December 1, 2007, carnegie newsletter

FREE

DECEMBER 1, 2007 ~

••

NEWSLETTER

•

•

. ' .. .,,

I

•

"

'

~(.

.

. ..

~

'!

•

;• • i

•

..

{

....

f

'""

.

' ..,.

....

~

.

. ...1 1

,&. ..,."'. 'f 'r •

...... '., A.-I1 • • ~

-

·~ . . ·~

.

' .. ~ ..- i

~

: ~:::

\

~

~. ~ ..... . ,#,.,.

.

-

carnnews@vcn.be.ca Www.carnnews.org 604-665-2289

.

....

t

,. :

~ :.~

' ,.. .

. ,.t·~··

.;·•.:r. . .•. ..""'·

~1 ~

.

._ r , .

•,

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION • AIDS • POVERTY • HOMELESSNESS • VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN • TOTALITARIAN CAPITALISM

• IGNORANCE AND SUSTAINED FEAR

I

I

WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRICTION • AIDS Over 40 mill ion people infected, dy•

• •

•

•

ing, already dead POVERTY The 428 billionaires have more wealth than the 2.4 billion+ people existin g on $2 a day or less.

HOM ELESSN ESS Hundreds of millions of people have no secure home.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN For inform ation about the hidden or ignored extent o f this scourge, read of planned recognition and action TOTALATARIAN CAPITALISM ''Free" Trade and the corporate agenda behind the World Trade Organisati on; the brutal implementati on of Friedmanism in Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Ru ssia, Grenada, Panama, China, Iraq and India; "Structural Adjustment" and economic genocide of th e International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

necember 2007

Art Toys: Making Belief December 7- 30, 2007 Opening Reception Dec. 7, 5·9pm

'Bear in a Box' Joanne Armour

PRT December 1 is WORLD AIDS DAY

Carnegie Centre will be the site for a day-long symposium with many forum s for information, th e current spread of this pandemic and resources for those li ving with AIDS or with someone who is HIV+

Dione Thorn Jacobs Cherlse Clarke joanne Armour Sioux Bonderove

(ius faux Robert Jackson

~

Robin Johnson • Montana King

Events to Stop Violence Against Women December 1, 5, 6 In recognition of the Dec.6 National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women Remember, Reclaim, React: Saturday, December Is', IOarn-6prn : Van. Public Library (350 W.Georgia St) A free, day- long seri es of workshops, speakers and film s. 604.872.8212 \ovww.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca 111

Vigil & March to Honour Our Women Weds. Dec. 5

Starts 6pm from DTES Women's Centre (302 Columbia) proceeding to Thorton Park (Main Skytrain) 604.681.8480-x234 111

Downtown Eastside Smudge 2007 Thurs. Dec.6 , I0:30am: Sacred Smudge Ceremony from 4 locations Info: Darla Laughlin 604.255.6228-x231

I

Lynn Krus1ewsl<l Meesoo Lee Pierre Leichner Noel Graves Mocul Marcella Obdrzalel< Marcia Pitch

Candice Stenstrom Moser Karen Sui< Malcolm van Deist

Pierre Leichner, Men's Battle series

Karenza Wall Art Toys: Making Belief is a group exhibtion featuring art· ists who create art objects . that are toys, toy-like or related to toys and play. Many of these objects embody or mimmick Meesoo Lee "Miniskirt" children's playthings, and explore adult themes of fantasy, tear and mischief. The artists challenge our perception of these objects as toys and as works of art. One of the featured elements is a Sacred Toys installation comprised of original childhood toys which have survived years and taken on heightened resonance.

I

While Art Toys is mostly a "big kids" show, we are also opentng up che gallery to chtldren on December /6 (or Artswtrl

Winter Artswlrl!

Sunday, December 16, 2-Spm For kids aged 4-12. $5/child Join us for .Manana Clay Theatre & Puppet Pandemic show (3pm); Interactive music station; Clay PI~~ (includes materials) for creative exploration of form, f1nng and glazing your art. We'll create winter/festive ~hemed clay images. Open to all, parent/guardian must be m attendance. ($1 off each additional kid). Please rec;,lster In advance: rsvp@gachetorg; phone 6~-687-2468

BC Liberals continuing welfare SNAFU Recently, thanks to Dave Ross of End Legislated Poverty, I received a photocopy of a newspaper article fro m The Vancouver Sun dated October 6 200 I, t1tled "Look for a job, I 00,000 welfare recipients told." It told of the Ministry of Income Assistance wanting to move on from "a culture of entitlement." This marked the beg inn ing of the Campbell Li berals' disastrous welfare SNAFU in their on_g~ ing ex~erimentatio n on the welfare system and thetr tdeologtcally motivated, punitive attempts to reduce the number of people dependent on income assistance for survival. . The start o~ th i~ article came about as an investigati on of an arttcle 111 th e on line publication The Tyee (www.thetyee.ca) titled '" Welfare to Work' Didn't Work." Reading that article led me to six others on that website, all to do with th e history and evoluti on of BC's welfare system since th e Campbell Liberals form ed the provincial government.

It's instructive to check out how far we've come.

In 2002, the Campbell Liberals changed the rules of the administration of welfare. That they were going to do th~s was not announced in the lead-up to the 200 I electton; they just arbitrarily decided that giving tax breaks to big business and punish ing the ultra-poor was the way to go. ~ome of the changes they instituted included : only bemg ab le to collect welfare two years out of five¡ proving that one had made $7,000 per year in rhe' prev ious two years before app lyi ng; having to go thr?ugh a three-week-long wait before one's app lication was processed; proving th at one was actively 0

t

â&#x20AC;˘

,

I

j

engaged in a job searc~ while rece~ving welfare; if they were parents, hav mg to look for work when ¡ their child turned three years o ld (instead of the previous seven years old); eliminating the earni ngs exemption; reducing the amounts of assistance for certain recipients, incl uding near-seniors and sing le parent families; having to apply via computer; and so on, throw ing up all sorts of barriers in the way of collecting we lfare, making it much more difficult to . rece tve.

In 2004, theM inister of Inco me Assistance (and Premier Campbell) were crowing that 87,000 people had left welfare and were now working. Actually, about 37,000 people got work ; the other 50,000 were th e result of no response to a letter or a cheque put on hold .

(Also in 2004, when a huge number of people were about to be cut off welfare because of the two year ou t of five co llection rule, the Campbell Liberals- in response to protests and pressure from antipo verty activists (and also probably due to a potential back lash from the voting pub Iic)- amended to rule ro say that if a recipient was actively engaged in a j ob search, they wouldn't be cut off. On ly a few were cut off.)

As of June 2005, the number of people on welfare was 14 5,079, wh ich amounted to over 107,000 less than when the Campbell Liberals took power in 200 I. The actual reason, according to Seth Klein of the BC Canadian Centre for Po licy Alternatives, for the reduction in th e number of people receiving welfare was the new rules put into place barring people from applying for welfare, not because of people finding jobs.

In the March 2007 provincial budget, the Campbell Liberals raised the welfare rates. Not by much, just enough to head o ff voter disapproval at the way people on welfare were being treated by the provincial government.

In The Tyee arti cle referenced at the beginning o f this report, a government study co nducted in February of this year revealed that there was no significant difference in people findingjobs and getting o ff we lfare from before the Campbell Liberals brought in the new rules for obtaining welfare and after. I have heard of no report stating th at this study influenced th e Campbell Liberals' decision to increase welfare; in al l likelihood it is as I have stated: it was more of an pre-election ploy than anything else.

Further investigation o f the series of Tyee articles on welfare shows that the job-finding organ izations created by the Campbell Liberals were no more ef-

I

fective in findin g jobs for people on welfare than they would have found anyw路ay on the~r o~vn . In fac t, the supposed savings these orgamzattons_ we re to achieve by finding work for people on welfare turned ou t to be losses in the end for the Campbell gove rnment.

Enabling the Campbel l Liberals' race-to-thebottom \ve lfa re system was the 1996 elimination of the Canada Assistance Plan Act by the th engovernment federal Liberals (under .F i nan~e .M inister Paul Martin, Jean Chretien as Pr11ne Mmtster) which had previously guaranteed certain rights for people on income assistance.

