Sam busy man on his trip 'back East'

December 3, 2007

Andy Ivens - Province

Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan's meetings with the high and mighty in Ottawa and Toronto this week will cover a smorgasbord of issues, from homelessness to security for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Meetings with Transport and Infrastructure Minister Lawrence Cannon, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Health Minister Tony Clement and Environment Minister John Baird will occupy the Ottawa portion of his trip.

Sullivan said yesterday he'll be trying to expedite a soccer stadium on the city's waterfront when he meets with Cannon.

"I want to ensure the stadium is squarely on the agenda of the minister and he will do whatever he can to expedite it," the mayor said. "I want to ensure the minister realizes this is a priority for Vancouver."

In his meeting with Clement, Sullivan said he'll discuss details of the federal government's proposed $64-million anti-drug program.

"My hope is Vancouver will get a significant share of that," he said. "We are working hard to solve some the drug problems through innovative treatment options.

"I also will be bringing up the supervised injection site [Insite]. I'll be making a case for the importance of it in the whole spectrum of things we'll be doing for drug treatment."

Sullivan said he'll ask Clement to extend the exemption Insite has from federal drug laws, which it needs to operate, past the current June deadline.

The mayor said he'll ask Flaherty for changes to tax regulations that could free up "tens of millions of dollars" in charitable donations to supportive housing projects.

"We have philanthropists in Vancouver who are willing to put significant dollars into building supportive housing for homeless people. What we need is some tax changes to release that money to come into this important area."

In Toronto, Sullivan will meet organizers of the Juno Awards -- the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences -- with the hope of securing the 2009 gala for Vancouver. He'll also spend time with Toronto Mayor David Miller to discuss "the fiscal imbalance issue" facing Canada's big cities.

aivens@png.canwest.com