I was recently asked the following questions and below is my response.
· What is your position on the Columbia Street bike path? If you were in a position to vote concerning this project in the past, how did you vote? Do you have any alternative proposals?
· What are your solutions to the twin problems of homelessness and mental illness among the homeless? I am looking for specific proposals, not “apple-pie” responses such as “work to solve problem.”
· What are your specific proposals concerning replacing the I-5 bridge. Be specific as to mass transit, tolling, financing, approaches and side streets, etc.
Any bike lane improvements or additions are going to have trade-offs. I was not on the council so I am not sure if they really heard the voices of businesses and residents before deciding this was a good idea. Of course we need more bike lanes and easier ways to provide alternate commuting for our residents, but we also need to support the local residents and businesses that are affected. It appears there was not much talk or debate about this at the meeting, passing 6-1 with Bart Hanson being the only opposing vote. While I have read that residents and businesses strongly opposed this, I did not have the opportunity to reach out to them in person, as I was not on the Council. I would never vote before hearing all the pros and cons. Losing approximately 400 parking spaces is a huge deal, especially when we already have a parking shortage in the Hough, Carter Park and Lincoln neighborhoods. From what I have read, it appears our tax dollars could have been spent on better projects. While bike safety is important, I believe that the benefits did not outweigh the consequences. I do not believe most of the councillors at the time spent enough time truly researching the impacts of the bike lanes.
Regarding homelesness, mental health, (and a third contributor, substance abuse), I have a few ideas. I suggest that we provide grant money for free substance abuse/detox centers. One of the main barriers is out of the 3 detox centers I toured, (only 2 of them in City limits), only 1 of the 2 accepts Medicaid.
The treatment centers should be required to take anyone, regardless of insurance. They should also be required to help their clients sign up for Medicaid. Medicaid can be backdated up to 2 months, so the center would still be paid. The same goes for mental health doctors, however that one is a little more tricky as there are too many private providers for this model to work.
The conditions in detox/rehab centers can be very unwelcoming and almost jail-like. For example, you can only receive medication to help unimaginable detox symptoms on a set schedule of 3 times a day. So if you wake up at 6am vomiting, shaking, or any other symptom, you have to wait until 8am to get medical treatment. I don't know if there is anything we can do to force a private company to change their operations, but I definitely see why some addicts are reluctant to get help, obviously not the only reason.
As I mentioned earlier, there are many homeless who do not have access to mental health services, or health services in general. For many, the ER room/EMT is the only option when they have any medical need. I would propose that we spend some of our tax dollars hiring a team who would go to various homeless camps, shelters, or just on the streets of Vancouver - to assist the homeless in signing up for Medicaid, and providing them resources of what doctors and clinics they could go to.
We have many services in Vancouver geared towards helping the homeless, but I believe most of them are just band-aid fixes. We can provide food and clothing, perhaps some hygiene products or a shower - but until we get to the root core of why they are homeless, we will not be solving the problem. I do not have a specific example of how we will do this. I am open to suggestions from anyone and everyone.
When I was a teenager, every summer I would travel to Calgary to volunteer at a homeless shelter called The Mustard Seed. All of the volunteers would sleep on mats on a gym floor nearby. We would all wait in line for an hour in 100 degree weather to eat dinner mixed in with everyone else that needed a meal, mostly homeless. I met some interesting people along the way, and it was definitely an eye opener and a humbling experience. The homeless crisis is very near and dear to my heart.
I spent 6 years commuting from Vancouver to Portland during rush hour(s). I know first hand that we have a major bottleneck problem, regarding both bridges. The I-5 Northbound is over 100 years old. There is a committee in place - interstatebridge.org - who is reaching out for feedback and plans to start construction in 2025. They are partnered with ODOT, WSDOT, and it will be up to our state governors and representatives to approve. I do believe it is great that they have done research and reached out to the community for input. I do not support tolls, but again, that is beyond the powers of city council. What we can do as city council is decide on how we make bike lanes, bus lanes, and other commuter lanes to access the new bridge. Just like the Columbia bike lane failure - city council needs to hear the needs of the people before making decisions. I know you wanted specific examples, but until the engineering process is underway, we will have no way of knowing what streets, businesses, and residents will be affected by the new bridge.Vancouver City Council reviewed a draft charter for the Executive Steering Committee for the Interstate Bridge Replacement program and they were asked for feedback.
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