When the Campbell Liberals assumed power and started their welfare system SNAFU, they were just continuin g what had been started by previous p~o颅 vincial governments, albeit in a much more radtcal way.

In the way of thinking abou t welfare, much needs to change by all provincial political parties before the system becomes humane.

By Rolf Auer **The inform ation in this e-mail, and any documents that may be attached, is confidential and may be legally privileged. Any unauthorized use, or disclosure of this message by an unintended recipient, is strictly prohibited. If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately by replying to this e-mail and delete the material from yo ur system. Thank you** [Submitted by Rolf Auer as a response to someone practicing being viciously stupid.<;:

ONE MOrtiER fA'Rffi \

Mothe楼f~

I!Poe:try i.+1l Mott:ow

Wi.t"lv

From the City's Report on City/Prov ince Social and Supportive Housing Partnership dated 6 November 2007, it can be concluded that the City is of the opinion th at it can with in a few years clean-up the DTES by genocide i.e. moving those in core need of housing into supporti ve hous ing (transition housing) to be spread throughout various neighbourhoods in the City with the promise of fast tracking the proposed 12 housing projects. Then it seems that the way will then be clear for market hous ing in the DTES as the existi ng poor condition SROs could be demolished or converted .

Currently there are approximately 3,000 homeless; and they are only providing 1200 supportive housing (small suites). Not now, but maybe 600 units will be available in mid-2008. The homeless population will likely double by then.

The City's agenda seems to be to force the street homeless out of the DTES by making it diffic ult to li ve here: In October the Vancouver Food Bank arbitrarily closed it only food (grocery) depot in the DTES. Now if one needs to use the Food Bank you have to go up to Franklin (near the PNE). For the people in the DTES you mi ght as well be going to China; In March of2008 all the dumpsters in the downtown core wil l be no more thereby tak ing away the means for a segment of the DTES popu Iat ion to make money. This is to be approved on Thursday by City Council; That the City has a policy of not increasing shelter units. So, the homeless leave or die on the streets.

The City's conscience will be cleansed by providing for 1200 units of supportive housing for most of the tenants that will come from existing SROs, are drug 路 addicted but in recovery, or mentally ill. .

That the Community Court will further force residents and the homeless out of the area by harassing them incessently.

The proposed first 600 units of supp ortive housing will not be com pleted unti l mid-20 I 0 providing they can get workers to work on them.

Another thing about the supportive housi ng proposed is th at each unit is for a sing le occupant. So, if you have a partner you are out of luck. And supportive housing means you have no tenant's rights under the Residential Tenancy Act as flawed as it is it is better than not having any rights. Your tenancy can also be terminated without notice.

Submitted by Audrey Laferriere

Theresa Gray

I

I

Death Knocked at 1\tly Door ***FLASH*** Hum 101 Documentaries Because of AIDS Day on December I the Downtown Eastside Poetry Night wi ll be on Dec. gth .

Saturda y Dec. I 51, the following docu mentaries will be shown on Carnegie's 3 rd tloor at 6pm: *EATING 2 hrs. *Tom Beardon Talks Free Energy I hr *Graham Hancoc k's Quest for a Lost Civilization: Ancie nt Mariners 50 min.

Refreshments & Door Pri7 eS

•

Battered Women's Support Services Abandonment, Attachment and Action Understanding and Healing the Wounds of Broken Connections

I

. In gene ral, women tend to seek relationships and see relationships as a place to be, give and receive Abuse and violence experienced as a child, as an ..•• adult are painful experiences of disconnection. The • painful experience of being abandoned often leads to abandoning ourselves in an attempt to distance from painful feelings or memories. What remains becomes like em pty houses: neglected, deserted, uninhabited and empty.

The BWSS Abandonment, Attachment and Action is . . • 4 ~ a support group for women who: ! *ha1•e he!!n physically. sexually. and/or emutional~v abused by their partna. husband. boyfriend. or in an a same-gender .. r' re fat ionsh ip . ' f.' ..:. . *. hul'e experienced childhood sexual abuse. ,. .... * have expaienced adult sexual assault. .~• ~' ... ,.) . *are dealing with the effects of trauma '·• P artic ipan t ~ in th is su pport group\\ ill share C.\pl.!rie nLes get ~ up port. de\ \?l op sdl'-a\,·are nl.!ss und insight. C\pi1He th\! \\Olllld of ~b:tlldi) J1111L' I1t in LhiiJhood and ud ulthund. amJ leam hH>Is t'or dift~r~nt stages of the journc) to r~ ­ Cll \ en. and health.

All BWSS Support Groups are Free and Confidential Tuesday even ings Fcbru~ry 5- /\pril 22 ,6 8:30 pm j

•

•

·;:J .

:"

• ... . . . f

'

Sht: screamed Iike a demon When death knocked at my door I got up to answer the kn ock Slipped on a rock And fell dead to the floor Did your Mama tell yo u drugs can kill Mine did but I didn 't listen (guess I never wi ll) Now I'm dead word will sp read Like wild tire of the walking dead Yes baby, sweet love Death knocked at my door You cried death 's mire In a quire I hear it once before.

I was an angel wo died And slipped before the sun went crazy The world disappeared in the dark.

I asked illumination eagle Why the sun 's now just a spark She to ld me, "Son yo ur heart is co ld ; Your heart is mine it'll never be sold."

I asked a dire question Why a dead ly quake shook th e Earth before?

She said that death will kn ock On humanity's door Yes sweeti e, Death knocked at my door Eight billion answe red the knock And fell dead to the floor.

Did you ever hear the children Cry and scream?

There was no mirror To shake a sick molester's dream The Canadian government ig nored 50,000 baby angels' screams It wasn't a dream Death knocked at their door I can sti ll hear The baby angels cry and scream Yes, baby ange ls' death Knocked at my door Imaginations stood still 50,000+ children fell dead On the Ind ian Residential Schools' floors Tears are fallin g like rain I don't want to see Chi ldren die like this aga in • Now I talk like neve r be fore 'cause Death knocked at my door.

All my relations, Wil liam Arnold Co mbes

For more info or to register ca ll the Intake Coordinator at 604-687-1867

I

5.

I

End Homelessness Now! ycvv~ llo ! Ho! llo !

VJ MIX

I had been looking forward to thee' t:n t called F:nd llomeles.w ess Nou路.' for about n month. since I heard abou t it. My hi gh hopes were amp li fied b) the admission and awart!ness o f this grou p, The Hnmelcssness and Mental llcnlth Action Group. ba~ed out of St. Andrew's-Weslcy United Church, do\\ntown, that mental health issues, or rather. the lack of mental health, plays a co nsiderabl e role in the fact that people sleep in doo rways and parks. This is one aspect that is often forgotten in dealing with the problem in a heavy- han ded manner. I had also been told that this group was in league \~路 ith the local business co mmunity to work seriously on these problems.

However, after and hour and n half~ I got up and wa lked out. l think I was the on ly one who did. Am I missing something here? The fi rst hal f hou r was taken up by the gay Vancouver Men 's Chorus. Next it was announcements, introductions and awards.

Judy Graves received a reward on behalf of the Vancouver Homelessness Outreach Project and its Partners. She used to go to the Davie Street area and get people housing in one day. Finally it was a city official fro m Portland, Orego n. Counts, counts is what she suggested. Count the homeless; report it.

For Portland's sake! And don' Lfo rget the millions of do llars worth of programs to be initiated.

What I heard at this meeting was that we were all going to have to approach 3 levels of government and make a lot of red tape.

The exorbitant real estate rates, it was stated , are the cause of homeless ness. Now there is this supposed shortage of housing. ha ha ha. Last week's chat with a local real estate agen t revealed to me the fact th at you don't even have to live here, nor be a Canad ian citi zen, to buy up the new homes being bui lt here on a daily basis. People from many countries live here or mere ly own tht! property & business is boo min g!

Some years ago, the word on the street was th at many of these suites and houses were empty. 1 don' t kn ow wheth er that is true today. but I think we should ho ld a counl or thai.

