April 15, 2005, carnegie newsletter by Carnegie Newsletter

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s h e ' s o n e fov t h e b o o b Librarians from all over B.C. have discovered what Carnegic folks've known all along there's nobody like Mary Ann Cantillon. Mary Ann has been Camegie's librarian for the past four years. She's retiring on April 29, which is going to bc a big loss for us. So it's especially appropriate that thc province's librarians should recognize her contribut~onsby giving her their lifetime achievemcnt award. She was nominated for the award by a whole range of people whose lives she has enriched - co-workers, librav users, fellow community activists, friends and just plain readers. Over the years, Carnegie has been blessed with the solid service and dedication of numerous librarians. That's what makes our library the ccntre of so much hope and activity in the community. But it's fair to say that none has been so inspiring and resourceful as Mary Ann. Sincc her arrival at Carnegie, Mary Ann has helped transform our traditional notion of libraries and librarians - that the Carnegie library is more than just a collection of books in one corner of the building,

and that the Carnegie librarian is more than just the keeper of the collection. When she hears of anyone's interest in a topic, she invariably finds a way to connect it to books, even if the person is not an avid reader. She goes the extra mile in researching questions for patrons, and she is extremely patient in one-to-one service, making every patron feel like their issue is simcant. Whatever the program; the Learning Centre to the theatre and poetry workshop and the community play; she finds a tie-in to a book and the library, and provide materials to enhance the experiences of the patrons. Mary Ann has taken books literally out into the community with readtng clubs and literacy programs at places like Oppenheimer Park, the WISH sb-eetworkers' drop-in and the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre. Forinstance, the reading club at the Women's Centre for Maggie De Vries' book Missing Sarah, helped so many women deal with their painful experiences and feelings. She is also one of the organizers, along with women throughout the community, in the annual Missing Women's march through the Downtown Eastside. And her book giveaways on the corner of Main and Hastings - ground zero of the street scene - are special moments for the street peoplc thronging the tables in search of that special novel or history book. Day and night, Mary Ann keeps going. When most of us flop down exhausted after a day in the trenches at Carnegie, Mary Ann is still at it attendmg evening meetings, staffing the book table at community events, running off to help a friend in need, spreading Lrish cheer and humour wherever she goes. That's not going to stop when she retires. We'll still be seeing a lot of her around the community. What a marvel of energy and commitment. She came to library work in mid-life, after raising her family. As a homemaker, she kept a poster on her front door: "I want to go out and save the world, but I can't find a babysitter." In her professional groups, she has been especially active in efforts to assist First Nations peoplc in getting library training. Mary Ann will say that she is just continuing in the tradition of Carnegie librarians, that she is budding on the initiatives that they created. That's true. But she has shown us possibilities that we didn't know existed in the world of books and the world of libraries. She is a special librarian and a special person. Bob Sarti

Mary Ann Cantillon has brought enormous energy, wide experience, and community vision to the Carnegie Library. She respects the people who live in the Downtown Eastside, and understands the hardships of poverty. She knows what it means to be a human being, and what a human being is up against. She sees feelingly, and recognizes the strengths of the people who live here. She knows that the library has resources that can support us, and she knows how to bring those resources to our attention. Mary Ann has attended many of the various committee meetings at Carnegie, and has brought relevant information and her expertise in organizing with her. She tells people about books that would be of use to them, and she gets those books. At the same time, she is always open to suggestions for books from Carnegie members. She brought books on homelessness to the Carnegie forum on that subject. She brought books on quilting to the quilting group. She has a reading group. She encourages Carnegie members in their writing. She writes articles on books for the Carnegie Newsletter. She attends day and night meetings in the community, always ready to help, always ready to show people how the library can help them. She gets tickets so Carnegie members can hear other writers read their work. She brings writers to the Carnegie Centre.She helped make it possible for Carnegie writers to read at the International Writers' Festival in Vancouver, and she helped make it possible for Carnegie writers to read at the Vancouver Public Library. She brings books to the Carnegie Poehy Readings which take place once a month on a Saturday evening. She works closely with the Carnegie Learning Centre. She puts up displays of books, and gives old books away on the front steps of Carnegie from time to time. She helps people with grant applications, and is supporting a new book by Carneg~epoets which is still in the planning stage. She has wide knowledge of the many creative activities going on in the Downtown Eastside, and she reaches out to others as a Camegie librarian with resources that can build community. She even sewed one of the panels for a banner commemorating the seventy-two missing women in the

Downtown Eastside. This banner was carried in the Women's Memorial March on February 14,2005. And she has done all this, and more, while at the same time carrying out her administrative responsibilities within the Carnegie Library itself! Mary Ann seems to be e v e w h e r e . Her energy and dedication are an inspiration to the rest of us. She cares about people, and about books, and her caring is turned into action that brings hope. She has a strong sense of justice, and her straightfonvard, honest way of relating to others is appreciated in this community. She has been building, with the help of a dedicated staff, a community library that's a model for other libraries in Canada and in the world. Andrew Camegie, with his family background of weavers and shoemakers fighting for democracy would be proud ofthe inspiring, life-giving work that has been done by Mary Ann, and all the other workers, at thc Carnegie Library. We wish Mary Ann well in her new journeys, and know that she will always be fighting for justice. By Sandy Cameron PS: Mary Ann has been honoured by the British Columbia Library Association's Lifetime Achievement in Library Service Award. It also includes an honourary lifetime membership in the Association. Mary Ann exclaimed "Why me?" upon learning of this recognition; members of Carnegie and staff in our Reading Room were aghast at this modesty, with equally avuncular exclamations of 'Oh come on! Give me/us an hour/dayheek to list just what Vwe know here!" Congratulations again and again.

Carnegie Community Centre DIRECTOR'S REPORT - APRIL 2005

TO MICHAEL CLAGUE: IN RECOGNITION (with acknowledgments to a very old friend of Michael's, Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

SIGNING OFF..

MICHAEL, HOW DO WE LOVE THEE, LET US COUNT THE WAYS

Few people are as privileged as I have been these past 5 plus years. To find in one's work an almost perfect match of interests and passions with people who have become colleagues and friends, whether staff, board or voluntcer. This has been my experience at Carnegie. We have shared tears of sadness and ofjoy. We've railed against injustice. We have celebrated. We've laughed. We've created. We have found new allies and supporters w i t h the community and without. We're under no illusion about new and old challenges - the struggle for this community of predominately low income people to be free to dream your own futures, and to have the strength to act on them in solidarity and in partnership with everyone who lives and works here, and who cares. Carnegie is special because many low income people's lives are controlled by others, by systems that too often inherently create dependence, not independence or interdependence. But not here. People come to this place because they choose to. It is a liberating place. Thank you for this opportunity to be part of Camegie Centre, and part of this community. Thanks particularly to Board and staff (especially Dan Tetrault) for your support, your advice, and yes, even for your candor when I strayed or screwed up. With every good wish to Ethel, with whom I have enjoyed working so much during this transition period - to every member of the Carnegie community.

