Good news for the Renewal of St. Paul’s Hospital

St. Paul’s Hospital redevelopment project looking for architects

From Providence Health Care:

“VANCOUVER, FEBRUARY 20, 2013 – The redevelopment of St. Paul’s Hospital continues to gain momentum with the posting of a Request for Proposals to provide architectural services for the project.
 
Announced in June 2012 by Premier Christy Clark, the St. Paul’s Hospital redevelopment project envisions a new state-of-the-art centre of health innovation, care, and research, housing numerous hospital outpatient clinics, diagnostic care and same-day surgical services. The renewal will also include important upgrades to existing buildings, including seismic and operational improvements.
 
“St. Paul’s Hospital is world-renowned for its research, teaching and care,” said Health Minister Margaret MacDiarmid. “We’re making sure it remains a hub of innovation, excellence and compassionate patient care, serving British Columbian families far into the future.”
 
MacDiarmid added the redevelopment will benefit patients and health professionals alike with upgraded operating rooms and expanded hospital capacity to meet future demand.
 
The RFP invites Architects to submit proposals to provide managing consultant and architectural services for the conceptual design of an ambulatory care building – a critical initial component of the redevelopment project.
 
“Over the past several months, Providence has been working closely with Vancouver Coastal Health and the Ministry of Health to finalize the current redevelopment concept plan,” said Dianne Doyle, president and CEO of Providence Health Care. “Advancing a feasibility study to confirm constructability of the new ambulatory centre on the hospital site will further inform the planning for this project.”
 
The RFP can be viewed at the BC Bid website  (browse opportunities by organization under “Providence Health Care”).
 
Providence Health Care (PHC) is one of Canada’s largest faith-based health care organizations, operating 16 health care facilities in Greater Vancouver. PHC operates one of two adult academic health science centres in the province, performs cutting-edge research in more than 30 clinical specialties, and focuses its services on six “populations of emphasis”: cardio-pulmonary risks and illnesses, HIV/AIDS, mental health, renal risks and illness, specialized needs in aging and urban health and is home to the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS.

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Contact:

Dave Lefebvre
Senior Communications Specialist – Media Relations
Providence Health Care
dlefebvre@providencehealth.bc.ca
(604) 682-2344 xt. 66987
(604) 837-6003 (c)

“Walkshops”, West End Planning team invites thinking on the city designs

Cardero Street Mural

Cardero Street Mural


From the West End Planning Team:

West End Commercial Streets “Walkshops”

The West End’s four commercial streets (Davie, Denman, Robson and Alberni Streets) are part of the community planning process.

We invite you to attend a “walkshop” where we will encourage you to think about the way we design buildings, sidewalks, roads, landscaping, street furniture, signage, weather protection, patios, and other elements that make up a vibrant, active and viable commercial street. You will have an opportunity to learn about the history and character of these streets, and to observe and discuss how we design these important community places. The walk will be followed by a two-hour facilitated workshop intended to allow participants an opportunity to share what they think is working, and also where there are opportunities for improvements.

Walkshops:

Alberni Street
Thursday, March 7, 2013, 2 to 5 pm
For more information and to register

Davie Street
Friday, March 8, 2013, 1 to 5 pm
For more information and to register

Robson Street
Friday, March 15, 2013, 1 to 5 pm
For more information and to register

Denman Street
Saturday, March 16, 2013, 1 to 4 pm
For more information and to register

Note: We have scheduled most of the walkshops on weekday afternoons to help ensure participation by members of the local business community. If you are unable to make it to your preferred walkshop(s), we will be posting the material and feedback summary from the sessions on our webpage. You’ll be able to review this and submit your ideas and feedback to us online.

Best regards,

West End Planning Team

A place of remembrance, Inside Out Project, in Japan

Inside out.Place of remembrance
From Pia Massie, a Vancouver based film maker

“In November 2012, JR started an Inside Out Project in North East Japan, a region that was hit by a tsunami in March 2011. A group of Japanese artists took over a photobooth truck and traveled the area to meet inhabitants. This boat entered 800 meters inland during the catastrophe, destroying everything on the way. It is considered today a place of remembrance. In one night, JR and his team pasted the eyes of a local fisherman in honor of the tsunami victims.”

