US embassy cable - 05OTTAWA1672

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 OTTAWA 001672 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE 
 
SECSTATE FOR ECA/PE/V/R/W - EWILKES-SCOTT; ECA/PE/V/M - 
Alison Moylan and Sequita Robinson; WHA/PDA - JCARPENTER- 
ROCK; 
MONTREAL, TORONTO AND VANCOUVER FOR PAOS AND CONGENS; 
HALIFAX AND QUEBEC FOR CONGENS; 
CALGARY FOR FIELD REPS; CALGARY PLEASE PASS TO WINNIPEG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, OEXC, SCUL, CA, IV Program 
SUBJECT: FY 2006 IVLP MRP on Substance Abuse, Education, 
Treatment and Prevention (November 10-December 1, 2005), 
Canadian Candidate Robert Daniel Small (Alternate, pending 
availability funds) 
 
REFERENCE:  OTTAWA 1504 
 
1.   Post is pleased to nominate Mr. Robert Daniel Small (he 
goes by Dan Small), Non-profit Manager and Program 
Developer, Portland Hotel Society Community Services 
Society, Vancouver for subject project or for an individual 
program on Substance Abuse Education, Treatment and 
Prevention.  EVDB-formatted nomination follows. 
 
2.   START FIXED-FORMAT TEXT (PLEASE DO NOT EDIT): 
: The following data is in a fixed format which enables 
: automated processing in Washington and should not be 
: edited except by means of the Post-EVDB software. 
EXPORT-SOURCE: POST-EVDB 
VERSION: 3.0.7 
POST-EMAIL: slw@pd.state.gov 
TRANSMITTING-POST: PAS Ottawa 
TRANSMITTING-POST-ID: 6540 
EXPORT-TYPE: BIO DATA 
START NOMINATION: 
ECA-OFFICE: E/VM 
PROG-AGENCY-NAME: 
POST-PROJ-ID: 363 
ECA-PROJ-NO: 
PROJ-NAME: Small, Robert Daniel - MRP Substance Abuse, 
Education, Treatment and Prevention 
START MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
 
