Episode 46: The Bench
[Members and coordinator of the Eastside Illicit Drinkers Group for Education (EIDGE) gather in MacLean Park to commemorate the life of fellow EIDGE member, Tom deGrey. Clockwise from top left: Herb Varley, John Onland, Aaron Bailey, George Sedore and Jane Milina.]
In Canada, alcohol is legal and we have a safe supply of booze. So why do some people drink mouthwash or rice wine? And why does the state over-police poor people for public drinking?
In episode 46, we learn how Canada’s alcohol policies drive illicit drinking. And we hear from a group of drinkers who are fighting back with alcohol-based harm reduction.
Transcript:
A complete transcript of this episode will be uploaded here when ready.
Calls to Action — The Eastside Illicit Drinkers Group for Education Demands:
1) That the government of British Columbia abandon its defense of Bill 34 - legislation that will cause “irreparable harm” for people who use drugs as public drinking laws have for illicit drinkers over decades.
2) Provincial drug formulary coverage for over-the-counter vitamin B1, an essential supplement for heavy drinkers.
3) A dedicated, civilian-run sobering center in Vancouver, as recommended by the inquiry into the death of Frank Paul, to redirect illicit drinkers from holding cells and keep them safe.
4) Safe, sanctioned, and non-policed outdoor spaces for illicit drinkers throughout Vancouver.
5) Better, consistent access to safe inhalation spaces across BC to keep our members who use stimulants safe.
6) An end to the dangerous practice of ticketing illicit drinkers, liquor confiscation, and pour-outs by police and bylaw enforcement officers. These practices place our members at risk of criminalization and dangerous withdrawal.
7) More, better and different Managed Alcohol Programs to meet the diverse needs of our community, with meaningful opportunities for member governance.
Check out EIDGE’s “Living on the EIDGE” magazine on the VANDU website. You can watch the a video interview with John Onland on Youtube. To contact EIDGE, email Aaron Bailey at aaron@vandu.org
Learning Outcomes:
Crackdown episodes are frequently used as educational tools by teachers and community organizers. Please let us know if your class or group listens to our work!
Episode 46 is especially useful for exploring the following topics:
Use of public space and infrastructure as tools of social control
Managed Alcohol Programs (MAPs)
History of alcohol policy in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside
Alcohol-specific harm reduction
Works Cited
Bailey, Aaron. “Alcohol prohibition never ended in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. We see another way forward.” The Mainlander. June 24, 2021.
Bailey, Aaron. “Historicizing Vancouver’s Liquor License Moratorium for the Downtown Eastside as Dispossessory Public Health Practice.” M.S. thesis., Queen’s University, 2023.
Bailey, Aaron, Brittany Graham, Myles Harps, George Sedore. “Vancouver’s Alcohol Knowledge Exchange: lessons learned from creating a peer-involved alcohol harm reduction strategy in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.” Harm Reduction Journal 20, no 93 (2023), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-023-00838-2.
Boyd, Jade, David Cunningham, Solanna Anderson, Thomas Kerr. “Supportive housing and surveillance.” International Journal of Drug Policy, Vol 34, 2016: 72-79,
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Giesbrecht, Norman et al., editors. Sober Reflections: Commerce, Public Health, and the Evolution of Alcohol Policy in Canada, 1980-2000. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2006.
Goel, Nirupa. “Understanding EIDGE: A peer research project exploring Illicit alcohol use in the DTES.” Public Health Association of BC. Canada, 2018.
Hume, Mark. “Blessed are the poor, for they will inherit the First United Church.” The Globe and Mail, April 28, 2010.
Korstrom, Glen. “Lululemon founder Chip Wilson loads up on Vancouver properties.” Business in Vancouver, May 16, 2015.
Overview of Managed Alcohol Program (MAP) sites in Canada (and beyond). Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. University of Victoria. Updated: February 2022.
Pauly, Bernie, Vashti King, Ashley Smith, Sarah Tranquilli-Doherty, Michelle Wishart, Kate Vallance, Tim Stockwell, Christy Sutherland. “Breaking the Cycle of Survival Drinking: Insights from a Non-Residential, Peer-Initiated and Peer-Run Managed Alcohol Program.” Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy 28, no.2 (2020): 172–80. doi:10.1080/09687637.2020.1764500.
