DECEMBER 1, 2016
CaRriirig:i'~-~ . N EVVS L ETTE R
.
.
carnnews@vcri.bc.ca.
401 Main Street, Vancouver BC V6A 2T7 604-665-2289 Websitefcatalogue: carnegiEmewsJetter.org
ernall: carnnews@shaw.ca
"Do 'foV REtv\Etv\BER -rHE WAY,CSCRooGE?'J
BAH! HUMBUGI The ghosts of Dickens' A Christmas Carol meet the hearts & souls of today's Downtown
Eastside
December 8-10 & 15-17,2016 Fei & Milton Wong Theatre, SFU Woodwards Celebrating
our 7th year!
with STEPHEN LYTTON (Ghost of Christmas MIKE RICHTER (Scrooge's
Past)
Nephew)
JIM BYRNES (Scrooge) MARGO KANE (Mrs. CratchitlThe
Narrator)
& RICHARD TETRAULT (artwork)
Stephen lytton
BAH HUMBUG! IS BACK!! The Ghosts of Dickens' A Christmas Carol meet the Hearts & Souls of Today's Downtown Eastside SFU Woodwards, Fei and Milton Wong Theatre, 149 E. Hastings Street Dec. 8-10 and 15-17, 7:30 evenings, plus 2pm matinee on Saturdays Tickets: at door or www.sfuwoodwards.ca. Featuring: Jenifer
Jim Byrnes,
Brousseau,
Margo
Savannah
work
of Richard Tetrault.
With
over 30 musical
commissioned
Kane, Stephen Walling,
numbers,
Lytton,
Mike
Richter,
St. James Music Academy
including
among
others,
Tom Pickett,
Sam Bob,
Choir and the animated
HOTEL, with
art
lyrics by Pat rick Foley
by Bah! Humbug!:
WE LIVE DOWN HERE ON HASTINGS STREET IN THIS SRO HOTEL YOU KNOW THAT IT AIN'T NO HEAVEN, 'CAUSE IT'S RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO HELL NOW, WHEN IT GETS CHILLY AND COLD, THE LANDLORD TURNS OFF THE HEAT AND IF YOU'RE EVER LATE WITH THE RENT, HE THROWS YOU OUT ON THE STREET AT NIGHT YOU CAN HEAR THE RATS, SCRATCHING IN THE WALL, BUT IT'S WHEN THE BEDBUGS BITE, THAT IS THE WORST OF AtL YEAH, YOU MIGHT BE DOWN AND OUT, OR SOMEHOW
LOST YOUR WAY
YOU COULD BE ONE OF THE LONELY ONES, AND FEEL YOU GOT NO SAY WE LIVE DOWN HERE ON HASTINGS STREET IN THIS SRO HOTEL YOU KNOW THAT IT AIN'T NO HEAVEN' CAUSE IT'S RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO HELL NOW, WE KNGW HE'S GOT A STASH OF EMPTIES THAT THE OLD BASTARD STOLE FROM ALL THE POOR RESIDENTS HE EVICTED FROM THIS HOLE BUT TONIGHT
WE'VE COME TOGETHER TO EVEN UP THE SCORE
WE'RE GOING TO tAKE ALL THEM EMPTIES WHEN WE BREAK DOWN HIS DOOR I'LL MAKE IT BUDGE WITH MY SLEDGE I'LL GET IT AJAR WITH MY IRON BAR I'LL BREAK THE LOCK WITH MY BIG ROCK IF YOU PLEASE I'LL JUST USE THE KEYS
An annual fundraiser in support of the OTES Heart of the City Festival. Produced by SFU Wood wards Cultural Programs in partnership with'Vancouver
Moving Theatre and in association with Full Circle First Nations Performance
:1
(The first) WRITlN6 CONTEST, The Writing Contest has been interesting, categories. thirtieth
with submissions in Poetry, Essay and Memoir
As part of the Heart of the City Festival there was an event on Friday, November 4th, where the
anniversary of the paper was celebrated and authors were recognised. In Essay, (with 6 submissions), the winner was Aamrah Carole White for "Education
uptown girl."
