Technology and social innovation centre to replace former police station in Downtown Eastside
The fate of Vancouver's former cop shop at 312/324 Main Street has been revealed, and it doesn't include social housing.
Today (October 3), the City of Vancouver announced that the Downtown Eastside site will become a technology and social innovation centre.
A city news release says the centre will "support a broad range of entrepreneurs, social innovators, and non-profit organizations through incubation and acceleration programming, and through offering business services, financing and training for a variety of sectors including technology start-ups, sustainability and clean-tech, social enterprise and micro-enterprise".
“Vancouver’s first Technology and Social Innovation Centre is a unique and exciting partnership that will provide significant new support to foster innovation in our community and economy,” Mayor Gregor Robertson said in the release. “The centre will further accelerate job growth and investment in Vancouver’s fast-growing social enterprise, technology, and start-up sectors, while providing important new resources, gathering space and programming for the community.”
The Vancity Community Foundation will act as the property manager and "lead the process for a phased-in approach to securing sub-tenants who will act as partners in program delivery".
The foundation will lease the second floor for a "hub for social innovation and inclusion", for which it has committed $1.5 million, while the ground floor will be a "community space".
“We believe one of the best ways to support the community and the local economy is through an integrated approach, including increased employment opportunities for residents,” Derek Gent, executive director of the Vancity Community Foundation, said in the release. “The new centre will focus on social innovation and involve a diverse mix of people in initiatives that make a positive impact and benefits the community for the long term.”
Meanwhile, the Vancouver Economic Commission will report yearly on the centre's "economic outcomes and activity-based outcomes" to its board of directors and city council.
"The overall vision for the centre is to build a financially sustainable economic development platform that fosters innovation and creates great companies and social enterprises that drive social impact and key economic development performance measures in Vancouver," the release states.
An advisory board will be formed with representation from "community, civic, and business interests".
Community activists fighting the gentrification of the Downtown Eastside had called for the site to be used for social housing.
Comments
5 Comments
OMG
Oct 3, 2014 at 12:08pm
Wow! Expect there to be a massive reaction by housing/poor activists. This center will act as hub and all of the accessory businesses will pop up around it. Software developers like cool (expensive) restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Bye, bye DTES, or at least in it's current configuration as it will just be moved further eastward.
blah
Oct 3, 2014 at 3:12pm
Just more government "helping" solve the problems of the DTES. How about locking up all the drug dealers. Oh, wait you need police for that.
RUK
Oct 3, 2014 at 3:32pm
They have already had a massive reaction and I guess they can have some more.
As far the DTES as we know it moving on, I think it bears mentioning that the DTES as we know it has only been like this for about 30 years. I used to come shopping at Woodward's with my mom when I was a pup, and then head down to Powell for some Japanese groceries at Mihamiya, visit my grandpa's buddy at the King Rooms and take him out for lunch at the Only.
Joseph McIntosh
Oct 3, 2014 at 5:53pm
This is great news! Encouraging more IT in Vancouver will generate more tax revenue, which in turn can help pay for all the millions and millions that is currently poured into social programs in the DTES.
Page Turner
Oct 3, 2014 at 6:19pm
Employment ey? Who for? Even restaurants that have opened in the DTES do not hire long term locals no matter HOW qualified they are. I should know. Perhaps they will let us clean their offices in this NEW opportunity for employment and economic growth? I'm not kidding! I'd be glad to have the work. But, that gets outsourced to cheaper non Canadian slave labour,or the entire cleaning contract is given to the company of an "insider" who has no connection with the DTES whatsoever. Be nice if that would change. Some of us really DO want work and have been actively lobbying and looking for it for YEARS.