From Wikipedia:

“The Inside Out Project is an ongoing global multimedia, participatory art project started by the artist JR in 2011. It emerged after JR was announced as the winner of the 2011 TED Prize  which awards US$100,000 to use towards “one wish to change the world.”[1]

For the Inside Out Project, JR wanted to include the public in the artistic process and ”transform messages of personal identity into pieces of artistic work.” As he told the New Yorker magazine, “Now I am just the printer.”[1]

Participants take photos of themselves and upload them to the Inside Out website. JR prints 36“ x 53“ black and white photos in his NYC studio and mails them to back to the participants who then paste them in their communities. Participants can contribute individual photos or can collaborate to create group projects. According to the official website on the 31st of May 2012 there were over 75,000 photos printed, around 9000 locations, and over 4000 projects.”

More on the artist JR and The Inside Out Project

Did Vision Vancouver Park Board candidates seek a mandate to change Joint Operating Agreements (JOA) with the Park Board?

Change is a difficult process whether on the personal level or on the public policy front. The plan for the Vancouver Park Board (VPB) to reform the relationship between itself and Community Centre Associations (CCA) has been a long-troubled process.

JOA between the Vancouver Park Board and Community Centre Association

Vancouver’s 22 community centres (CC) are jointly operated between not-for-profit Community Centre Associations (CCA). The relationship is governed by a contract called the Joint Operating Agreement (JOA). The JOA outlines responsibilities and duties of the two parties over different areas of delegated authority. For example, the current JOA outlines that VPB pay the wages of staff, such as programmers, front-line workers and maintenance staff. The CCA sets policy for the centre through its committees and boards and advises programmers on community needs for programs. Programmers at CC hire contractors to deliver courses and programs and the CCA set the price of these programs. Revenues from the programs are retained by the CCA. The surplus in programing or “retained earnings” is controlled by the CCA and is usually spent in negotiations with VPB staff (see page 5 of GM’s presentation).ParkBoardSpecialMeetingPresentation

While on the surface it may seem a fair system for the CCA to control the surplus revenue that is generated at their Centre, there are some mitigating factors to be considered. Not all CC have the ability to raise the same levels of revenue. Also, it is important to remember that taxpayers’ funds were used for the capital cost of the building and also all expenses of the CC are paid from taxes. Even surpluses that have been applied to capital expenditures like gyms, came from the investment of tax dollars. Should all of these surplus dollars be retained and not shared at least in part over the whole network of community centres? This is one of the questions that the proposed reform of JOA is attempting to address.

4 principles of the proposed negotiation framework

At the well-attended and controversial special Park Board meeting on Monday, February 4 at the West End CC, the General Manager reviewed a proposed framework for a new partnership agreement. The framework agreement is built on 4 principles:

1. Equity Among Community Centres: All Vancouver citizens have access to a core set of programs that lead to healthy living and ultimately, to healthy communities.

2. Access to a Network of Community Centres: System that allows for a universal membership or other system to be used for all rinks, pools, fitness centres, and core programs across all community centres.

3. Access For All Citizens: Single policy and process that respects confidentiality to ensure all residents have access to basic recreation programs and services regardless of income.

4. Operational Sustainability and Accountability: An operating relationship for community centres that is sustainable, accountable and transparent.
(Page 11 of GM’s power point)

Equity and the distribution of low income cut off

27% of Vancouver residents fall below the low income cut off (LICO). LICO is a statistical tool used by Stats Canadian to give measure poverty in comparison to other families of similar size in their community. One can learn more about LICO on Stats Can website. In Vancouver folks living below the low income cut off are distributed over the whole city. With the highest concentration at the West End, Coal Harbour, Strathcona, Thunderbird and Marpole community centres having LICO populations of up to 40% (p. 12).

Leisure Access Card (LAC)

The Leisure Access Card (LAC) is program run by the Park Board to provide for more access to frec programs and service at the community centres, that is designed to be respectful and discrete for folks living below the low income cu offt. That card provides for a 50% discount on programs and service and one can learn more about the programhere. Unfortunately the LAC is not universally accepted at all the community centres.

JOA renewal

The JOA renewal process has been broken for a long time. I remember going to meetings when I was at the board of the West End CC in 2004. There has been a commonly held suspicion of CCA board members about the city infringing on the autonomy of the Park Board and of the Park Board undermining the independence of the CCA. The lack of trust has hampered the negotiations between the two partners. During the last election no civic political party took a position on what the solutions would be beyond vague generalities about “working with CCA partners in a respectful way”.

Is revenue sharing a form of progressive taxation?

There has been much consultation on the Park Board’s plans to renew the JOA between staff and CCAs with more than 30 meetings alone in 2012. The status quo is not acceptable and more equity needs to be established in our Community Centre network. Devising some negotiated formula to share surplus across the whole Community Centre network would be like a form of “progressive taxation” where some of the resources from rich centres would be re-distributed to centres that are lacking in comparison.

