CCAP town hall on the City’s Community Economic Development Plan

WHEN: 1-3pm, Saturday, October 1st 2016
WHERE: Carnegie Theatre, Unceded Coast Salish Territories

The City is pushing through a new Community Economic Development Strategy for the Downtown Eastside this fall. The strategy touches on everything from street vending, community benefit agreements, employment and volunteering opportunities, retail tax exemptions, loss of affordable retail to social enterprises.

Taken together, the strategy will have a significant impact on low-income people in the Downtown Eastside. On Saturday, October 1st, we are holding a town hall at the Carnegie in order to inform Downtown Eastside residents and community groups about some of the measures the strategy proposes. We will also present our retail and zones of exclusion research at the town hall, our concerns about the strategy, and we want your feedback!

While the strategy mentions the need to increase welfare rates, it is predominantly in favour of market solutions to poverty in the Downtown Eastside. As such, we are concerned that the strategy fails to address the root causes of poverty in the neighbourhood, and some of the measures supported by the plan will actually facilitate gentrification and the loss of low-income housing.

Come to the town hall and learn how the economic development strategy will impact low-income residents. We will discuss the strategy, why market approaches to poverty doesn’t work and real measures to address poverty in the neighbourhood.

Coffee and snacks will be provided!

The town hall is taking place on the unceded coast salish territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Wauthuth) and Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) peoples.