. Workshops . Networking Lunch . Ethical Marketplace & Booths
____________________Sessions_________________
Keynote Speaker Brian Walsh
This year’s keynote speaker was Brian Walsh. This forum, Beyond Homelessness, took its title from a book of the same name that Brian co-authored, which explores how homelessness in our culture has many facets including social, economic, environmental, psychological, and spiritual. Brian will explore the role the Christian community plays, along with its partners, in addressing these many aspects of homelessness.
Brian is a campus minister at the University of Toronto and Adjunct Professor of Theology of Culture at Wycliffe College, Toronto School of Theology. He also teaches graduate level courses on post-modernity, theology of culture and homelessness at Wycliffe College, within the Toronto School of Theology.
Along with local experts
This year, we are grateful for our local panelists who bring a wealth of senior experience to the conversation. They will use their expertise about what’s happening in Metro Vancouver to respond to Dr. Walsh’s perspectives and to his examples of what is working outside the region.
___________Panelists___________
Peter Fassbender - Mayor of Langley - Peter Fassbender was elected for the first time to City Council on November 16th, 2002, then to his first term as Mayor on November 19th, 2005, and was re-elected as Mayor on November 15th, 2008. Peter and his wife Charlene have celebrated 44 years of marriage and are very proud of their two adult sons and three grandchildren. Peter and Charlene have lived in the City of Langley for over 34 years and are both active in their community and local church.
Peter’s vision for Langley City is to see the community meet the needs of all the citizens from youth to seniors. Transportation, homelessness, residential/business revitalization and long term planning are high on his agenda for Council and the community.
His experience and support of The Salvation Army’s Gateway of Hope project is an outstanding example of a municipal partnership. Visit Mayor Fassbenders website
Craig Crawford VP - BC Housing (Acting) Vice President of Operations Craig Crawford draws on more than 20 years experience at BC Housing in a senior leadership role. In his current role as Vice President of Operations, he brings extensive experience with strategic planning and leadership to BC Housing’s partners in the non-profit sector, including many faith based service providers.
For the past 6 years, Craig has been the Vice President of Development Services. During this time, Craig and his team have worked with non-profit societies to support the delivery of more than 10 thousand affordable housing units across the province.
Craig holds a Masters in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University and is the executive sponsor of BC Housing's Leadership Development Program.
Dick Vollet, CEO - Streetohome Foundation Dick Vollet has 20 years experience as an executive in Vancouver, most recently as Vice President, Mountain Operations with the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Committee. Prior to this, he spent more than 20 years in a variety of executive roles with a focus on operational execution, recruitment and development, organizational expansion or growth, and strategic implementation.
He has served as a member of the Board of Governors with the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation and Junior Achievement, has served on the Board of Advisors to Ronald McDonald House and volunteers with the St. Vincent De Paul Society.
Streetohome foundation focuses on Housing First approach, which provides secure housing with supports for some of Vancouver’s most chronically homeless individuals.
To that end that have drafted and are working off a 10-Year Plan that will help people break out of the cycle of homelessness, and also prevent people from falling into it. Listen to Dick Vollets comments on the opening of The Bosman Hotel here >>>
Gregor Robertson - Mayor of Vancouver In November 2008, the people of Vancouver chose Gregor Robertson as their new Mayor. He was elected on a platform of ending street homelessness in the City of Vancouver by 2015, and making Vancouver the greenest city in the world.
On his first day in office, Mayor Robertson moved quickly on homelessness and established the Mayor’s Homeless Emergency Action Team (HEAT). HEAT rapidly opened five low-barrier shelters that immediately filled to capacity, providing close to 500 people a night with a safe, secure place to sleep. The Mayor has since secured over $333 million in new funding from the provincial government for social housing throughout the City.
Prior to entering politics, Gregor co-founded Happy Planet which produces organic juices and promotes health and nutrition. For his achievements as a successful entrepreneur and community leader, Gregor was named one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” by The Globe and Mail in 2004.