The very basis of progressive politics is the need to make change to create social justice and equity. No question the process of change is as important as the change itself. These changes that the current Park Board are proposing should have been raised in the last election. Some of the fear and anger around this issue stems from a growing mistrust of the democratic process and of elected officials. Elections seemed to be filled with platitudes, photo ops and sound bites and are lacking in real policy discussion. Let’s be honest too, a lot of the outcry about the proposed changes in the JOA is motivated by politics. The NPA are so desperate to regain control of the Park Board and City Hall that every change is being depicted as, “one of the most significant 125 year historical changes in the history of the Park Board”. This fearmongering in communities is deeply disturbing and a disappointingly exploitive tactic

Information Session on Housing in the West End

From the West End Planning team: Upcoming Event

Affordable housing and homelessness are important issues in the West End. As part of the West End community planning process, this session will be an opportunity to find out what we’ve heard about housing so far (from both the community and the area housing providers), and to share the housing issues faced by your community. City staff will be on hand to answer your questions at this drop-in session.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013
5:30 to 8 pm
Coast Plaza Hotel, 1763 Comox St
Update Feb. 18: Due to a scheduling conflict at the hotel, the location for the Housing Information Session on February 26th has been changed to the Denman Room.
 

Community plan for a public system of intergrated early care and learning, Tue. Feb. 19, Gordon House

early childhood edWR

From the West End Planning Team:

The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC are hosting a community forum on: a community  plan for a public system for an integrated early care and learning.

The $10/day Child Care Plan for BC

Tuesday, February 19th, 2012

Gordon House at 6:30pm

Free refreshments provided

Please RSVP to Jessy at jessy@gordonhouse.org or 604 683 2554 by February 8

West End Plan update with schedule of up coming events

Cardero Street Mural

Cardero Street Mural

From the Cov West End Planning team:

NCN Meet ‘n’ Greet
 
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
6:30 to 8:30 pm
Gordon Neighbourhood House (1019 Broughton St), Room 1

The Meet ‘n’ Greet is an opportunity for staff to share some of the exciting results from a variety of events and activities that took place this year, and what’s coming up in 2013. We’d also love to hear about your experiences and discuss what worked well during Phase 1, and what could be improved for Phase 2. NCN members are invited to share their experiences from Phase 1, whether they relate to specific events, consultation activities, “Action While Planning” initiatives, outreach approaches, or anything else.

This will also be an opportunity for NCN members to meet and chat with other West Enders.

Pizza, salads and beverages will be provided.

Please RSVP to westendplan@vancouver.ca by Thursday, January 24, 2013, so we have an idea of the number of attendees. Please also indicate if you’d like to share your experiences from Phase 1 with the group as a whole (up to 5 minutes).

PlaceSpeak Reminder

Just a reminder to please sign up to PlaceSpeak to join the West End NCN conversation if you haven’t already done so: here

The PlaceSpeak online forum is for Network members to contribute, share ideas, and help get the word out. We want to try out this tool to see how useful it is for connecting with the Network as part of the West End Community Plan process. Please share your experience and thoughts about whether or not it works for connecting and sharing.

Development Capacity Estimates Bulletin

The West End Residential Development Capacity Estimates information sheet is now available on our webpage:here

Estimates are broken down by:
·         development capacity (based on actual rates of development and takes into account constraints in identifying redevelopment sites); and,
·         zoned capacity (ignores existing City land use policy and is simply a “build-out calculation” that assumes the maximum residential floor space could be built on each site based on existing zoning).

Phase 2 Launch Survey Summary

This document summarizes the responses to the survey that was conducted at our October 2012 community open houses, which was also available online:here

The purpose of the survey was to gauge support for and receive feedback regarding the Six Core Community Values and Three Lenses for Dialogue that emerged from Phase 1, as well as the “Action While Planning” initiatives that took place over spring and summer 2012.

———-

Thank you so much for your great ideas, feedback and assistance with outreach so far. As we move into an exciting new year, we will continue to need your help in spreading the word and encouraging wide participation in public engagement activities and events.

Warm regards,

Holly Sovdi
West End Planner
604-871-6330

John Grottenberg
Planning Analyst
604-873-7447

The city starts consultation on “active transportation corridor” in Kits

image from CoV website of Cornwall St. looking east.