Honourable
In Memoir,
of a west side,
Mention to Gilles Cyrenne for "A Very Very Short History of Us,"
(with 6 submissions), the winner was Patrick Foley for "Save On Meats." Honourable
Mention to Priscillia Tait for "Honouring
and Acknowledging
Late Sarah Tait."
In Poetry, (with 15 submissions), the winner was Jacqueline Sine for "Stormy Nights." Honourable Mention to Colin Pearson for "Don't Pick Up Today"; Barbara Morrison for "On Honouring the Earth at Crab Park"; and Franci Louann for "Carnegie Centre Library (Built in 1903)." The Newsletter
is produced (except for the actual printing) entirely by volunteers.
writing, artwork, input, formatting,
recompense comes in the form of Volunteer
The only
Tickets which are valid for exchange at the concession for food
& beverages, usually given as 2/hr but a slightly different
status for the paper. Poetry/writing
from 4-8, depending on a subjective system of both the talent and life-experience words to paper. Work is not 'purchased'
This includes all
& distribution.
editing, layout, collation/stapling/folding
may warrant
involved in the setting of
from authors. In this vein, there are tickets for you should your
work be printed. If/when your work appears, you can pick up tickets from Paul in the Newsletter .'
I'.
'
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VI
office
flJ
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WinnerinESSayi
Ed ucation of a west side, uptown girl
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There are times in everyone's life when it becomes appropriate to have a reality check, make a now and here decision to take what there is and be grateful for what comes. Somehow, I have likened this to growing up all over again. I arrived at Vancouver International from Panama on October 11, 2015 where I was a guest of the airport Chaplain for 2 nights over the long weekend, then sent onward to downtown Vancouver to an emergency shelter. It was here this 77-year-old, up town lady began her education, homeless and destitute, in the downtown east side of Vancouver. After settling into shelter, I was directed to Carnegie Library at Main and Hastings as the place to find internet and a fine inexpensive meal. Here is the hub of the east side community: 401 Main Street. If you have lived here for a while, it's a given but imagine this is your first encounter coming along Main across Cordova to Hastings or from the west past Abbott, past Carrall, past Columbia to the iconic corner where early in the 20th Century, the city of Vancouver used Carnegie endowment and local talent to build this Victorian edifice DOW remodeled, restored and transformed into a multiple use establishment op rating 365 days a year with a compassionate. dedicated, highly skilled staff and lots of volunteers. Yes, here we are. All of us in some kind of need. All of us in some kind of health or lack of it. All of us: young,
middle aged, older; Chinese, First Nations, white guys, women and girls; addicted and clean, infirm and vital, a few wise along with a great mass of people totally missing in action. I fit in a large mileu of ultra low income people but not in the debilitated, doctor drugged profile of those aged, say 65 to 85. I knew if I found within myself an open, receptive attitude, I was in a tailor made environment to engage the awareness of who I might be now that I had brought myself, late in life, back to the country of my birth. While I was fortunate not to be quite 'on the streets', sleeping in a doorway, in an alley running in puddles or huddled beside church steps; these are stark realities for a lot of people. Too many, I would say, in a age of wealth, privilege and cold, power hungry hearts. Everyday I roll my wheelchair over those cement pathways observing daily life for far too many of my fellow Canadian people. But please, let's not do pitiful victimhood, rather let us look for and find the perks. Down town east side has its own acronym: DTES to let anyone know there is something special and unique about this neighborhood. Our constituency is a very eclectic mix of human people, gathered in a geography of very old streets, one way throughfares, alleys, courtyards, back yards, community garden tent cities, vacant lots and high rise pads recently built upwards 30 stories and more. We live on top of the asphalt at street level all the way up and up to those so sweet luxury penthouses perched above the harbor. It is noisy. I notice because I have traveled over highways and open spaces, state parks, very small towns, prairies, mountains, shoreline and just plain old freeways for a very long time. Crowded, busy cities are not my usual bailywick, especially not any kind of2417 metropolis the now world class Vancouver has become. These are mean streets; these are dirty streets. The alleys are parked with trash containers snow-packed in drifts of plastic, cardboard, discards, garbage, rotting vegetables and fruit. Rolling grocery carts are utilized for transport of the necessities of life: old dirty clothing, boots, bags of scavenged food, dogs, assorted detritus not yet thrown out but destined for a space on the sidewalk offered for sale 'swap meet' style