Michael Clague f

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-We love thee for the softness of your manner and the way in which you engage all of the peoplc at Carnegie, no matter what the problem or how difficult the situation; -We love thee because you are always available and accessible, no matter what the hour, to deal with issues and work with everyone to resolve them; -We love you for your basic humanity, your incredible spirit and your dedication to everything that is embodied in the community of the Downtown East Side; -We love thee for the many transformations that have taken place at Carnegie during your term as director, including the excellent and exceptional performance of staff under your direction...you have made them come to life as never before; -We love thee for the support you have provided to the Carnegie Association Board, in all of its dimensions and committees; your skills and considered advice have made us all better for the relationship; -We love thee for all of the service and program reviews which we undertook with your encouragement and guidance; they have all made Carnegie a better place for our patrons and volunteers and everyone else that uses it; -We love thee for the Conlmunity Arts Initiative in all of its dimensions; this will be part of your legacy as it reaches out to engage and define the DTES with our own priorities and in our own terms; -We love thee for your ability to take our conimunity's issues to City Hall, to the Vancouver Agreement and other levels of government, and put our communitv's face on your successful interventions; -We love thee for yo& fund-raising activities for our community and, through them, building bridges across impossible chasms which, before you, we did not think were crossable; -We love thee for your spirited defence of all the dungs and ideas that we cherish and deem important, never mind at what personal cost and struggle to you; and -We love thee for the personal support that you have provided to everyone engaged in this community and at Carncgic.

S For me, and I am sure many others, we love thee as a colleague, a mentor, an advisor, a supporter and an energizer when our spirits flag...and as a personal friend whose companionship, support and professionalism have taken us and the community through many darks parts of our relationship together. It is not enough to say you will be missed; it is sufficient to sav how much we will continue to love thee. As you have given your soul to the spirit of this community, we give back the spirit of all of our souls in all of your future endeavors. Michael, you have made a difference; That is a legacy that you should be very proud of. By PETER FAIRCHILD

MICHAEL CLAGUE DIRECTOR, CARNEGIE CENTRE December, 1999 - April, 2005 Appointment The Carnegie Centre has been blessed with a long succession of directors that came to us at the right time with the right skills and the personal abilities to understand the Centre, the clients that use it, the Board of Directors that provides advice to the Director and the community (the DTES) that it serves. Michael Clague arrived at Carnegie after an exhaustive search, with advertisements in local and national newspapers across the counby...some 150 people applying for the position... and it turned out that he was only about 30 blocks away. He went through the initial screening process and was accepted as a potential candidate; then he went through the interview process with Margaret representing the Association's interests...and we all know how tough she can be. "Ithmk we've got a live one" was how she put it, as many people recall. And Michael was selected and virtually 'dumped' into the position, because there had only been an 'acting' director, Dan Tetrault, who held everything together for many, many months. The arrival of Michael Clague was both a relief to Dan, the Board, the City and the convergence of opportunity and personality. And, prophetically, he turned out to be a 'real' live one. The 'Calming' If Michael managed one thing in the first months of his arrival, it was a 'calming' of the atmosphere with-

in Carnegie.. . though, outside of it would take several more years. His gentle personality, perception and human approach to everyone just settled things down, no matter what the problem and no matter how difficult the situation. This gave everyone.. staff, board, patrons, and 0thers... time to rethink their issues and concerns and redefine them in the best interests that Michael is so good at putting on the table and enabling people to see. This 'calming' was Michael's first and continuing legacy. There is probably something about that plaid shirt keeps people from going over the edge...or maybe it is the bicycle tossed casually over his shoulder when he enters the building! Building the 'Team' Another important facet of Michael's tenure was the success of his team-building efforts within the building. A very eclectic assortment of staff and volunteers all good folks and dedicated to their professionalism and their tasks but Michael infused them with a different kind of spirit, taking natural leadership while giving everyone room to contribute and excel, each in his or her way. Remembering back to that early time, when the community was going through some of its darkest hours, and just prior to the launch of the Vancouver Agreement, Carnegie was virtually all we had and the pressures on it were extreme to say the least! People were burning out under the stress of it all but never Michael, despite the never-ending demands. Working With the Board The Association's primary mandate is to 'provide advice to the Director' through the Board and its various committees. With Michael's able direction, always softly put, and the efforts of his staff team, the Board achieved many significant milestones including a constitutional by-law review, the development of a Mission Statement, an admissions policy review process, a revamping of the Volunteer Program, a program review and restructuring of financial accounting procedures, among many other initiatives. Some of these were not wlthout controversy and most of them involved significant consultation processes, but all were achieved successfully and approved by the Board and the members of the Association. Michael's monthly 'reports' to the Board...about 65 of them in all ...are a history of the many challenges facing the community as well as many of our combined achievements.

Working with the Community It is virtually impossible to look back over the past five years and not see Michael's hand in the developmcnt of so many community-based initiatives that are now helping to support community residents in many different dimensions. The Health Contact Centre, the Street Program, increased Oppenheimer programming, the safe injection site, various &mensions of the Vancouver Agreement, the mosaic markers program (now launched as CETA, a social enterprise with a great future), the Board's successful interventions with economic revitalization strategies, housing policy, the new City SRA bylaw...tons of energy devoted by staff, volunteers, the Board and others to get this far in so short a time but always Michael behind the scenes or making the inevitable pitches to City Hall and others for the funding, the support and the commitments necessary to bring about essential changes. One 'Tough' Challenge While it might have been easy to 'calm' Carnegie, calming the street in front of Carnegie was probably one of the most difficult issues that staff and the Board faced together during Michael's tenure as director. This involved a major rethinking of Carnegie's relationship with the Vancouver Police Department and some really dificult decisions affecting community residents who just happened to be afflicted with drug dependencies of one form or another. Probably no other issue took so much time and energy to address than this one over the past five years and, while 'success' is still to be measured, what was achieved was safe entry into the building for our patrons, a new patio and smoking area, continuing discussions with the VPD across a broad spectrum of community issues (through the Tuesday Group hosted at Carnegie as well as the work of the Community Relations Committee) and a better appreciation on the part of government agencies, including the VPD, about Carnegie's role as the 'living room' of the DTES.

Working with the Community's Artistic Talents Michael's continuing legacy to the Downtown Eastside is his commitment to developing community arts as the means through which residents can express themselves and their concerns, contribute to revitalizing the DTES on their own terms and build personal/community capacity. This is a commitment that Michael is prepared to continue as a volunteer co-ordmator and fundraiser following his retirement as director. By PETER FAIRCHILD

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DISCOVERlNG CARNEGIE When my friend Verna and I were in our late fifties, ten or so years ago, we found it very difficult to pay our bills, buy the necessary household items, and eat properly. I complained about being too old for the job market, but being forced by welfare to job hunt. 1 had to turn in weelily reports of the places I went for interviews, and the number of resumes I dropped off daily before I could collect welfare. Part of my Canada Pension was taken from me by welfare to help cover the cost of supporting me. Verna never worried about being unemployed. She was too handicapped with aches and pains so she received a handicap pension. I typed Vema's poems which she would take to poetry readings. She spent much of her time searching out literary venues in the

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Lower Mainland where she could read her poems. After a time she got into a routine of going-into the Downtom Eastside to read her poetry. But first she would deliver children's items to day-care centres, as well as women's things to women's centres. And she would visit the Salvation Army, the United Church, and soup kitchens for free meals because her money also did not cover her food bill. So many seniors were in the same boat. Still are. On a day that was to change my life I got a call from Verna. She was going into the Downtown Eastside and wanted help canying several bags of items. A bag of poetry she was taking to Carnegie for a Literary Evening and several bags of items she wanted to drop off at a day care centre, at a place for troubled women, and a Women's Centre.. "You hungry'?" she asked. "The women's centre has a good free lunch." AAer we had lunch, I was taken on a walkabout where I was introduced to the places she frequented, Carnegie in particular. We stayed in Carnegie until that evening. She read several of her poems and was ward ly applauded. Vema made a habit ofnlviting me b keep her company as she went on her errands around (he Downtown Eastside. "Are you hungry'?" she would ask, and we usually ate a filling meal, if not a great one. She liked variety so we would get into a lineup at a church, or a soup kitchen. ot the Salvation Army. M e r a time I didn't want to stand in any more Kineups. 1 would accompany her as far as Hastings and Main because I preferred spending my time in Carnegie where I found the meals affordable, nutritious and tasty, and the atmosphere very friendly. I could also read my own poetry on Poetry Nights. I was invited to join students in CarnegieL Learning Centre where 1 studied the news with immigrants. Then I began teaching ESL lo seniors from Asia, Europe and other places. It wasn't long before I had quite a large class, but the students were mostly from areas outside of the Downtown Eastside. The Learning Centre is part of a Community Centre meant for those people living in the DTES so the large ESL classes ended and Learning Centre volunteers began teaching ESL 1 on 1, which was more fitting for us.1 was next invited to volunteer in the Computer Lab. I enjoy volunteering at Carnegie and am glad to have something to do in my senior years. By DORA SANDEpC

