427 search results for
Municipal governments
Recommendation 88:
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs should work with the City of Vancouver to follow through on the promise, under the Northeast False Creek plan, to construct a Black Cultural Centre as part of the Hogan’s Alley Redevelopment project on the 898 Main Street block. In designing this space, the National Museum of African American History & Culture may serve as a great inspirational reference.
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Recommendation 30:
The Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs must immediately improve the number and accessibility of shelter options to ensure that everyone in BC always has access to a physical location where they can sleep, store belongings, and attend to personal care and hygiene in safety and without threat of displacement or sanctions. To do so they must:
- work in partnership with BC Housing to reinstate nightly turn-away counts at shelters and use data to ensure that there are adequate shelter beds to address the level of need in each municipality;
- with the exception of temporary Extreme Weather Response shelters, recognize that overnight-only shelters are untenable for residents and provide funding to expand shelter hours; and
- provide shelter residents an accessible and independent complaint process.
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Recommendation 13:
The incarceration of one parent often results in various forms of hardship for the rest of the family, particularly the children. Imprisonment disrupts positive, nurturing relationships between many parents—particularly mothers who are often the sole or primary caregiver—and their children. Children and their families suffer economic strain and instability when a parent is imprisoned. Family members are not guilty of anything. All agencies and services involved with the families should try to mitigate the impact on family members at all stages of the criminal justice system, ensuretheir rights are upheld, and ensure they are not discriminated against because of the actions of their family member. Supporting the families and strengthening the children’s positive family connections are necessary to ensure a healthy child development. Different forms of support are needed.
- Encourage the various agencies and services involved with the children to work towards positive family outcomes and to adopt consistent practices in the support of families and positive life outcomes for the children.
- Ensure that families understand the criminal justice process and are aware of the supports available.
- Provide information to families and ensure that the information provided is timely and accurate.
- Encourage and support parents and caregivers to explain procedures, decisions and the truth of the situation to children in an age appropriate manner.
- Ensure that families have access to information and assistance on a range of issues such as housing, benefits and finances, legal issues, health, or childcare.
- Facilitate appropriate contacts between family members and the incarcerated parent.
- Provide guidance to agencies dealing with families of parents in conflict with the law.
- Conduct family impact assessments when new policies and practices are developed that may affect the families of people in conflict with the law.
- Keep incarcerated parents informed about the situation and well-being of their children and other family members, and support them in managing family concerns as appropriate.
Enhancing the Protective Environment for Children of Parents in Conflict with the Law or Incarcerated: A Framework for Action
Group/author:
Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver, International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, University of the Fraser Valley – School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver, International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, University of the Fraser Valley – School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Year:
2018
2018
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Recommendation 4:
The federal government—with leadership from the Privy Council Office—should work with the Sustainable Finance Action Council, securities and financial regulators, provincial and territorial governments, standards associations, and Indigenous organizations to accelerate the development and require the use of quantitative and comparable company- and product-level metrics, standards, and certifications that measure climate, environmental, social, and Indigenous performance.
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Recommendation 8:
The City of Vancouver should develop a policy on the confiscation of belongings by City Engineering Workers and police which recognizes the fundamental harms caused by the confiscation of belongings from people who rely on public space. The City should instruct its employees to end the confiscation of the belongings of people who rely on public space, especially necessities of life such as shelter, clothing, medication, and important personal items. When City staff must confiscate personal belongings, the City must provide at least 24 hours of advance notice, and when confiscation is justified, direct staff to issue receipts for belongings and cash, details on retrieval, and clear instructions on how people can get their property back. Any confiscated belongings must be stored in an accessible location within the DTES that people can easily attend.
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Recommendation 21:
The BC Human Rights Commission to prioritize stigma-auditing areas of law and policy that most directly impact highly stigmatized populations including sex workers in areas such as:
- Public space governance,
- Income assistance and disability policy,
- Housing policy and residential tenancy law,
- Child welfare law and policy,
- Policing law and policy,
- Health policy related to mental health and substance use,
- Privacy law as it relates to people who live in public spaces and people who are criminalized as a result of poverty and substance use.
