Yaletown overdose prevention site relocated

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Good morning,

You know those people who you’ve never met before, but then you immediately click like you’ve been friends for years? Well I’m hoping it’ll be like that for us. 

My name’s Nate Lewis and I’m a Lookout rookie, here for my first cup of coffee with the big club. Journalists say don’t make yourself the focus of attention, but I’m a firm believer that knowing a bit about an author’s background and perspectives helps me appreciate their work. 

I was born and raised in Vancouver and I’ve lived all over the city. I enjoy navigating around town, whether by bike, car, walking, or public transit, and appreciating all the little interactions along the way. I have a lovely dog named Sola, and, when I’m not writing, you can find us at a local dog park or hiking in the woods.

And now that you know a bit about me, let’s get into the latest on the Yaletown OPS and the region’s shrinking tree canopy.

– Nate Lewis, Vancity Lookout

Editor’s note: In Wednesday's edition, in one instance we referred to Vision Zero Vancouver as Vision Vancouver. The Lookout regrets the error.

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WEATHER

Friday: 14 🌡️ 5 | 🌤️ 

Saturday: 10 🌡️ 6 | 🌧️

Sunday: 12 🌡️ 5 | 🌧️

Monday: 9 🌡️ 7 | 🌧️

OPIOID CRISIS

Yaletown overdose prevention site relocated

What happened: Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) has relocated an overdose prevention site (OPS) after their lease expired last month, according to CBC. The OPS was moved from its controversial location in Yaletown to a nearby site in the downtown core, just off Nelson and Howe.

Mayor Ken Sim expressed his disappointment with the choice of new location, saying the city believed St. Paul’s Hospital was the appropriate site, adding they were not consulted on the OPS’s new location.

• “We look forward to learning more from Vancouver Coastal Health about how they plan to operate this site in a way that provides these important services while mitigating impacts on Vancouver neighbourhoods like Yaletown,” Sim said in a statement.

Background: The OPS site in Yaletown has been a point of controversy since it opened in March 2021. VCH’s three year lease was not renewed by the city due to public safety concerns and the congregation of people outside the building making it unsuitable, according to city councillors. 

Two nearby building owners attempted to bring a civil lawsuit against VCH and the city, saying the “use and quiet enjoyment of their homes” was being interfered with, CBC reported last year. 

Community action: Another person, disgruntled by the Yaletown OPS site, set up an anonymous social media account called Vancouver Seedy to post photos and videos of people on the sidewalk in front of the facility, tagging politicians and police in most of their posts. Whether this is an ethical or effective form of community action is debatable. 

Why it matters: The Yaletown location is directly across the street from the city-run Gathering Place Community Centre, which provides a range of supports to people who are low-income, homeless, or suffering from addiction.

• The City Centre neighbourhood has the second-highest number of overdose deaths and calls for ambulances and the second-highest number of toxic drug deaths in the Vancouver health region. 

The health authority said they’ve reversed more than 200 drug overdoses at the Yaletown site since 2021.

What’s next: The OPS has been moved from the Yaletown site, but visible drug use, homelessness, and episodes of mental illness remain common in the downtown core. VCH’s Mobile Overdose Prevention Unit has been operating outside the former OPS site in Yaletown in the past few days, with patients in the area to access their services.

• VCH has said they will support the new OPS site with security, sidewalk management, litter and needle sweeps, and community outreach team to assist their patients and people in the surrounding area.

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VANCOUVER NUMBERS

🎉 14: The number of advisors appointed to a new task force on Vancouver events. [City of Vancouver]

👶 13: The age of the driver who totalled a $300,000 Lamborghini in West Vancouver this week. [CTV News Vancouver]

🏘️ 23%: The increase in the number of Metro Vancouver houses for sale compared to last year. [Daily Hive]

ENVIRONMENT

Vancouver’s shrinking tree canopy

What happened: A Metro Vancouver report found that the region’s green spaces are shrinking, with a reduction of four per cent between 2014 and 2020. The report warns that the push to densify could come at the cost of Metro Vancouver’s green spaces and tree canopy, according to the Vancouver Sun.

Background: Increased growth in Vancouver and surrounding cities, spurred on by new provincial housing legislation will likely lead to a smaller tree canopy and an increase of impervious surfaces like concrete, the report found.

Why it matters: Our verdant environment is a prized asset in the Lower Mainland. The occasional imperilled tree will mobilize whole neighbourhoods to protect it from the chainsaw, with varied degrees of success. But as the region grows in human population, there is increasing momentum to build on undeveloped land. 

Other factors, like the knock-on effects of climate change, are damaging trees to the point that they need to be cut down for public safety — such as the roughly 180,000 trees recently cut down in Stanley Park, according to the West End Journal.

• There are also the cooling benefits to consider, which tree canopies and green space provide during the increasingly hot summer months. Both are indicators of how resilient communities may be to climate impacts, according to the report.

Yes, and: With the clear need to build new homes, maintaining a balanced urban ecosystem will be critical if the city is to combat increased warming, and be a place that’s comfortable to live.