The City would like your input regarding an active transportation corridor connecting the Burrard Bridge to Jericho Beach

From:

Dhaneva Panday, Planning Assistant
City of Vancouver | Engineering Services, Active Transportation
507 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Z 0B4
T: 604.873.7917| E: dhaneva.panday@vancouver.ca

Hello,

I’m emailing you to connect and inform you of an upcoming project the City of Vancouver is getting ready to launch. The City is looking at constructing an active transportation corridor that will connect Burrard Bridge to Jericho Beach. This route was originally identified in the 1995 Greenway Plan and again more recently in the 2040 Transportation Plan. The goals of this project are to:

Encourage people of all ages and abilities to get around their city through active transportation (any mode of human-powered transportation, including jogging/running, inline-skating, skateboarding, wheelchairs, strollers, etc.) in a comfortable, convenient, and enjoyable way.

Create a walking and cycling route that is safe, convenient, and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities.

Address existing safety issues along Point Grey Road and Cornwall Avenue by reducing the volume and speed of motor vehicle traffic.

Make the intersection of Burrard Street and Cornwall Avenue safer and more direct for pedestrians and cyclists.

We are consulting with the public this month to determine how the route is currently being used by residents and commuters, and what impact any changes will have on users and on other streets in the neighbourhood. During this first phase of consultation, staff hope to learn where the route should go (what street) from residents and current/potential future users. Public feedback will be considered along with data and cost and ultimately our goal is to design a route that will mitigate as much negative impact to residents and users as we can.

Once staff have a recommended design, we will do a second round of public consultation to get further feedback before the design goes to Council.

We have scheduled three open houses for the end of the month. The dates, times and locations are:

Tuesday January 29, 2013
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM*
Maritime Museum
TK Gallery
1905 Ogden Avenue

Thursday January 31, 2013
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM*
Queen Mary Elementary School Gym
2000 Trimble Street

Saturday February 2, 2013
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM*
Kitsilano Community Centre
Snowy’s Lounge
2690 Larch Street

These are structured like a drop-in and we invite you, your staff and your members to attend to one. Staff will be onsite to discuss the project in greater detail and gather feedback. We can also come and meet with you separately, if you feel that would better. Please let me know, and I would be happy to coordinate a meeting. Please forward this information to anyone who may be interested.

In the meantime, if you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to send me an email or give me a ring at (604) 873-7917. If you would like more information, feel free to visit out project webpage atKits Active Transportation Corridor

Warmly,
Dhaneva

Dhaneva Panday, Planning Assistant
City of Vancouver | Engineering Services, Active Transportation
507 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Z 0B4
T: 604.873.7917| E: dhaneva.panday@vancouver.ca

Thanks to Veronica Ross for sending me this info.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and may there be Peace on Earth


More X-mas decorations

Right to recovery walk supports Rainier Women’s Drug Treatment in the DTES


What Vancouver needs is more treatment facilities not less. Given the dire need for more treatment spaces it is incredible that Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and the Minister of Health Services is not funding Rainier Women’s Drug Treatment Centre. The centre is the a pilot project that was funded by the Federal Government and operate by the Portland Hotel Society, but still needs stable long term funding. The Rainier is the only drug treatment centre just for women.

A very big issue for the health care system of BC is the issue of “alternate levels of care”. This is a situation where a patient has been admitted into hospital and has receive acute care and is stable enough to go to another level of care. Unfortunately, in our hospital system there are not a lot of options for care that are not in a hospital setting. So patients who don’t need to be in expansive hospital based acute care left in hospital on “alternate levels of care.”

Treatment centres like the Rainier prevent women from being admitted into hospital by providing support and treatment. Also, treatment centre like the Rainier are  a cost effective treatment option to acute care.

It is an absolute a “no brianer” to fund treatment centres that function both as preventive health measure and as a treatment intervention that are affective and cost much less than acute care.

The following is news release for a walk that is being organize to support the women in the Rainier Drug Treatment Centre”

“Right to Recovery Walk Supports Rainier Women’s Drug Treatment in the Downtown Eastside
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – Dec. 17, 2012) – The day after Justice Wally Oppal’s report presents recommendations to improve support for vulnerable women, the Right to Recovery Walk aims to stop a cut to an addiction recovery program at the Rainier Hotel – the only women’s treatment centre in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Beginning at 9AM, Tuesday December 18th the women of the Rainier, along with community supporters, will be walking 40 coffins from the Downtown Eastside 10km to the constituency office of Premier Christy Clark. Continue reading Right to recovery walk supports Rainier Women’s Drug Treatment in the DTES →