ABC Vancouver’s vision for the Downtown Eastside is taking shape, but not everyone is on board

As ABC Vancouver works to transform the Downtown Eastside, the ruling party’s vision is taking shape, including more policing, more market housing, a freeze on supportive housing, and more scrutiny of non-profit service providers.

To many, including the hundreds of protesters who rallied Wednesday outside city hall, these changes seem harmful, misguided, and designed to help the wealthy at the expense of the marginalized.

For others, including many of those who voted to give ABC a resounding council majority in the 2022 civic election, this approach to the beleaguered neighbourhood seems badly needed and long overdue.

Recent weeks have seen a series of revelations about ABC’s plans for the city’s poorest neighbourhood. Late last month, ABC Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim announced his desire to halt construction of additional supportive housing, a freeze that would apply city-wide, but prompted especially fierce backlash in the Downtown Eastside, where this type of housing has long been concentrated. Weeks later, Sim unveiled a $5 million boost for the Vancouver Police Department specifically focused on the Downtown Eastside. The week after that, the Globe and Mail’s Frances Bula revealed the existence of an internal memo, circulated last fall among ABC council members and political staff, laying out a secret plan to fix the neighbourhood, including adding more condos and market housing.

These efforts will not entirely come as a surprise. ABC’s hugely successful election campaign in 2022 promised to boost police funding, improve public safety, and clean up downtown neighbourhoods including the Downtown Eastside, Chinatown and Gastown.

But certain elements of ABC’s approach — including the mayor’s proposal to halt the construction of “net-new” housing for people at risk of homelessness — have caught people off-guard. The mayor’s proposal has prompted backlash from several corners — this week, council heard opposition from ABC’s political rivals, as well as representatives of business, labour, advocacy and non-profit organizations.

On Tuesday, city staff presented council with an update to council on work in the Downtown Eastside, including housing, health, economic development and poverty reduction. Following the presentation, ABC Coun. Brian Montague proposed directing city staff to compile a “comprehensive list” of non-profit and non-governmental organizations operating the Downtown Eastside and their funding from all sources.