One of the really positive things about the rneetino0 was that there were 400 or more peop le there, all eager to do somethin g abo ut homelessness. 1j ust hope they don't Iisten to the idea of each co untin 0o J. 4 homeless people and reportin g them. (''Excuse me officer, there's a homeless person li ving under that bridge, there." '' Where?'' ''Right there ... ") llowever if each o fthem found 3-5 people a home. we'd he

CHRISTMAS

-MOVETOTHECROOV E -

EVERYONE WELC0.4E

Friday, December 7111:2007 7pm - lOpm Carnegie Theatre Come out and ha\ e a ho lly j olly o le' time '' ith OJ Mix and friends.

Rc~fre ,路hn1L'I11s serw!d to the thirstl'

Volunteer Co mmitt ee Meeting -

Wednesday, December 5 ill 2pm in Classroom II ALL VOLUNTEERS WEL COME! Your vo ice is needed and appreciated.

Volunteer Dinner -

Your contribution and hard work is appreciated by the many peop le" ho benefit by }OUr services Let th e staff serve you!

Wednesday, December 121" Theatre at 4:30pm SHARP! If yo u have 12 vo lunteer hours this mon th, please pick up yo ur dinner ti cket from the Vo lunteer Program Office on th e 3rrl noor VOLUNTEER C HRISTMAS PARTY-

Santa wi ll be in the Theatre just to see you. I 110 HO HOPE you' ll all come! (l told him yo u had all been good this year .. .. shhhhh ..... I didn't tell .... )

Friday, December 14th 4- 6pm Carnegie Theatre Please write this date on your ca l e nd a r ~ we don't wa nt you to be left out! Entertainment including the very popular Puuclto ami Sal team '' ho performs \\ ith rare passio n and ex uberance. The pace never lets up and the groo' es are deep and long. There \\ ill he a mys tery guest th at I promise will have you howl ing in your seats pl us food and g ifts.

Please pick up your Christm as Party Ticket from the Volunteer Program Office (VPO) .. . follnwed hy LIVE BAND DANC E - '

CLvt1S fvtNK'

Friday, December 14th, 7pm -IOpm Carnegie Theatre EVERY ONE WELCOME!!! Come one, Come all !

OUR TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS POOL ROOM TOURNAMENT * 9 Ball C hall enge *To p 5 Ca rn e Runs l路or more in formation please see Mo Blixt and AI Jl omench uck in the Pool Roo m or Colleen in VPO

I

I

..

• I

••

•

~

.. l.

• • .•

.. .1l

~

•

'~

t

·*

.

•

.

'•

..

out of homelessness. That night's report estimated the presen t number of homeless around Vanco uver at 2000, max.

Abou t a year ago ( met a preacher \vho was desperate to help homeless in ou r area. He thought that he co uld come here and bring them some blankets. lie said this with deep concern in his voice. I suggested the alternative of helping just one person get themselves together and on their feet. Some months later I confronted him about whether he had thought any further about my recommendation. He replied that yes, !hey should be helped one person at a time, whi ch showed me that he wanted to help them all .

This is impossible. I think Judy Graves had the right idea in demanding homes for 5 individual home less a day, getting th em settled the same day. Pretty soon there was a scarcity of homeless ta lks on Davie St. Meanwhi le our official Canadian aim is to reduce homeless ness by only 50% by 20 I 0.

Although I can't tell you what happened after 8 o'c lock, since I wa lked out 4 minutes before that, I could see where this was going: to a maze of red tape and money for studies, government-funded organs and "service" groups and organizations. It sure wasn't creating the dialogue promised by the poster: " END HOMELESSNESS NOW! A dialogue towards ACTION" All these words were in capitals.

Check out the group 's site for less in formation at: www.endhomelessnessnow.ca

N.B. Most of th e homeless that were approached by Judy and her group replied "yes" to being asked: if they could be set up with Welfare and a home, would they move into a home.

By Rudolf Penner

Origami Workshop With Lisa & Yukiko Learn the Japanese art of paper folding and make holiday cards!

Saturday, December 81h 1:30 - 3:30 3"u Floor Art Gallery 401 Main, Carnegie Centre

I

In the realm of Christianity, those crude religious leaders preached the idea millions of times tha.t-their g_~d created the world in seven days. This is one of the1r preva1hng dogmas and they outrightly reject Darwin's rational theory of evolution. And instead they invariably try to get their point across by repeating it again and again.

"If constant booming is done for something, then people start thinking that there must be some truth in what is being propagated. For example, if someone continually say~ that Gopal is a very bad boy, then people will eventually bel1~ve w~at they are being told. Gopal will become a bad boy. m the1r eyes. Communistsi"Free trade" capitalists are do1ng c?nstant booming about their theory. Due to this people a:~ be1~g brainwashed, and at this stage it is very easy to InJect mcorrect ideas into their minds. By constant booming of their wrong theory they are creating their supporters."

I

7

,

BC's C hild Poverty Rate Tops Again ., Or is th is headline just try ing to manipulate ) OU? ..

' ~

.r · ... · ., '

_,.

!\. new report suggests thnt one in five B.C. childrc11 is p0or, makin g the province's child poverty rate the highest in Canad a fo r the fourth co n se c uti v~ yea r.

1\.t 20.9 per cent, B.C. 's proportion of children living below the povert y line cont inues to drop from its 2002 peak but is still substantially higher than the 16.8 per cent national average. according to 2005 Statistics Canada data analyzed by First Call: B.C. Child and Youth Advocacy Coalit ion.

The report shows Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland would all fare worse than B.C. if not for higher levels of government ass istan ce.

One important step towards reducing poverty in the province, according to First Call , would be raising th e minimum wage from $8 an hour to $10. The report po ints o ut that a person working full -time, year-round for the minimum - Jet alone the $6 training wage - cannot rise above th e urban poverty Iin e.

So far, the Liberals have argued that such an increase would be harmful to the booming economy and have blocked opposition efforts on this front.

But the questio n of raising the minimum wage is not th e only politically divisive issue here. The very definition of poverty has beco me an ideologifal battle!ield and th e framing of the problem may have t.!_nintenged consequences.

First Call uses statscan 's low income cut- offs (1!: C O~ - which are based on income relative to the nntional average and factor in a household 's size and location - as poverty li nes, a practice the gov..: ernment agency says "certainly does not reflect Statistics Canada's views about how poverty's defined ."

The fraser Institute criticizes the use of LICOs, sav• ing poverty is "fund amentally a problem of insufficiency, not inequali ty."

To say a Vanco uverit e wh o earns $20,000 per year is livin g in poverty would indeed seem preposterous to many of th e more than one billion people world"' ide wh o §_urvive on less than a do llar a day.

So perh aps a better headline would avoid mention of chilLI poverty and f(lc us instead on the province's rn nss ivc eco nomic inequalities. Or would that no longe r be a problem worth tackling?

Rob Annandale is on staff at the 7)•ee .

I

Homeless targeted

)

./

CanWest N C\\ s Ser vice !\. homeless Okanagan co uple hu ddlin g for warmth recei ved a rude awakenin g " hen three yo un g men dumped fi ve-gallon co ntainers o f paint on them.

Th l.! attack was captured by survei llance camcrRs !\. car pulled into a Kelowna alley just alter I a.m.

Monday, the tape shows. Three yo ung men stepped out and, as one man kept watch: two oth ers threw the paint before quickly retreating.

Clothes covered in paint were lett behind a nembv • dumpster. 1\.nd the area where the paint attack happened was splashed with paint. Bus iness operators in the area were outraged by the footage.

Don Wood of Wood Communications sa id he's concerned for those stuck living on the stree ts. "lt's bad enough they're on the street, but it's pretty bad wh en they have to put up with this kind of stuff." Wood said. "It's not necessary."

Several other Kelowna homeless peopk have recounted attacks with paintball guns, fire extinguishers and even human feces.

PASS THIS ON: If yo u sec a car trave lling at night

without lights, do not flash your lights, blow your horn or attempt to tel I that dri ver about his or her lack of lights. lt is now a gang initiation ritual that the prospective gang member in the darkened vehicle has to then chase the car or person who attempts to signal about the lack of head Iights and fire a gun at and into the car (yours) being pursued. THI S IS NOT A JOKE. If any event like this happens, email orle-howat@rcmp.grc.gc.ca

KARAOKE with Steve Friday. December 21 aud, On Tuesday, December 26 111 • 2007 ~

Karaok.e.rCHRISTMAS SPECIAL 7pm - l Opm, Carnegie Theatre (for both) Karaoke is a form of singing a\' ail able for everyone.

