as a ex addict. we must make life less comfortable for the addict to finally say sobriety would be better. making it easier just keeps them loaded. this is a fact

Would've loved to have seen them talk to business owners and residents of the area who are actually working and paying taxes. Maybe their perspective should be heard as well?

My wife works in this neighbourhood - and I'll tell ya who is much safer now that there isn't a consistent hoard of questionable activity all condensed in a small area... Thanks Ken Sim.

Definitely not a solution but it couldn’t stay that way for the safety of everyone

So he doesn't stay in a shelter because he gets robbed there, but then the next thing he says is that he gets robbed on the streets. 🧐 Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that there are things they can get away with on the street that they cannot in a shelter.

When you create an environment that makes it easier for addiction and harder for bylaw enforcement, you get debauchery and a whole truck loads of public health issues. The whole reason behind a functioning civil society is to obey and participate in basic laws that govern the populas. Yes these street need help, but not at the expense of ruining communities.

They slowly allowed this to get out of hand, then tried to change it overnight. Alberta has a much better approach with short and long term treatment options not safe injection sites.

Those who need help and are not in control of their faculties need to be institutionalized and rehabilitated where possible. Those who are in control of their faculties need to learn to be responsible citizens: we can help them for a while, they need to be sheltered while they get back on their feet, but they must want to or there shouldn’t be endless handouts for them. Those who peddle substances for abuse need to have the full weight of the law on them with long incarceration periods. This to me is the most compassionate way to deal with this issue at a societal level, bearing in mind both the needs and the finite resources we have. We as a society will collapse under the weight of this problem if left to continue as is.

Terrible reporting! Why don't you go and interview the businesses and residents of DTES and ask them how they feel about the whole situation? Do the folks that complain about the decampment work or live there and pay income/property taxes? If not, then they're just commenting on something that's not really their real everyday lives' concern. You should ask people that pay rent or mortgage to live in those neighborhoods and their whole community has turned into trash because of what's going on here!

This felt so biased... would love to hear from all sides of people that live there

This is an excellent mayor. What is up with the hostile interview??? The reporter is totally unbalanced.

when you hear from one side saying that the shelters are all full, and the other side saying that there are sufficient shelters for everyone, obviously they contradict each other. Then as the journalist you need to go investigate further which one tells the truth, right? start from asking Mr mayor for the locations of all those shelters and walking into the shelters to see whether or not they really are all full; asking those who lost their tends on the street which shelter they have tried to go to. I'm sure your professor at the college has taught you how to work as a profession of public communication. How easy it is to put out the cheap empathy.

Why does everyone treat this as a homeless problem, it's not, it's an addictions problem. Stop looking at the wrong problem! And this report is one sided, talk to the business owners, residents in the area also.

seems like she is caring would she allow these adults camp in her back yard?

I challenge any person endorsing the "compassionate" point of view when it comes to homelessness and addicts, to live one year in such places. Where you walk out your front door to the smell of warm urine and human feces. Where you must watch your step as you dodge the used needles littering the sidewalks. Where if you dare leave your car in the street you can be welcome to a broken car window and all of your belongings stolen to fund someone's drug habit. Where you dare not leave your home after the sun sets for fear of being attacked so someone can your 20 dollar bill. Lets go further... Try raising a family in the area with young children exposed to the dangers and filth. Try running a business where if goods are stolen the police won't respond if they werent stolen with the use of a weapon. When you this, then maybe your compassionate point of view will hold some water. Otherwise step off your high horse and side with the law abiding citizen that have to endure these conditions as part of their daily lives.

There will never be a perfect time to do it. You could wait for Truedue's grandson to become a PM, but nothing will happen. The new mayor is doing his job to improve this area significantly, the rest of the issues should be taken care of by other politicians and experts who just talk.

They don't stay in the shelters down there as the shelters don't let them use inside

"you never know where your stuff is" also in the background, a bike chopshop

the reporter said all the shelters were full but then only cited one that was full, i feel like there's a big information gap missing - what other shelters are full exactly and did the reporter go to see the shelters in person? i believe the people that refuse shelters when they say the shelters are worse than the street - but how recently have they visited? a week ago, a month, a year or more? and how about going and speaking to the people using the shelters right now, today, for their perspective? do they regret taking shelter, do they wish they were still on the street? we only hear from the ones who refuse. weapons offences were way up in the area, the tents were being used as armories for who knows what. never mind the fire risks, what about the criminal activity and violence, was the city just supposed to let it fester and continue? i usually like the CBC, but when it comes to the DTES it's never balanced reporting. their newsletter had some really important info a while back: Vancouver has 25% of the Metro area's population, and yet is responsible for almost 75% of the social housing responsibility. 33 of B.C. Housing’s 57 supportive rental housing sites in Metro Vancouver are either in the Downtown Eastside, or a 10min walk away. that just makes the vulnerable people easy prey for the predators that lurk in this community. Getting rid of the tents is not a complete solution, no one is saying that - Canada has to do more, BC has to do more, Metro Vancouver has to do more - but leaving the tents up and allowing things to get worse is not an option.

