Podcasts about vancouver area network

Both the BC NDP and the Conservative Party of BC have pledged to expand involuntary care under the Mental Health Act for people who use drugs. More than 17 organizations have condemned forced detention plans, including the BC Civil Liberties Association and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. Meenakshi Mannoe is connected to anti-prison and anti-policing movements and has previously engaged in advocacy related to the expansion of involuntary care. We speak with her about this issue.

Ep 511 - Drug Free Kids Guest: Chantal Vallerand   By Stuart McNish   On Dec 8th, 2022, Jennifer Whiteside was appointed Minister for Mental Health and Addictions. At the time she said, “The Premier has asked me to prioritize accelerating BC's response to the illicit drug toxicity crisis. The Premier has also asked me to expand new complex care, treatment, recovery, detox and after-care facilities across the province.”   Months later, the BC Centre for Disease Control released its report showing that in 2022, overdoses from opioids and illicit drugs were now the leading cause of death for youth 10 to 18 years old.  The Minister issued a statement saying, “The toxic drug crisis continues to have a devastating impact on families and communities in B.C., and the impact on children, youth is heartbreaking,”   These are hollow words to Garth Mullins, an organizer with the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, who said, “It seems to me that the Minister's job is to be the official mourner – someone who is there to cry publicly about the mass deaths but isn't empowered.”   So where does a family turn when they need help? Chantal Vallerand, the Executive Director at Drug Free Kids Canada, says, “We know how difficult it is for families. Most don't know the boundaries of what they can and cannot say or do. We created Drug Free Kids to help parents facing the life and death reality of drugs where there is no margin for error.”   We invited Chantal Vallerand of Drug Free Kids to join us for a Conversation That Matters about resources and strategies that can and do help families address the growing drug crisis in Canada.   You can see the interview here https://www.conversationsthatmatter.ca/   Learn More about our guests career at careersthatmatter.ca

Garth Mullins from the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users returns to the show in celebration of International Albinism Awareness Day. He shares his passion for radio production, podcasting and music in addition to his ongoing efforts for human rights. From the June 13, 2024, episode.

British Columbia wants to recriminalize drug use in public spaces. Garth Mullins from the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users reacts to the news. From the May 1, 2024, episode.

Today on NOW with Dave Brown: researchers in New Brunswick are studying the barriers of transportation and the built environment. Kaitlyn Layden and Paul Polley explain why your participation is needed. Doors Open Ontario is back! David Leonard tells you what historical sites are offered this year. Plus, B.C. wants to recriminalize drug use in public spaces. Garth Mullins from Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users reacts to the news. This is the May 1, 2024, episode.

The B.C. Coroners Service says there were 2,511 suspected illicit drug deaths last year. Garth Mullins from the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users discusses the issues at the core of the overdose crisis. From the January 30, 2024, episode.

Today on NOW with Dave Brown: Garth Mullins from the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users discusses the issues at the core of the overdose crisis in B.C. Lawrence Gunther recaps the Toronto International Boat Show. And we have another edition of the news quiz with contestants: Alex Smyth, Karen Magee and Elysia Yardley. This is the January 30, 2024, episode.

Despite record high drug-poisoning deaths in Yaletown, the city of Vancouver is closing an overdose prevention site on Seymour Street. So far, there is no guarantee that another site will be opened to replace it. Vince Tao is a community organizer with VANDU, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. He joins us to talk about what led to the decision to close the site.

B.C. Premier David Eby announced more measures to limit illicit drug use in public spaces. Our guests Garth Mullins, organizer with Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) and host of the "Crackdown" podcast; and Smithers Mayor Gladys Atrill talk about the impacts the new legislation may have. And in our second half, Deputy Minister Crystia Freeland announced new plans to reduce food prices. Our guest Chef TJ Conwi from Ono Vancouver, and founder of LunchLAB, and our callers gave us tips and tricks to deal with high food prices when preparing for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday feasting.

Vince Tao and Dave Hamm are Vancouver-based activists and advocates for drug users, representing the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU).