Gregor and his wife Amy have four children: Terra, Satchel, Jinagh and Johanna. He is a dedicated cyclist, avid soccer fan, and plays the tuba, guitar, and drums. Listen to Mayor Robertson's speach at Debate that occurred just prior to last election here>>> Watch DJ Bentick's rap support video here >>>
Nathan Edelson -School of Community and Regional Planning UBC
Nathan Edelson is Senior Partner with 42nd Street Consulting – a company that focuses on planning for inclusive communities. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia’s School of Community and Regional Planning.
He served with the City of Vancouver Planning Department for 25 years. For 15 of those years, he was the Senior City Planner for the inner city neighbourhoods of the Downtown Eastside, Chinatown, Gastown, Strathcona and Victory Square. Here he helped manage many contentious issues related to market and social housing, health and social services, and public safety. He also chaired the Vancouver Agreement’s Economic Revitalization Task Team which developed and implemented a plan supported by the three levels of government.
In addition, he also co-managed development of the Downtown Eastside Housing Plan, Heritage Incentive Program, Arts and Cultural Plan and many public realm and community arts initiatives. All of these iwere designed to support “Revitalization without Displacement”, in that they worked toward creating opportunities to stabilize and improve the quality of life for existing residents, many of whom were low income, while encouraging investments in market housing and business development.
Prior to this, Nathan was the planner responsible for the Joyce SkyTrain Station Area and Downtown South – two neighbourhoods that experienced considerable change in land use, population and cultural diversity. In each case, he worked with community leaders to establish new organizations such as Collingwood Neighbourhood House to help ensure ongoing community development and locally based service delivery. He also managed city-wide initiatives on issues such as Secondary Suites, Single Room Accommodation and Liquor Licensing and introduced Good Neighbour Conditions for contentious developments in ways that protected the liveability of nearby residents while facilitating changes needed to accommodate a growing metropolitan region. Listen to Nathan's comments on the Olympics and social housing here >>>
Judy Graves-Homeless Advocate
Judy Graves has been passionately working in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver for over 30 years. In 2005, she designed the Homeless Outreach Program, now used across BC and Alberta, making it possible for a person who is sleeping outside at 6:00am to have a permanent room of their own by 4:00pm the same day. She recently received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the University of British Columbia and an Honorary Doctorate of Sacred Letters from St. Mark's College.
Her official city hall mandate is “to mitigate the impact of development on low-income tenants and the homeless." Yet her personal, lifetime goal is that all people in Canada have access to clean water, nutritious food, and a safe, private home.
Judy also sees her position as a spiritual calling. “Working for a secular employer in a wealthy democracy, my loyalties to country, employer and Christ come together,” she says. “I have found Christ present in the people of the street, and I am moved forward always by Jesus’ words: ‘As you do for the least of these...'” Watch Judy's talk about the importance of Welfare here >>>
_____Special Guest_____
Rich Coleman MLA - Minister of Housing Rich Coleman was appointed Minister of Energy and Mines and Minister Responsible for Housing on March 14, 2011. He was re-elected for a fourth term as MLA for Fort Langley-Aldergrove in the 2009 general election.
Before entering public life, Rich was governor of the BC Kinsmen, president of the Aldergrove Chamber of Commerce, Langley’s 1988 Volunteer of the Year, and a director on several volunteer boards. As a member of the Aldergrove Kinsmen Club in the 1980s, Rich oversaw the volunteer fundraising and construction efforts that built the Aldergrove Kinsmen Community Centre, a vital community facility which houses a preschool, library, workout area, and meeting space. The Club was also involved in building a successful housing project in Aldergrove. Rich is a life member of the Kinsmen and has been awarded both Rotary’s top honour, the Paul Harris Fellowship, and the Kinsmen’s highest honour, the Hal Rogers Fellowship.
Rich has been elected four times (1996, 2001, 2005, and 2009) as MLA for Fort Langley-Aldergrove. He has previously served as Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, and Minister of Forests and Range. He and his wife Michele live in the Fraser Valley.