for coin enough to buy a beer or a needle which will obliterate the dirt and the noise for a short while. It might be disheartening to be here, to watch what is happening. Granted, it is not pretty to look at. But there is something this displaced up town girl discovered as she rolls daily to Carnegie from her haven shelter. All of this myriad population is one tattered and battered, hurting and compassionate community. Everyone from the Asians, Chinese mostly, the refugees from places across the world, the innocent, the seasoned, locals and out oftowners, gay and straight, addicts, drunks, and derelicts - belong. All the off side, somewhat smug looking populace, jaws set tight driving the thoroughfares, only skim past from the burbs loaded with their attitudes. This former up town, west side girl, whose dad was a laboring man, has come over to the east side. There is something about the term, east side: it's not the west end or the university endowment lands. People here do not have the status that those westerly own with the cars they drive, the kinds of buildings they live in, the places where they shop and mingle and dine. Street people do not 'dine' here on the east side: they scavenge, they wolf down donated food, they line up for charity offerings, and they are also often plain hungry substituting a smoke or a needle for a nourishing meal: some have never in their lives had any sort of truly nourishing meal. Then, comes the change of the seasons. It is raining more days in Vancouver than it is dry and now everything changes on the streets. On the last truly dry afternoon, I rolled from Carnegie those short blocks to shelter watching the street people sitting as they do on the sidewalks against the buildings, in the doorways. Now their hoodies are on their heads, they hold their shins, tuck in their heels. They whisper among themselves not bantering or shouting or laughing. We all know the rains are coming soon this very evening, in fact. There is a definite foreboding: this is the season for hardship. Neither clothing nor shoes nor coats will be dry again until sometime later on in spring. Tarps drape the grocery baskets, are tied over the pallet walls before the doorways, everyone hunkers down, shivering a little and very sober. The meanness turns people into caricatures of themselves and of the illustrious, divine humanity from which they come. Even so, there is amazing grace within all of my people. I will gratefully go with that grace draped gently around my shoulders as I roll! By Aamrah Carole White
5
Can noetrv save the world?
Save On Meats
Winner in Memoir
Back in the old days, I remember Hastings Street used to be a going concern. There were lots of people in the street and there were good places to shop. Woodward's department store was good for hardware, clothes, and the food floor was really popular. There were also places like Pierre Paris Shoes and of course Save On Meats. ' One day I was shopping there and it was really busy. F?lks were lined up three deep in front of the sloping display cases. As I was waiting to be served I noticed this big old guy in front of me mumbling away. He had on a large overcoat, a brown fedora, and about 3 day's growth of beard. Before he could place his order, he began to slide down the display case, ending up in a heap on the floor. People started shouting for a chair and then for a taxi. As they were hauling him outside, he gave me the eye, held up a two-dollar bill and said: "Get me some sssssshicken!" I took his money and asked him, "Do you want white or dark?" He just looked at me like I was crazy and shouted: "Sssssshickenl! " I bought him 2 legs of chicken and brought it out to him. He said: "Sanks paaaal!" By now folks had him sitting on a stool and he was waiting for a taxi to take him home. Because he was obviously drunk as a skunk, I decided to wait with him there and maybe help him to the taxi. Then, as I was standing there, he turns and says: "Haaalp me up!" So I help him up and what's he do? He hauls out his John Henry and proceeds to take a waz right out there on the sidewalk. He shoots a stream of pee that looks like a twisted, glistening, transparent yellow rope,
which arcs across the sidewalk and spatters into the gutter. Folks have to give him a wide berth. As I'm holding upthis guy I'm thinking, "Jeez, I hope nobody I know sees me now." I try not to make it obvious I'm holding him up. After he has a good waz he slurs out "Sannnnnksalot!" Well, finally the taxi comes and we load him in. He s~y~: "Take n:e to the Silver!" Then away he goes givmg me a kind of salute as if to say: "Au revoir". In looking back I think to myself: Well, I did a good deed that day, actually two good deeds because his chicken cost more than the two bucks he gave me. But I really don't care because I got myself this tale to tell. By PATRTCK FOLEY
Constituency Office now open 2572 E. Hastings Street Vancouver BC V5K 1Z3 Tel: 604-775-5800 Fax: 604-775-5811 Email:Jenny.Kwan@parl.gc.ca Jenny Kwan MP Vancouver East NDP Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Critic