The. petite, well-poised and proud 92-year-old lady. who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied (even though she is legally blind) moved to a nursing home loday. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly whcn told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. "I love it," she stated, with the entliusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. "Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." "That doesn't have anlthing to do with it," she replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankfill for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account: you withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the Bank Account of Memories. Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing. Remember the five simple rules to be happy:" I. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less. Submittcd by Colleen

Do You Need a Lawyer?

The Sun Shines This Morning

Access Justice is a non-profit agencv that provides volunteer lawyers who give FREE legal advice to those who cannot afford it. They have lawyers in all types of law: Civil; Family; Criminal; immigration; LandlordkIousing Issues; Small Claims; specialized - liability, existing class action, taxation, human rights, WCB. You need to make an appointment by calling 604878-7400; and the meetings happen at The Gathering Place, 609 Helmcken St in Vancouver. Each person will need to provide first and last name, a phone number (if you have one), birth year, details of income and assets (to qualify), and opposing parties or law f m s (i.e who your case is against). Bring all kev papers to your appointments, including court documents and letters. All information remains confidential. There are different kinds of 'legal clinics' on different davs; so check this Clinic Schedule:

The Sun shines this morning A raucous caucus of crows on my roof Herald the beginning of spring. Clouds lift from Grouse Mountain. Today Vancouver is beautiful; Her facets glow: polished by the hard shine of light; The gentle breeze through the plum blossoms.

Civil

Monday 5:30-7:30 pm Tuesday 2:30-4:30 pm Thursday. 5:30-7:30 pm

Criminal

Friday

Immigration

Monday 12:30-2:30 pm

Specialized

Wednes l2:30-2:30 pm

Res.Tenancy

Tuesday 12:30-2:30 pm

Small Claims

Thusday 12:30-2:30 pm

12:30-2:30 pm

The first appointment is half an hour with a lawyer and there is a follow-up appointment if necessary. The lakwer will provide step-by-step advice to find solutions to disputes or to prepare for trial. Lawyers DO NOT go to court with you. If you don't speak English, translators are welcome. VANCOUVER OPERA "17re Ninht Before the Opera" A free preview featuring live opera performances. Singers will perform excerpts from "Masked Ball" On Wed, April 27,2005 @ 7pm in the Theatre at Camegie Centre: The first 75 m o d e mill receive free t~cketsto the final dress rehearsal of the opera (April 28)

Wilhelmina Miles

Mah It struck me today that unconditional love is something we never had there were always conditions.. the blackmail of approval never satisfied we turned myself inside out and still you keep puslun' me to be someone I'm not.

from you I expected unconditional love, just like me daughter does from me but there was never just flatout unconditional it was always metered out for being top of the class the best ballplayer altho you never once came a doctor to be, a lawyer, something so successful you could ram it down the neighbour's throat 'see what my little bastard amounted to' I was gonna justify your mess - I was the mess.. the walking embarrassment with suspect brown eyes, brown skin the whispers on the wind wondered and wonder who is this bastard out of Manitoba? All my life I begged her: Who is my father? She'd just sigh and say the same thing every time 'I'll tell you when you're old enough to understand' I no longer needed to ask To this day my father doesn't know I exist.

What will the Liberals do to welfare if they get in power again after the next provincial election?

We could ask them but last time they lied. They said they planned no changes to welfare. Sometimes it's useful to see what the corporate think tanks want if you're trying to figure out what right wing governments are going to do next. In 2002 the Fraser Institute, a corporate think tank whose members and funders are big corporations, put out a report on welfare called "Welfare Reform in BC: a report card." Welfare changes are important to big business because they influence how desperate people are to take the crummiest, lowest wage, short term jobs. In this report the Fraser Institute grades the BC government on 8 changes to welfare that they claim have worked in the U.S.A. They love the 2 year time limit because they say it, "ends the entitlement to welfare." If the Liberals are re-elected, look for an end to some of the exemptions that save people from being cut off welfare after they've been on for 2 years. The Fraser Institute likes another tactic of the BC Liberals. They call it diversion. Diversion means preventing people who apply for welfare fiom getting on. The three week wait for assistance after applying for welfare and the so-called 2 year independence test which forces applicants to prove that they have worked for 2 years and earned over $7000 a year are diversion strategies. "Right," said Chryse Howes, a volunteer in the Learning Centre when I told her about "diversion," "You're diverted to homelessness, despair and suicide." The new Ministry plan to have all welfare applicants do their orientation on the web as another of these diversion tactics. If people can't find a corn-

puter, don't know how to use it, get intimidated by the hoops and hurdles in the Ministry's orientation site, feel so disrespected that they leave in disgust, or can't read, they may give up on ever getting welfare. Watch for more ways to keep people from getting on welfare if the Liberals get in. The Fraser Institute also wants thc welfare system to force people who get welfare to work for their cheque. They want workfare. Look for this if the Liberals get in. The Institute is also big on getting people into the worst, lowest paying jobs quickly. This is better, they say, than wasting time giving people the training they need to get decent jobs. They say training is only good for people who lack very basic work skills. The Fraser Institute also wants the government to privatize the delivery of the Ministry's core services. They love the Ministry's Job Wave program where employable welfare recipients are forced to accept jobs with Tourism BC or Chamber of Commerce members. This program creams off the most employable people on welfare who would find jobs by themselves, while Job Wave gets thousands of dollars for each person placed. And the Institute wants BC to move to George W. Bush's faith-based charitable delivery of welfare. But it's ok with them if BC starts out first with non religious charitable delivery of welfare. Look for these if the Liberals are elected. There's one recommendation in the Fraser Institute report that Carnegie Newsletter readers might agree with: Restore the welfare earnings exemption. We want it because it decriminalizes people on welfare who make a little money, and helps us get what we need. The Fraser Institute likes it because it allows people to survive on low wages paid by employers. Maybe this would be a winnable issue we could work on after the election, no matter who wins. Although it isn't mentioned in the Fraser Institute report, I think it's possible, if the Gordon Campbell bunch win the next election, that the governmcnt could try to cut so-called employable people without kids totally off welfare as they do in the States. Then they could give contracts to charities to provide shelters, and people would have to rely on food banks for food. I hope I'm wrong about this. By Jean Swanson

4 YEARS OF BC POLICY CHANGES Taxation Personal tax cuts that gave most benefits to those

Elimination of assistance for full-time post-secondary

with high incomes

students

Increases in regressive taxes, including MSP

Appeals process limited

premiums, tobacco, alcohol and gas taxes, and other licenses and fees Elimination of provincial sales tax on machinery and equipment

