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Vancouver Sun
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
David Eby defends Downtown Eastside adviser appointment — and firing
VICTORIA — An unhappy Premier David Eby met with reporters this week to explain why he terminated Michael Bryant as the NDP government's special adviser on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Eby had taken a personal hand in recruiting Bryant, having been impressed with his performance as head of the B.C. Legal Aid Society. 'He did some very heavy lifting there, some significant restructuring of that organization in the context of a new government coming in with a different approach, when I was attorney general,' Eby told reporters on Tuesday. 'I'm grateful for his work there. It was why I thought he would be an appropriate fit to do the work in the Downtown Eastside.' Never mind Bryant's sudden and unexplained departure from the Legal Aid Society last year. Eby professed not to know anything about that — nor, apparently, did he ask. A daily roundup of Opinion pieces from the Sun and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Informed Opinion will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Bryant's experience in the political arena came as a cabinet minister in Ontario, including a four-year stint as attorney general. He later wrote a book about his struggle with alcoholism. That outsider status was one of the reasons Eby was attracted to him. 'I wanted someone to come in with fresh eyes, to have a look at the thing with no connections to the neighbourhood, but who had an empathy and understanding for the challenges of addiction, an understanding of the law and understanding the realities of politics. He seemed to check those boxes.' Eby still thinks Bryant was the right choice. When a reporter asked if there were no better qualified candidates in B.C., the premier bristled. 'With respect, I understand you disagree with the appointment,' he replied. 'But he was in this province. He worked at Legal Aid. It was my feeling he would be a good appointment for it.' Eby bristled a second time when a reporter asked if it were a mistake for the government to have 'hidden' the Bryant appointment from the public. 'Well, you're wrong. It certainly wasn't hidden. Mr. Bryant was open. He was quite open in his meetings in the Downtown Eastside,' the premier replied. Rather, the problem was a failure to communicate the news to the public. 'There is definitely an issue in our communication shop not getting that information bulletin out about his appointment,' the premier conceded. 'But you're absolutely wrong. He was operating quite openly. Multiple meetings with the mayor, with senior non-profit operators. This was not a secret.' The premier's not-a-secret defence recalls how, before the last election, his government launched a public consultation on changes to the Land Act without telling the public. If the Bryant appointment weren't secret, it wouldn't have made such a big splash in the news cycle when it was reported by Global TV last week. Nor would the appointment have become such a flashpoint in question period in the legislature for much of last week. Nor would there be lingering questions about Bryant's exit with a $75,000 payout for a half-finished assignment. Eventually, Eby had to admit that secrecy had dealt a fatal blow to the Bryant appointment. 'It should have been announced at the beginning. There was intent to send out an information bulletin that never got sent out,' he said. 'It would have been a lot better had the information bulletin been released as planned. And it wasn't. That was a serious mistake and, unfortunately, it ended up where we are today.' A second factor embroiling the Bryant appointment was the lingering controversy over his departure from Legal Aid a year ago. The premier made the concern relevant by insisting that Bryant's record at Legal Aid had qualified him for the Downtown Eastside assignment. Eby conceded both factors — the secrecy and the Legal Aid departure — in fielding a question from Rumina Daya, the Global TV reporter who broke the story of the Bryant appointment. 'Rumina, your question illustrates exactly why we've had to terminate the contract,' the premier replied. 'It (the story) became about Michael Bryant and apparently about Legal Aid B.C. when it needs to be about the Downtown Eastside and it needs to be about the people there. And that's why we terminated the contract.' So back to square one on the DTES? Not quite, Eby claimed. 'Actually, I was quite heartened and excited by the work that Mr. Bryant has done and thought that he was going to provide us with some very helpful work. And in fact, his briefings to date have provided a foundation for us to be able to move forward,' said the premier. 'I look forward to be able to share more as we develop our work on the Downtown Eastside, but it will go ahead without Mr. Bryant.' The government, he added, was not currently looking for a replacement for the ousted special adviser. What did Bryant say when Eby broke the news of the termination? 'I haven't spoken to Mr. Bryant,' the premier replied. Eby personally selected Bryant as his fresh pair of eyes on the Downtown Eastside. He left the firing to staffers in the Ministry of Children and Family Development. vpalmer@
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Unhousing the Rainbow: a reflection on South Africa's housing crisis
