Vancouver

Vancouver (pronounced {{IPA|}}) is a Canadian city in the province of British Columbia. It is the largest metropolitan centre in western Canada and third largest in the country. The city's population is 545,671 and that of the metropolitan area is 1,986,965 (2001 census). http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/Table-CMA-C.cfm?T=1&SR=1&CMA=933&S=3&O=D Vancouver is one of the cities of the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) and of the larger geographic region commonly known as the Lower Mainland of BC. The current mayor is Larry Campbell, Coalition of Progressive Electors (see List of Mayors of Vancouver). Vancouver will be the host city for the 2010 Winter Olympics, 2005 Grey Cup, the 2006 World Junior Hockey Championship, the 2006 United Nations World Urban Forum and the 2007 Memorial Cup.

Lifestyle

Within Canada/North America Vancouver has developed a reputation as tolerant city that is open to social experimentation and alternative lifestyles. Vancouver is well-known for its willingess to explore alternative drug policies. The city has adopted a Four Pillars Drug Strategy, which combines harm reduction (e.g. needle exchanges, supervised injection sites) with treatment, enforcement, and prevention. The strategy is largely a response to endemic HIV and hepatitis C among injection drug users in the city's Downtown Eastside neighborhood. The area is characterised by entrenched poverty, the commercial sex trade, and an AIDS epidemic that in the 1990s became the worst in the developed world. Some community and professional groups—such as From Grief to Action and Keeping the Door Open—are fostering public dialogue in the city about further alternatives to current drug policies. The present mayor, Larry Campbell, came to office in 2002 in part because of his willingness to champion alternative interventions for drug issues, such as supervised injection sites. Vancouver police generally do not enforce marijuana possession laws, allowing several "marijuana cafes" to open. This has prompted some to nickname Vancouver the Amsterdam of Canada, or Vansterdam.

Related Topics:
Drug - HIV - Hepatitis C - Marijuana - Amsterdam

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Vancouver has a bustling music and art scene, and one of the largest gay communities in North America. The city is relatively free of racial tension; every ethnic group is represented in every social class. One result is a relatively high rate of intermarriage; trans-ethnic couples are unremarkable in any neighbourhood.

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Only half of Vancouver's population report to be Christian, one of the lowest rates in the country. Around 5% are Sikh, 3.7% Buddhist, and 2.6% Muslim.

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