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"Can I Help?" If there's one thing r"ve learned working for Atira, there's no 'us' and 'them.' It's just us. We may not be equals, but we come from the same environment same upbringing, same family life. We are the results of bad marriages, bad parents, bad families. We go on living the best we can: drugs, booze, therapy. Whatever it takes, we survive ... .I did. Many of us never do. What happens to us as children never goes away, we never forget. Impossible to ever forgive. I'm one of the survivors, I fought to survive. And it seems every year a new kid shows up at the Carnegie. Some lost soul, someone in need of help. I'm on my third kid at the Carnegie. Not kids, really, in their twenties. One was an alcoholic, one a drug addict. My boy Skyler is clean, has a girlfriend and a dog. Loved him, looked after him the best I could; he made it. My boy Adam was a drunk, did my best. Lost him. 1 have a new one now, hope I can help make a difference. By Garry Moore
Honourable Mention in Poetry . Carnegie Centre Library (Built in 1903) the alley the bin the needles in window portraits Milton, Shakespeare, Spenser Bums, Scott, Moorethe regardedthe worn marble stairs stained glass windows Fides, Historica, Literatura anHIV memorial blanket in the lobby posters with pictures twenty missing persons the discarded the needles the bin the alley franci Louann
Provincial money favours private developer, not homeless The BC government says it's the 'largest single-year housing investment by any province in Canada," " $500 million for about 2900 housing units across BC. B~t what~oes it mean fo: the 1000 homeless people In the DTES? At most It means that over the next 5 years or so, we get 96 new housing units that low income people can afford. Here's the list: 124 Dunlevy: This is Roddan Lodge which the city wants to demolish and rebuild as a social mix building with low and higher income people living in it. Currently Roddan has about 156 units for mostly low in.come seniors. The province will pay $4.8 million to rebuild Roddan with 223 units. Where the tenants go in the meantime is not clear. The provincial investment of $4.8 million won't increase the number of low income units at Roddan Lodge, just improve the quality of them, hopefully.
835 E. Hastings. The province will pay $2.5 million to the Lee Benevolent Association for 45 seniors units. Rents aren't specified so we don't know if they will be rich or poor seniors or in between. 375 E. Pender; 485 Dunlevy. This is the New Marr Hotel. The province is spending $5M to buy it from the current owner and renovate it. Right now it is occupied by mostly low income people and operating under a lease so the spending by the province won't increase the number of units available but will probably improve their quality. The building would be run by Atira for older women with "concurrent disorders." 453 Powell St: This building is owned by the Po Yuen Taoist Centre. The province will pay $1.5 million to add 5 units for seniors to the top floor. Rents are not specified. 105 Keefer: This is the site that the low income Chinese speaking community has been fighting to turn into 100% welfare/pension rate social housing and community facilities. Right now Beedie developers want to put condos there plus 25 units of social housing for seniors. The province is putting $7.3 million into these 25 units ($292,000 each), paying millions more to Beedie, a private developer, for 25 units than it is paying to the city for 223 units at Roddan Lodge. ' 124 Powell. The province is spending $3.7 million for 21 units to be run by MPA for low income people. This site is currently an SRO that the MPA runs. Shayne Ramsay of BC Housing says the new units will be on a vacant site. Total amount the province is spending on all DTES projects: $24.8 Million for only, at most, 96 more units than we have now that will be at welfare/pension rates. Or, even fewer than 96 could be at low rents. . We don't know yet. And, this could be the total provincial funding we get for the next 5 years, as this big funding announcement of $500 million for the whole province is a pre-election announcement. There is no commitment to spend another $500 million a year for the next few years. In total the $500 million would build about one third of what is needed across BC, EVERY YEAR, according to the Alliance Against Displacement which calculates that we need about 10,000 social housing units per year in BC. Meanwhile, the NDP hasn't said how much it will spend on social housing if elected. By JEAN SWANSON
TIS THE SUSON' TO BE VOLUNTEEIUN6 Š Why Volunteer Over Christmas you ask? The more we give, the happier we feel. Volunteering: increases self-confidence. You are doing good for oth- ' ers and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. Volunteering and helping others can help you reduce stress, combat depression, keep you mentally stimulated, and provide a sense of purpose. While it's true that the more you volunteer, the more benefits you'll experience, volunteering doesn't have to involve a long-term commitment or take a huge amount of time out of your busy day. Giving in even simple ways can help others those in need and improve your health and happiness.
