Downtown Eastside
Changes to supportive housing in Vancouver
July 21, 2025By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer In Vancouver, the supportive housing saga continues to develop. On July 3, mayor Ken Sim announced that his office has identified five unnamed potential city-owned locations for new supportive housing. This statement comes as the city looks for alternatives to three current supportive housing sites in the Granville Entertainment District as part of Vancouver City Council’s new revitalization plan. Supportive housing is “subsidized housing with on-site supports.” These three present locations have not been without issues. The Vancouver Sun reported that the Luugat and St. Helen’s Hotel have had a total of 74 fires in…
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Vancouver Police’s Task Force Barrage draws controversy from the community
July 8, 2025By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer A new initiative aimed at stopping crime on the Downtown Eastside (DTES) adds another layer to conversations about the Vancouver Police Department’s (VPD) purpose and policy. In February, the VPD and Vancouver mayor Ken Sim…
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Police presence outside Downtown Eastside harm reduction sites sparks concerns
May 28, 2025By: Zainab Salam, Staff Writer and Hannah Fraser, News Editor Healthcare workers and patrons in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES) are voicing concerns that the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is “deterring access to harm reduction sites.” Harm reduction is an “evidence-based…
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Local advocate talks dispelling drug stigma
September 12, 2023By: Olivia Sherman, News Writer For Nicole Luongo, substances like alcohol and heroin are only separated by the thin line of what society deems moral or legal. Luongo is a systems change coordinator for the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition (CDPC),…
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A poetic homage to Strathcona’s heritage and history
October 11, 2022By: Petra Chase, Arts & Culture Editor Editor’s Note: This article was updated on November 9, 2022 to include information about the second stage of the City Poems Contest. The previous version of this article omitted this information. On October…
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Displacing houseless people isn’t a solution, it’s violence
October 10, 2022By: C Icart, Staff Writer It’s been over two months since Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services ordered all tents in Hastings Tent City be removed. Since then, increased efforts for forced decampment have been taking place in the Downtown Eastside. Street…
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Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre increases safe spaces for women
May 10, 2021Written by: Jaymee Salisi, News Writer The COVID-19 pandemic has limited women’s access to shelter and increased their potential for abuse. Further, physical distancing to reduce COVID-19 transmission has led to isolation and restricted support for victims of abuse. As…
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Opinions in Dialogue: Are local businesses good?
March 30, 2021by Meera Eragoda, Sara Wong, with introduction by Madeleine Chan Small and local businesses have been hit hard during this pandemic, increasing rally cries to support them. But are answering these calls the solution? Students Sara Wong and Meera Eragoda discuss…
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Spreading holiday cheer: A guide to volunteering this winter season
November 24, 2019By: Lubaba Mahmud, Staff Writer As the great Michael Bublé sings, “It's that time of year I treasure, the time for giving, the best part of living.” This holiday season is one for giving, so The Peak has compiled…
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Keep an eye out for art you may not expect along the 95 B-Line
August 31, 2019By: Gabrielle McLaren, Editor-in-Chief My roommate was born and raised in Vancouver, so I asked her if she knew the story behind the stuffed animal tree one day as our bus drove by it. The tree, dripping with stuffed animals,…
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