EDUCATION & TRAINING Post-secondary tuition freeze ended in 2002 - since then, tuition increased by 76% (inflation adjusted)

Corporate income tax cuts and elimination of the

Real funding per K-12 student (adjusted for inflation and student enrolment) dropped since

corporate capital tax

2001 (trend reverses as of 2005)

Social services LEGAL SERVICES Legal aid cut by approximately 40%, full-time staff cut from 460 to 155, and the number of legal aid offices reduced from 42 to 7 Poverty law legal aid eliminated Family law legal aid restricted to emergency situations -where there is a threat to someone's safety or concern of a spouse fleeing the province with children Funding cuts of over $1.5 million to victim's assistance and sexual assault programs

SOCIAL ASSISTANCE 30% cut to Ministry of Human Resources budget

(more than 5600 million over three years) Ministry staff cut by 459 full-time positions

2,558 fewer teachers 113 neighbourhood schools closed 14,000 students displaced

Shift to fourday school week in some districts Cuts to special education Rise of private school funding Elimination of Industry Training & Apprenticeship Commission (ITAC)

OTHER CHANCES T O SOCIAL SERVICES Cut $24 million in childcare subsidies (partially reinstated) Revoked legislation that capped parents' costs for before and after school programs to S7Iday Changes to Residential Tenancy Act to enable landlords to raise rents annually by two percentage points above the rate of inflation Funding for women's centres eliminated

36 welfare offices closed

Cuts to benefits for single parents and older recipients and tighter eligibility rules

Health Care

Two-year time limit rule instituted

Closure of long-term care facilities (net reduction of long-term care beds)

Two-year independence test instituted

Cuts to Home Support and Home Care services

Elimination of earnings exemptions (for all but

Reduction in acute care hospital beds

those with disabilities) Elimination of $10 0 child support exemptions Three-week "wait period" required More restrictive definition of disability and more difficult application process

Increased costs for seniors' drugs De-listing of health care services, such as eye exams and supplemental health therapies Pharmacare changes shifting more of the cost of prescription drugs onto individuals

Labour laws Children 12 to 14 can work 20 hours a week on school days without government or school consent (only one parent), and up to 35 hours per week when school not open 5 days a week

Wage & benefits cut by 15% for remaining 33,000 health care support workers Pay equity achievements lost

Minimum hours for call out reduced from four to two

Privatized administration of BC's Medical Services Plan and PharmaCare (to US company)

No display of worklng hours at worksite (employers can change work schedules without notice)

Public-private partnerships made a condition for major public infrastructure projects

Employment standards need not be posted Violations are treated through "self-help" kits Employee records are only retained for two years (reduced from seven) Pregnancy leave must now be taken consecutively (1 7 weeks) Labour Code amendments make it more difficult to form unions and easier to decertify them Reduced protections for agricultural workers now exempt from provisions on overtime and hours of work New minimum wage of S6/hour for first 500 hours of employment Averaging hours of work over four weeks (160 hours before overtime pay) - people can now work up to 12 hours a day before overtime paid Many part-time workers lost all statutory holiday pay

Privatization One-third of BC Hydro privatized to Accenture All new electricity to come from the private sector

Environmental deregulation Exemption of all but "high risk" industries from permit requirements for the discharge of waste into the environment Removal of most requirements for approval of pesticide use, and removal of public appeal process for pesticides Relaxed guidelines for the development of coal-fired power Environmentalassessments no longer mandatory

- at the discretion of government Enabled increased industrial activities in provincial parks Regulatory streamlining for mining and oil and gas sectors Provisions for wer-riding regulations to move ahead "special projects" Elimination of over 800 Ministry of Forests staff, of which 38% were Scientific Technical Officers responsible for monitoring and enforcement efforts Huge increases in the volume of raw log exports

BC Transmission Corporation to hand over control to 'Grid West" (US run transmission authority)

Lifting of the moratorium on fish farm expansion

BC Rail privatized

Emphasizing coal-bed methane and offshore oil development

BC Fenies no longer a crown corporation, now privately run Privatized health support services in hospitals and care facilities (laundry, food, cleaning, etc.) 9,000 jobs contracted out (21% of HEU membership, which is 85% female) Wages of those working for private contractors dropped from I 18/hour to about $1O/hour

Other Changes Ministry of Women's Equality eliminated BC Human Rights Commission eliminated

Prepared by Marjorie Griffin Cohen with support from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

MUSIC FROGRAM NOTES April, ah April; Month of fools, and all things related to spring. Maybe mother nature just needs a song or two to put her in a better mood. Which brings me to the (dresded)acoustic nights at the Tuesday Night Cabaret. All you musicians out there who long for the days and nights of violins, tambourines, acoustic guitars, and other unplugged thingys that always seems to get impromptu sing dongs happenin' here, there and everywhere. A Camegie loaner guitar might be found and ya can do 'yer own ! the threat of being thing, live on s t a ~ e without drowned out by those pesky electric guitar players, That's right, Acoustic nights are now a regular feature; The first, or last Tuesday of each month. (Depending on what date that Tuesday works out to...) Who invented those calendars anyway? I bet it was some Roman dude who wanted to impress his boss. I digress...... I think I'm digressing again..... Oh yeah, the music program. Mid-month is cifeature Night", and Apnl's feature is Rick Lavallie. (I hope I spelled yer name correctly.) So tell everyone to show up and get an ear full of one of Carnegie's best undiscovered musicians and entertainers. Doors open at 6:30; Rick's set begins at 8:00 sharp. May month's feature is still tentative, so when we get a definite yea or nay, I'll try to get the right information into the newsletter BEFORE the night. On that subject, the summer's calendar has a few open spaces for feature acts. If you'd like to appear on the world renowned Carnegie stage as a feature act, contact me, Mark Oaklcy, and book a date! In the past week I've had yet another person approach me about a second CD project. So,with tbe interest and the availability of talent I think the only obstacles are the ones we71 put In front of omselvesIf you're interested in participating in such a pro-ject, drop into the theatre Tuesday or Wednesday of any week and let's talk about it.The composers will have final say on the finished product. (NOprhmwilI be deciding what is the domain of the composer.) If you have any suggestions please let me h o w . Constructive criticism is just that: CONSTRUCTIVE.. Till next time M.

VOLUNTEER RECOGNITION WEEK

Sunday April lr to Saturday April u'*, 2005 :Our Volunteer Program is a very unique creation

,that provides enormons benefits to tbe comrmrnity that Camegie serves and to each and every individuJ who participates in it. A sincere thank you to dl Volunteers for your contributions and the positive &'ects you have on this community. Let's all celebrate together this m t week through joining in on whatever event srrits your fancy. There will be something going on every day ofthe week. Pfease see the Events Brochure in the Volunteer Program CHice, sign up for trips and pick up yom dinner amd party tickets. Volunteer Dinner where the Volunteer ofthe Year willbe~forthefirsttime-Plusthefm other volunteers for special merit recognition. nnlmpiqdthisrant)

Wedamday, April 2Mh,2004 4:30pm Sharp!!! This is a dinner for a11 Volunteers with a minimum of l 6 h m service forthe monthof A j d -this dinner is one way we@e staff) show our appreciation to all of yon for all that you do. Thank you. pick up a ticketfiom the VolunteerProgram Oflce.

