Eby terminates Downtown Eastside consultancy contract that came under fire

British Columbia Premier David Eby has terminated a consultancy contract to improve conditions in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside that came under fire from critics, who called it a political favour that lacked transparency.

Eby's office said in a statement on Tuesday that the debate about Michael Bryant's contract had become a distraction from work to improve the neighbourhood.

It said the contract with the consulting company owned by Bryant – a former CEO of Legal Aid BC and Ontario attorney general – ended on Sunday, and Eby later clarified that it was his decision.

"We have a shared dedication towards improving conditions in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, and thank him for his work to this point," the statement said.

"However, debate and discussion around this time-limited contract is distracting from the important work underway."

The statement said the government remained committed to making life better for people who live in the area.

In a news briefing in Vancouver, Eby said Bryant would receive no severance, and he had been paid up to Sunday, an amount in the neighbourhood of $75,000.

Asked why an outside consultant was needed, Eby said that Bryant checked many boxes. 

"I wanted someone to come in with fresh eyes, to have a look at the thing with no connections to the neighbourhood, but who had an empathy and understanding for the challenges of addiction, an understanding of the law, and an understanding of the realities of politics," he said of Bryant, who has written of his past struggle with alcoholism.

Eby said he did not know the circumstances behind Bryant's exit from his role at Legal Aid BC, which the Opposition B.C. Conservatives have said "ended abruptly" last year.

Eby said his relationship with Bryant began in his Legal Aid BC role, when Eby was attorney general.

Pressed whether Bryant was fired from Legal Aid BC or left of his own accord, Eby said the questioning "illustrates exactly" why the government had to terminate the contract. 

"Because it became about Michael Bryant, and apparently about Legal Aid BC, when it needs to be about the Downtown Eastside ... that's why we terminated the contract." 

The Conservatives have attacked Bryant's contract, saying no reporting benchmarks have been disclosed or met.

The contract instructing Bryant to develop a “framework” for co-ordinating services in the neighbourhood was worth up to $325,000, including $25,000 in expenses.

Opposition Leader John Rustad said the government had hired Bryant without announcing the contract first, then got rid of him after being caught "red-handed."

Rustad said the situation showed the "arrogance of David Eby, thinking that he could just hire anybody he wants, friends, relatives, and get away with it." 

Rustad said the hiring and firing of Bryant showed a "pattern of disrespect" to the public from a government acting without transparency.

Rustad said Bryant would not have made any "difference one way or another" to the problems of the Downtown Eastside.

Malcolmson has blamed a “communication problem” between her ministry and the Premier’s Office for not having announced Bryant’s appointment earlier. 

Eby acknowledged that "there was definitely an issue in our communication shop" in informing the public about Bryant's appointment.

"I agree it would have been a lot better had the information bulletin been released as planned, and it wasn't," Eby said. "That was a serious mistake, and unfortunately, it ended up where we are today." 

But Eby disagreed with suggestions that Bryant was working without the public's knowledge. "He was operating quite openly," he said. 

Opposition MLA Trevor Halford said last week of Bryant's contract that there were "no public deliverables, no transparency, and no justification for why this appointment wasn’t disclosed.”

The contract with Bryant's company, the Humilitas Group, is dated Feb. 12. It says the company is to engage with government and non-government sectors to align Downtown Eastside services with provincial policy objectives.

It also says the company is to support the development and implementation of "operational frameworks to address systemic challenges in the DTES."

The contract says the government wishes for a framework to support improvements for the people, public spaces, infrastructure, health care and housing of the DTES.

However, it says, "the parties acknowledge that the contractor does not warrant that these outcomes will be achieved."

When asked what Bryant had delivered, Eby said Bryant's work included multiple meetings with people living on the Downtown Eastside, leaders of non-profit organizations and municipal politicians. 

Eby added that Bryant had also met with him, as well as Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Sheila Malcolmson, to discuss his initial findings and recommendations, "that we will look at developing in the future."

He said he thought that Bryant was going to provide the government with "some very helpful work," adding that his briefings have provided a "foundation" for the government to move forward.  

Bryant was involved in the 2009 death of a cyclist in Toronto. Charges against Bryant were withdrawn.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito