to hospital, while the police -- who were providing security for the event -- interviewed witnesses for a description of the assailant and soon after arrested the man, Blair Evan Donnelly nearby in the Downtown Eastside.

Police arrested the attacker, no known motive

It turns out he was on a day pass from a local psychiatric facility. In 2006 he had killed his 16-year-old daughter in Kitimat. He was charged with second-degree murder, but was found not guilty in January 2008 because of a mental disorder and was sent to Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam.

Yesterday he was charged with three counts of aggravated assault.

It was shocking to hear the news and that the perpetrator has a mental illness. 

Carol Lee, the chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation was around 20 feet away from where the attacks happened and was devastated by the horrific incident.

"I think if you were close by, it's a traumatic thing to see somebody at a community event, just an innocent bystander, getting stabbed," she said.

Lee broke down during the press conference, describing the attacks as feeling "very personal. We've worked very hard to put this festival and the community together to celebrate all the progress that we have made."

Lee in tears during press conference

Revitalising and making Chinatown safe has been a priority for Mayor Ken Sim, who said in a press release that the "senseless violence is heartbreaking."

"We will not allow this senseless act of violence to disrupt celebrations of all that makes our city great, and we will work each and every day to ensure Vancouver is a place where people can live, work, and thrive in a safe environment."

To that end it was a surprise to see a lot of police officers in Chinatown today. At lunchtime, four of them patronised the same cha chaan teng as us, with two police cars parked in front. Afterwards we saw two cops patrolling the streets.

It was reassuring to see them around to give a sense of security... though they need to be around more often to really give people peace of mind and feel safe in the area.

Developer Proposes Luxury Condos in Chinatown

The empty site sits next to Chinatown Memorial Plaza (front)

Vancouver's Chinatown is fiercely divided over what should be built on 105 Keefer Street, a plot of land that was a parking lot for many years. It is next to Chinatown Memorial Plaza, which pays tribute to the Chinese workers who built the Canadian Pacific Railway, and Chinese-Canadian soldiers who fought for Canada in World War II.

The plot of land was bought by developer Beedie Holdings in 2013 and the following year its subsidiary Beedie Living proposed a tall building of luxury condos which would dwarf the memorial next to it, and the Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden nearby.

The building plan will be discussed on Monday

Three years later the Chinatown community joined together to oppose the mixed-use, slightly shorter building proposal, even though it included a seniors centre and underground parking. After listening to hours of comments from the public, the plan was resoundingly rejected by city hall.

On Monday a revised proposal is back in front of city hall, but this time the community is divided into two camps, one all for it, the other against.

Those for it, including seven business organisations, say now that the Covid-19 pandemic is over, Chinatown is barely hanging on economically, and believe construction of these 111 luxury condo units will help revive the neighbourhood. 

Some of the groups for the plan include the Chinatown Business Improvement Association, Chinese Benevolent Association of Vancouver, Chinese Freemasons of Vancouver, Chinese Cultural Center of Greater Vancouver, and Vancouver Chinatown Foundation.

However, those who oppose it say luxury condos don't fit into this area, where most of the residents are seniors living on pensions. They would like to see social housing on the site and culturally appropriate programming as well as architecture to integrate the building into the neighbourhood.

Seniors oppose the latest proposal from Beedie

One senior interviewed felt the voices of the elderly were being ignored and instead the government was more interested in development, leaving these vulnerable people behind. They are barely subsisting as it is financially and feel the new condos will push them out. 

Meanwhile legacy businesses like Kent's Kitchen which offered cheap food, are closing, resulting in seniors becoming even more food insecure.

A few hundred people showed up at a rally on Thursday afternoon next to the site opposing the plan, while those for it believe people living in these luxury condos will patronise the area's businesses, thus keeping them afloat.

But who will want to live in a luxury condo in Chinatown which is right next to the Downtown Eastside? It's not exactly a desired location. Affordable housing would be a better solution, but perhaps Beedie's patience has worn out and wants to recoup its costs as soon as possible.

Vancouver's Downtown Eastside Cleared Out

Police officers standing by as the streets were cleaned up

This morning people who reside on the streets of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside got a rude wake-up call -- pack up and leave -- now.

The city suddenly announced it would be clearing what is described as an encampment of some 80 people, with city workers clearing out several blocks along East Hastings Street and Chinatown next door, with police officers standing by. One hundred and forty people were involved in the operation.

Conveniently the city's cameras that monitor the area were not working while the clean-up occurred, and media rushed to the scene to document the situation. Tents, tarps, mattresses, clothing, and other detritus were thrown into waiting garbage trucks.

Some 80 tents, stuff were removed from sidewalks

Two days earlier homeless advocates got hold of a document from the city and leaked it to the media, as it said municipal officials were moving ahead to clear the area that has been occupied for years by homeless people.

At around 9.08am, city sanitation workers began removing the 80 or so tents that remained in the area -- there had been a few hundred months earlier. In the last eight months there have been 400 fires set in the downtown east side and Chinatown by homeless people cooking or staying warm in tents, and four people injured. 

In July the fire chief declared the area a fire hazard, but stopped short of sweeping the area clean at that time.

While homeless people had mere minutes to pick up all their belongings and leave the area this morning, their advocates complained these people had no where to go and would be back, that it was not fair to remove them now when there wasn't adequate housing. 

The encampment used to stretch for blocks

When asked by reporters where they would go, the homeless people had no idea, only knowing that they were not wanted in the area, but they would be back, and about a dozen or so did return later in the day.