It's hard to straddle the line between compassion and wellbeing. It's a mean thing to do, kicking people from their camp but what about the lively hoods of the people running their buissness? Coming home to seeing constant drug induced madness. Children stepping on needles? Being threatened or actually murdered on your walk to work? Or having your home constantly broken into? You can't run a restraunt when theres a dude shitting on the wall and threatening to stab anyone who walks by. You can't stop people from feeling unsafe in these areas. I've seen horrors on public transit, I don't like to judge a book by its cover but you never know who is actually going to stab you and who just has their hands in their pockets.

The mayor is completely out of touch with reality and is living in his own world, my god

Is sad as it is to say these people are so far gone mentally, it would take a miracle for them to get sober and leave Hastings. It’s hard enough for the average functional Joe to get sober let alone someone in the streets doing fentanyl regularly. It’s too bad the gov doesn’t build mental health facilities where they can reside. Focussing on affordable Housing isn’t the solution in my opinion..

Build the city you would be proud of. If you see something and are not proud of it, change it by all means necessary. Public safety, business security and public health should be #1 priority for city governors. Nothing else pays higher dividends in the long term than focusing on improving these.

That’s good that this decampment is happening. This is for the better safety and function of the community. Sometimes painful strains need to be endured to heal.

What about the poor people who have to pay rent or try to run a business in that neighborhood? I'm sick of hearing from the druggies ruining the streets and complaining about their handouts!!

“Not why the addiction but why the pain?”- Gabor Mate

I grew up in the Downtown Eastside community, and I have seen firsthand the issues with the NGOs down there. They take tax dollars, but don't have the knowledge to run their approach in a community-focused way. I've also worked for a couple nonprofit organizations in DTES area, and I can attest to this problem. Additionally, I've witnessed a big investment in a community approach during and after the Olympics, and it was a big cash spending mistake. Despite heavy investments in the Downtown Eastside community-based solutions over the last ten years, it has failed. Instead of improving, the situation seems to be getting worse, and it's disheartening to see the lack of progress. Something needs to change, and I hope the powers that be can make it happen.

You need to do a report on shelters

Who opposed the idea?? Can the people who opposed the idea to find solutions to help the property owners in East Downtown side??

The fire marshal was the one who ordered the decampment, the tent fires along there happened almost on a daily basis, so I'm guessing that Vancouver is unwilling to build housing because of the fire risks...

CBC actually allowing people to comment (WOW !! ) !

Great to see the trash being hauled away! Now there needs to be an effort to keep it from ever returning!

Wow! Comments allowed! WTG..CBC!

there is so much country to make campsites even , places made into campgrounds with designated spaces too let homeless have a space to camp on and get transitioned into housing, little cabins could be built , bathrooms and laundry facilities made, cooking area pits and bar-b-q areas , and yes it has to be supervised !!!!!!!!!! My parents in the 1950s-60s were vivid campers, and we visited such wonderful camping sites all thru my childhood , such type places could get setup to care for transient people instead of the pavement of the streets, CMON PEOPLE WE HAVE BRAINS, LETS USE THEM !!!!!!!!

"What we're doing down here is surviving!" ya so are the business owners too but at least they pay rent. This is ridiculous. nobody DESERVES to live around people who are not trying to be a able bodied part of society.

If you keep it easy to buy , use and sell drugs , arrest and release criminals and allow the tent camps to build to wjere they are everytime its never going to get better. Crack down on the criminals and the dealers HARD . Get the mentaly ill help , get the addicts help and if they dont get clean and end up caught using drugs again jail them.

There was a fire in an sro and the fools in the tents refused to move for the fire department five days later they moved the tents off Hastings there is a steep decline in common courtesy amongst the people and their behaviour and treatment of fellow human beings because they're not treated as human beings in an inhumane environment that they live in. It's a double edge sword with the problems in the east side.

The Question in my view is what is it costing taxpayers to have the public service workers the police , paramedics, social workers, cleaning and maintenance workers all union paid along with federal and provincial grants and funds in the billions for affordable housing and shelters and yet the numbers of people going homeless continues to increase along with a lot of extreme ill health and death.

