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Vancouver
Queen of Parks
By Reed Eurchuk
Jamie Lee Hamilton, denied by the NPA board, vows to run an independent campaign out of conviction for the poor and marginalized
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Banned by the NPA, Jamie Lee Hamilton continues her Parks Board run. In a blatantly undemocratic move, the NPA Board has refused their membership the right to decide whether or not to choose a high-profile candidate seeking an NPA nomination for Vancouver Parks Board. Hamilton, an advocate for the rights of sex trade workers, street youth and poor people, was denied the right to seek a nomination with the NPA, though she has long worked within that party, and has been close to a number powerful people within that civic party.
Hamilton portrayed the Board’s decision as an affront to “transgender, sex trade worker, First Nations and LGBT political rights.” While the NPA has not explained its decision, they have denied it had anything to do with her gender identity or personal history as a sex trade worker.
Speaking to Charlie Smith at the Georgia Straight, NPA president Ned Pottinger said they base their decisions on how those running for an NPA nomination “will interact with our team, (and) our campaign messages.”
It is unclear why the NPA membership cannot be allowed to make that decision. The Board’s decision has been widely covered in the media. At a rally for Hamilton held outside the excellent Little Sister’s Bookstore, Hamilton spoke with passion and clarity about her political convictions: “(T)here are so many people . . . walking with their heads down. I don’t want children in the inner city feeling any shame about living in poverty. I don’t want women who need to be out in the street or men out in the street—in order to survive—feeling any shame. I don’t want gay, lesbian, transgendered people, transsexuals, feeling any shame about who we are. And I say I don’t want our First Nations people—because of inaction by legislative bodies—(to feel) that they need to hang their heads in shame. What’s immoral is that the politicians don’t act on our behalf. And when we want to achieve fairness and justice, we have to have legislative change. That’s the only way that we are going to achieve fairness and justice in this city.”
Reached by phone, Hamilton told the Republic that she plans to continue her campaign, running as an Independent for a seat on the Parks Board regardless of the NPA decision.
Hamilton, of Aboriginal and Irish ancestry, has a long history of community activism extending back to the 1980s. She worked within the Downtown Eastside Residents’ Association and other anti-poverty groups throughout the 1980s and 1990s. She was an early and visible advocate for sex trade workers. She went on weekly “walk arounds” on the Downtown Eastside with Reverend Barry Morris in the early 1990s dispensing hot apple cider to street workers and extending other supports. Together with other Downtown activists she helped organize the first Memorial Walk for women who had disappeared or been murdered in the area.
With such a leftist pedigree, it surprises some that Hamilton sought a candidacy with the NPA, whose reputation is that of a generally conservative pro-development municipal party. Hamilton said that she became involved with the NPA by meeting and working together with ex-NPA Councilor Lynne Kennedy on sex trade issues. She said she was also impressed by the sincerity of then NPA Mayor Phillip Owen, who she said was keenly concerned about the safety of sex trade workers. She recounted Mayor Owen’s participation in marches for sex trade worker safety, and she spoke warmly of his support.
Hamilton’s interest in the Parks Board originates in her own experiences growing up in the Downtown Eastside. As a child she attended the Gibbs Boy’s Club while her sister attended the Kiwassa Girl’s club in the Strathcona district. There they engaged in arts, recreation and social activities, which she considers formative and important supports for her and her sister.
Hamilton sees an important role for the Parks Board in providing supports for children, at risk youth, poor families and sex trade workers. Hamilton advocates an increased social role for the Parks Board. She argues that the Parks Board should offer more recreational opportunities for youth to provide positive outlets for energy and opportunities to socialize in positive social situations. She believes parks need to provide better security for all people, and she points to threats to safety that sex trade workers must deal with in our parks.
Hamilton has actively advocated for the end of keeping whales in captivity. She also warns against allowing developers and tourist attractions from dominating the parks’ space. “The expansion of the Vancouver Aquarium is overtaking Stanley Park,” she said, but the “parks are meant for the people of Vancouver.”
Hamilton’s candidacy offers a fresh perspective on how Vancouver’s parks have a key social role to play for the city. The Queen of the Parks promises a new voice on the Vancouver Parks Board.
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