END MEMO PROJ-DESC: 
PROJ-TYPE: Multi-Regional 
PROG-TYPE: IV Group Projects 
FY: 2006 
DEPART-POST: 11/9/2005 
SESSION-DATE: 11/10/2005 
RETURN-POST: 12/2/2005 
NO-OF-PART: 1 
RANK-ORDER: 29 
START MEMO POST-OBJ: 
Dan Small is an influential activist in Vancouver's Downtown 
Eastside whose role in establishing and operating the Safe 
Injection Site show how he is an important player in 
formulating Vancouver's drug policy. His is an excellent 
candidate for an individual IVL Project on U.S. Drug 
Treatment Programs. 
Vancouver's Supervised Injection Site (SIS) is perhaps the 
best-known symbol of divergence in Canadian and U.S. 
approaches to drug abuse treatment. Opened in September 2003 
and co-managed by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and 
the Portland Hotel Society (PHS) Community Services Society, 
the SIS provides a clean, safe, legally exempt environment 
where its 600-800 daily users can inject their own drugs 
under the supervision of clinical staff. The SIS operates 
under the "harm reduction" pillar of the City of Vancouver's 
Four Pillars Drug Strategy. 
The SIS is just one of the operations that the PHS Community 
Services Society runs in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to 
provide low-income housing, drug treatment, and health, 
counseling and employment services for residents. Dan Small 
is the non-profit manager and program developer for the PHS 
Community Services Society. In this capacity, he also serves 
as on-site manager at the SIS. In the months leading up to 
the establishment of the SIS, Dan and his organization 
lobbied the City of Vancouver, Province of British Columbia 
and Canada Health for the creation of the site. Before 
approval was ever reached, the PHS Community Services 
Society purchased the property where the SIS is currently 
located, remodeled the property, and had it ready to open 
just as soon as Federal approval was received. Dan maintains 
an office at the SIS and oversees health studies conducted 
there. 
Vancouverites view the SIS as an overwhelming success for 
reducing overdose deaths. Locally, Dan Small receives much 
of the credit for making this possible. Due to his efforts, 
the SIS will continue to operate without challenge through 
its three-year trial period. Dan is now an increasingly 
influential personality in shaping policy that addresses 
drug treatment plans for the city of Vancouver. His 
influence can only grow over time as the PHS Community 
Services Society continues to take the lead in providing 
treatment to Vancouver's drug abusers. He considers himself 
a policy-doer rather than a policymaker and will continue 
play a leading role in formulating new programs to address 
drug abuse. 
Unlike many of his colleagues, Dan has no qualms about 
maintaining dialogue with the U.S. Consulate. He has been an 
important contact for us in explaining the purpose behind 
the SIS. He believes that much is gained through the 
exchange of ideas. His own words explain this best: "I am 
always interested in the exchange of ideas especially when 
we can search for some productive solution oriented common 
ground, even amongst those whose understandings of the 
issues and problems may be dramatically different.I think 
that there is something to be learned from the United States 
and that it is important to listen and not to demonize 
others." 
Dan is married to MLA Jenny Kwan (NDP), who has represented 
the Vancouver-Mt. Pleasant constituency in BC's Legislative 
Assembly since 1996. 
END MEMO POST-OBJ: 
START MEMO POST-RCMD: 
Please note that Mr. Small uses the name "Dan Small." 
END MEMO POST-RCMD: 
ECA-OFFICE-ID: 1027 
PROG-AGENCY-ID: 
PROJ-TYPE-ID: MRP 
PROG-TYPE-ID: 31 
NOMINATING-POST-ID: 88501 
FUNDING-CNTRY-ID: 322158 
STATUS: N 
ORIGINATOR: P 
SUBJ-DISC: Drug Issues 
START BIO: 
PREFIX: Mr. 
F-NAME: Robert 
M-NAME: Daniel 
L-NAME: Small 
SUFFIX: 
POSITION-CODE: 322 
PRINCIPAL?: No 
GENDER: M 
DOB: 04/10/1965 
MAR-STAT: M 
BIRTH-CITY: Calgary 
BIRTH-CNTRY: Canada 
CITIZ-CNTRY: Canada 
RES-CNTRY: Canada 
START MEMO POSITION: 
Non-Profit Manager and Program Developer for Portland Hotel 
Society Community Services Society 
END MEMO POSITION: 
START MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
 
