Sydney cleaned up before Olympics

By MATT KIELTYKA - Sun Media

Police and bar owners are looking Down Under for inspiration as they try to come up with ways to bring order to Vancouver's alcohol-fuelled entertainment district.

In the lead-up to the 2000 Olympic games, Sydney, Australia faced the same drunken disorder and violence currently plaguing Granville Street but the city managed to turn it around.

"We looked at all the things [Sydney] brought in and immediately the thing that came up was accountability," said Sandy Yates, managing partner of BHARhouse Solutions, who recently flew to Sydney on behalf of Vancouver bar owners.

"I don't think people were even fined for drunken disorder there [before 2000] and they came in with a $550-dollar fine on the spot or, if taken to court, $5,500."

Although there was a backlash, public education and the stiff penalties dramatically cut the number of incidents of disorder and violence.

"It's about shifting people's perceptions and getting people to the point of realizing it's not acceptable to go downtown, get stupid and pick a fight," said Yates. "People still go there and it's still vibrant, but there's been a shift away from the abject violence."

Along with the fines, a government department was set up to create dialogue between bars, police, emergency services and politicians. Those are the changes police and bar owners in Vancouver are lobbying for.

"My sense of Vancouver is that there's a shift in attitude but it's more from the outside," said Yates. "People are putting pressure on the bar owners and police and saying 'Now do something about it.' That's where Sydney was at about 10 years ago."

Police and bar owners have joined forces to lobby for stiffer penalties, and both sides are hopeful Vancouver can make the same progress as Sydney. "It's a very big piece of the puzzle," said Sgt. Curtis Robinson, a key figure in the entertainment district scene. "There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we have to change the way we're doing things."

CKNW - Friday September 21, 2007

In Studio with Bill Good

Sandy Yates and Lou Helmes discuss their visit to Australia to find solutions for alcohol related problems in Vancouver’s Granville Entertainment District.

> PART 1   Click here to listen
> PART 2   Click here to listen