It is a golden chance for people to discO\.er the jo; of si nging in an encouraging and accepting em·ironment. Come and sing along and ha\·e some fun with Ste,·e. our maestro! EVERY WELC0\1 E! R L· reshments .\ L'I'l'l'd to the hrare souls.

I

November 22, 2007 li on. Lmvrence Cannon Minister of Transport Canada House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario KIA OA6 Dear Minister, RE: Waterfront Soccer Stadium on Vancouver Port Authority Lands in Vancouver, BC

â&#x20AC;˘â&#x20AC;˘

..

I am writing to express my concerns and opposition to a cu rrent proposal to build a soccer stadium on waterfront property at Vancouver's port. I have been contacted by many constituents, as well as businesses and community organizations, who have also expressed their opposition.

Speci tic ally, I understand that a private developer (in the form of the Whitecaps soccer team) wishes to exchange its own property, which incorporates CP Rail's yard, located between the Station and Waterfront Road, for federal property managed by the Vancouver Port Authority (VPA). Both parcels in questio n are situated between Canada Place an d Crab Park. A portion of these parcels is in my riding of Vancouver East. The Whitecaps' intention for the swap would be to build a soccer stadium/entertainment complex on the new site, while the port is seeking to acquire the rail yards.

The VPA's long term corporate mandate is to sustain Vancouver's port as a major transportation hub .

Given BC's geographic prominence in the AsiaPacific regi on, and the port's status both nationally and internationally, both the VPA and the City of Vancouver have a longstanding policy and long term interest in sustaining the port as a modern, working waterfront that is integral for our economic future. As Canada's largest port, and by virtue of its competitive access to the globe's most dynamic economies, Vancouver is inextricably linked to the nation's economic interests.

I believe that port land is not an appropriate location for the proposed soccer stadium.

I am also concerned that any disposition of port land may put Crab Park at risk. The park is valued and needed in the Downtown Eastside community and must be fu ll y protected.

As a neighbourhood gentrifies, lower-income people are displaced, sometimes with heartbreaking consequences. Already, the Dow¡ntown Eastside has experienced significant change that impacts on its low income community because of redevelopment.

Rising homelessness has been one tragic result.

I

l believe that a core value for the VPA is to deVL'I- C. op. sustain and enhance port infrastructure as a nex- l us for trade and transportation for the long term; and that this value serves local, regional and national economic interests- none of which is compatible with the development of a soccer stadium.

I further believe that a core value for the community is livability, and this livab ility is manifest in its determined efforts to protect Crab Park. and to ensure that any development does not exacerbate vulnerable residents' ab ility to Iive in and enjoy a neighbourhood that is already under threat.

In summary, a soccer stadium is not the best usc for prime waterfront property. The site sho uld be protected as a special entity for public benefit. not private interests; and must ultimately be used for the benefit of all, not a few. While hotels and sports stadiums may bring profits, both the economic and social costs are too high. Long term value for the public must be paramount.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely, (original signed by) Libby Davies, MP Vancouver East

- ------ - -

The proposed 'Soccer' stadium and developers' dreams behind the scenes. For up-to-date information go to www.centralwaterfrontcoalition.org (Website submitted by Mr. Donald Larson) L - - -- - - -- - "- ~04-321-93651 ____ --'

I

FRANK PAUL MEMORIAL DECEMBER 6, 2007 CARNEGIE CENTRE 3:00-5:00 pm Performances, drumming, singing, sharing.

Coffee, tea and snacks.

Acknowledement and Prayer Ceremony.

At 5:00 we will walk over to Main and Hastings to acknowledge Frank Paul as a residential school survivor and those who have died of violence or under suspicious circumstances at the hands of law ~n足 forcement around Canada. For example: Oavtd Chenery, Dudley George, Howard Fleury, Anthony Dawson, Frank Paul, Neil Stonechild, Lawrence Wegner -Saulteaux First Nation, Matthew Dumas, Denis St. Paul, JJ Harper, Rodney Naistus, Onion Lake First Nation, Melvin Bigsky, Lloyd Dustyhorn Kawacatoose First Nation, Darcy lronchild,

Frank Paul inquiry raises questions of police cover-up

By Carlita Pablo Was Frank Paul already dead when he was dumped by a Vancouver police officer in an alley almost nine years ago? "lt's a question that's out there but nobod~'s really saying it" First Nations activist Kat Norns told the Georgia Straight . "It begs for an answer.

In an interview on November 16 at a downtown federal court, the venue of the public inqui~y into Paul's death Norris suggested that an affirmative answer would give substance to persistent suspicions that there was a cover-up in the death of the 47-year-old Mi'kmaq man from New Brunswi~k. .

For one, Norris pointed out that 1f polt~e ha~ reported that Paul had died while he was 111 poltce l

II

custody, the Coroners Service of B.C. would have had no recourse under the Coroners Act except to order an inquest. Such a mandatory court proceeding with a jury never took place in this case.

Former Vancouver mayor and now Senator Larry Campbell was the B.C. chief coroner at that time.

Norris, organizer for the Indigenous Action Movement, recalled. "That's one of the things we want to come out," she said. Campbell, a former RCMP officer before he joined the coroners service, didn't return a Straight call before deadline.

Norris noted that all that is known is that Paul died of hypothermia. But she also said that until the present inquiry had been called, there had been no opportunity to determine whether or not Paul was actually alive when he was left in the East Vancouver alley on the evening of December 5, I 998.

"That's one thing no one's really sure about," she said. "It's important to know why they want to cover it up so badly. That changes things. It's important for true justice to Frank and for anyone else who has died under suspicious circumstances while in police custody."

First Nations activists like Norris aren't the only ones who suspect that Paul died while in the hands of the Vancouver police. After reviewing the Paul file, police complaint commissioner Dirk Ryneveld released an extensive report in 2004 in which he expressed hope that either the chief coroner or the attorney general would be persuaded to call for a coroner's inquest or a public inquiry. In his report, Ryneveld noted that in choosing not to call for an inquest, the coroners service relied on information provided by the Vancouver police "in what I now deem to have been an incomplete and therefore flawed investigation". Ryneveld stated that at that time, the coroner's office didn't have two vital pieces of information, one of which was a report made by pathologist Rex Ferris "that, among other things, indicates that Frank Paul may well have died in the police wagon itself'. The other information, according to the commissioner, was the police jail video that showed Paul being dragged in a "helpless state into the police transport" before he was left in the alley where he was later found.

But that doesn't mean that the coroner's office was without any authority to order an inquest. Ryneveld wrote that even if the service was correct in determining that Paul was technically no longer in police custody when he died, "in my respectful view, the coroner still had a residual discretion to hold a coroner's inquest pursuant to the Coroners Act".

Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP)

Newsletter INFO: Visit CCAP office 2 nd floor at Carnegie or 604-839-0379

Dec 1, 2007

Hotels may be condos soon Here's some bad news. Soon, the City , ~ of Vancouver Mayor and Council will talk about letting property developers convert hotels into Condos as early as 2008!

It's a complicated

First off, the funding has not been con1mitted yet and the proj ect may set a dangerous precedent by waiting for federal or charitable funding to build.

Solving homelessness with charity is like solving hunger with food banks.

Second, the City says there are 1300 more residential hotel room replacement homes coming soon in addition to the 1200 for a total of 2500. But n1ore than half of these 13 00 are seniors assisted living, market rate rentals, shelters, treatment beds and mini demonstration suites. These are not social housing for people who can afford to pay $375 a month and want to be part of a permanent con1munity. So it looks like we get only 669, if we are generous and include the

story and you have to be a lawyer to figure it out what they are planning, but read on and see if this explanation tnakes sense.

The City wants to prepare 12 properties that are owned by the City for supportive housing that the Province and its partners (we' re not sure who they are) will pay for.

At first this seemed really great. But after looking closely at their plan, we becatne alarmed.

