A view of East Hastings street in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, on Jan. 31, 2023.Jennifer Gauthier/Reuters
The B.C. government has ended early the contract of a former Ontario attorney-general hired to improve services in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside after public questioning about his qualifications and criticism that his appointment was not publicly announced.
Michael Bryant’s contract was cut short on Sunday, about halfway through what would have been at least a six-month appointment. Premier David Eby, who had hand-picked Mr. Bryant for the role, said he made the decision because the appointment had become a distraction.
“I’m very appreciative to Mr. Bryant for his work, for his efforts on behalf of the government,” Mr. Eby told reporters in Vancouver on Tuesday.
“I have to say, though, that public debate and discussion about the contract with Mr. Bryant became the focus, through no fault of his own, rather than the Downtown Eastside, and how we ensure that we’re improving life for people in that neighbourhood.”
Mr. Bryant’s appointment was contentious. The public terms of reference for his contract were vague, and local advocates questioned what an outsider could reveal about the neighbourhood in six months. The B.C. government did not publicly announce the appointment, which began Feb. 12, only confirming it in response to media reports last week.
Mr. Bryant’s political career ended when he was charged with dangerous driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death after an incident that left a cyclist dead in 2009. The charges were later dropped after the cyclist was identified as the instigator.
He has since written extensively about his struggles with alcoholism, and has rebuilt his career in B.C. Until 2024, he served as chief executive officer of Legal Aid BC.
Mr. Bryant did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
Mr. Bryant will be paid up until his dismissal on May 18 – about $75,000, Mr. Eby said. He will not receive severance. The contract was worth up to $325,000 for a year’s work, including $25,000 in expenses.
The Premier said the quality of Mr. Bryant’s work had no bearing on his termination, and that he had in fact been “heartened and excited” by his work to date. Mr. Eby said this included multiple meetings with people with lived experience in the Downtown Eastside, leaders of nonprofit organizations and the mayor, but shared no further details on Tuesday.
The Globe and Mail had observed Mr. Bryant in the neighbourhood in recent weeks, learning about recovery programs and attending the memorial of a Downtown Eastside advocate.
“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, and understanding of the law, and understanding the realities of politics,” Mr. Eby said.
BC Conservative MLA Trevor Halford welcomed the decision to terminate the contract, but said it should not have been awarded in the first place.
“I think the right call was to never have signed this contract. He was hired at the direction of the Premier, and has produced little or no work that I can see,” he said in an interview. “We had no understanding of what he was going to produce. It would be nice to see what value the taxpayers got out of this, but my expectations are not high.”
Micheal Vonn, CEO of the PHS Community Services Society, said she was disappointed with the province’s handling of the appointment from start to finish.
“It’s very disappointing that, with the efforts that have been put in belatedly to invest everyone’s goodwill and faith in the process, that without consultation they pulled the rug out. It’s very hard to not feel that this is just all happening via whim,” she said in an interview.
“The broad-based, constructive plan for how we are going to get a grip again needs to be constructed in consultation with community. But here we are again, no further ahead.”