END MEMO OTHER-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
Faculty Tutor, University of British Columbia Department of 
Medicine (2001-2003) 
Patient Appointee, British Columbia Mental Health Act Review 
Panel (1999-Present) 
Employment Counselor, Coast Foundation's Coast Clubhouse for 
providing psychosocial rehabilitation services to the 
mentally ill (1997-1999) 
Interviewer for Community Health Resource Project, British 
Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS at University of 
British Columbia Department of Health Care and Epidemiology 
(1996-1998) 
Supervisor, The Hampton Hotel Residential Program, Mental 
Patients' Association Society (1997)) 
Instructor, Kwantlen University College (1996-1997) 
Front-Line Worker, PHS Community Services Society (1996- 
1997) 
Program Manager, Langley Stepping Stone Rehabilitative 
Society (1991-1995) 
Recreation Therapist, Forensic Pychiatric Institute (1990- 
1991) 
Teaching Assistant on Psychology of Addiction, Simon Fraser 
University (1989-1990) 
Research Assistant, Simon Fraser University (1985-1987) 
END MEMO PREV-POSITIONS: 
START MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
Palm Springs (7 days in 1993, holiday) 
New Orleans (7 days in 1994 to attend International 
Conference on Psychosocial Rehabilitation as an invited 
presenter) 
San Francisco (4-day trips in 1999, 2001 and 2004 for 
holiday and research trip to Progress Foundation Acute 
Diversion Units and Baker Place Community Medical Detox) 
None of the above travel was USG-funded. 
END MEMO US-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
England (1995-96, 1998), France (1996), Ireland (1998) 
END MEMO OTHER-TRAVEL: 
START MEMO EDUCATION: 
Ph.D., Medical Anthropology, University of British Columbia 
(2003) 
Masters in Philosophy, University of Cambridge, England 
(1996) 
B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology, Simon Fraser University 
B.A. in Psychology, Simon Fraser University (1989) 
END MEMO EDUCATION: 
START MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
Board of Directors, Council of the College of Physicians and 
Surgeons for British Columbia 
Chairman of Education Committee, Psychosocial Rehabilitation 
Training for Front-line Workers 
END MEMO MEMBERSHIPS: 
START MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
Bowman, M. & R.D. Small (1988). The Origins of Mental 
Ability Testing in Ancient China. Canadian Psychology. 
Kerr, T., E. Wood, D. Small, A. Palepu and M. Tyndall (2003) 
Potential Uptake of Safer Injection Facilities among Drug 
Users in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside,  Canadian Medical 
Journal: 169 (8): 1-5 
Gurstein, P. and Small, R.D. (in press). From Housing to 
Home: Reflexive Management For Those Deemed Hard to House. 
Housing Studies. 
Gurstein, P. and Small, R.D. (2002). Policy or Pedagogy: 
Terra Incognito or Knowable Place? presented at the 
Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) 
Conference in Baltimore 22 November, 2002. 
Small, R.D. & M. Sudar (1995). Islands of Brilliance. 
Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal. 
Small, R.D. (2004) Mental Illness, Addiction and the 
Supervised Injection Facility: New Narratives in the 
Downtown Eastside.  Visions: BC's Mental Health and 
Addictions Journal. 2 (1): 37-39. 
Small, R.D. (in press) Editorial: Two Cultures Passing in 
the Night. International Journal of Drug Policy. 
END MEMO PUBLICATIONS: 
START MEMO SPEC-CONSID: 
Severe Anaphlactic Allergy to Tomatoes 
END MEMO SPEC-CONSID: 
FIRST-LANG: English 
ENGL-READ: 5 
ENGL-SPEAK: 5 
ENGL-COMP: 5 
START MEMO NOM-POST-OBJ: 
 
END MEMO NOM-POST-OBJ: 
START MEMO NOM-POST-RCMD: 
 
END MEMO NOM-POST-RCMD: 
START MEMO VIS-OBJ: 
 
END MEMO VIS-OBJ: 
START MEMO VIS-REC: 
 