WORKSHOP with CCAP to prepare for Dec 12 Hearing at City Hall Tuesday December 4 3:00-4:30 pm 3rd floor Gallery Carnegie Centre Coffee and S11acks

1

I

I

- ....----------------

•

•

mm1 dernonstration suites. Add the 600 of the 1200 that "may" be built on city sites by 2010 and we get possibly 1269 new additional ~homes over the next four years. That would be about 320 a year, which is 480 a year less than the City's own policy of 800 a year to get a handle on homelessness.

On page 11 of the City's report, it says there is enough new ,~~ . ·housing coming to look at lifting the SRA Bylaw to allow sorne hotel conversions to condos in 2008. Excuse me; it does not make sense to talk about giving away the residential hotels when this plan appears to be precarious, deceptive and inadequate. And when there are thousands of homeless people who need homes first.

And when we have lost 561 rooms and . . ·' homes this year alone that we know of.

2

I

Consider coming to City Hall to speak at the Public Hearing on this topic Dec 12 at 7:30pm in Council Chambers with CCAP and our allies to challenge this plan. Do you want to see hotels turn into condos next year when people are dying on these streets? Come to the workshop that ccap is organizing to prepare for the hearing. Pick up a building by building analysis and the City's report in the CCAP office or read the report online: http://www.city.vancouver.bc.ca/ctyclerk /cclerk/20071113/docun1ents/rr3.pdf Going to City Hall can be very discouraging because council and mayor often don't listen well to us and make bad decisions. I've cried after meetings.

Its hard to take "no" right in your face, especially when people's precious important lives are at stake. But its worth it. We need to challenge them face to face. It gets harder and harder to say no when we keep the pressure up and honestly, our pressure is working. There may be media there which is good.

When I go to these meetings, I hear lots of very passionate inspiring speeches. I see who cares about this and have a tremendous feeling of solidarity.

--Wendy P- Pictures by Bharb Gudmundson of council regulars

I

Units of housing lost in 2007 that we know of

•

•

Little Mountain (224 units, for development, to be replaced after 201 0) • Pandora (50 units, due to terrible conditions) • Phoenix Apartments ( 12 units; due to closure) • 334 CatTail Street (20 units; eviction for redevelopment) • Dominion Hotel (67 units; eviction for renovations) • Columbia Hotel: (73 units; rent increases to $250 per week) • Marie Gomez (76 units; to be demolished and replaced after 201 0) • Piccadilly I Pender Place Hotel (39 units; evicted due to poor conditions) Total Loss of SROs, rooming houses, and other low-income housing in 2007: 561 units

You can fight EVICTIONS for renovations If your hotel is evicting you to renovate, Branch. There are only 18 tenants left fight it with help from DERA, PIVOT inside. With virtually a zero vacancy and others. Rents are going up in the m-·~............-........_..,.___............... -.....,.,~.. ~- ' ,_ ...,-·:~... rate, this may ..• ..#.,.,. hood and if you leave, your room ·, represent more homeless will be rented out for a lot more than people out on people on welfare can afford. Read the streets of on to see that its happening already.

On October 31 st tenants of the 67 Vancouver.

In early room DOMINION Hotel got 2month eviction notices saying the December advocates at DERA will challenge the landlord had the proper permits for eviction notices at the RTB. Hopefully, renovations and repairs. In fact the tenants will w in the right to stay during landlord DID NOT have the proper the renovation like tenants of the permits before notices were given therefore evictions may be declared Hollybum property in the West End. illegal by the Residential Tenancy ~

3

I

I

of Vancouver. She may be evicted soon.

Her apartment at 334 Carrall Street is owned by a known condo developer and hotel owner, Robert Wilson. She is being evicted for renovations.

The SRA Bylaw does not protect this site from converting because its not a hotel. Cross your fingers for Ada. She has her application in for social housing everywhere. Lets hope she gets in but its tough when waitlists are so long.

This picture (on the left) of a backpacker was taken off the Columbia Hotel website. On the website it says: "We provide rooms that can accommodate up to six people and are great choice for young travelers from all around the world. We are ideal choice for backpackers, value minded tourist, hostel travelers and students who want simple, flO frill, clean hotel accommodations." [Although some motJthly are available, nearly all rooms are going for $200 weekly}.

Landowners can legally raise the rents beyond 4% a year on rooms that they can vacate. If tenants are legally evicted for renovations, the landowner can later charge new renters any amount of rent the market can bear.

With high paying renters inside, the City of Vancouver may be less motivated to protect these rentals and give in easily to the pressure to allow conversion to condos.

The 73 room COLUMBIA Hotel is illegally renting most of their rooms daily and weekly. Only 8 rooms are renting monthly at $800 a month average, far beyond what people with welfare can afford ($375/mo). Hotels under the SRA Bylaw can only rent out 10% of their rooms daily and weekly so the Columbia Hotel is breaking the law.

City inspectors know this but so far have done nothing to help. This is another example of incremental gentrification and represents the chipping away of the last housing before homelessness.

Many of you know Ada Dennis,

â&#x20AC;˘

Vanc1

"Support for this project does not necessarily imply Vancity's endorsement of the findings or contents of this report."

Carnegie star kitchen volunteer and former Volunteer of the Year for the City 4

I

I

'

Dana Urban , a former senior legal adviser to thenpolice complaint commissioner Don Morrison, had also relied heavily on Ferris's report and the jail video in his testimony on April 15, 2002, before a specia l legislative committee that reviewed the police complaint process.

Quoting Ferris's report, Urban told the committee that "it is likely that his [Paul's] fatal hypothermia developed over the course of many hours, and there seems no doubt that he was suffering from hypothermia when he was removed from the jail".

The bottom line? "He [Paul] died during or soon after his involvement with the Vancouver city police department," Urban said in his testimony. Paul was among the numerous people helped a number of times by Barry Conroy, 55, when the latter was still with Saferide, a program run by the Vancouver Recovery Club that transports people suffering from the effects of alcohol and drugs to detoxification centres and shelters. He testified before the public inquiry on November 16.

"He was what I would call a gentleman," Conroy said of the Mi'kmaq man. Paul, according to Conroy, was "polite" and though he was usually drunk from rice wine, there was ''dignity" in the way he struggled to raise himself from the pavement to get into the Saferide van.

It was also Conroy's first time to see the police jail video that showed an apparently unconscious Paul

being dragged by his feet to his last ride on a police wagon. Conroy noted that a proper thing that should have been done at that time was to call for an ambulance to take Paul to a hosp ital.

Lawyer Cameron Ward is representing the United Native Nations Society in the public inquiry. In an interview with the Straight, Ward noted that the postmortem examination didn't indicate the time of Paul's death.

"It's a question of fact whether or not he was alive either when he was dragged out of the jail into the wagon or when he was taken out of the wagon and put where he was found deceased," Ward said. "It's one of the issues for the inquiry to establish."

As pieced together from the police video by the 2004 Ryneveld report, a "motionless" Paul was dragged into the jail elevator at 8:25p.m. on December 5, 1998. His condition was seen by anumber of individuals, including the sergeant on duty, who determined that Paul wasn't intoxicated. Five minutes later, at 8:30 p.m. , a police wagon driver and a provincial jail guard dragged "a still rainsoaked, motionless Frank Paul from the elevator to the police wagon along the floor of the wagon bay area". The wagon driver delivered another intoxicated person in the wagon to a detoxification centre before placing Paul in a nearby alley. His lifeless body was found at 2:41 a.m. on December 6 1998 '

I

'

Paranoia

MAKING TRAINS Gerry Foster is a \ ery e lderly regular at Carnegie.

He wears an old train cap and can be very expressive while telling stories and voicing his opinion. He has many stories of the ear ly days of Vancouver.

During the late 1930's he worked in th e Canad ian National Railway marshalling yards, helping put trains together. He worked long hours, and would go horne late, but even then his boss might send someone on a bike to his home to wake him in the early hours of the morning and tell him he was needed on the job. He loved working o n the trains, but the long hours ruin ed his marriage and took away nearly all of his time with his children.

