A Thousand Dreams

Book excerpt: In this mix of history, journalism, political analysis, and first-person accounts, former chief coroner and Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell, renowned criminologist Neil Boyd, and investigative journalist Lori Culbert, offer a portrait of one of North America’s poorest, most drug-challenged neighbourhoods: Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. A Thousand Dreams raises provocative questions about the challenges confronting not only Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside but also all of North America’s major cities and offers concrete, urgently needed solutions, including: Continued support for Insite, the safe injection site Decriminalization of prostitution and drugs The transfer of addiction services to the Health Ministry, allowing detox into the medical system More government-funded SROs and more affordable social housing