Vancouver tightens screws on homeless paper
Monday, July 21, 2008 by David Eby
City of Vancouver staff are recommending that city council force Megaphone, Vancouver's homeless street paper to register as a charity.
Editor Sean Condon was seeking a license because vendors had been complaining that police and private security guards had been moving them out of public space saying that they did not have a license to sell. The paper has been operating for 16 years without a license.
Condon feels the charity requirement will muzzle the paper's social advocacy efforts, as the resources registered charities can spend on advocacy are severely limited. "Becoming a registered charity in Canada means we'll have restrictions on how much time and resources we can spend advocating for political issues. As a media organization, we should have the freedom to speak out on issues that affect marginalized people in Vancouver without any restraints."
Internationally, the Big Issue, another homeless paper, has street vendors in almost every major city worldwide, and is not a registered charity, although they work with a partner foundation that addresses issues of financial literacy.
Editor Sean Condon was seeking a license because vendors had been complaining that police and private security guards had been moving them out of public space saying that they did not have a license to sell. The paper has been operating for 16 years without a license.
Condon feels the charity requirement will muzzle the paper's social advocacy efforts, as the resources registered charities can spend on advocacy are severely limited. "Becoming a registered charity in Canada means we'll have restrictions on how much time and resources we can spend advocating for political issues. As a media organization, we should have the freedom to speak out on issues that affect marginalized people in Vancouver without any restraints."
Internationally, the Big Issue, another homeless paper, has street vendors in almost every major city worldwide, and is not a registered charity, although they work with a partner foundation that addresses issues of financial literacy.
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What a sickening attempt to make life difficult for a strong voice, or collection of voices, from the street. The centre-right government projects a pro-business attitude, but look at the way it's treated the Cambie Street merchants, and now a young guy doing his best to produce a local news magazine and help others along the way.
I enjoy reading publications like Megaphone and Kevin Potvin's The Republic of East Vancouver a lot more than I do the Vancouver Courier and Olympic family members The Vancouver Sun and The Province. Plus, Sean published a few of my shots, so it's personal.
It would be an infringement on at least two of his Fundamental Freedoms under the Charter. He's being pressured to compromise his journalistic freedom and his own generosity and kindness is being used as leverage against him. What a nasty approach.
What is it? Do they believe he's discriminating against people with money by hiring only low income vendors? Why can't they leave him alone so he may continue to exercise his right to freedom of expression and help people at the same time?