There were not very many streetlights in those days and Gerry, who walked to work o n a familiar road, had to use distant lights to guide his way. One day he found him way blocked by a darker area which felt like dirt and rocks. He had to fee l his way around the pi le of rocks and dirt until he found a clear area. Later he heard that there had been a rockslide on th e road he took to work. lie had to arran ge train boxcars according to size, whe th er they are long or short and whether they were empty or full. They had to be put together just so or they could roll over on those curvy mountain tracks. If a full boxcar banged against an empty one on a curve the train could crash. In his day the trains were a lot shorter than th ey are now, spaced by weight, and there we re fewer accidents. "Nowadays the trains are very long and don't appear to be in any particular order, so they can't take those curves like they used to, and that is the reason why there are so many accidents," he says.

Bvâ&#x20AC;˘ DORA SAN DERS

DANCING YOUR fVGf Sunday, D ecember 9, 2-4pm Carnegie's Gym "Save the last dance ... " it's your last chance to dance with De/anye u11til she is hack from her wandering.

I keep a Safeway cart in my bedroom Just in case You never know -Life is precarious I have learned One day - comfort The next a co ld and rainy street And the company of ragam uffins.

Not th<~t I despise the ragamuffins I in vent stories for th eir misfortune Crue I stepmothers Boring prairie towns Ten miles from the Mall Angels of yo uth angst- ridden In these harsh interesting times.

So I keep th at Safeway cart Who knows ... I may be next Methinks the caretaker doth squinney at me I did complain about the toilet that runs cold water day and night..

Blame Back from untraveled journ ey ing to co llect some conso lation, he fo rgets to change his und erwear and runs out of thin gs to wait for.

After turnin g off the television he catches himself lingering with remote in hand, as if it yet held promise.

It takes less now to ruin his day than 'vvhen you r breasts were firm .

Stephen Belkin

Now that the Civic strike is over You wi ll discover the Carnegie Centre. where the muffins hang on the potted plants like leaves, where the coffee pours out of taps. free. so brin g a cup.

Where bread is made in Breadmakers on each tab le and jnm is avai lable in little containers. but bring a knife.

Where regulars play cards games. chess and checkers and ' mile all dav, wh ich is sweet to see.

Where visitors are many and the food floor is busy all da.> and eve ry day. selling Fren ch. As ian and European meals.

Where the L~arning Centre has wall to wall eager s tud~nts And the computers have the latest programs, as do the computers in the computer room.

Carnegie means peace and harmony as all about is storm} .

A gard en in th e midst of turmoil.

Dora Sanders ~

â&#x20AC;˘

I

Wilhelmina

I

Streets of Meaning Push. shove. rock ' n roll. loo k abO\ C. take a stroll. street sciences. no ise hums. shout screams. wan t this \\ ant that. take a brcah. . coast to a bar. do you have an~ idea "hac th e hell ~ ou are'? Get out, get a\\ a). th ere's dam.?.er lurk inQ.. I feel it thick. it han .....Q.Z. it rceh.s. from cars. from so meone vet still unknown. find help. keep cool. get to a Bloody! Who 's he? \\! ho 's she'? Can 't hear. can 't see, see there! See "h ere·~ What's that heware. I'm done, let 's leave these streets nrc keen & slich. with pelting rain .. . I need a bite, I sense I'm s ick. I wander. let' s step in here, l wonde r what they got, something easy oh yea I'd like not to be abused okay- so what's the drill from here, any ideas? if not I' ll vanish, ya right .. do not call me I don't have a phone, wish l did uh-huh: My Own RingTone! So what's the beef, what' s eating you, is it all the debts you always seem to add to and acc rue .. I' ve run so me tabs that have risen to the stratos phere, not for nothing expensive usually just for cigs and beer. Thanks for your time and lending ears, now what's that worth like in cash and co in?

Come on, break it down, can ' t get no 'vvorse~ so forget it m' lady Uust kidd in' on the square) it's about havin ' fun , no fouls, who cares it's about who 's the wiser, unknown carin g suburbanite/sympathizer ...

Let's break it off, we go t a deal, I mean what's the use, we can ' t keep it real. See you out there on the street of meaning where we suddenly reach fo r the glittering stars together - shattered dreams - let's keep this banter off the reco rd. okay? Do you ever know what I really mean?!! ?

Robyn Livingstone

-

~

~

In Hope of a Better Past

Craft display cltHhing. j ewelry. hang iug ..... app liq ue. beacla lcaturinL?. w 0 rk b\ ati ra creati ve \\Omen cra ft .

Ebi ne. !~we. h.areni'a. terri ~md o thers •

-

carnegie community centre 3"1 llnor atrium gcllkrv . 40 I m ain street

-

S/)0/1.\ () J'(.'d h 1· CUI'II<.'gie COII/Jl11111ily CL' /111'1.!

and 3'·.1 11 orld \'illugl..' ;>mductinns.

708 .630-4 -drCHill\\ en\ e r , d 11 0 'v LI SC l) lll . ll CL --

I

My phone rings 1\ friend is thinking about family lost...

Not by natura l disaster But by unn atural misund erstanding She leads me down th e rocky road o f my own past Through doors o f resentment long closed Together we pick at mutual scabs of lost love ' Til it assaults afresh.

Strugg ling back to present acceptance nf past wrongs I say: The dead must fight their own fi ghts.

We must put away the past Les t it infect the future .

Wilhelmina

I

News froVVt tV1e LLbrClrtj

,, .

.. '\..\

\ 路,

Sad Eyes hey) ou, who don't know, I am here, just chipping awa) at the stone, that conceals light revealing, all that I already know. some times the things I feel, spiral me so high other times the things I see. make my sad eyes want to cty. if I hear you complaining reciting all that has gone \.,.Tong.

I won't m1swer you complaining, although t know so well your song. no, I don't w<.mt vou to fo llow me, you can see, I am just a man. maybe like you, just wandering through things I don't understand (Chorus) so take a wa lk while you are still free. shed your skin of anxiety. remember that yeah remember th at where you are is where you are supposed to be ~

through a needle eye, not much gets by, on the other side there is a scene a mirror of, ref! ections oL all that has ever heen. my heart may a fade a beat sometimes, man it feels like I have a soul, when I'm lost inside an image of

promised LOVE from so Ion!.!: ago. ~

~

and sometimes I ted like I'm livinob> in a wo rld I' II never know but in that light that has been torever, tn) sad eyes begin to glow. maybe I could suggest to you, that what you need you have inside. though th is I knO\\ . I still can't show you all the thin!.!:S .\Ou' ll ever find (Chorus) Submitted by Frcedome ~

New Books from Independent Bookstores: The ta il end of the year has meant a few shopping ex peditions for you r librarian. Vancouver's independent booksto res have lots of books that you won't find in big chain bookstores. And they're often we lco mi ng places to visit, with fr iendly, knowledgeable staff who are happy to answer your questions. Hmmm, almost sounds like a library ..... .

Here are some of the places I've visited recently to buy book~ for the Iibrary.

Banyen Books (3608 W4th Avenue, 604-732-7912) Great selection of books on all aspects of spiri tuality. Best place in town to get books on add iction & recovery, healing from abuse, and wor ld rel igions.

Biz Books (302 West Cordova, 604-669-6431) Film, theatre, and television books.

People's Co-op Bookstore (1391 Commercial Drive, 604-253-6442) Good general bookstore with knowledgeable staff. Wonderful selectio n of fiction, particularly local authors. Great for politics, philosophy, First Nations too.

Pulpfiction (2422 Main Street, 604-876-4311) Great fo r all kinds of fiction. Mostly used, some new.

Sophia Books (450 West Hastings, 604-684-0484) Books & magazines in Japanese, French, Spanish, ltalian, German. Books & COs to learn Japanese, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Chinese, Korean , Russian, and 20 other languages.

Spartacus Books (319 West Hastings, 2nd floor, 604688-6138) A local institution that's been around for 35 years, Spartacus is a collectively run, not-forpro tit resource centre. Come here for books on the struggles aga inst c lass ism, rac ism, sexism, war, corporate greed, environmental destruction, and other institutional atrocities, or come for comfy couches, free comp uters, film nights, book launches and occasional c lasses.

UBC Bookstore (6200 University Boulevard, 604-8222665) Wide selection of books, not just for students.

Best place in town for new First Nations books. 路 Now, where was I? Oh yes, the books ...

Simple Chinese Astrology, by Damian Sharp ( 133.5) is a great introduction to the subject, and includes predictions for each Chi nese sign for the next twenty-four years.

Check out How toRe-imagine the World: A Pocket Guide for Pra ctical Visionaries, by Anthony Wes-

ton (JOJ.-l8) ror ideas such as making elders into visionaries, cutting the workweek in half. and ''delightists" (the opposite of terrorists). lfs published

by New Soc iety Publishers. who are always a wondcrti.ll source for alternati ve and rad ical viewpoin ts. ;\mong the new books on addiction and recovery are Rational Recm·ery: Tile New Cure for Substan ce Addiction , by Jack Trimpey (362.29), and It's Not Olwr to he a Cmmiha/: 1/ow to Keep Addiction fron; Eati11g Your Family A live, by Andrew T Wainwright and Robert Poznanovich (362.29).

Fa,•orite Folktale.\· from A rouml the World. ed ited

by Jane Yolen (398.2), includes fables and stories. from as far afi eld as Haiti. China, Norway and lnd1a.

My favou rite, of course, is Welsh: "The Spirit t?lthe Van" tells of a man in obsessive love with a spirit woman who rises from a lake.

Come in and ask me for book shopping advice anytime , and let me know if there are any books you'd like me to get for the library.

Bet h, your librari an.

i

1 '\

)

J

.

J

. ·,• •

T HE ELEVENTEENTH SOLDIER Opening wounds like a letter waited upon fo r days. I pity myself when I knew all along this was my pitiful phase, I protected no one no medals of validation adorn my crown, where the hell was I when so uls I didn 't eve n know kept us up when l was fa lling dwn fo r what it's worth I can now honestly say I'm so humbled and so thankfu l and excruciatingly sorry ya gave up your lives for ours not to mention your wives who have now joined the ranks out there driving tanks for our newer and greater wars.

My choice was mine alone your choice wasn't yours My voice's beginning to crack when it shou ld be my mind trying to come back to fa thom all this world 's sores, this endless procession of wars kicking down doors after doors tak ing what is rightfu ll y you rs with tales more mortifying than all of these horrifi cally strun g together wars but WARS WILL BE WARS. Just in time to be disappointed I have a co uple of co mplaints we' II dea l with it when ou r eyes lock, and in an as ide like Rabbi's in Dachau who put God on trial fou nd guilty of abandonment he has won that last walk Oh and what e lse has our contestant won why JOHNNY it's a new Doomsday Clock!

Bul then a very spec ial day was put as ide fo r all to ab ide a day to remember forever, th e eleventh second of the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day and month? Which one is that why it's November. now eleven is my (lucky) number unless you're outnumbered it reall y makes one wonder of all lives extinguished to that last second like picking out flo ral patterns for the cover of TOMBS and GA RDEN S, they say people without a conscience live longer something about much less stress you know Well actually you wouldn't and for that atroc ity I hope you wi ll accept my generation's pardons!!! Thank you Robert McGillivray ··For some C.:I)' quick and some cry slow" Alfred Lord Tennyson

I

I

'Community' Courts - only on paper

I

I

I

The B.C. Government has a proposal. Called the "Community Court" for Vancouver, it will serve the Downtown Eastside, as well as the downtown core.

Targeted at chronic offenders, staff from Vancouver Coastal llealth, Min is try of Emp loyment and Income Assistance, Vancouver Police Department. as well as Community Court Crown Counsel, Community Court Defence Counsel. and Commu-nity Corn:ctions, will all work together to provide "wrap around" services for chron ic o ffenders to deal with root causes.

The Court is scheduled to open some time in 2008, just in time to clean up streets for 20 I 0 Olympics.

The Mayor thinks it is a swell idea. And why not?

Sounds like exactly what we need to deal with the problems that many people face. Imagi ne an individual being sentenced to drug treatment, housing, and j ob and life sk ills training to turn that person's life around. Sound too good to be true?, it probably is.

Beyond the challenge of forcing someone to plead guilty regardless of actual guilt in order to access needed services through the commun ity court, the "wrap around" services that must be available to make the court work just don't exist. The B .C. Court of Appeal, in a judgment last week, concluded that, for conditiona l sentences where individuals are sentenced to treatment in ex isti ng courtrooms, services just aren't available. Although the case came out of Victoria, the Court suggested more broadly that a failure to provide services undermines the intent of sentencing judges: Without treatment to back up the admonitions, such orders will often do the opposite to what is intended - create a sim ple path to re-offending. The resources avai lab le to the trial judge were limited in the case at bar. Apparently, no treatment facilities were available to Mr. Donato at the time he was sentenced. This Court can do no more than to acknowledge the lack of resources and urge our legislators to respond to the need.

Even worse, should special services be brought on line for chronic offenders only, including housing, treatment, rehabilitation, and skills training, the possibil ity of creat ing a perverse incentive for people on wait lists for those se rvices to com mit minor property crimes is sign iticant.

The only real solution to ensure the Community Court model works, and actually reduces crime in Vancouver, is to ensure that drug detox and treat-

I

mcnt is available on demand, homelessness is significantly reduced or diminated through the resurrect-ion of our provincial and national social housing funding, and life skills training and support are more widely available where people need them.

Without these pre-conditions in place, the Community Court is set up for failure, because the services it i" counting on sentencing people to . don't exist.

Visit piwnlegal.org for more information ahout Va11cout•er's low-income housing cri.-.·i.\'.

LIBERTY I'm carbon-based, I collect and co nserve my energy I try not to waste it.

The moral majority is abrasive, quick to debase me My conscious daze is full of strife. It feels sharp and edgy like a kr1ife.

I've curbed my consu mption; it allows me to function in a world motivated by greed.

I'm of a volunteer volition. I do not require a prescription to cope or a description Because I've got DOPE-AMINE The thought leaves me serene. I' m not a fiend, do not get hostile, aggressive or mean.

I'm not your significant other. I'm not your mother, son or brother.

You cannot detect me, reflect me, reject or eject me You read these words written in spite, instead of an ensuing fight.

The day is over so I welcome the night.

I ride my bi~.:yclc through the dark, I stop and take a break in the park.

I'm self-propelled. I'm not languid, lethargic .. I'm out and about, I'm over there, On a bus going nowhere; now I 'rn here \-vriting somelhing down.

Paul Define D

I

...,

1

The end of Community Access to the Internet?

Montreal, November 19th, 2007 Despite the obvious needs and demonstrated success of Internet community access programs, there has been no announcement concerning their future funding or renewal. All requests sent to the Honorable Minister Jim Prentice of Industry Canada, ministry responsible for this program, have gone unanswered. Without any renewal budget, these programs will end March 31st.

The Community Access Program (CAP) ensures the maintenance of computer equipment and the training of employees and volunteers in the nonprofit sector. The CAP's Youth Initiative (CAP-YI) provides employment opportunities for cou ntless young men and women while also offering affordable Internet access to thousands of Canadians.

Training sess ions are given by young facilitators in schools, libraries, community centers to promote th e development of basic skills in the use of information and communicati on technologies (ICTs), enabling many people to become active members of society in the [nformation Age. The PAC also offers special training programs to people with disabilities and people with literacy issues to take into account their

I

special needs.

The Community Access Program provides access to th ose people who might not have computers or Intern et access in th eir homes or workplaces. These peo ple are mostly senior citizens, First Nations, immigrants, the unemployed , peo ple facing literacy challenges, the homeless, peop le with disabilities, people living with mental health issues, in short, a large segment of the population facing exclusion in part because of new techno log ies .

For many people, public access and co mputer training have become essential services. Whether we want to look for a job, access government on-line services, co mmunicate with distant friends and family, learn new skills, break free from isolation, facilitate communication for people with reduced mobility, etc. More and more aspects of our lives demand that we have access to computers and the knowledge to use them. In the last 5 years, there has been a steady increase in the use of co mmunity access centers. This year, for 40% of users, it was their first experience with lCTs. To this end, Telecommunities Canada wishes to remind Industry Canada and the Canadian Government of the importance of the Community Access Program and its Youth Initiative. These two programs have proven their worth and their continued success warrants stable and sufficient funding.