Although it is good to finally have the place cleaned up -- no more tents, stuff, and human faeces strewn on the sidewalks, where are these homeless people going to go? The notorious single-room occupancy suites known as SROs are uninhabitable with bugs and rats, but at the same time drug-addicted people cannot properly look after themselves either. 

They say they feel safer on the streets, but there have been more assaults, particularly on women.

It's a never-ending cycle that needs to be stopped somehow, but there are no simple solutions, except for more support for treatment when someone wants to withdraw from drugs and finding decent housing for them.

While businesses around Chinatown are breathing a sigh of relief today, the homeless population will be back, and there will probably be another sweep. All levels of government have been sitting on this problem for decades and not done enough to effectively tackle it. 

It's time for a concerted effort. The city has started the clean-up, who will step up next?

Feds Inject $1.8M to Beautify Vancouver's Chinatown

When will the crowds return to Chinatown, not just for CNY?

After Vancouver's mayor announced the city will spend CAD$2.1 million to clean up Chinatown, which has deteriorated in recent years with vandalism, graffiti and homeless people as well as drug addicts hanging out in front of businesses, the federal government is pitching in to beautify the neighbourhood.

Today Harjit Saijan, minister responsible for the Pacific economic development agency of Canada pledged CAD$1.8 million to fix up shop fronts with signage and awnings, add planters and flower boxes, install energy-efficient lighting, and modernise buildings such as the Chinese Cultural Centre, The Chinatown Storytelling Centre and Dr Sun Yat-Sen Classical Gardens.

Lee (left) talks to Saijan at announcement today

About CAD$500,000 of the money will also be plowed into the Light Up Chinatown festival held in September that will bring 50 new jobs. 

Carol Lee, chair of the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, says the federal funding marks a "turning point for the neighbourhood," but notes that though it is a step in the right direction, it is "not the solution."

"There has been a significant increase in graffiti and vandalism, a steep rise in anti-Asian racism, random attacks on our seniors, [and] a rise in property crime, which has made Chinatown a place that people no longer feel safe to come to," Lee said.

She added the financial injection by the federal and municipal governments provide the basis for a "renewed economic vitality,"

The foundation applied for and was granted the funding through the federal government's PacifiCan Tourism Fund, which launched in the summer of 2021 and provides CAD$500 million over two years to help tourism businesses and organisations.

Liu hopes more will be done to help Chinatown

For William Liu of Kam Wai Dim Sum, the help can't come soon enough. "We are struggling and fighting for our lives," he says. 

"I understand the direction they are going, but it's just not enough for us. We really need a lot more support at this point. There are still a lot of people living on the streets that we really need help with."

Joey Wong of Dollar Meat Store, which has been around for over 50 years, echoes in agreement. "We do need a lot more help in say helping the legacy businesses, or even opening up new shops in Chinatown."

While these businesses appreciate the governments' help, they hope it's just the beginning of Chinatown's revival.

Although it's good to get the money to clean up the neighbourhood and beautify it, what about tackling the real issue next door in the Downtown Eastside -- the homeless and drug addiction issue that's spilling over into Chinatown?

Graffiti is one of several issues in Chinatown

Who is going to roll up their sleeves and really fix this problem that has been left to fester for decades with more and more dangerous drugs like opioids?

Until that happens, Chinatown will continue to be subjected to vandalism, crime, graffiti, while faeces, urine and dirty needles are strewn on sidewalks despite the regular cleanups. New planters, signage and awnings are just going to be destroyed over and over again.

Vancouver's First Chinese-Canadian Mayor

Sim giving his inaugural speech at The Orpheum today

Quite amazing to witness history -- Vancouver having its first person of colour -- a Chinese-Canadian -- sworn in as the Mayor.

Ken Sim wanted this four years ago, was narrowly beaten by Kennedy Stewart, and in that time Sim has plotted to win last month's election -- which he won handily.

He also has seven other city councillors, some of them seasoned politicians to have a comfortable majority in City Hall. Will that help him get things done? His voters certainly hope so.

Ten councillors took their oath of office as well

The inauguration was held at The Orpheum, which holds some 2,700 people, though not sure if the balcony seats were filled. 

It was a long ceremony that included three leaders from the Musqueam Indian Band, Squamish Nation, and Tsleil-Wauthuth Nation, and a fully integrated speech from five religious leaders -- Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Hindu and Muslim who spoke a few words constantly rotating.

When it came down to it, Sim flubbed one of the lines of his oath, but everyone in the audience was there to cheer him on. The atmosphere in the auditorium was that of optimism and hope, because as he says so himself: "You can't lose if you don't give up".

His inaugural speech was a basic repeat of his victory speech a few weeks ago, reiterating how 135 years after the government imposed the Chinese head tax, Vancouver now had the first Chinese-Canadian mayor.

Sim again thanked his predecessors, "standing on their shoulders" to get to where he is today, including David Lam, Douglas Jung, B.C. Lee, Sophia Leung and Kerry Jang.

Honourable Judge Mah administers oath of office

He also set the tone for co-operation with other councillors as well as other branches of government, and critics of his ABC Vancouver party. There were already protests yesterday in the Downtown Eastside calling for more to be done to house the homeless.

That will be one of his first orders of office, fulfilling his promise of dealing with that as well as crime and drugs in the city by hiring 100 police officers and 100 mental health nurses. After the ceremony, Sim acknowledged this cannot be achieved without federal and provincial funding. But media were still wondering where he is going to get all these people from...

Nevertheless Sim promises to work on this and many other issues in his four years in office and his 100 days in office starts next Monday.