Volunteer Recopnition Party -Every year, the Camegie Association (along with the peer nomination process), selects an outstanding volunteer as its Volunteer of the Yem. This person is selected because she or he has m d a high standard of performance consistentIy throughout the year. It is always a very tough decision because there are so many volunteers deserving of recognition. At the party7Awards will be presented to the Volunteer of the Year and 4 Special Merits. As this is our 25th Anniversary for the Volunteer Program there will be a volunteer mognition grft presented to the 6 volunteers who have been here since the beginning of time. That is quite a feat and we are very proud of them for the long term service they have so generously given to the DTES. This party is for YOU ,., please join us for food, entertainment, your favourite T-shirt of the year, door prizes and more. Please pick up your ticket fnnn the Volunteer Program mce. ,. .... following the Volunteer Recognition psrty there is a gaod old fashioned rock n's roll dance band.

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LELEBM TING OC'R GEMS VOLUNTEER RECCK3NITION WEEK EVENTS

with am very own C.racgScAH Slrr Bud nntcr qocbg qws'; h a y s fwm-d faat 7pm 1Opm Friday Carne!gieTheatre

DJ M h and Friends - with Codv ... directly following the Volunteer Dinner

Wednesdav April 20,2005

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- 7pm-10pm in the Ca-e Tbeatre Get down and gd h k y to Cody's unique blend EVERYONEWELCOME

Refieshents served to the tMm@ Never tear down a fence unless you know what's it for. -Joe Paul

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[After due consideration, the following gem says what it'd take me a page to imply. P R q Walking Eagle Premier Gordon Campbell was invited to address a major gathering of the Indian Nation last weekend in Ahousaht. The Premier spoke for almost an hour on his plans for increasizlgevery First Nation's p s e n t standard of living. He referredto his career as Mayor of Vancouver, how how bad signed, - "YES" for every Indian issue that came to his desk for approval. At the conclusion of his speech, the Tribe presented the Premier with a pIaque iascrrbd with his new Indian name walking ~agle.The proud Campbell then departed in his motorcade, waving to the crowds. A news reporter later i m p i d to the group of chiefs ofhowtheycaa~tose~ectthenew~lamegivento Campbell. They explained that Walking Eagle is the rrame given to a bird so frill of shit it can no longer fly.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT In regards to the article "Transitions" by Gerald Wells in the April 1st edition of the Newsletter... Gerald took me back a long wav in mv .. life. esmcially the White Lunch andinitial experiences on the way to finding Carnegie. The only thing that I take exception to is the last paragraph in which Gerald describes himself as 'a grumpy old man'. In all my years at Carnegie, 1have rarely met someone so cheerful as he chums out the coffee, the breakfasts and the sandwiches for people much grumpier than he pretends to be. Good on you, Gerald...your candle has lit many more than you know.

By PETER FAIRCHILD

7pm - lOpm in the Camegie Theatre Bring out your hidden talent Come and sing to your soont tent Re@sha,ents served to wet your whistle or your pips!

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We are happy to announce that Beth Davies is our new Carnegie librarian, starting May 2. Many will remember Beth when she filled in for Mary Ann last summer.She has a background in working with community groups, and a dedication to the Downtown Eastside. Welcome Beth!

"Mart~my," the Al Jolson song. At the end of the song, she went down on her knees Gust like Jolson) and sang the last line, "I'd walk a million miles to see one of her smiles," and break into tears! And as for the Downtown Eastside, Gram used to come to the old Camegie Library as a child, so she has lots of fond memories of the place. A real Carnegie original - that's our Gram! Chili Bob

COMMUNITY RADIO DAY In celcbratlon of 30 years of Co-op Radio programming, Apnl 15,2005 has been declared 'Community Radio Day2 in the City of Vancouver. Come to the station to celebrate Co-op Radio's 30year anniversary and to help launch the Spring Mem ber Drive. 360 Columbia Street 102.7 FM Starts at 12noon. Coffee and birthday cake provided'

Good show, Gram! She's Camegie's gracious host at so many theatre extravaganzas, and now she has just been named a finalist In the Lighthouse Awards Program for seniors in the category of outstanding philanthropy (that's generous donations). That's Gram, an active senior, now in her go's, who has two great loves: the theatre, and her community, the Downtown Eastside. Dozens of Carnegie people who wouldn't ordinarily be able to afford to go the theatre have benefited by Gram's philanthropy. She organizes those trips at her own expense for us to see shows at venues like the Stanley and the Queen Elizabeth Theatres. She also invites members from the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, the Dugout and the Gathering Place, among other places. Gram's interest in theatre started early. As a child she lived in Lynn Valley, way up at the top of North Vancouver. She would walk all the way down Lonsdale to a theatre showing silent films. She didn't have any money, but the theatre manager would let her in for free as she would go on stage and sing

WHAT'S UP AT THE STATlON Station Orientations Come down to the station to find out how to become part of the people power. Information sessions are held on the third Tuesday of evay month at 6pm Tuesday, April 19; May 17; June 2 1

WZshfist Do you have items that we could use? If you can help us out with any of the following items please contact us at 604-684-8494 ext. 228. ? Toilet paper! ? Stationary (paper, pens, labels, markers, envelopes, tape, etc.) ? Outreach materials (t-shirts, stickers, magnets, condoms, hats, bookmarks) ? Photocopying ? CD jewel cases (empty) ? Garbage bags ? RAM for PCs ? Good quality headphones

Messengers Cities, Mayors for Peace and Cities for Peace. 'G. That Council request the City's Banner Committee consider themes related to the World Urban Forum and Peace and Justice and report back to Council with recommendations on appropriate themes for City banners in 2006.

Victory for the World Peace Forum! On Thursday, March 3 1st, Vancouver City Council unanimously proclaimed support for the World Peace Forum 2006 A. That Council approve a one time grant of funding of $150,000 to the World Peace Forum, source of funding to be the 2005 Contingency Reserve. The grant funding to be released once other funding identified in their budget is in place, and in a phased manner as set out in B, C and D below. That Council approve $50,000 to be available B. April lst, 2005 to cover specific contract costs of the World Peace Forum 2006, in particular venue rental costs. It is understood that this will release $350,000 worth of funding from the Simons Foundation. C. That the next $50,000 be released on Council approval of a detailed budget, fundraising plan and program plan, and on the condition that an additional $200,000 worth of funding is secured. D. That the final $50,000 be released on Council approval on the condition that an additional $500,000 worth of funding is secured. E. That Council host a general assembly of the International Association of Peace Messenger Cities, and host a joint meeting of representatives from the International Peace Messenger Cities, Mayors for Peace and Cities for Peace in association with the World Urban Forum and the World Peace Forum at a cost not to exceed $50,000 subject to further Council approval as part of the 2006 budget considerations. F. That Council instruct staff to work with the Mayor's office and report back on a comprehensive plan and budget needs in hosting the general assembly and joint meeting of the International Peace

City Council this week also passed a resolution that would address racial discrimination within the city. As the mover of this motion, I am very pleased to see it passed. 'Therefore be it resolved that City Council instruct all departments of the City to make plans to do at least one initiative each to fight discrimination and racism and celebrate diversity, which they can report back on March 21st, 2006, to show their commitment to fighting racism in the city." From Councillor Ellen Woodsworth

TIME FOR COUNCIL TO HIT THE ROAD?

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Ask any Vancouverite to define the Downtown Eastside in one word, and somewhere in the top 5 will likely be homelessness. At a special meeting in early May, City Council will consider the Homelessness Action Plan which was drafted last November. Once again, Downtown Eastside residents (or even the homeless without a residence) will have to find a way up to City Hall, get up at a microphone in a totally foreign environment and try to speak coherently in the short time allotted them about an issue that is vital to the health of our community and to the lives of community members. Why hasn't Council made the effort to convene this hearing down here to attract more local interest and participation? Is it because the fewer the speakers that sign up the sooner the meeting ends?