About Telecommunities Canada (http://www.tc.caD To ensure that all Canadians are able to participate in community-based communicati ons and electronic information services, Telecommunities Canada promotes and supports local community network initiatives. Therefore, Telecommunities represents and promotes the Canadian community networking movement on the national and internat ional level.

The Community Access Program (CAP) Youth Initiative (YI) is coordin ated by Industry Canada's Community Access Program and is funded through Human Resources and Social Development Canada's Youth Employment Strategy (YES).

-Penny Goldsmith, Executive Co-ordinator PovNet (penn y@povnet.org) 604 876 8638 (ph); 604 685-761 1 (fax) #300- I 140 W Pender St, Vancouver V6E 4G I "Washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerfu l and the powerless means to side with the -- Paulo Freire powerful, not to be neutral."

I

Baby M'o/ Don't cry my love Baby May don 't cry Shackled hearts above Pierced so uls die It makes me cry, cry.

Don't cry lover Please don't cry Lost souls are to ld Be strong, be bold Ice is cold Be strong, be bold The Wolf is fierce Angry eyes can pierce Oh! Love's in the way Wolf wants to play Surrender, surrender.

To the Flower Don 't cry my love Baby May don't cry Shackled hearts above Pierced souls die It makes me cry, cry.

Don't cry my love Baby May don't cry I'll love you till! die Sorry, sorry, sorry For the drunken lies.

Wet tear are in mine eyes Baby May don 't cry.

"Love Billy Bee" [Wi lliam Arnold Combes]

Complicated Dreamer Dream on dreamer Yo u are a complicated dreamer So dream on dreamer Don 't awaken me by a dreamy screamer 'Cause I'm not a complicated dreamer I held onto a nightmare I had last night I woke up early next morning In a co ld sweat and a fright I went to th e front door Looked up outside and saw High in the sky

I

Millions and millions of birds fa lling dead They wi ll never aga in fly I cried all day I cried all night in wonderment.

Who killed mine birds in fli ght They were tough and dreary They never give up a fight They sho ne upon a star They shone at midnight They were tough and dreary They never give up a fight Dream on dreamer You are a complicated dreamer So dream on dreamer Don't awaken me by a dreamy screamer I went outside and Saw bloodshed all around on the ground Hell spent crash on loud â&#x20AC;˘ Not one bird is alive There was silence, no sound There was no sound on the ground 'Cause life could not be found I wondered once again What-who murdered mine clever birdsWas it a laser beam?

Was it a laser beam from hell? I doubt.

It was mankind 's lifestyle That lead to their last screams I talked to the dream on dreamer She asked: How does it feel not being a complicated dreamer?

I told her mine nightmare wasn 't complicated.

It was a horrid misdemeanour Mankind's technology: cars planes electronics Was the ultimate cause of mine birds' deaths I'm an alcoho lic, not a complicated dreamer I drink poison, don't smoke meth So dream on dreamer, dreamer, dreamer, You complicated dreamer I' m an alcoholic Baby May Not a complicated, complicated, complicated Dreamer But I'm alright, I'm alright, I'm alright Yeah!!!

All my relations.

William Arnold Combes

I

POWNT()WN

NEEDLE EXCHANGE VAN- 3 Routes: 604-685-6561 City- 5:45pm - 11 :45pm ()vernight- 12:30arn- 8:30am Downtown Eastside - 5:30pm - 1:30am

EASTSIDE Y<lUTH ACTIVITIES SOCIETY 612 Main Street

CCJlfJ RZ<CD

604-251-3310

"The job ofthe newspaper i~ to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. " The famous quote is about a hundred years old and can be traced to the work of Finley Peter Dunne, one of the great journalists of the day Editor: Paul R Taylor

NEWSLETTER !'IllS NI·:WSl.ETfER IS A PUBLICATION OF TilE CA RNHiiE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION

Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association

Cover submitted by Huddy

---------------------

I

l

2007 DONATIONS: Libby D.-$1 00 Rolf A.-$50 Barry for Dave McC.-$175 Christopher R.-$50 Margaret D.-$40 Penny G.-$50 Janice P.-$35 Wes K.-$50 Gram -$400 John 5.-$60 Mel L.-$20 Leslie S.-$20 Michael C.-$80 Sheila B.-$20 Wilhelmina M.-$45 CEEDS -$50 Saman -$20 Phylis L.-$200 Paddy -$125 The Edge -$200 Bob S.-$100 Barry M.-$125 Greta P.-$20 The Rockingguys -$25 Jaya B.-$1 00 Huddy $50

Submission dead:ine for next issue: Tuesday, December 11

Jenny WaiChing Kwan MLA 1

l~otldan

We acknowledge that Carnegie Community <:entre, and this 1 N!w~et~r,.!r':_hagp~h!.§ 0_! t~ ~u~i!,!' ~~~"'.!. Cc!:_ri~ry..:. _I

The

4th

Annual Downtown Eastside

Heart of the City Festival A Big THANK YOU to everyone involved!

Presenting a festival on the scale of the Heart ofthe City Festival is a huge undertaking and a uniqu e endeavour in Vancouver and in Canada. We can't do it without the vast support of community individuals, organizations, sponsors and audiences.

Your participation is greatly appreciated!

Particularly we want to thank the individual artists in the community who present their work during the festi val with such co mmitment, passion and generosity. Your strong vo ices are esse ntial to the success of the festiva l.

If you have any ideas or events to contribute or suggest for next year's Festival g ive us at call at 604254-69 11 or talk with Rika, 604-665-3003.

From the Festival programme and production team.

Come to our FREE CLINIC On Carnegie's 3rd floor . .

Law Students' Legal Advice ·

Working for You

DEltA hflps with: Phone & Safe Mailbo1es Welfare Problems; Landlord disputes; llousing problems & unsafe living conditions.

1070-1641 Commercial Dr V5L3Y3 Phone:775-0790 Fax: 775-0881

At 12 East llastings St. or caii604-682-09JI

I

~ ~~

s

~

~"' t::ll,~

"G ~ ~t,.~ .;§

~,

~''I

~~

~~

~c § ~:i ~

·j •

Self-born A

poeVVt for vvte

' /'// climb that hill in my own way. " Pink Floy

Song beauty. Secrets being shared.

Belonging. Sudden beauty sustains - body's Shuddering blocks subside; benign. Saved By sacredness .. beautiful so ng(s) Bye Stephen Belkin s note: This poem is especially dedicated to Nancy Wilson of Heart. I dare say no more.

To get to pe~•cc People go to war Fighting over What they have decided is right imaginary boundaries offences to dignity crazy logic directs us to attack compels us to defend what we insist is our rights alone

to get to peace people will do anything even if it involves engaging in frantic activity grabbi ng whatever we feel we might yet need accumulating only more anxiety over what we yet feel is missing or maybe our strategy is disengagement shedd ing our attachments even as we form them shying away from commitment or any form of consistency or caring and maybe we dive into our experience or maybe we hold back or give on ly a small part of ourselves hoarding our feelings until they are contorted by repressi on and maybe our experiments lead us off centre and maybe we have lost track of who we thought we were and who we were going to be and maybe we have spent our lives on a wi ld goose chase that finally brings us back to ourselves enriched or diminished according to how we have engaged with the world g iven generously or failing to care about anything other than our quest for peace that is so troublesome as long as we are fighting we will not get to peace but will stay stranded in our inab ility to make friends with our fear.

The Whole World If we could shrink the ea11h 's population to a village of precisely I 00 people, with all the existing human ratios staying the same, it would look Iike this: There would be • • •

• • • • • • • • •

• • • • • •

•

57 Asians 2 I Europeans 14 from North & South America 8 Africans 52 would be female 48 would be male 70 would be non-white, 30 white 70 would be non-Christian 30 would be Christian 89 wou ld be heterosexual II would be homosexual 59 percent of the entire world's wealth would be in the hands of only 6 people and all 6 wou ld be citizens of the United States 70 wou ld be unable to read 50 would suffer from malnutrition 40 would exist on less than $2 a day I would be near death I would be near bi t1h 1 would have a college education I would own a computer

When one considers our world in Iight of this, the need for both acceptance and understanding becomes glaringly apparent.

UN NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS •

I

I