As of this week, possession of 2.5 grams of some drugs in B.C. is decriminalized. The B.C. government says it is trying to reduce the number of people who die from overdoses in the province. Around six people die every day in B.C. from drugs – but many advocates don't believe this decriminalization program will actually prevent people from dying.Garth Mullins is an organizer with the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, and host of the podcast Crackdown. He'll tell us about B.C.'s plan, about the impact criminalization has had on him and people he knows, and what he thinks would lead to fewer people dying from drugs.Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com

Parliament is heading towards a vote on an NDP Private Member's Bill that would decriminalize drug possession for personal use, among other changes to address Canada's overdose crisis. The Liberals have also proposed a bill that would amend the Controlled Drug and Substances Act.Garth Mullins of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users has been fighting for decriminalization for a long time as he's watched friends die and get incarcerated. He talks about these two bills and his vision for healthy drug policy in Canada. Links:Listen to Crackdown, Garth's podcast about the drug war: https://www.crackdownpod.com/Sponsors: Oxio, The Peak, Ground News, Skipper Otto See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In October, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users conducted a survey asking homeless people about the impact of street sweeps by city workers and police. The stress of having to defend personal possessions against seizure or theft is something that homeless people around the world face on a daily basis. A research project is looking at attempts to govern the belongings of the precariously housed. We speak with Nick Blomley, Professor of Geography at Simon Fraser University and one of the researchers involved in the project.

“Us drug users are the only people that you can kill 20,000 of between elections and not even get a mention in the campaign race.”Garth is nationally known for his advocacy and his Podcast "Crackdown".As a member of The Drug Users Liberation Front (DULF), and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) He's done some wild shit.Buy drugs on the darknet, test them with a mass spectrometer and give them away in front of the Vancouver Police Station?Why not.How did they not get arrested?Sheer numbers.Hundreds of people, including politicians, giving away drugs are kinda tough to deal with."Some of us want to get arrested so we can have our day in court with these ridiculous laws. But here we are."Interesting.Tune in this week and listen to Garth #takeofftheblinders around Harm Reduction advocacy in Canada.We'll talk about what he thinks is wrong with our current models, what he thinks needs to change, and how we can change it."The most dangerous part about drugs is that they're illegal."He might be right. Come have a listen and then you decide.Oh yes, it's back to the fringe we go my friends. And we won't be pulling any punches this week as we dive into the argument of free drugs for all, right here, on Hard Knox Talks.Buckle up!!#harmreduction #substanceuse #addiction #recovery #policy #drugpolicy #DULF #VANDU #drugs #safety #disabilitymanagement #riskmanagement

Today on The Pulse, host James Mainguy follows up with Vince Tao as they discuss this week's report from the Independent Investigations Office of BC, which cleared two Vancouver Police Officers in the shooting death of a distressed man on Hastings Street, on January 5, 2021.

Roughly 35 years ago, harm reduction saved Maia Szalavitz's life. It was 1986 in the East Village, and though Maia was an Ivy League kid who read two newspapers a day, she had no idea that her regular intravenous heroin use put her at risk for HIV. Thanks to a chance encounter, though, Maia learned about some simple harm reduction practices that helped her stay alive through that deadly epidemic.In the years since, Maia has become an award-winning author and journalist well-known for covering addiction, neuroscience, and harm reduction. Her most recent book, Undoing Drugs, is a sweeping, ambitious, yet tightly plotted and fast-paced history of harm reduction, ranging across the globe to tell a vivid history of harm reduction as a revolutionary movement. I was lucky to have her on the podcast to talk about the story of harm reduction, the elements that she argues makes it a truly revolutionary paradigm, and how her own lived experience with addiction and a drive for justice has motivated her work.Maia Szalavitz is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Unbroken Brain: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding Addiction, which received the 2018 media award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Her earlier book, Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids, was the first to expose the damage caused by the “tough love” business that dominates youth treatment and helped spur Congressional hearings on the matter. She has also authored or co-authored six other books, including the classic on child trauma, The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog (with Bruce. D. Perry). Her numerous essays and features have appeared from High Times to the New York Times. Her latest book, Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction, is available now. Her website is https://maiasz.com/ and you can find her on TwitterIn this episode: - A simple yet powerful indictment of our current situation: “You can't criminalize and destigmatize something at the same time"- Her definition of harm reduction, and how harm reduction goes beyond concrete practices to notions of justice.- How to think about coercion in addiction treatment, and how her own experience showcases the excesses and harms of the criminal legal system today. (See also her piece on the history of “tough-love” and its roots in a bizarre cult from decades ago)  - How harm reduction is not in conflict with traditional 12-step recovery, and her stories of early harm reduction pioneers who were also active in 12-step recovery. (see also this oral history with Richard Elovich, as well as “25 years of AIDS”, a great panel discussion from 2006 featuring Allan Clear and several others—including Larry Kramer sparring with Tony Fauci)- The need for an ACT UP for people with addiction- The ways activism is part of flourishing in recovery: “"you have less space in your head to be obsessing about the drugs all the time when you're working on the activism" (about VANDU, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users)- What the Biden administration is getting right about harm reduction, and what it's missing. Sign up for my newsletter for regular updates on new material and other writings.