Why not interview the merchants and others who live and work in that area and actually produce a balanced report? Ask more hard questions about why the homeless preferred being robbed on the streets instead of the shelters? Is it because they actually have rules to follow when living in the shelters and they don’t want to follow them? It’s my opinion that if the so many well paid (relatively speaking)social workers did their jobs properly instead of complaining when the city comes up with a solution, there would not be so many people living on the streets. Where does that $1,000,000,000 go every year?

Mayor Sims is a freaking hero.

More shelters and rehab centers, organized and supervised appropriatly is an answer !!!

Thanks for removing the chaos. They need education and mental facilities; not a tent or attempts to stab me. These guys are street smart. Y’all being played on camera.

I always thought a potential solution would be to dedicate land for where homeless people are encouraged to camp. We dedicate space to public parks and other green spaces so why not have a space for the homeless to camp? In Winnipeg there are a few good spots such as in Point Douglas that could be dedicated for a homeless encampment, and then the City wouldn't have to play this game of cat and mouse

I've had my fill of Canadian nice.

And our government keeps letting corporations buy up all the houses and apartments.

CBC does a good job going to the people experiencing homelessness. They stumble a bit going to the top.

The Vancouver mayor seemed really not caring at all. I guess that's your answer.

If these governments took some understanding why people are in these positions. Relocating people will help these people get a 2nd chances in life. This decampment was a quick solution to remove people instead of making a future goal of help.

Finally. Mayor Sim has backbone.

Poverty Pimps.

Those with simple mind who has so much sympathy for these homeless/druggies, why don't you take them in? Talk and sitting there and complaining is cheap. Just take them in for one week and see if your options change after just one week. I managed addiction clinics for many yrs and I had to called it a quit. Just the fact that they rather live on the street than the shelter, what does that tell you? You have no ideas how much money the government (our tax paying $) spends to help these people but they just don't want to be help. The amount of successful cases are way too low to justify for funding of these programs. I can't justify continuing a job that I don't believe in no more. The city, community, residence and business are being destroyed. I don't live here but I feel terrible for the residence and business owner whose life are being destroyed having to deal with these "garbage". Good for the mayor, he has balls standing up to do what is right for the good of most people and saving his City. Those idiots who just know how to complain, either take these people in or get out of the way so the City can clean up the mess. F CBC, its so one side. They tried too hard to show that they care with sympathy but its all BS, just try to sell what people want to hear instead of reporting the true from both side.

The "safe supply" is NOT so safe.

never mind, all politicians have had beautiful home. who cares the homeless?

It's heartbreaking that all of this chaos continues and worse yet, many these days are working homeless trying to hold on, but, how is that possible IF NO ADEQUATE housing available to the various groups within this vast growing community. I used to take clothes of good quality clothing donations, walking the streets passing along items. One incident w/one guy in particular I'd seen was wearing hightops duct taped to his pant legs. Leave it to say, it was very jarring upon learning why he so vehemently refused to take the pair of Timberline boots. He stated that sometimes he has to stay in a shelter, that frequently sound sleepers have their shoes stolen from their feet. Yes, crime runs rampant even among the homeless. Very sad and I no longer donate in person, as too many uncomfortable scenarios played out in only last year.

Unfortunately this is a mental health crisis as well.. these people weren’t making sense. They would rather be in a dangerous situation than in housing they have for them. The woman feeling her self worth is so low that she should remain homeless and she’s blaming it in the government. I think it’s sad! We need these people to get into therapy. Glad places are getting cleaned up because I’m sure there is more issues than just the major fires and such. The feces and urine is probably a health risk and then like people said the drugs, death, safety, etc. is an issue. I don’t know what else the government could’ve done because some of these people aren’t willing to leave.. that’s why they’re on the streets.

I'am surprised Vancouver Canada has drug addicts. I didn't think there was any.

Not sure on the actual logistics of it all but since canada has no shortage of land, would it be feasible to essentially gift a plot of land to the homeless and have them build the homes themselves? Obviously with modern building requiremnts and methods its a little hard to give a drug addict heavy machinery so sobriety would be part of the deal, but if our ancestors came here and built a whole country out of the wilderness with basic tools it should be possible in the modern age. Now paying for this will obviously be an issue but id rather have my tax dollars go towards them getting treatment and creating a new community than enabling drug use and open encampments in city/residential neighbourhoods. Now being a free country we cant exactly force people to do manual labour but id say hard work and staying sober is a small price to pay for a better future and a place to call home. After completion i suppose they would still need reasonable access to public transit so they can work where there are jobs available. Not a perfect solution as drug addiction is probably the larger issue here but its an idea at least. Any thoughts?

This was done for Cruise Ship season, 1st one arrived April 12th at 7am. They are creating an area/ buffer for tourist, and that’s all they care about unfortunately.