1st year, the Parks Board held one of its regular :tings at Strathcona Community Centre and at :r locations throughout the city as well. It's well ,--t time City Council chose to do something similar as a gesture to citizens to indicate they m i n t e r ested in local community issues and that they & want to hear from people where they live about issues that have a special meaning to them. While the Camegie Centre might well be too small for a public event of this kind, the Chinese Cultural Centre, the Japanese Hall or the hall in the SUCCESS building would make a good fit. Municipal governments generally have a lesser role to play in terms of implementing comprehensive housing policies but could be extremely effective in raising the public profile over housing and homelessness issues, especially now with a provincial election barely a month away and another federal election perhaps not far behind it. (Neither government has so far advanced any kind of consistent and permanent housing policy). As November draws closer, when councillors start beating the bushes all over again to secure votes, wouldn't it be refreshing to see them humble themselves somewhat by showing up down here and, in doing so, demonstrate that they think we matter for more than an X on a ballot. . City Council held its first meeting after the great fire in the 1880's in a tent in Gastown. Is homelessness enough of a city crisis to warrant a return engagement? By Ian MacRae

We missed you Sue Blue! Contrary to word on the street, and to our collective relief, Sue Blue is not dead! I saw her in the park this morning; she said she's been "hitch hiking around" and was in a movie that711be out May 10'. I'm sure everyone will make a fuss over her now she's back, after the scare we had that we'd lost her. First the good news, now the bad news - Andrew Sharpe, a Camegie patron, and a worker at the Radlo Station Cafe, has died suddenly. He'll be missed by many of us. You are invited to share in a celebration of his life through a memorial service on Monday, April 25that 2:00 pm at the Radio Station Cafe, 101 East Hastings.

T o the Assembly of First Nations,

I am registering a strong complaint with your executive re: Rev.Kevin Annett being turned back in Vancouver from this (suicide prevention) walk. This man has put his life on the line for first nations and has been responsible for getting attention to the plight of your people. I know him and have found him to be as straight as an arrow. Apparently he was denied permission to walk by your committee. If genocide is not connected to current levels of suicide amongst your children then what is? I know that Kevin is strong; he has had to endure much. I also know that some native people want to shut him up. I can only assume that the same forces are at work here. My husband and I went on the walk the first year. Being from Ireland we are only too painfully aware of the problcm of genocide and suicide. This walk was inspired by the suffering of Gina Meldrum, who is first nations and Irish. I have no idea where Gina is now and today, when I got a call from Kevin to tell me of the events, I felt really sad and very disappointed. Sheila Simpson, Pipe Carrier 6th Year Sundancer

It Happens This Quickly - How the Truth Remains Buried

Several months ago, Vincent Watts invited me to join his Youth Suicide Prevention Walk from Vancouver Island to Ottawa. Since then, until this morning, Vincent remained avidly committed to having me on the walk because (as he put it) "all the work you've done for aboriginal people needs to be told ... the residential schools are what's causing so many of our people to kill themselves and you've brought out the truth of the schools." Vincent was always very vocal about his desire to have me walk with his group and speak about the evidence of crimes and genocide in residential schools, and how those crimes created the trauma that is still killing native people. In front of group

members on March 28, as we were all leaving on the walk from Duncan, BC, Vincent exhorted me: "Don't be bashful in front of the media, Kevin ... Say all that you can about the residential schools." After we had all walked 100 kilometers together and arrived in Vancouver yesterday, Vincent was still so enthusiastic and admiring towards me, in fact, that he shared that enthusiasm to hundreds of delegates at the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) convention at a posh downtown hotel. As all of us walkers stood in front of the delegates, Vincent said to the crowd, "I also want to thank Kevin Annett for walking with us to Ottawa. He's a former minister who has suffered a lot to bring out the truth of what happened to our people. He's a good man and we're glad to have him along with us." Vincent said that to the AFN delegates at about 4 pm yesterday. By 7 pm that evening, he had been "spoken to" by members of the AFN executive and asked to appear before them the next morning, where both AFN "Grand Chief' Phil Fontaine and Wendy Grant would be in attendance; officials whom I have publicly criticized for their open complicity with the government of Canada over the cover-up of residential school crimes. After this phone call, Vincent told me that he expected the upcoming AFN meeting was because of the support he had voiced for me at the Convention that day. For Vincent, like many people, knows that I have been publicly critical of Fontaine, Grant and their associates at the AFN for doing nothing to name the truth of crimes against humanity in residential schools. But, as Vincent reassured me last night at the Aboriginal Friendship Centre, "Don't worry. I'm not going to let them do a number on you." And to prove his commitment to having me continue on the walk to Ottawa, Vincent then spoke once more in support of me in front of people at the Friendship Centre, even after he knew he was to face the AFN leaders the next morning. He also allowed me to then speak to the audience at the Centre about my concern that aboriginal suicides today were caused by the "lack ofjustice" for residential school survivors and their families, and by the silence of native leaders about the crimes in the schools, all of which prevented native people from healing from this trauma.

Evcnthing suddcnly changcd this morning. Vinccnt obeyed the summons of the AFN executive and met with them in secret at 8:30 am today. At 9:20 am I rcccived a nlcssagc from Vincent on my answering machine informing me that I could no longer participate in the Suicide Prcvcntion Walk to Ottawa, and that I could not even comment on the Walk or call in to radio or television interviews with the walkers. It happened that quickly. Later today, Vincent said that. at the 8:30 am meeting, the AFN executive had threatened to "boycott" the Walk and deny it all financial support if I, Kevin Annctt. participated in it at all. It happens that quickly - as quickly as it took for a priest to murder an aboriginal child, or silence a witness, or burn a document. And. today as yesterday, such an act can only happen with the willing compliance of the vcry people who should be exposing the crimes: people like Vincent Watts. The tcrriblc irony and injustice out of all this is that Vincent Watts and his group will now be walking to Ottawa to protest aboriginal suicide thanks to the very organization, the Assembly of First Nations, whose leaders have worked actively to suppress the reasons for that epidemic suicide in the first place. 1 suspect that poor Vincent, and the kids who will sacrifice so much to trudge thousands of miles. will simply end up being the means for photo ops for native and white politicians who are causing the v e F suicide the walkers are "protesting". But that's the way things go in Canada: the land of ice and snow, where truth is frozen and locked away quicker than you can say "pay off'. And you wonder why things don't change? And why the dying continues'? By Kevin D. Annett [Kevin hosts a wcekly radio program called "Hidden from History", on Mondays (31:00pm, 102.7FMI "what has happened to him is outrageous" Dr. Noam Chomsky, speaking of Kevin Annett August7,2002

PICTURING THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE Featuring work by Rita Beiks, Rebecca Belrnore,

Clint Burnham, Margot Leigh Butler, desmedia, Stan Douglas, Arni Haraldsson, Hermes, Sharon Kravitz, Paul St. Gerrnain, Susan Stewart Curated by Charo Neville

April 30 t o May 29 2005

Opening reception Friday, April 29, from 8 t o lOpm Public forum discussion Saturday, May 07.12 to 3 p m

d e d i a taping8 n e ~ Sunday y in May, 2 to 5pm

desmedia (downtown eastside media) invites all residents of the Downtown Eastside to come and have their stories, conversations. poems, and songs taped for the desmedia archives and to keep a VHS tape of their contribution i n return. On Mothers' Day. May 08, desmedia extends a special invitation to all women who have raised and are raising children in the community to come share their stories of motherhood.