Upcoming Volunteer Events: Volunteer Committee-. Wednesday, Dec. 7th @ 3:30pm, Classroom 2 Volunteer Christmas Party- Friday, December 9th @ 4:30pm, Theatre (need 12 hrs to attend) Volunteer Dinner- Wednesday, December 14th @ 4:30pm, Theatre need 12 hrs to attend) Volunteers of the month for November: Maria Teixeira, Learning Centre + David Dubois, Dishwasher!!! Congratulations.
Out Of The Mouth Of Babes and Suckling Children Are Scared Trumpeting Hilariously Straight out of Trumpton Children are Scared And big people don't care "Bullying" is made official "Bully" is President A poem by a concerned
lOyrs old young man
Emmariuel Menelik
From the Library Hello again! It's great to be back at the coziest little library in town and see all your familiar faces. Whether you're looking for a good book to curl up with or something for the book -lover on your list this holiday season, a librarian can help. If you're a do-ityourselfer in a gift-giving mood, these titles may be of interest: Food Gift Love (2015) by Maggie Battista. Jam swirled marshmallows and roasted banana bread? Yes please! Make a tasty treat for a loved one (or yourself) and get tips on how to wrap each recipe. Origami Card Gift (2009) by Karen Elaine Thomas. From tiny photo albums to hidden messages, learn how to fold 30 elegant and unique origami pieces to get your message across. Crafting with Nature (2016) by Amy Renea. Pick up this book and make something beautiful with items found in nature, your pantry, and the grocery aisles. 100 Little Christmas Gifts to Make (2016). Finally, if you are a Christmas crafter, this book is jam-packed with activities like pom-pom and jewellery making. Great for beginners and pros looking for new ideas. This will be my last post for the year as the amazing Natalie will be back by this time, so I hope everyone has a wonderful December! Your (visiting) librarian, Jennifer
Carnegie Theatre Workshop One Night in Hellter Shellter
We're back for the Winter season!
"Show thou Carnegie workshop Players"
Let's put our ideas together for a '" holiday pageant '"
Performance on Christmas Eve Saturday December 24 Creative sessions/rehearsals
Fridays 1pm - 4pm Dec 2, 9, 16, 23 Carnegie Theatre Free, everyone welcome! For more into: Teresa 604-255-940 I thirteenothearts@hbtmail.com
At 10pm lights are dimmed, but the chit-chat begins. Some energy that is dormant all day awakens. Problems of the community are discussed & solutions proposed. Persons drop off sitting up or bent overmouths wide open sprawled around two chairs or the staff person's desk. Much chit-chat re other "ladies" habits or explanations of side effects from opioids like the constant consumption of sugary treats. For the S(treet) S(ex) Workers preparations begin for their evening. Searching in the big black bag for just that perfectly provocative costume: leather boots (high); fur (faux); Bling that sparkles in the streetlights or headlamps of cars slowing down to 'pick up a girl' The girls are older & older or look so! Lots of colour or colouring inside the lines. A girl falls from her top bunk - she is on Fentanyl (I heard) and goes to IYetox later. The person on staff (S.R. W.s) observes, takes notes, sometimes call the Paramedics. Everyone carries a NARCON kit, even some staff. Someone sits heavily on my bed. "Can I talk to you? "I'm tired." Her breath reeks of booze. She moves around, waking others. The French woman screams she's always annoyed about everything. Limitations of storage; the temperature in the donn; the lack of warm blankets etcetera. When I complained once about being rudely awakened the staff person came to suddenly & with anger. "It's not your position to confront the women," she spat out. (So there are no rules (0 are there?)) It's a clean shelter - the bedding is changed daily, the floors are disinfected. The dogs have found no critters except a few cockroaches. It has been raining almost daily for a month; people are uncomfortable with some men sleeping outside and coming just for breakfast. I leave as soon as I'm awake. The atmosphere is one of apathy, depression, and dirt. Hope used to live here but she moved. Wilhelmina Miles
CARNEGIE COMMUNITY
ACTION
NOVEMBER 2016
