Update for activists
Development Permit Board meeting
This is it! The meeting is set for 3 pm Monday, Nov. 5 in city council chambers at city hall. (Ignore the ad in Friday’s Sun which said it was Committee Room #1. That’s wrong.) Use the following link to get background on how the Development Permit Board works. http://www.vancouver.ca/commsvcs/planning/dpboard/2007/Agendas/nov5.htm
You can also use this link to sign up to speak. We urge you to sign up to express your own point of view on this development. Even if you are not interested in speaking, we need you to attend to increase our numbers in the public gallery so the Development Permit Board sees that we represent a broad cross-section of community opinion.
And, bring a friend.
For the past two months we have been organizing for this day, and I am very happy with the support we have received and the way things have unfolded. Some important notes:
1. There will be upwards of 40 speakers. At 5 minutes each, that’s over three hours, probably more. The betting at city hall is that the hearing will be continued on Tuesday in order to accommodate all the people who want to address the board.
2. Parking can be an issue, particularly because COPE has scheduled a rally regarding the proposed Canadian Tire development for 5:30 pm Monday at City Hall. So, get there early, and tell Security inside City Hall that you will be there a while.
3. We have organized 15 of our group to address specific aspects of this proposal. Those speakers will be among the first to speak, beginning with me as Speaker #3. In this way, we will present the board with a coherent series of arguments in favour of this development, to help them in their decision-making. We then have a long list of people who will tell their story, give their point of view on why this is an important development for our community. I believe we will present ourselves as the rational point of view in the community, with a well-though-out and clearly presented case in support.
4. Understand that the opponents of this plan will be speaking in between the speakers for our side, and theirs will likely be highly emotional, highly exaggerated half-truths, mis-truths and fabrications, designed to instill fear into people. It’s important that we counter these points, but not detract from our central messages.
5. Bring a snack to tide you over the supper hour, or plan to go out to a nearby restaurant during the meeting. I’m told there will be a room nearby where we can go to relax, chat, have a snack, etc.
Keep reading for more interesting information
What we're all about
Neighbours for Mental Health was created by a group of neighbours living in the east Hastings area on Aug. 9, 2007 to be the voice in favour of bringing valuable mental health services into our community. Up to that date the only organized group related to this development was opposed to it.
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority has applied to the city for permission to build, in conjunction with Bosa Developments, a three-storey structure. the bottom floor would be mainly a drug store, and the upper floors would house the mental health staff.
the only issue to be decided is permission to build. The Development Permit Board of the City of Vancouver will make that decision. It is not appealable to City Council or any other body. In practical terms, the DPB cannot convene a public meeting to hear arguments for and against this development until after the civic strike. They need to give two weeks notice of the time and place of the meeting, which effectively means there is little chance of such a meeting until the end of September.
Neighbours for Mental Health has the solitary aim of organizing public support for this development in front of the DPB. This blog is part of that initiative. Scroll down to inform yourself about the issues, and plan to attend the DPB when it is announced.
John Lynn
Vancouver Coastal Health Authority has applied to the city for permission to build, in conjunction with Bosa Developments, a three-storey structure. the bottom floor would be mainly a drug store, and the upper floors would house the mental health staff.
the only issue to be decided is permission to build. The Development Permit Board of the City of Vancouver will make that decision. It is not appealable to City Council or any other body. In practical terms, the DPB cannot convene a public meeting to hear arguments for and against this development until after the civic strike. They need to give two weeks notice of the time and place of the meeting, which effectively means there is little chance of such a meeting until the end of September.
Neighbours for Mental Health has the solitary aim of organizing public support for this development in front of the DPB. This blog is part of that initiative. Scroll down to inform yourself about the issues, and plan to attend the DPB when it is announced.
John Lynn