112 West Hastinas (between Abbon and Cambie) ~ a j l e Hours: r~ ~ Z d n e s d a yt o Sunday, 12 t o 5pm Email: cneville@~nterchange.ubc.ca Tel: 778 881 2427 www.belkin-gallery,ubc.caisateIlite PRODUCED WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE VANCOUVER FOUNDATION. THE MORRIS A N D HELEN BELKIN ART GALLERY. THE ALVIN BALKIND FUND FOR CURATORIAL INITIATIVES. A N D THE DEPARTMENT OF ART HISTORY. VISUAL ART. A N D THEORY. U N l V E R S l N OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. PHOTO CREDIP DEAN BROWN. SHE COUNTS PROJECT

DOWNTOWN EASTSI DE

FIXED EXCHANGE SITE: 5 E.Hastings NEEDLE EXCHANGE VAN 3 Routes: 604485456 1 5:45pm - 1 l:45pm - Overnight 12:30rm - 8:30am Donatowq Enstside 5:30pm 1:30am

YOUTH ACTiVITiES SOCIETY 49 W.Cordova 604-251-33 10

. t

FREE. Donation, accrptcd.

B. ..

2005 DONATIONS Libby D.-$40 Barry for Dave McC.-%SO Rolf A.-$45 ~ a r g a r e D.-$25 t Christopher R.-$50 Mary C-$30 Bruce J.430 U'mista $20 Heather S.425 RayCam-$30 Gram 4 1 0 0 Paddy -S30 Glen B.450 John S.480 Penny G.421 Jenny K.420 Dara C.-$20 sandy C.$20 ~ u d r e ~ - $ Wes 2 0 K.-$50 Joanne H.-$20 Rockingguys 4.20 The Edge Community Liaison Ctt -9200 Wm B-$20 Anonjmous-$2

TIIE N E W S L E I T E R IS A PUBLICATION OFTHE C R N E C I E C O h l h l U N I T Y C E N T R E ASSOCIATION.

Articlcs represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association. .-~~-~~ - .-.. ~

Editor: PaulR Taylor; cover art & layout, Diane Wood.

Submission Deadline for next issue:

-------------1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 Thursday, April 28

Roonl for more nan~esor ar~onymolrsg8s.

We admowledge that Camegie Cammunity Cenh, end Ihb Newsletter, are happening on the Squamish N a M r lenibry.

DO YOU HAVE A LEGAL PHOULEM? Come to our FREE CLINIC On Carnegie's 3rd floor UBC Law Sludenis' Legal Advice Program 8

You must make an appointnlent.

Tuesdays --7pm - 9pm. The Downtown Eastside Residents Association

DERA b e l p with:

Working for YOU 1070- 164 1 Commercial Dr.VSL 3Y3 Phone: 775-0790 Fax: 775-0881

h o n e & Safe Mailboxes Welfare problems; Landlord disputes; Ho~uingproblems Unsafe living conditioru

At 12 Ejlst Bastings St. o r call 605-682-0931 I

Vil whil dee the rani Pas of b and wt

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Meta Mystic The Wondrous Beauty of an unspoken word with a constant subliminal understanding through spirit and mind traveling forth into the next vessel there are patterns of hope swirling toward enlightenment these ideas have captured my soul's essence the subtle loveliness of life erodes the obscene and carries me towards the angels singing heavenly choruses to the Almighty Who saves all.

VlPASSANA Buddhist Insight Meditation Vipassana is an ancient Buddhist meditation practice which, if followed regularly, brings both relaxation and deep insights into the nature of self and our relationship to the world. With these insights we can then dispel ignorance and attain wisdom, facilitating the arousal of compassion for ourselves and others. The end result is peace of being, an expanded ability to cope with life's pressures and a great tool to relieve and lessen suffering.

Weekly classes and meditation sitting will be held on Tuesdavs starting on March 29th. in Classroom 11. The schedule will be as follows:

6 PM to 7:45 PM for ADVANCED STUDENTS onlyClasses for BEGINNERS will be offered from 7:45PM to 930 PM for a two week session starting the first Tuesday of each month. (Participantswill be asked at that time to commit to meditating - each day for the two week period of the classes.) For further info call Rika at Carnegie.

Healing The Beauty of the surrounding Glory of love and hope grasping through the cobwebs towards the growing soul rending pieces of sadness, torment and chaos, replacing the idiosyncracies with complacency and inner peace Meta Jacobsen

Meta Jacobsen

Maybe :Peutktre April is the cruel month - maybe; for it is NOW -Newly wet & cold windy & bright blooming in the chill brilliance of hope & despair But, patience pilgrims The darling buds of mai come next Abide, sleep & DREAM awhile Dream the dream You were meant to have Maybe there will be change Maybe there will be 'progress' Maybe Wilhelmina M

DEATH in a Dnmpater a passion play for the homeless

By Sheila Baxter. Based on a true event

May 6 & 7 at 8:00pm

StJohn's, 1401 Comox. $5 or what you can

they can still make you pay.. . and forget having a plan because it will never work out however hstrating it may be, like pounding sand, what's it all about? If you are lying down, asleep, and in my way, do not w o w madam - I will step around you quietly with only a kind word to say to a lost little waif on my way. You realize this will happen to you, now and then, if you are really down on your luck, and cannot seem to find or even seek a iiiend, and no one seems to care that you have a given name, and yet you treat passersby so nice, yes you do, and blame no one and have no shame. If some people ignore you I suppose it's all in the life game, and I'm sure it doesn't get you down, too much, and still you treat everyone so nice all the same. When I stroll by you I will not be shy, I will acknowledge you and look straight into your sleepy and droopy and yet still fierce eyes. I wish some people had a heart when you are down and when you're out, and that they would not glare at you and they would keep from sneering and never shout. 'Where are you from?' you can ask of me, and I would love to tell you. Often I envy you (I c n tell) you seem and appear to be so free; you ask someone if they have ever wondered about want and need as they toss you a dime.. you absolutely refuse to grovel or plead. Once again you say to someone, 'Do not ever wake me up nor shake me down. You've got more than enough, I know, why do you not spread it around? And that if you drop a coin to not assume that it is to be 'lost & found' - don't pick it up please; don't cast then take to bring all further down And what do you know of to be kicked, to be rocked, and trying to count and keep time on an antiquated yet broken clock.' You strongly say 'there's no shame in that' Hear this my friend, as you speak on your constantly tested pride will never wain, no matter what, no matter the cost as you grit your teeth to withstand your aches and pains. A piece of advice to all: remember to help hurting and lonesome people out, preferably before, do not wait till after they fall. If you follow these simple and proven life tools, that do not ever promote the harsh, the mean and the cruel, we will then get along quite fine, if everyone would just be kind and be cool. And, oh yes, I almost forgot before I have to sign off, have you ever heard of The Golden Rule? Robyn Livingstone

I know of someone You tread upon worn winding streets, some narrow and pitted, yet the ones you walk appear mysterious and so very discrete. To be on these paths of both gain and wrath, take care you tired maiden until again we speak, and be safe 'ti1 again we hopefully meet. These gloomy taut roads can become tense, and when in frenzied disarray they make little sense

The c~therday I was approached by Lome Mayencourt asking that I support him in the coming elec1 was sitting having a coffee at the time. I told him to go away and take a bath, but it got me thinking about one of his little legacies. He seemed very aggressive. I wonder if this Act applies...