By listening more than speaking, observing more than acting, Previn Vedan says he witnessed firsthand the persistent struggles for equitable housing and land rights in South Africa. Image: Supplied Previn Vedan In 2022, I was a victim of a violent attack that left me disabled. The physical toll, and adjustments to my new adaptive lifestyle, necessitated a period of healing and reflection. During this time, I reflected deeply on the systemic issues facing South Africa, and I rediscovered the purpose that once ignited my passion for justice. I immersed myself in the very communities that first inspired my commitment to human rights. By listening more than speaking, observing more than acting, I witnessed first-hand the persistent struggles for equitable housing and land rights in South Africa. These experiences reaffirmed my belief that the fight for dignity and justice is far from over. I have walked these streets. I have argued in the courts. I have buried the victims of neglect. I never left the struggle - I simply needed time to find the right words. Now, I have written them. 'Unhousing the Rainbow' is not just about land or laws. It is about dignity. It is about who we become as a nation. This is my long-form piece (divided in 10 parts) on housing and hope in South Africa. Previn Vedan says the fight for dignity and justice is far from over. Image: Supplied Part 1: Finding the Words Again: Reflection, Struggle, and Housing's Past From Land Act to Group Areas: A Legacy Written in Brick and Blood South Africa's housing crisis cannot be divorced from its history. In 1913, the colonial regime passed the Natives Land Act, confining the Black majority to just 7% of the country's land - later expanded to 13% by 1936. This legislation marked the beginning of systematic dispossession. Black families were uprooted from ancestral lands and herded into 'native reserves' and later, dusty townships on the fringes of cities. The apartheid government doubled down with the Group Areas Act of 1950, which enforced strict residential segregation. Over the next few decades an estimated 3.5 million Black South Africans were forcibly removed from so-called 'white' areas in one of history's largest mass removals - a figure that does not include the thousands of Indian and Coloured South Africans that were also uprooted from places like Cato Manor and District Six under the same brutal laws. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Entire thriving neighbourhoods - like Magazine Barracks in Durban - were demolished, their people scattered and their histories erased in the name of racial planning. But these policies were not only about physical separation. They engineered apartheid's spatial economy. Black, Indian and Coloured communities were deliberately placed far from city centers and stripped of access to quality schools, hospitals, and employment. By design, they endured disparate levels of service provision and opportunity. In these neglected townships - roads went unpaved, water and electricity were afterthoughts, and commuting to work meant long, costly journeys. The scars of this spatial injustice remain deeply etched. Sober brick houses with neat yards may stand in one area - while just across an invisible line - crowded informal settlements sprawl without sewage, greenery or recreational space. The Group Areas Act did not just segregate communities, it entrenched a hierarchy of opportunity. Part two of 'Unhousing the Rainbow' will be published next Friday. *Vedan is a South African lawyer, political activist, and advocate for social justice. Cape Times
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Uttarakhand enforces stringent law restricting sale of land after governor approves
Dehradun: Uttarakhand's revised land law, effectively banning the sale of agricultural and horticultural land to outsiders across most of the state, has officially come into effect following governor Lt Gen (retd) Gurmit Singh's approval, a statement released on Thursday evening by the state government said. The Uttarakhand state assembly and the cabinet passed the stringent amendments to the land law in February this year. 'With this law, the uncontrolled sale of agricultural and horticultural land in Uttarakhand has been completely banned, aligning with the sentiments of the people. For purposes such as residential use, education, hospitals, hotels, and industries, individuals from other states will now need to follow a strict process and meet the standards set by the law,' chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said. He said that the law is a 'preventive measure' against demographic shifts in the region. 'The implementation of this strict land law will curb attempts to alter the state's demographic composition. I thank the Governor for approving this crucial legislation, which reinforces Uttarakhand's cultural and social identity,' said Dhami, adding actions are being taken against the people violating the provisions of the Land Act. Also Read:U'khand cabinet approves new land law; sale of agricultural land to outsiders banned 'A comprehensive campaign is being run and such lands are being vested in the state government,' he said. The new legislation, formally titled 'Uttarakhand (Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950) (Amendment) Act, 2025', permits non-residents to purchase only 250 square metres of residential land, with strict one-purchase-per-family restrictions. Only two districts - Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar - are exempt from the new restrictions, though sales there will require state government approval rather than district-level authorisation. All district magistrates will have to submit reports related to land purchase to the state revenue council and the state government. The land falling under the municipal limits can be used only according to the prescribed land use. If a person uses the land against the rules, then that land will be vested in the government.
