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British Columbia·New
A erstwhile Ontario lawyer wide and caput of Legal Aid B.C. has been appointed to assistance hole issues successful the area once described arsenic Canada's poorest postal code.
'We've been told nothing,' says Downtown Eastside societal work supplier of Michael Bryant's appointment
Katie DeRosa · CBC News
· Posted: May 13, 2025 9:46 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 minutes ago
One of David Eby's archetypal priorities erstwhile helium became person of the B.C. NDP and premier was to tackle the entrenched poverty, intelligence wellness and addictions issues facing residents in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
More than 2 years later, a erstwhile Ontario lawyer wide and caput of Legal Aid B.C. has been appointed to assistance hole issues successful the area once described arsenic Canada's poorest postal code.
But Michael Bryant's relation arsenic a consultant is raising questions. He was installed successful the presumption successful February with small nationalist announcement, a six-month declaration worthy $150,000, positive an allowance of $25,000 successful expenses.
Social work providers successful the Downtown Eastside person said the secrecy astir the assignment has been problematic.
Micheal Vonn, CEO of PHS Community Services Society, which operates much than 1,700 units of supportive lodging successful Vancouver and Victoria, said she archetypal learned of Bryant's assignment done "rumours."
"We've been told nothing," she told CBC News.
Vonn said the deficiency of connection does not assistance build trust successful the community.
"This not lone should person been announced but tons of announcement provided. There are tons of places you don't privation to person a rumour mill going, the Downtown Eastside is surely 1 of them," she told CBC News.
"It does not consciousness bully with a assemblage that's nether menace successful truthful galore ways, experiencing truthful overmuch instability."
Vonn has not met with Bryant but said she's acceptable to springiness him a circuit of the assorted lodging facilities tally by her non-profit.
Amanda Burrows, enforcement manager of First United, besides said she was concerned by the deficiency of transparency.
"I deliberation it's an unfortunate commencement to thing that has immoderate anticipation towards it," she said.
Burrows said Bryant's wage "feels a spot retired of interaction erstwhile we cognize $150,000 tin spell a truly agelong mode present and erstwhile the state is cutting backing to immoderate groups successful the Downtown Eastside."
However, she added that "if what is being taken backmost to the premier is going to pb to actions and follow-through and existent results, past I don't deliberation the wage has to beryllium the main focus."
Bryant turned down a CBC News interrogation request.
The Early Edition5:26What's it similar to unrecorded and enactment successful the DTES?
Trevor Halford, B.C. Conservative MLA for Surrey White Rock, accused the NDP authorities of "rewarding friends and insiders" with a lucrative declaration "on the backs of our astir susceptible radical connected the Downtown Eastside."
B.C. Conservative lawyer wide professional Steve Kooner said the authorities lone went nationalist with Bryant's assignment aft questions from Global News.
"This government's solution is to name Michael Bryant arsenic the alleged Downtown Eastside czar without nationalist announcement, without nationalist transparency, without consultation," Kooner said successful question play connected Tuesday.
Kooner said the nationalist deserves to cognize wherefore Bryant near arsenic CEO of Legal Aid B.C. aft conscionable implicit 2 years connected the job.
B.C. Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Sheila Malcolmson said Bryant has been tasked to enactment straight with radical surviving successful the Downtown Eastside and the societal agencies that service them "to measure the enactment we've done to find solutions to the gaps, and the enactment that remains up of us."
Speaking with reporters, Malcolmson refused to accidental whether Bryant was straight hired by Eby oregon his office.
She would not talk to wherefore helium near Legal Aid B.C. aft 2 years connected the job.
"That's betwixt him and his employer," she said.
Bryant was erstwhile a rising prima successful the Ontario Liberal Party, seen arsenic a beardown campaigner for the party's leadership.
At property 37, helium became Ontario's youngest lawyer general, appointed successful 2003 by then-premier Dalton McGuinty.
In August 2009, Bryant was charged with transgression negligence causing decease and unsafe cognition of a centrifugal conveyance successful transportation with a roadworthy incidental that near a Toronto cyclist dead.
Bryant was driving location from an day meal with his woman erstwhile helium got into an altercation with a motorcycle courier.
Darcy Allan Sheppard, 33, reportedly latched onto Bryant's car, and arsenic the erstwhile provincial person tried to thrust away, Sheppard died erstwhile helium deed the pavement aft striking a mailbox and tree. The charges were dropped aft prosecutors concluded determination was small accidental of a conviction.
Bryant published a book, 28 Seconds: A True Story of Addiction, Tragedy and Hope, that reflected connected the aftermath of the incidental and Bryant's ain conflict with intoxicant addiction.
Malcolmson said Bryant's lived experience, successful summation to his governmental and ineligible career, marque him the close idiosyncratic to look into improving services successful the Downtown Eastside.
Bryant told CBC News successful 2018 that portion of his travel to sobriety progressive regular visits to the Sanctuary, a charitable enactment successful a erstwhile religion successful downtown Toronto that serves arsenic a drop-in centre for the homeless.
"[I] recovered myself connecting and identifying with people, and learning from radical who I had antecedently not identified with and frankly been acrophobic of," helium said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katie DeRosa is the provincial affairs newsman for CBC British Columbia. She is based successful Victoria. You tin interaction her astatine [email protected].
With files from Amara McLaughlin
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