END MEMO VIS-REC: 
NOMINATING-OFFICER: CG Luis Arreaga, DPO Joni Scandola,PAO 
Ian Hillman 
START MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
Dan Small (Dan uses this name, not his full name Robert 
Daniel Small) is an influential activist in Vancouver's 
Downtown Eastside, a neighborhood plagued by drug addiction 
and the crime and disease that addiction can create. 
Vancouver suffers from the highest incidence of illegal drug 
use in Canada, and the Mission places priority on solid 
cooperation with Canadian counterparts to fight the 
international criminal activity fed by illegal drug use, as 
well as the public health problems (e.g. spread of AIDS and 
hepatitis, overdoses) that narcotics addictions aggravate. 
Vancouver has taken the controversial step of running a 
trial supervised injection site to reduce overdoses and the 
spread of disease through contaminated needles, as well as 
to draw addicts to information about treatment programs 
available to them.  Vancouver's Supervised Injection Site 
(SIS) is perhaps the best-known symbol of divergence in 
Canadian and U.S. approaches to drug abuse treatment. 
Opened in September 2003 and co-managed by the Vancouver 
Coastal Health Authority and the Portland Hotel Society 
(PHS) Community Services Society, the SIS provides a clean, 
safe, legally exempt environment where its 600-800 daily 
users can inject their own drugs under the supervision of 
clinical staff. The SIS operates under the "harm reduction" 
pillar of the City of Vancouver's Four Pillars Drug 
Strategy. 
The SIS is just one of the operations that the PHS Community 
Services Society runs in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to 
provide low-income housing, drug treatment, and health, 
counseling and employment services for residents.  Dan Small 
is the non-profit manager and program developer for the PHS 
Community Services Society. In this capacity, he also serves 
as on-site manager at the SIS, where he maintains an office 
and oversees health studies conducted there.  In the months 
leading up to the establishment of the SIS, Dan and his 
organization actively engaged the City of Vancouver, 
Province of British Columbia and Canada Health (federal 
authorities) in discussion on this potential new approach to 
attacking the growing addiction problems in Vancouver, and 
in obtaining and equipping the site where the SIS is 
currently located.   Vancouverites view the SIS as an 
overwhelming success for reducing overdose deaths. Locally, 
Dan Small receives much of the credit for this achievement 
and the city plans to continue supporting the SIS through 
its three-year trial period. 
Dan's long study of substance abuse and associated mental 
health problems in Canada and his leadership in garnering 
public support to fight the serious substance abuse problems 
Vancouver faces have made him an influential player in 
shaping policy to address this growing problem.  His 
influence will grow as the PHS Community Services Society 
continues to take the lead in providing treatment to 
Vancouver's drug abusers. He considers himself a policy-doer 
rather than a policymaker and will continue to play a 
leading role in formulating new programs to address drug 
abuse. 
Dan has welcomed dialogue with Consulate personnel and 
visitors from the United States on approaches to substance 
abuse.   He believes that much is gained through the 
exchange of ideas. His own words explain this best: "I am 
always interested in the exchange of ideas, especially when 
we can search for some productive, solution-oriented common 
ground, even amongst those whose understandings of the 
issues and problems may be dramatically different.I think 
that there is something to be learned from the United States 
and that it is important to listen and not to demonize 
others."  Although his approach to substance abuse treatment 
differs markedly from official U.S. approaches, the Mission 
believes that engaging this committed and open substance 
abuse professional in discussions with U.S. leaders in this 
field will result in effective U.S. approaches being 
considered and adopted as Vancouver continues to struggle 
with its abuse problem.  The post believes that his 
participation in the IVLP program and his interaction with 
American counterparts will strengthen U.S.-Canada 
cooperation in fighting the crime, disease, and social 
problems connected with substance abuse.  His nomination 
supports the Mission's goals of fighting international crime 
and cooperating on common public health problems. 
Dan is married to Member of Legislative Assembly (British 
Columbia) Jenny Kwan (New Democrat Party), who has 
represented the Vancouver-Mt. Pleasant constituency in BC's 
Legislative Assembly since 1996. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
END MEMO NOMINATING-JUSTIFICATION: 
NOM-OFF: ConGen Vancouver 
SPEAKER?: No 
NOTIFY-EMB: No 
MEDIA?: No 
HOME-STAY: No 
HOME-HOSP?: Yes 
E-I-TYPE: ELEO 
NOMINEE-ID: 536 
PERSON-ID: 395 
BIRTH-CNTRY-ID: CA 
CITIZ-CNTRY-ID: CA 
RES-CNTRY-ID: CA 
FIRST-LANG-ID: EN 
E-I-TYPE-ID: E 
NOM-POST-ID: 88501 
NOM-FUNDING-CNTRY-ID: 322158 
NOM-STATUS: N 
DS2019-ACTION: 1 
DS2019-SUBJECT: 51.1501 
SPONS-FUNDS: 0 
SPONS-AGENCY1: 
USGOVT-AGENCY1: 
US-AGENCY-AMT1: 0 
USGOVT-AGENCY2: 
US-AGENCY-AMT2: 0 
INTL-ORG1: 
INTL-ORG-AMOUNT1: 0 
INTL-ORG2: 
INTL-ORG-AMOUNT2: 0 
VIS-GOVT-AMT: 0 
COMMISSION: 0 
OTHER-AMOUNT: 0 
VIS-AMOUNT: 0 
VIS-CAT: 5 
END BIO: 
END NOMINATION: 
END FIXED-FORMAT TEXT: 
 
DICKSON, CHARGE