Advocates for a safe supply of drugs handed out heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine outside the Vancouver Police Department Wednesday (July 14) afternoon. City Councillor Jean Swanson, along with members of the Drug User Liberation Front (DULF) and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), distributed the free drugs outside the Vancouver Police Department.The collective action demonstrates the "life-saving potential of a community-led response to the crisis of prohibition in Canada" as a necessary alternative to Vancouver's proposed model of decriminalization, explains a news release. The drugs that were handed out were tested via "FTIR spectrometry and immunoassay, and are free of fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, benzodiazepines, and other harmful adulterants." Jeremy Kalicum, DULF organizer, tells Vancouver Is Awesome that “the crisis is unbearable and it is ridiculous that we have to put ourselves at risk to move forward with a commonsense harm reduction principle.”The group spent roughly $3,000 on drugs and distributed it among four groups. "We gave out more than the proposed threshold limit that's in Vancouver's proposed model.Join your host Sean Reynolds, owner of Summit Properties NW and Reynolds & Kline Appraisal as he takes a look at this developing topic.Support the show (https://buymeacoff.ee/seattlepodcast)

Chapter 1: Be “present”, “be in the now”... when was the last time you were? Chapter 2: The dog poop dilemma  has long had neighbourhoods up in arms over pet owners leaving their dogs waste on lawns and walkways.  Tel Aviv is taking a big step get owners to pick up their poop. Guest: Raji Sohal, CKNW Contributor Chapter 3: It's a beautiful and popular public park, often called the city's crown jewel.  Chapter 4: And yet, it seems unreal, but the public is being warned to use Stanley Park at their own risk, after a string of coyote attacks. Guest:  Amit Gandha, Director of Parks for the City of Vancouver. Chapter 5: Vancouver City Councillor Jean Swanson, members of the Drug User Liberation Front, and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) gave out a free safe supply of meth, heroin and cocaine. Guest: Jeremy Kalicum, Activist and organizer with the Drug Users Liberation Front. Chapter 6: Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart joined us to express his excitement over the possibility of Vancouver hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2026. However, he did say there are still precautions the city needs to take. Guest: Paul Dolan, Whitecaps TV Analyst, former Canadian Goal Keeper & Goalkeeper coach. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reporting from the font lines of the drug poisoning crisis, Garth Mullins is a drug user activist and award-winning radio documentarian. He is host and executive producer of the Crackdown Podcast where drug users cover the drug war as war correspondents. This is Garth's second overdose crisis. He used injection heroin for over a decade and is now on methadone. He is a member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and is also a trade union organizer and musician.

Aly Laube talks to Laura Shaver, of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), about the challenges faced by the community's drug users during the past year as they live not only through the COVID-19 pandemic but a huge spike in opioid deaths too.

Today on The Pulse, Mei Xi talks to Vince Tao of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. The two discuss further the police shooting, on January 5th, of a DTES resident, and alternatives to a VPD presence in the area.

Along with the latest news, today Mei Xi talks to Vince Tao of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users. The two discuss further the police shooting, on January 5th, of a DTES resident, and alternatives to a VPD presence in the area.

