Appointment of Downtown Eastside 'czar' under scrutiny
CBC
One of David Eby's first priorities when he became leader of the B.C. NDP and premier was to tackle the entrenched poverty, mental health and addictions issues facing residents in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
More than two years later, a former Ontario attorney general and head of Legal Aid B.C. has been appointed to help fix issues in the area once described as Canada's poorest postal code.
But Michael Bryant's role as a consultant is raising questions. He was installed in the position in February with little public announcement, a six-month contract worth $150,000, plus an allowance of $25,000 in expenses.
Social service providers in the Downtown Eastside have said the secrecy around the appointment has been problematic. Micheal Vonn, CEO of PHS Community Services Society, which operates more than 1,700 units of supportive housing in Vancouver and Victoria, said she first learned of Bryant's appointment through "rumours."
Amanda Burrows, executive director of First United, also said she was concerned by the lack of transparency. "I think it's an unfortunate start to something that has some hope towards it," she said.
Burrows said Bryant's salary "feels a bit out of touch when we know $150,000 can go a really long way here and when the province is cutting funding to some groups in the Downtown Eastside."
However, she added that "if what is being taken back to the premier is going to lead to actions and follow-through and actual results, then I don't think the salary has to be the main focus."
Trevor Halford, B.C. Conservative MLA for Surrey White Rock, accused the NDP government of "rewarding friends and insiders" with a lucrative contract "on the backs of our most vulnerable people on the Downtown Eastside."
B.C. Conservative attorney general critic Steve Kooner said the government only went public with Bryant's appointment after questions from Global News.
"This government's solution is to appoint Michael Bryant as the so-called Downtown Eastside czar without public announcement, without public transparency, without consultation," Kooner said in question period on Tuesday.
Kooner said the public deserves to know why Bryant left as CEO of Legal Aid B.C. after just over two years on the job.
B.C. Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Sheila Malcolmson said Bryant has been tasked to work directly with people living in the Downtown Eastside and the social agencies that serve them "to evaluate the work we've done to find solutions to the gaps, and the work that remains ahead of us."
Speaking with reporters, Malcolmson refused to say whether Bryant was directly hired by Eby or his office.
She would not speak to why he left Legal Aid B.C. after two years on the job.
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