A Homeless Triumph In Vancouver's Downtown Eastside

It's pretty much what Andrew Carnegie, the American robber baron-turned-philanthropist, had in mind a century ago when he set up his Carnegie libraries in cities like this around North America to offer the working class a chance to better themselves. But even he -- whose name is on New York's great music hall -- may not have envisioned what transpired here over the weekend: an opera, written and performed by the residents of the Downtown Eastside. It's called Condemned: A Work In Progress, a 45-minute piece that deals with one of the most serious issues facing those on the lowest rungs of the economic ladder: the lack of social housing. Ironically, by sheer coincidence, the opera debuted Friday night, just hours after Premier Gordon Campbell had promised at a meeting of the Union of B.C. Municipalities to hike the minimum $325 monthly rate for shelter allowances for those on welfare and even consider reopening at least parts of Riverview hospital for the mentally ill. In a nutshell, the opera's plot is what the longtime residents here believe is threatening the neighbourhood's stability: a team of developers spot an old rooming house, envision the profits they could make from redeveloping it, and plot together to have it condemned. The residents are evicted and land on the street. This is one of the most polarizing issues facing Vancouver today. In a city tight on space, the once-disregarded buildings of the Downtown Eastside are now seen as valuable real estate. Anti-poverty activists see it as an attack on the city's most affordable housing. But whatever side you take in the debate, this opera brings it down to its most human dimension. It's hard not to be moved by what these Downtown Eastsiders, with little training, have brought to the stage. http://tinyurl.com/y2oq5m [Proofreader's note: this article was edited for spelling and typos on October 30, 2006]

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