Dr Gabor Maté on the housing crisis and Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside

Dr Gabor Maté on the housing crisis and Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside |
Best-selling author and world-renowned addictions and trauma expert Dr. Gabor Maté sat down with Arash Randjbar at Daily Hive to talk about the housing crisis in Canada, rising inequality, Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and the plight of Canada's Indigenous peoples.
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[@teugene5850]

When Gabor speaks you have no choice but to listen to this man... such a voice of integrity.

[@judi1989]

Thank you for this interview. I took notes because now I have some factual information to share the next time someone demonizes the homeless population on Pandora Street in Victoria. What people struggling with addiction need is our compassion and unwavering support.

[@lukefisher1248]

Gabor Mate, what an incredible human being.

[@alexcalderon5461]

Gabor is so with it. The politicians are clueless.

[@rul4522]

I love that Gabor is always looking at a deeper level from where the problem came from.

[@ElAkerta]

It's so unfortunate that in my search for insight into the Vancouver Homeless and Drug Abuse issue, this was buried deep in the search results. Finding a holistic approach that is aware of the macro economic issues, not just the local symptoms, is missing from so many videos from other content creators. Most focus on the misery of drug use, blame local politicians, cry out for more policing and/or blame as much as possible the people who are unwell. There are definitely poor choices in harm reduction policy but asking for more policing for example is another ill equipped solution that is NOT at all sensitive to the nature of this nation wide symptom of trauma. Portugal was brought up in other videos but they don't like to mention the decriminalization of drugs (minus drug sales) are part of the general treatment process that is successful there. I honestly think this issue is being used to divide people and leave the problem festering, that way in the end people are just surviving as they're suffering and/or eventually police militarization is embraced. The old tactic of creating a problem and selling the poor suckers the "cure"

[@nicloberg5815]

Really? To say "people do drugs because they are in pain, it is that simple" as an end all point, that cannot be wholly true. One truth cannot account for that many variables.

[@ElAkerta]

@@nicloberg5815 What are you referring too? Drug use for recreation or medication is a different topic to homelessness and drug abuse

[@nicloberg5815]

@@ElAkerta At 3:09, he bluntly states that people use drugs to ease their pain. That is a dangerous assumption. It is a lifestyle alternative to the "norm". Different social contracts were unofficially signed.

[@mouseandryforever6848]

Go tell that to all the dead Aboriginal women that ended up in dtes after SRS childhood sexual and emotional abuse only to be bought off the poor streets of dtes for sex and then murdered. You lack any serious analysis.

[@jollymollyramram9702]

@nicloberg5815. It’s not a dangerous assumption when it’s a fact. The topic is Vancouvers Downtown eastside. You don’t shoot up heroin, rob, steal from your family/friends, become homeless and sell your body unless you have experienced trauma.

[@danieldelariva4653]

What I don’t understand is that the policy of feeding drugs to people has been happening for a long time. And it’s only making matters worst! Giving more drugs to drug addicts will not solve the problem without proper psychological and social treatment. But if people refuse to accept those they need to be put there. Simply feeding them drugs will just slowly kill them as it is happening now.

[@jollymollyramram9702]

Who’s feeding addicts drugs?

[@annalisavajda252]

Well people don't talk about prevention either just normalize injustice child abuse etc. Then the person has been so degraded they are conditioned for self harm not taught to value themselves and don't feel valued by society either that's why many don't want help they feel their lives are over anyway. Kids now with anxiety depression etc. being drugged already at a young age learning that's how to cope well those are your future overdose victims. Maybe some come from wealthy families so won't be homeless but they will be mentally ill and medicated still. Watch the basketball diaries another true story.

[@mouseandryforever6848]

Colonialism, lack of inpatient mental health, broken families and early childhood trauma, and it doesn't always affect aboriginal ppl.. it affects all children. I escaped marital violence by going to the only place that would take me... Dtes.

[@jollymollyramram9702]

He’s referring to indigenous Canadians. But you’re right any person under the sun can have trauma.

[@laarawilliamsen]

Yes! Thank you Dr. Gabor Mate! Inequality is the root problem. Our world has enough food for each person living on earth but the trees are empty because of the few totally wealthy people. It is hideous that people whether tourists of others are shunning the downtown eastside. We all belong to each other. Can we please have Kindness, Equality and for those who suffer may they find relief through humane measures.

[@lesliengo8347]

People are not born sucking on purpose, their behaviour is a reflection of their past experiences and are projecting it with what they have. If we can say to ourselves "these are struggling people" not "these are awful people" will help us be compassionate and understanding it makes us more willing to provide help and support for those suffering. And yes, our city has become very unaffordable and poverty is on the rise that needs to be addressed seriously.

[@Etobicoke67]

Words are cheap when there is no economy to pay for Drs with his "compassion".

[@jollymollyramram9702]

He’s not a politician.

[@artuloco68]

The problem comes with the big contribution from his fellow Gypsy's compatriots not only from the church.

[@kobman4159]

How about for a start we stop blaming everything on colonialism, victimhood, police brutality and all the other woke BS? Not everything is about Indigenous. Life is also not fair to others. World is not fair. Some people just have been dealt a shit sandwich, others are mentally ill, others made bad choices. It's very "Saviorist" and "Progressive" to talk about fixing personal traumas, but here's the caveat - In order to fix it, a person needs to at least want to fix it. The problem here is that many of those homeless or junkies (yes, junkies, until proven otherwise) don't even want to fix anything. They don't even want to live in social housing, because it forces them to deal with rules, which they need to follow and they either don't want to or simply can't. Waving it off as "They have rights to live wherever they want" is infantile at best. If your "rights" hurt other peoples livelihoods, businesses etc, then your "rights" should get reconsidered. And yes, I know... It's soooo not "2023" to hold people accountable for their own actions, but I guess you never had your car or house broken into, your bike stolen, or had people shooting up heroin or defecating on your porch.. So for a start how about getting them off the streets first, for their own (and everybody else's) safety and sorting who goes to rehab, who goes to psych ward (yeah, they need to reopen these, because ignoring the problem doesn't just fix it) and who goes to jail (and hopefully stays there)?

[@Mythicstig]

Woah. Don't go spouting common sense and saying people should hold themselves accountable for their own choices. A lot of people won't like that.

[@chevyboy9525]

If you understand what Siberia can do to you, you will understand if the addicts or welfare bums got sent there for reform, they will change their problem in no time!!! Of course, this will not happen in North America because it is caught up with a different ideology - the pride and glamour of Capitalism. Then the trauma got forked over to the people who are hard-working and law-abiding to support someone's parasitic existence. Go figure that out!

[@stevedonaghey6436]

Did you actually watch the video?

[@hermom1114]

All that BS? ....wow ! I'm not even going to go there . I will say , this community cares about your bike your possessions as much as you care about their "BS" ! May all your possessions be shit on daily 💩. Have a 💩day !