THE AGENDA

🗳️ Last night in a hotly contested race, current Vancouver city councillor Christine Boyle beat former Vancouver city councillor Adrea Reimer to take the nomination for the BC NDP in the riding of Vancouver Little Mountain. Boyle was one of the strongest critics of Vancouver mayor Ken Sim. [CityNews]

🚫 A 49-year-old woman was found dead in South Vancouver on Wednesday morning, in what police are calling a “targeted incident.” This is one of at least four violent incidents in Vancouver this week, including two separate shootings downtown that left two dogs and a 46-year-old man injured. [City News]

🧹 The planned cleanup of CRAB Park’s designated sheltering area was completed this week. On Thursday, people “who had been sheltering there regularly” prior to the clean-up were allowed to return to the area. Residents say the process has “evoked fears about past decampments,” like the ones at Strathcona and Oppenheimer Park in previous years. [City News]

🤬 Vancouver’s housing market is now at “full-blown crisis levels,” according to a new report from RBC Bank. [CTV News Vancouver]

👋 Former Park Board GM Donnie Rosa is the newly appointed CEO of Atira Housing. An investigation released last year found the housing provider was involved in mismanagement, due to a conflict of interest between their former CEO and the former CEO of BC Housing. [The Tyee]

👮 The province is proposing changes to the Police Act. The new legislation would expand the powers of police watchdog agencies in BC. [CTV News Vancouver] 

🚘 Police are looking for the driver of a van involved in the early morning death of a 37-year-old woman near Kingsway and Victoria last week. “Investigators believe the people in this vehicle know what happened to this woman,” according to a police spokesperson. [Vancouver Sun]

📈 A new 20 percent provincial tax could be introduced on any home bought and resold within one year. The so-called flipping tax is aimed at curbing real estate speculation. [Vancouver Sun]

🏒 A Canucks win and an Oilers loss on Wednesday brings Vancouver that much closer to their first-ever Pacific Division title (they’ve been in and out of the Pacific since it was formed in 1993). The Canucks won the Northwest Division seven times from 2004 to 2013. [NHL Stats] 

🏍️ A motorcyclist filmed and uploaded a video of themselves driving across the Lions Gate Bridge at over 200 kilometers per hour while weaving in and out of traffic. [Vancouver is Awesome]

💸 A Yaletown spin studio shut down abruptly this week due to high rents. The company said this location lost money 17 out of the 18 months they were in operation. [Vancouver is Awesome]

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Review: An ode to pizza perfection at Gastronomy Gastown

How do you create a satisfying restaurant experience?

There’s obviously no definitive answer. I know, it’s a very broad question — maybe a touch too philosophical. 

So much goes into a restaurant. The decor. Colours. The layout of the bar versus the tables. How a place is lit. Cutlery and plate choice. An open or closed kitchen. What servers wear. The drink menu. The food menu. The ingredients.

It’s a never-ending list, an agonizing amount of time each owner and team must decide on, all built on constraints of money, space and time. Changing it after it’s done? Forget about it. Budgets are budgets. 

All of these thoughts bounded through my mind as I entered Gastronomy Gastown in February on a Wednesday evening.

To read this story and subscribe to our free food newsletter, click here.

EVENTS

Pottery Painting  | The Cider House | April 8, 7:30 pm | No experience is necessary — just bring your good self and they’ll provide all the materials you need. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned painter, this event is perfect for anyone looking to relax and have a good time | Tickets $70

Capture Photo Festival | Various locations | All April | Keep an eye out for the public art installations on Hastings and Glen, Davie and Bute, Fraser and 15th, the Arbutus Greenway between Burrard and Fir, in South Van’s River District, and other locations around town! | Free

Spring Market | 1739 Venables | April 6, 11 am-4 pm | Market with offerings from local makers, and opportunities to create some nature-based crafts, swap seeds, or buy some baked goods | Free

Carly Rae Jepsen Drag Brunch | R&B Ale and Pizza House | April 21, 10:30 am | Looking for a fabulously campy local drag show? Check this one out, hosted by Sleepy Queers Productions’ multi-talented performance artist Dust Cwaine.  | Tickets $20+

Month of O-Hanami | Various locations | Various weekends all month | Multiple events, including bonsai tree sales, tea ceremonies, showcases and the art of furoshiki | Tickets various prices 

Skoden Indigenous Film Festival | Djavid Mowafaghian Cinea | April 6-7 | Featuring films from Indigenous filmmakers, talent and artists | Schedule

Hockey Night in Chinatown | 168 East Pender St. Vancouver | April 6, 4 pm | Come here stories celebrating Chinese Canadians involved in hockey | Tickets $20

New Asian Street Food | Second Floor Bistro | April 6, 6 pm | A hands-on cooking experience, learn how to make dishes like lemongrass chicken skewers, and more | Tickets $107

Richmond Cherry Blossom Festival | Garry Point Park, Steveston | April 7, 11 am-4 pm | A massive event, with art events, singing, tea ceremony, bonsai display and more | Free

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• A Reddit user posted a photo of a Husky sign advertising gas for $2.13 per litre. Drivers are not impressed [Reddit]

• Curious about AI? Ai for normal people is the newsletter for you, whether you're a complete newcomer or a seasoned pro, they've got you covered. Sign up for free today.*

• A feel good story about two people who saved an unconscious man’s life in 2022. Checking on people in distress can make all the difference! [Vancouver is Awesome]

• The embattled owners of Heirloom (formerly) Vegetarian restaurant are blaming their recent permanent closure on “Deborah.” [Reddit]

GAME TIME

It’s Friday, so you know what that means — it’s Vancouver Wordle time!

Today’s is something in the newsletter. Play it here.