First they came for Maslov's heirarchy of needs from the top-down. Then, it came to this. No one wants these people making a filthy mess on the streets but this ain't it and these people deserve the benefit of the doubt. We can do better, with 'our' surplus, chinese-casinos' and fentanyl-laced-drugs money lining too many North Vancouver pockets.

"And the Landlord tried to rape me." And the Asian American reporter just ignored it. Good job girl. Try to do Journalism.

When has it ever been different in this area ? Traditionally its been a black hole since near Vancouvers inception. There is no will to really clean this up just the vicious cycle of history repeating itself.

Thumb up for the clean up now go after all drug dealer earn your paycheck

Why can't the shelters have more security and make sure people feel safe there as well as address the bugs issues? Many homeless say they get robbed while they are sleeping, why not have everyone in a very small space with 4 walls and a door to close...6 feet by 4 feet would be enough. Women are afraid to get raped. Is there not some security of some kind- guards or cameras?

I am just so confused. Why was the reporter so easy on the chief of staff responsible for the error and so tough on the mayor??? A LOT of harsh questions for the mayor who did a GOOD thing decamping the illegal activities.

Why, don't the news reporters, making the reports, give some aid to the people? If the rich, pooled their resources together, they could help a lot of people.

Would cutting the drug supply chain solve this problem in its entirety

amazing reporter Brava Lien Yueng! i am happy you brought this to the mayor so gracefully and informed from the displaced peoples side. bless your heart.

CBC always on the side of anything far left.

This is so irresponsible. The childhood trauma suffered from this place is irreversible. These people have no concern about shouting up in front of children or other lewd acts.

If Trudeau would keep giving MILLIONS to every country and look after Canadians first it would make a huge difference.

Ken Sim is the BEST mayor Vancouver has had in a generation.

I know a homeless guy in Edmonton who has stopped breakins & vandalism in surrounding businesses & cops are still cleaning him out.

thats what it is like she said it is a cover up

Why doesn't Van do what WPG did renovate an old hotel, make housing for them, it worked in WPG

this people didn't work a day in their life , and they want a room , kitchen , and toilet . and im here paying 3k a month . let me try the pipe

A Propane Tank can take out an entire city block??? I find that really hard to believe!!

Mr Uhhhh Uhhhh. Sounds like he caught someone Hwacking off in his tool shed

Imagínate 15 months of recognize records of all the homeless camp, men’s all the homeless shelters or 415 months prior to doing all this damage

These are not some innocent people, I tell you. They are nastier people than people you live around with. They are there for many reasons that they don't want you to know!

Those 700 academics, what is your solution? Its easy to chastise the action taken, but what are your solutions people. And not the same virtue signalling stuff.

Okay so where did they put the homeless? And why is housing so damn expensive in Vancouver?

Well don’t do drugs???

she said the government safe supply is not good drugs ....she was speaking clearly

If you give them housing they just trash it. I gave a man a place to live for a while and he completely destroyed the room I had to kick him out and I live in a nice neighborhood. These people don't want to work they want everything for free but everybody else has to work for what they have. And if you look back a while Maple ridge had a motel that was given to these homeless people and they burnt it down. Find an island that's out of the city that no one lives with no access to the city to have them build their own commune. But in reality they were just burn the island down. I have no pity for any of these people I'm 71 years old and it is never changed down in the Hastings area and it never will because our government allows it. It's our money we work for it, it's time to clean our city up for good.

Besides the mentally ill people, more important question is, how did they get there? Oh housing is too expensive, ok. I would have either get more skills get more pay or move to another area with lower cost of living instead of waiting for it to happen. some of these just blaming everyone else without looking themselves in the mirror. I don't mind helping but they also need to comply with certain rules/laws. We taxpayer are the ones being forced to pay for other's problem and if we don't help, we are the bad guys. That's fair?

This video sums up what it's been like for the past year being a resident in the DTES kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mNilbNmaks64lHU.html

❤

The CBC reporter hasn’t got a clue….go back into your car, …where it’s safe and she has a job, food and a home….she’s clueless 😵‍💫😵‍💫

Look at Philadelphia Kensington street !!!

The mayor isn't the solution to the problem the mayor is the problem.

then they spent over 40 million on :safe supply drugs" and lowering punishment's for drug dealers.

Are rents twenty grand a month yet?

There is zero affordable houseing in Vancouver period

Its about time. More cities and towns should take this approach.

only solution is move all of them to island for year where isn't any drug dealers offer them drugs to help them rebuild their life since VPD cops too busy stay in coffee and donuts shop

This is journalism?

I think she's right about the government

Paste [••••] test of courage in dark ages places than , kin?

Daaaamn, I wish San Francisco would do this

The drugs is not a conspiracy. Absolutely truth.