Pauly, Bernie, et al. “‘There is a Place’: Impacts of managed alcohol programs for people experiencing severe alcohol dependence and homelessness.” Harm Reduction Journal, 16 (2019). 10.1186/s12954-019-0332-4.
Pauly, Bernie, E. Gray, K. Perkin, et al. “Finding safety: a pilot study of managed alcohol program participants’ perceptions of housing and quality of life.” Harm Reduction Journal 13, 15 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-016-0102-5.
Pauly, Bernie, Tim Stockwell, C Chow, et al. “Towards alcohol harm reduction: preliminary results from an evaluation of a Canadian managed alcohol program.” Centre for Addictions Research of British Columbia, 2013.
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Reynolds, Christopher. “Reduction in Vancouver shelter beds puts homeless at risk in winter weather, advocacy group says.” Vancouver Sun, December 28, 2012.
Sagan, Aleksandra. “Less funding approved as United Church homeless shelter struggles in Vancouver.” The Globe and Mail, July 6, 2012.
Stockwell, Tim et al. “Alcohol pricing and public health in Canada: issues and opportunities.” Centre for Addictions Research of BC, February 2006, 4-21.
Stockwell, Tim, Bernie Pauly, C. Chow, K. Vallance, K Perkin. “Evaluation of a managed alcohol program in Vancouver, BC: Early findings and reflections on alcohol harm reduction.” CARBC Bulletin #9 (2013), Victoria, British Columbia: University of Victoria.
Stockwell, Tim, Bernie Pauly, C. Chow C, R. Erickson et al. “Does managing the consumption of people with severe alcohol dependence reduce harm? A comparison of participants in six Canadian managed alcohol programs with locally recruited controls.” Drug Alcohol Review 37 Suppl 1 (April 2018): S159-S166. doi: 10.1111/dar.12618.
Stockwell, Tim et al. “The raising of minimum alcohol prices in Saskatchewan, Canada: impacts on consumption and implications for public health.” American Journal of Public Health vol. 102,12 (2012): e103-10. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2012.301094.
Stockwell, Tim, PJ Gruenewald, JW Toumbourou, W Loxley et al. “Recommendations for New Directions in the Prevention of Risky Substance Use and Related Harms.” In: Stockwell, Tim, PJ Gruenewald, JW Toumbourou, W Loxley, eds. Preventing harmful substance use: The evidence base for policy and practice. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons Ltd; 2005: 443-464.
Wallstam, Maria. “The Great Shell Game: 230 shelter beds lost in the void of austerity.” The Mainlander, September 19, 2012.
Wilton, Peter. “Shelter ‘goes wet,’ opens infirmary to cater to Toronto's homeless.” Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2003 Apr 1;168(7):888. PMID: 12668561; PMCID: PMC152010.
Zhao, Jinhui, Tim Stockwell, Bernie Pauly, A. Wettlaufer, C. Chow. “Participation in Canadian Managed Alcohol Programs and Associated Probabilities of Emergency Room Presentation, Hospitalization and Death: A Retrospective Cohort Study.” Alcohol Alcohol 12, 57(2) (March 2022): 246-260. doi: 10.1093/alcalc/agab078.
Credits
Crackdown is produced on the territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil Waututh Nations.
Our editorial board is Dean Wilson, Jeff Louden, Laura Shaver, Reija Jean, Samona Marsh, Shelda Kastor, Elli Taylor, Delilah Gregg, Martin Steward, and Ryan Maddeaux.
Rest in peace Dave Murray, Greg Fresz and Chereece Keewatin.
This episode was conceptualized, written, and produced by Sam Fenn, Alex de Boer, Bernie Pauly, Lisa Hale and Garth Mullins.
Score by James Ash.
Thanks to Sven Black and Herb Varley for letting us use audio from their first “On the EIDGE” magazine interview.
Thank you to the EIDGE Steering Committee for their participation.
Special thanks to Aaron Bailey and Brittany Graham. And to Herb Varley and John Onland for sharing their stories.
Funding for this episode was provided by Health Canada and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the funders.
If you like what we do, support us at patreon.com/crackdownpod.
Thanks for listening. Stay safe and keep six.