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- Ableism ,
- Accessibility ,
- Accessible services and technology ,
- Discrimination and hate ,
- Economic inequality ,
- Gender-based violence ,
- Health ,
- Housing and homelessness ,
- Income insecurity and benefits ,
- Mental health and detention ,
- Other ,
- Policing ,
- Policing and the criminal justice system ,
- Poverty ,
- Poverty and economic inequality ,
- Privacy ,
- Public services ,
- Sexism ,
- Tenancy rights ,
- Workers’ rights
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Recommendation 17:
The arrest of a parent can be a traumatic experience for children. It is almost always very disruptive and stressful for the family. It is important to try to mitigate these effects on the children. Also, temporary care arrangements must be made when the parents is the sole caregiver for the child.
- Try to mitigate the impact that arrest of a parent may have on any child present.
- Wherever possible, carry out the arrest in the absence of the child or, at a minimum, in a child-sensitive manner.
- Inquire, at the time of arrest, about the arrangements made for the children.
- Give the arrested parent who has sole custody of a child a reasonable opportunity to select a caregiver unless the arrest is for child abuse or neglect.
- Work together with local agencies to find appropriate ways to support children and other family members during and after an arrest. For example, prior to a planned arrest, agencies and community resources could be made aware, when appropriate, of any dependent or family members that might be present at the arrest.
- Develop protocols and policies concerning arrests and temporary care of children of the arrested individuals.
- Provide guidance to all concerned agencies and organizations, and their personnel, on how to support children and family members during and after an arrest.
Enhancing the Protective Environment for Children of Parents in Conflict with the Law or Incarcerated: A Framework for Action
Group/author:
Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver, International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, University of the Fraser Valley – School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver, International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, University of the Fraser Valley – School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Year:
2018
2018
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Recommendation 1:
Take immediate action to address systemic discrimination in policing by ending all street checks in Vancouver and BC. Street checks are harmful and discriminatory for Indigenous, Black, and low-income communities.
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Recommendation 1:
Take bold action to tackle the climate crisis, while ensuring lower income households are not made worse off, and indeed, that social justice and economic security is enhanced.
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Recommendation 18:
Systemic neighbourhood environmental issues
To address safety concerns expressed by interviewees, there are several larger structural solutions such as increasing the number of safe and affordable housing units, access to health-focused treatment, and equitable employment opportunities. One short-term measure could be to install lighting on streets and in alleyways to help people feel safe during evenings and at night.
In the interim, reducing criminalization and stigmatization of community members would alleviate further social divides. Instead, we recommend an approach that allows them to thrive that takes an inclusive approach to housing, employment, social security, and access (services, food, other), which would require cooperative action by all levels of government and stakeholders.
Ultimately, a systems change approach would need to be applied to adequately address the root causes of these issues. As noted in the Resilient Vancouver Phase One Engagement Report (2018), many of these issues are interrelated and solutions need to involve multiple city departments, all levels of government, and other stakeholders.
To address safety concerns expressed by interviewees, there are several larger structural solutions such as increasing the number of safe and affordable housing units, access to health-focused treatment, and equitable employment opportunities. One short-term measure could be to install lighting on streets and in alleyways to help people feel safe during evenings and at night.
In the interim, reducing criminalization and stigmatization of community members would alleviate further social divides. Instead, we recommend an approach that allows them to thrive that takes an inclusive approach to housing, employment, social security, and access (services, food, other), which would require cooperative action by all levels of government and stakeholders.
Ultimately, a systems change approach would need to be applied to adequately address the root causes of these issues. As noted in the Resilient Vancouver Phase One Engagement Report (2018), many of these issues are interrelated and solutions need to involve multiple city departments, all levels of government, and other stakeholders.
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Category and theme:
- Accessibility ,
- Accessible services and technology ,
- Alternative solutions ,
- Classism ,
- Discrimination and hate ,
- Food insecurity ,
- Health ,
- Housing and homelessness ,
- Income insecurity and benefits ,
- Mental health and detention ,
- Policing and the criminal justice system ,
- Poverty ,
- Poverty and economic inequality ,
- Public services ,
- Racism ,
- Substance use
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