Dirty tricks, libel and manipulation

It must be a Vancouver civic election campaign getting under way

by Reed Eurchuk

I like a nice juicy political scandal as much as the next person. Often scandal opens the door to the “backroom” and gives us a glimpse of how so many political deals get cut. But remain skeptical in the face of any scandal. Always ask, Why is this now coming out? Scandals are often contrived, and serve the interests of some unnamed person. Currently, with the Vancouver civic campaign barely begun, two or three scandals already fester.

Sam Sullivan’s Grants to Addicts

Non-Partisan Association [NPA] mayoral candidate Sam Sullivan found a hot potato lobbed his way early. Accused of supplying money to local addict and community worker Shawn Millar, Sullivan not only acknowledged the fact, but supplied journalist Mike Howell with details of two other times he had provided money to addicts in need. Sullivan handled the matter deftly, in a straightforward manner. He refused to accept he had done anything wrong. And he went on the offensive. Howell paraphrases Sullivan as saying that “The sooner the government dispenses heroin, the sooner crime . . . will decrease in Vancouver.”Smelling blood, Vision Vancouver’s Raymond Louie hissed “Is this the type of behaviour that’s appropriate for a mayoralty candidate?”

Let’s look at the original source of the allegation against Sullivan, Shawn Millar. Millar has long worked on projects in the Downtown Eastside. According to a Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) source, who asked for anonymity, Millar is the “pet junkie” of a number of NGOs in the area. He worked on the C A P program at Carnegie Centre with Tom Laviolette, who worked on a number of Jim Green-supported projects in the area. He stuck a needle in his arm for the In Site video “How to shoot dope” which teaches proper fixing hygiene and etiquette to users. He has worked odd jobs through the Portland Hotel. When Jim Green was the NDP appointed boss of the downtown eastside dispensing large amounts of funds to various NGOs in the area, the Portland Hotel was one of the main recipients of government largesse. Dan Small is the C E O at the Portland, and he’s married to NDP M LA Jenny Kwan, who worked with, and was mentored by Jim Green, before being elected to the legislature.

As the VANDU source said, “junkies don’t rat on one another, or people who give them money.” Did someone put Millar up to this? Not necessarily. With the above-mentioned connections, it could have simply been a rational career choice.

Queen of Hearts

Sex trade worker and advocate Jamie Lee Hamilton’s new foray into civic politics was planned to begin with a bombshell announcement. But the bomb was preemptively defused as Jim Green and Vision council candidate Heather Deal went to court and filed suit against Hamilton stating she was defaming them. Hamilton’s allegations may be unfounded, but Vision’s response was over the top. Frances Bula quoted Green as saying “I’m appalled. I can only assume they’re already desperate and this is the way they think they can win.” Green and the Vision crew are implying that the NPA is behind Hamilton’s actions. Sean Holman, on his Public Eye website, quoted “a Vision Vancouver operative, speaking on condition of anonymity” as saying “the reason that [this action] has been undertaken is because activists publicly linked to the Sullivan campaign—i.e. Jamie Lee Hamilton—and extremists from the Harper Conservatives are disseminating statements that we allege are untrue and defame and libel Ms Deal and Mr Green.” Anyone who has even a casual acquaintance with Ms Hamilton, a self-described “sexual revolutionary” knows that she dances to her own drummer.

An Unpleasant Marriage

Meanwhile the shotgun wedding between COPE and Vision remains unconsummated. Rumours have the Vancouver District Labour Council, who coerced this loveless union, retaining complete control over campaign funding, and telling both sides that they will dictate who gets what and when. End of story. Lest you believe there is equanimity in this dictate, let me disabuse you. VDLC top brass are firmly behind Vision. If Vision does well in the upcoming elections, future VDLC support for COPE is unlikely.

Jim Green and Vision’s bid for power is best understood as another attempt by the provincial NDP at establishing a municipal arm. Green, Stevenson, assistant Geoff Meggs and former COPE organizer Neil Monkton, and many other Visionaries, have deep NDP roots. Similar attempts by the NDP go back 40 years. Meanwhile, COPE has virtually disappeared from the news over the last two weeks. Mayoral candidates have historically received the lion’s share of media coverage. COPE chose, or were forced to accept, not to have their own mayoral candidate. This will handicap them. I for one have no doubt that there are many people within VDLC, COPE and the NDP who would not shed a tear should incumbent COPE councilors Fred Bass, Tim Louis, Anne Roberts, Ellen Woodsworth and David Cadman not get re-elected. COPE needs to court new constituencies at the very moment they are least able to.

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