Activists to use Olympics to get media attention

A group of activists backing a variety of causes have unveiled their schedule for a series of protests on the streets of Vancouver before and during the Olympics.

The anti-poverty coalition called the Downtown Eastside Justice For All Network, which includes the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users and the Citywide Housing Coalition, revealed its plans at a news conference Tuesday.

The coalition vowed to use the Games to draw attention to poverty in Canada and to the Downtown Eastside, which has been called one of the poorest urban areas in the country.

"There's four million people in Canada living under the poverty line. That's shameful," said Wendy Pedersen of the Carnegie Community Action Project.

"And B.C. has the highest child poverty in Canada. Those are the messages that are going to get out to the international media."

Here are the events the coalition announced Tuesday:

• Jan. 15 - A demonstration at Pigeon Park at Hastings and Carrall Streets over the impact of the Woodwards project.
• Jan. 22 - A protest at Vancouver City Hall against the gentrification of the Downtown Eastside.
• Feb. 7 - The 2010 Poverty Olympics at the Japanese Hall on Alexander Street. Calling it "free family fun with a conscience," organizers say the Poverty Games will include events like Welfare Hurdles and Skating Around Poverty.
• Feb. 14 - An annual memorial march honouring missing and murdered women is planned to start at Main and Hastings Streets.
• Feb. 15 - A protest the activists called an "action against homelessness" at a location yet to be disclosed.
• Feb. 20 - A rally by the Olympic clock outside the Vancouver Art Gallery in support of a national housing program.