SAFE STREETS ACT DeJinitions

I In this Act: "aggressive manner" means a manner that is likely to cause a reasonable person to be concerned for h s or her safety or security; "outdoor public place" means a place outdoors to ~vhichthe public is ordinarily invited or permitted access and, for greater certainty, includes but is not limited to a sidewalk. street, parking lot, swimming pool, beach, conservation area, park and playground, and school grounds; "public transit vehicle" has the same meaning as in the Motor Vehicle Act; "roadway" has the same meaning as in the Motor Vehicle Act; "~olicit"means to request, in person, the provision of money or another thing of value, regardless of whether consideration is offercd or provided in return, using the spoken, witten or printed word, a gesture or other means; 2 A person who solicits in an aggressive manner commits an offense. Solicitation of captive audience prohibited 3 A person conln~itsan offense, who solicits, (a) a person who is using, waiting to use, or departing from an autoniated teller machine, (b) a person who is using or waiting to use a pay telephone or a public toilet facility. (c) a person who is waiting at a taxi stand or a public transit stop, (d) a person who is in or on a public transit vehicle, (e) a person who is in the process of getting in, out of, on or off a vehicle or who is in a parking lot, or (0while on a roadway, a person who is in or on a stopped, standing or parked vehicle. Disposal of certain dangerous things prohibited 4 A person conlmits an offense, who disposes of any of the following items in an outdoor public place:

(a) a used condom, (b) a new or used I~ypodermicneedle or syringe; (c) broken glass unless the person who disposed of the item establishes that he or she took reasonable precautions to dispose of it in a manner that would not endanger the health or safety of any person. Amendment of Motor Vehicle Act (4) No person, while on the roadway, shall stop, attempt to stop or approach a motor vehicle for the purpose of offering, selling or providing any cotnmodit? or service to the driver or any other person in the motor vehicle. (5) Subsection (4) does not apply to the offer, sale or provision of towing or repair services or any other commodity or service, in an emergency. '

RE: War on people, not on drugs and a few other things ~ h & IS e a line In the article I wrote for the last

,b.-.

"-3

newsletter that keeps sticking with me. "The collection of people in the DTES who are just as guilty as our governments for not responding to the crisis that has been happening down here." I would like to alter this statement. I'm not a fan of blaming. I think 1 had to put it out into the world to know that it \\as inaccurate. More accurately would be to say that we all in some way have responded to the crisis, but then we maintained the cnsis, which is often what happens. To move out of crisis is a challenge for a lot of us. So often we are traumatized and so shut down to even knowing that things could be different, that this isn't nornlal. That the cycles of poverty and add~ction have bccome normal, but are they? And is that really what we want'?

I don't presume to believe that there is some easy answer to the problems our local community and the global community face. 1think though, that regardless of whether substantial change can happen in our lifetimes, we need to imagine and work with the idea that it doesn't have to be like this. I met Leonard George, the former Chief of TsleilWaututh Nation, last fall and he said to me that we need to imagine, we need to dream of what a world would look like without addiction. These words brought me to tears, because I always imagined myself a hopeful person, but I had never dreamed of this idea, and now I do. So I'm challenging you to create a new dream, and move out of the nightmare and imagine a world of respect for human beings and the environment, a world where there is no addiction, no poverty, no violence, and a world where people feel like they are enough. How would we be working and behaving differently if we imagine that working towards the idea (even if it isn't possible) of this "world" is possible? I say this all with respect and compassion for all of the time and energy people in this community put in to making the Downtown Eastside a better place, and to showing that it is already an amazing place, filled with hope and possibility. By Sharon Kravitz

Four people arrested at Safe Streets Demo [April 91

Four people were arrested at 3:00 today at a demo against the Safe Streets Act (the new law fining people up to $200 if they beg or squeegee). One person was released and three are still being held. More than fifty people are still out in front of the cop shop at Main and Hastings, squeegeeing and panhandling but the cops are in full force and are hying to use horses to push people off the streets. Please come down and stand in solidarity with those arrested and all the people who are harassed and ticketed by the police for being poor and trying to make a living on the streets. A citizen.

Despite what some friends say about my literary rants, there are times when I look back in wonder. In more gentle terms, in the seemingly endless days of my youth I had no concept, no idea of what opium was. To me it was a romantic drug, laced with oriental magic and mystery. Now I know as much as anyone about opium and its byproducts - codeine, oxycocet, dilaudid, morphine, heroin, brown tar, on and on. Now I know. Back in '83 I was smoking Pakistani opium in Nelson, going to Art school. For months I'd languish on the couch after school, my baby boy sleeping on my slowly breathing chest. Soon I was whacking a halfgram at a time once-a-day.. . like a sudden fall down an elevator shaft, 60 floors in a heartbeat. For a milisecond you wonder if you're dead and then you chill for 8 hours. Back then it was recreational; my virgin youth. In the '80s I had dental work that began to crumble in my mouth by the '90s. Shoddy welfare dentistry led to more shoddy welfare dentistry which in turn led to 3 years of pain and extractions (1 at-a-time) which led to my first 'jones'. After 3 years I had no teeth on top, a mere 3 on bottom, and a codeine habit that required no less than 200 mg a day each and every day.. Thamx to a generous doctor I'd acquired a fondness for opiates. I left town with a new denture and a habit

Boom: 1999: Main & Hastmgs: China White. By the fall of the same year I was on methadone, being too dumb to steal and too proud to beg. The meth ran out when I discovered my doctor living my life. I kicked at 55 mg to reclaim my life, run my own show. The horrors of methadone withdrawal would take a trilogy but who's got time? Less than a year later I was back on meth; just couldn't keep clean.. in the spoon by noon. It was a day of painful loss when I let them put the cuffs back on. Over the last few years - on my 2nd b ~-t I went thru benzo withdrawal, a description of which would need a tetrology. Finally in Oct.'04 I ended up kicking 'done for the 2ndtime. The first 30 days of pain, you are too preoccupied with it to notice that all your wiring's been fused into one unworkable blob. As the 2ndand 3rdmonths go by you go to places in your mind only the insane go. Like Dylan says, "You can come back but you can't come back all the way." Since then I've becn wrestling with my demons. I ain't a methadone monkey no more, but I'm this close to being wired again. I dance on the edge somedays and sonledays I rest and pray and count my blessings. I look back and see a decade I've pissed away on opium. I fight every day for balance, unable to stay clean, too scared to dive in. I walk a tightrope. In the end we'll see who wins - the devil or my o w n true self Till then I handle what comes down the pike, but every now and then - like now - I must say what a long strange trip it's been. A1

1. Sunday sports. It's like the changing of the tides or the full moon. Let it be. 1. Shopping in NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way. 1. Crying is blackmail. 1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hinls do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it! 1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question. 1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for. 1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days. I. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us. 1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one. 1. You can either ask us to do something or tell US how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself. 1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials. 1. Cluistopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we. 1. All heterosexual men see in only 16 colours. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a colour. Pwnpkiri is also a fniit. We have no idea what mauve is. I . Lfit itches, it will be scratched. We do that. 1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but il is just not worth the hassle. 1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an answer you don't want to hear. 1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely an? thing you wear is fine, really. 1. Don't ask us what we are thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss sports, guns or monster trucks. 1. You have enough clothes. 1. You have too many shoes. 1. I AM in shape. Round is a shape. 1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping.

THE GUYS9RULES 1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.

Every gear on May 1 the ruling class around the world is reminded of its wlnerability. In 1872, a hundred thousand workers in New York City went on strike for an 8-hour day. In 1889, European delegates of the Marxist lntemtional Socialist Congress called for an international demonstration to demand an 8-hour day. May Day is celebrated by millions of workers in every country of the world as a day to assert their rights to safe and humane working conditions.