Twenty years ago this month, Vancouver's street newspaper was born. In this special 32-page Issue #111 of Megaphone we celebrate the evolution of the paper from the original Spare Change newspaper to the Megaphone Magazine our vendors sell on the streets today.

This issue we track the history of street news in Vancouver from the iconic Georgia Straight's start as a street paper in the 1960s, to the birth of Spare Change, its evolution into The Street, a merger with Street Corner, and finally the change to Megaphone Magazine. But Megaphone wouldn't be the magazine it is today without the hard work and dedication of our vendors, and we celebrate them with profiles ranging from the veterans who have been with us from the start to the newcomers using the paper to turn their lives around.

Also in this issue we look at a new running group in the Downtown Eastside helping former addicts get hooked on fitness; Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz talks about how inequality hurts everyone; and we gear up for the 8th annual Victory Square Block Party with a look at the event's past and the line up for next weekend's free Block Party, co-sponsored by Megaphone Magazine.

Whether they're new on the block or a fixture in your neighbourhood, support your local vendor by picking up a copy of Megaphone today!