David P Ball/ Vancouver Coop Radio - Author of the memoir 'Outside In' and upcoming fiction book talks about the 40th anniversary of saving the Carnegie Centre as a DTES "community hub" The Downtown Eastside has for decades been a site not only of poverty and struggle, but also "resilience" and successful community organizing, says Libby Davies. And the former Member of Parliament hopes the community can remember to celebrate and honour the successes and victories over the years as the struggle continues. That's particularly true as demands for reforms and solutions to the neighbourhoods multiple crises gain urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a growing number of media reports focusing on violence, desperation and injustice. Former Vancouver-East member of Parliament Libby Davies talked about decades of organizing history marking the 40th anniversary of how the community rallied to save the Carnegie Centre from closure, turning it into a vibrant neighbourhood hub to this day. Davies was an early organizer with the since-defunct DTES Residents Association (DERA), which was shuttered following financial scandals in the 2000s, with some of its operations resurfacing as the Portland Hotel Society. Davies shared some of the history of organization in the DTES with The Pulse on CFRO, about her upcoming book, and crediting the decades of activism and leadership shown by groups such as the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and the Women's Memorial March Committee, among many others.

Excerpts, speeches, and eulogies from the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users' (VANDU) drug war memorial march on Saturday, August 15. “ We speak their names, we march with rage“

Along with the latest news, today we play excerpts, speeches, and eulogies from the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users' (VANDU) drug war memorial march on Saturday, August 15. “ We speak their names, we march with rage“

On this episode of our Below the Radar Conversations Series, our host Am Johal is joined by Ann Livingston, community organizer and drug user activist. Ann is the co-founder of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, and is currently the Executive Project Coordinator of the BC-Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors. Am and Ann discuss the two current public health emergencies: the COVID-19 pandemic and the fentanyl contamination deaths in BC. You can find out more about the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users here: https://vandureplace.wordpress.com/ And you can learn more about the BC-Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors here: http://bcyadws.ca/

Chapter 1 BCFSA releases its interim findings on the Strata Insurance Market Mike is joined by Tony Gioventu to discuss the BCFSA findings on the Strata Insurance Market. Guest: Tony Gioventu, CEO, Condominium Home Owners Association of BC Chapter 2 The toxic drug supply killing users Laura Shaver joins Mike to discuss the toxic drug supply on the streets of Vancouver. Guest: Laura Shaver, Board member, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) Chapter 3 Baldrey's Beat: Border Closure, CERB Extension, & Your Calls Keith Baldrey joins Mike to discuss Trudeau's decision to keep the American border closed, extending the CERB, and more. Guest: Keith Baldrey, Global BC Legislative Bureau Chief Chapter 4 Border jumpers: Are American tourists sneaking into Canada? Nathan Cullen joins Mike to discuss American tourists finding ways to get over the border to go on vacation in Canada. Guest: Nathan Cullen, Former NDP MP, Skeena-Bulkley Valley Chapter 5 Immigration lawyer on the border and sneaking tourists Aleksander Stojicevic joins Mike to discuss American tourists finding ways to get over the border to go on vacation in Canada. Guest: Aleksandar Stojicevic, Partner MKS Immigration Lawyers Chapter 6 Maclean Kay gets an ICBC boardgame Maclean Kay joins Mike to discuss the ICBC “Monopoly” board game. Guest: Maclean Kay, Editor in Chief, The Orca Chapter 7 Live Well Clinics begin to reopen Sarah Hodson joins Mike to discuss the reopening of Live Well Clinics in British Columbia. Guest: Sarah Hodson, President, CEO, Live Well

Laura Shaver joins Mike to discuss the toxic drug supply on the streets of Vancouver. Guest: Laura Shaver, Board member, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU)

In the 1980s and 90s, cannabis compassion clubs provided marijuana to patients who used in for medical reasons. A recent report by the BC Centre for Substance Use recommends that the same model could be used to provide drug users with an untainted supply of heroin in a safe, medically-supervised environment. We talk with Laura Shaver, board member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and a current heroin user.

In the 1980s and 90s, cannabis compassion clubs provided marijuana to patients who used in for medical reasons. A recent report by the BC Centre for Substance Use recommends that the same model could be used to provide drug users with an untainted supply of heroin in a safe, medically-supervised environment. We talk with Laura Shaver, board member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and a current heroin user.

After headlines from Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, Democracy Watch unpacks the NDP's recently announced 2018 budget with senior economist from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Iglika Ivanova. After that, we hear a story from last Friday's Wild Salmon Fundraiser & Educational evening at the Vancouver Unitarian Church. The evening featured world-renowned scientist, David Suzuki, as well as several Indigenous activists, including hereditary Chief Ernest Alfred from the 'Namgis, Tlowitsis and Mamalilikulla First Nations who spoke of the environmental hazard and infringement on First Nations' rights resulting from salmon farming off the coast of B.C. We end the show with a piece on Tuesday’s national Day of Action on Drug Decriminalization held in Downtown Vancouver. This year’s action focused on the criminal justice system and its impact on drug users, including the practice of red-zoning. Democracy Watch spoke with event organizer Jordan Westfall; president of the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs, PIVOT lawyer Caitlin Shane, members of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) and rally-goers marching in honour of loved ones lost to this epidemic.

