312 Main

Yesterday I attended the opening luncheon of 312 Main, the former "cop shop" turned Centre for Social and Economic Innovation. SFU President Andrew Petter was first up, followed by Tsleil Waututh Elder Margaret George, Am Johal (Co-Director, SFU's Community-Engaged Research Initiative; Director, SFU's Vancity Office of Community Engagement), the Honourable Melanie Mark (NDP MLA), Vancity President & CEO Tamara Vrooman, Stuart Poyntz (Co-Director, SFU's Community-Engaged Research Initiative), Shanthi Besso (Director, Leadership and Community Building Programs, SFU Lifelong Learning) and Janet Webber (Executive Director, SFU Public Square)   -- but it was Margaret who stilled the room when she pointed to the northwest corner and said, "Over there was the door I came through on Monday mornings to check to see if I had any clients in jail. After that, the morgue, then the hospital."

Am was kind enough to give us a tour of the facilities, which included production spaces, worker offices (Megaphone Magazine is a tenant) and remnants of the building's past. The original stairway is intact, as are the windows (the new ones are doubled-paned flush to the interior walls, allowing for a"dead" ledge space in-between). Wish I took their picture.