Artist and author Leef Evans: “I have to tell people”
Leef Evans, an author and artist, experienced a severe bout of depression six years ago that resulted in hospitalization and the loss of apartment, car, and virtually all connection with family and friends.
While living on Vancouver’s downtown eastside, Lee participated in an art program at Coast Mental Health Resource Centre and he is now a part of the Gallery Gachet collective.
He recently told Westender magazine that he has been forced, through his painting, to deal with his lifelong struggle with depression. (more…)
Crime Stoppers began in 1976 when a detective in New Mexico appealed to the public with a video re-enactment of a murder crime and offered a reward for anonymous tips. Two men were arrested within 72 hours and charged with the murder. Since that time, Crime Stoppers has become a global phenomenon and is credited by its originator, former detective Greg MacAleese, with solving over one million major crimes. 
Arts and culture…or safety and security? Nanaimo’s Street Entertainer’s Bylaw was enacted in 2003 to control altercations between panhandlers and street entertainers. Now, a review of that bylaw will be undertaken by the Safer Nanaimo Working Group. Over the past year, entertainers have called for a relaxation of the bylaw and some buskers disagree with the bylaw being reviewed by the Safer Nanaimo Working Group…preferring the activity be seen from the perspective of arts and culture. [source: Nanaimo News Bulletin] 