Michael Bryant’s quiet appointment to a $150K Downtown Eastside role sparks backlash over transparency and priorities amid ongoing poverty and funding concerns.
Michael Bryant, former Ontario attorney general and ex-CEO of Legal Aid B.C., has been quietly appointed to a $150,000 consulting role to address social challenges in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES)—one of Canada’s most impoverished neighbourhoods. But the decision is drawing criticism from community leaders, opposition parties, and social service providers, who say the appointment lacked transparency and public consultation.
Lack of Communication Fuels Distrust
Bryant’s six-month contract began in February with little public notice. It includes an additional $25,000 in expenses, sparking concern among frontline organizations that were left in the dark.
“We’ve been told nothing,” said Micheal Vonn, CEO of PHS Community Services Society, which operates over 1,700 housing units in Vancouver and Victoria. “There are lots of places you don’t want to have a rumour mill going—the Downtown Eastside is certainly one of them.”
Social Agencies Demand Transparency
Several DTES-based non-profits expressed unease about both the process and the messaging around Bryant’s appointment.
“It’s an unfortunate start to something that has some hope towards it,” said Amanda Burrows, Executive Director of First United. While acknowledging potential value in Bryant’s role, Burrows said the $150,000 salary felt out of step with the local context—particularly amid recent funding cuts to DTES services.
Province Defends Appointment Amid Political Pushback
Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Sheila Malcolmson said Bryant’s task is to evaluate ongoing social efforts and propose improvements. However, she declined to say whether Premier David Eby’s office directly appointed him, or why Bryant left Legal Aid B.C. after just two years.
Opposition figures in the B.C. Conservative Party were quick to denounce the move. MLA Trevor Halford accused the NDP government of “rewarding friends and insiders,” while attorney general critic Steve Kooner said the announcement was made only after media inquiries.
Bryant’s Past Adds Layers to Public Reaction
Michael Bryant is a high-profile and polarizing figure. Once Ontario’s youngest attorney general, his career took a dramatic turn in 2009 when he was charged (and later cleared) in connection with the death of a cyclist following a car altercation in Toronto.
Bryant later detailed his struggles with addiction in his memoir 28 Seconds: A True Story of Addiction, Tragedy and Hope, recounting his journey through recovery and community work with the homeless in downtown Toronto.
Supporters argue that this lived experience—combined with legal and political insight—makes him uniquely qualified to navigate the complex systems affecting the Downtown Eastside.
Community Waiting for Action and Clarity
Despite skepticism, many in the DTES say they’re willing to judge the role by its results—but that community engagement must improve moving forward.
As Vonn prepares to give Bryant a tour of PHS-run housing sites, and other organizations await clearer communication from the province, questions remain about how effective this new role will be—and whether it can help address decades of entrenched poverty, addiction, and instability.
Stay tuned to Maple News Wire for further updates on Downtown Eastside policies and social service leadership across British Columbia.
