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'We hear the ambulances'
THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023 • VOL. 56 NO. 4 • VANCOUVER, B.C.
Advocates say at least one harm reduction site in addition to mobile services are desperately needed in neglected South Vancouver By ERIN CONNERS
get to them. “We go to mansions … and we hile South Vancouver also go to street corners and down suffers from the worst alleyways and into parks.” ratio of overdose deaths Selby-Brown said the van also to emergency calls, mobile services transports samples of users’ drugs could be one option to help keep to the organization’s office for testpeople alive, according to city coun- ing. cillor Pete Fry. “The weekend warrior, for examFry said he is unsure whether a ple, who uses coke on the weekends harm-reduction site would be suit- or MDMA or something with his able for South Vancouver “because partner or by himself, isn’t likely of the sheer size and de-concentra- to come into a safe injection site tion of users and overdoses.” to access drug checking,” she said. He said, “I'm more partial to a “That's why we fought so hard to mobile solution, to be honest.” A get the permission from the Minismobile solution aims to provide try of Transportation to be able to harm reduction service where legally transport drug samples so people live. that we could include those people.” Data from B.C. Emergency Upkar Singh Tatlay, the founder Health Services and B.C. Centre and executive director of Engaged for Disease Control shows that Communities Canada Society, South Vancouver has had the worst which operates the Mobile Health death-to-call ratio in the city for the Unit, said the program helps to past six years. break down cultural barriers to In 2022, there was one illicit drug harm reduction in Surrey. toxicity death for every eight overLike South Vancouver, visible dose calls attended by paramedics minorities in those areas represent in South Vancouver, compared to more than half of the population a 1:14 ratio in the entire city that in 2016 Census data by Statistics same year. Canada. Tatlay said it makes all the differAmal Ishaque, co-founder of the Marpole Mutual Aid Network, said ence when people who speak their the lack of city resources in South languages reach out, especially in Vancouver is a problem. South Asian communities. “We hear the ambulances all the “It was our family, friends and time,” Ishaque said, adding that loved ones, our relatives. We were South Vancouverites “need a safe attending funerals,” he said, adding supply.” that he recognized there were no Ishaque said resources at least one safe within ethnic consumption communities “We go to mansions when he saw a site is needed spike in deaths to begin with. … we also go to a decade ago. “At the same time, I think we In an email street corners and definitely need to the Voice, down alleyways.” more mobile Va n c o u services to ver Coastal — KRISTINA SELBY-BROWN , MOBILE HEALTH VAN CO-ORDINATOR come into the Health’s THE LOWER MAINLAND PURPOSE SOCIETY FOR neighbourcommunicaYOUTH AND FAMILIES hoods.” tions departM o b i l e ment stated services could VCH has not reach those using drugs who “invisi- opened overdose prevention sites bilize themselves” to avoid harass- in South Vancouver because the ment, not just by police or during authority “prioritizes and delivstreet sweeps but also by some ers substance use services based on neighbours who don’t want them community needs or demands, and there, Ishaque said. overdose risk.” Kristina Selby-Brown, the The Vancouver health authorco-ordinator of the Mobile Health ity said it offers harm reducVan at The Lower Mainland tion supplies in South Vancouver Purpose Society for Youth and through the South Mental Health Families, said, “Wherever people and Substance Use Team clinic on are that need the services, we will West 73rd Avenue.
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Bots of love A chatbot can give you a compliment and you'll believe whatever it tells you. MARCO SHUM PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
AI experts warn new chatbot could charm - and scam you By MILICA ANIC
A
rtificial intelligence experts say chatbots are becoming more sophisticated, making it easier to scam victims out of money and steal personal information. ChatGPT, released three months ago, is such a convincing chatbot that it can be confused for a real person.
Designed to simulate conversations with humans, chatbots have been used to deceive people through romance scams by persuading them to send money or stealing their information. A worldwide online protection organization, McAfee, released a research report last month showing two-thirds of the 5,000 people surveyed were unable to tell if a love letter was written by ChatGPT. An informal poll conducted by the Voice showed that 24 of 32 Langara students were afraid of being scammed by chatbots on dating apps.
UBC computer science professor Jeff Clune previously worked as a research team leader for OpenAI, the company that developed ChatGPT. He said it is increasingly difficult to tell the difference between computer-generated and humangenerated texts. Clune said scams can begin with a fake romantic relationship and lead to stealing people's money and personal information. “If you gain trust, as any scammer knows, eventually, you can take advantage,” Clune said. Tools to identify chatbot texts “will never be good, and almost certainly will never be perfect,” he said. AI specialist Jesse Hoey, a computer science professor at the University of Waterloo, said today’s advanced chatbots can gather information on dating techniques and behaviours and use that information to scam more victims. He said some techniques used can be misogynistic and are used to manipulate people, especially the
most vulnerable. “People who are looking for a romantic encounter might be willing to just believe what they read,” Hoey said. Justin Yao, deputy chief information officer at Langara College, told the Voice in an email that people should not reveal too much about themselves. Yao also advised people to take their time in their interactions as scammers usually try to “rush you into things.” “Be suspicious and curious,” he said. “If something is too good to be true, it usually is.” First-year Langara student Deborah Nwankwo said she was matched on Tinder with a person she thought was a “tall Italian.” Nwankwo became alarmed when his pictures suddenly changed. She realized it was someone who was faking their identity. Nwankwo said if she could be deceived by a person, she could not rule out being tricked by a chatbot. “I don't think I'll ever know.”