Donate to the Overdose Prevention Society: https://www.gofundme.com/wesavelives In September, 2016, three women were so concerned about the growing fentanyl overdose crisis that they set up a tent & table in an alley behind the DTES Market they managed. In potential violation of the law, they set up a drug injection/ consumption site in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to combat the many overdose deaths. About Ann: Ann Livingston is a creative, energetic and focused community organizer, who has made significant contributions to improving access to health care for people who use illegal drugs at the local, regional and national levels. After co founding the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) with poet/ activist Bud Osborn in 1998, she was employed as VANDU,s executive program director for 10 years. She encouraged people who use drugs, who are criminalized and labeled mentally ill, to form citizen associations and insist that they design and implement harm reduction programs. Consequently, VANDU had, and continues to have, a major influence on the public dialogue around heroin, cocaine, crystal meth and crack use and the people who are users of these illegal substances. After many years of advocacy, public education, marching in the streets and civil disobedience, Vancouver finally has a government sanctioned injection site and is hosting a second heroin prescription trial. In her current role as a volunteer with the BC Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors, Ann is meeting with marginalized, homeless people who use illegal drugs in Surrey and Abbotsford where bylaws have been implemented banning harm reduction services for drug users. The BC Humanist Association was formed in 1984 and we have a regular attendance of over 30 people at our Sunday meetings. View the slides: https://www.slideshare.net/bchumanist/overdose-prevention-society

These are the collected recordings for CITR 101.9FM's contribution to the 16th Annual NCRA Homelessness Marathon: this includes interviews with vendors working with Megaphone Magazine, an audio collage from the Opioid Overdose Awareness rally, and a discussion on the intersection of homelessness, housing, social exclusion, and addiction. All the recordings you are about to hear are taken from February 21st and 22nd 2017. The purpose of the Homelessness Marathon is to move towards more equitable media, and make the microphone available. Stations across Canada broadcast from spaces accessible to those who deal with homelessness, first and foremost centring their voices. While we broadcast from Megaphone to share the voices of its vendors, we felt that our programming efforts for the Homelessness Marathon could not ignore the opioid overdose crisis which has been devastating communities across North America, in particular the Downtown Eastside. Considering the factors which perpetuate and exacerbate homelessness: such as addiction, housing, social exclusion, and more -- along with the overdose crisis, which is most devastating for homeless communities -- we felt it was essential to also focus on the brave activism of the Downtown Eastside community, and the further necessity for action in the wake of a tremendous human rights crisis. As such we also feature an audio collage from the Day of Action Against the Overdose Crisis rally, and an interview on the intersection of addiction and homelessness. CiTR extends its thank yous to the staff at Megaphone for hosting our broadcast, and facilitating a space for their vendors to talk on-air. Thank you to Megaphone vendors Mark Irvine, Peter Thomson, James Witwicky, Davin Butank for joining us to talk on-air, as well as Duncan Higgan, Project Manager for PHS Community Services. Thank you to the organizers from CAPUD: the Canadian Association of People Who use Drugs and VANDU, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, for organizing the Rally for Opioid Awareness on February 21st. Thank you for DURC for letting us record in their space. Thank you to organizers Oona Krieg and Justin Van Westen for talking to us about the intersections of homelessness, poverty, housing, and addiction in the wake of the overdose crisis. Thank you to volunteers Rachel Lau, Dezy Nair, Oona Krieg, and Carleigh Baker for hosting and teching the broadcast from Megaphone. Thank you to Cal Murray for sourcing sounds from the February 21st Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis rally which closed this piece. This piece was produced by Jonathan Kew, and the CiTR Programming Department. Final thank you to all the stations that participated in the 2017 NCRA Homelessness Marathon, including host station Local FM out of St. John New Brunswick.

Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users talk to Talk Recovery sharing their experience strength and hope... what is VANDU?