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1~tLi.76 From left: ~r:t. (Mrs. Kong), ~IJ:t.(Mrs. l.uu), and pt.::..jt~(MsChen) "I don't even understand what this says." That's what Mrs. Kong, an 83 year old Chinatown resident of over 20 years, said about a City open house notice at a news conference on November 21st, in front of a gentrifying store on Main and East Georgia St. "You used to be able to get everything in this community . There was a place that took passport photos. We had all the grocery stores and herbal stores, cafes, a variety of restaurants to eat dim sum or dinner. Some of the doctors have moved away too. Chinatown right now doesn't have a
seniors building. No matter where you're from, seniors need a lot of support. How is the City's economic plan helping us at all?"
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Consultation for Chinatown Revitalization Plan Excludes Low-Income Chinese-speaking Residents Others in the group said that stores and restaurants which they had previously liked to frequent have already closed because of gentrification. These include Lee Loy Barbeque Meats, Chinatown Supermarket, Fresh EggMart, Superior Tofu, and the Golden Wheat Bakery. "We need more housing that seniors on basic pension can afford and we've only got 11 units with the current plan;' said Iessica Chiu, another resident of the neighbourhood. The development policies have huge impacts in Chinatown yet when members of our group talked with their friends and neighbours, many of them didn't know about the City proposing changes to the policies. The group wants the city to organize another open house in the new year and do a broader notification for th open house, including more extensive distribution of the notice card, clearer language of the notice card as well as media promotion (including radio) to raise more awareness of this policy review. They also want stores that serve the low income Chinese-speaking community preserved and more social housing built at welfare/ pension level rents.
2
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CCAPwelcomes new Chinatown Concern Group organizer
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Hi everyone! My name is 1i7j ~x Beverly Ho, and I'm so honored and happy to be on staff with CCAP and working with the ~ ;.1J,ElChinatown Concern Group! I've been involved with the group for around a year now, as well as with ~ Jf -&. ~fF~,El Youth for Chinese Seniors and ~ j:l~¡H!JJ,~,ElChinatown Action Group. Getting to know CCG has been amazing; their superstar personalities, struggles, values, and victories! I know it'll be challenging and hard work, but I'm excited to be learning and growing and fighting with Concern Group and CCAP!
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Correction In the article "00 street vendors want to move from Pigeon Park?" in the September 2016 edition ofthe CCAP Newsletter, we quoted Formerly Homeless Oave and refered to him as Homeless Oave. We would like to correct this mistake and offer a sincere apology for misquoting Formerly Homeless Oave's name.
3
Criminalization of homelessness continues as Thornton Park tent city is forcibly displaced by police
Around 9:30 am on the morning of November 25, 2016, police arrested seven people at the new Thornton Park tent city beside the Pacific Central Skytrain; one homeless resident and six supporters. Since the arrests all seven people arrested have been released. City park rangers delivered notices to residents instructing them to take down their tents because of a bylaw that states that tents must be removed from public parks by 9am. Tent city residents and supporters linked arms to defe d the shelters as park rangers, backed by 20 police officers, attempted to dismantle tents and temporary shelters. Police used unnecessary force to separate residents and supporters, pulling and pushing bodies and throwing people to the ground. Seven people were eventually handcuffed and taken to the Vancouver jail on Cordova Street. The residents of the Thornton Park tent city had previously resided at the tent city at 58 W. Hastings and Wendy Poole park. The City
4
of Vancouver's injunction to evict residents at 58 W. Hastings was upheld by a recent B.C. Supreme Court ruling which came into effect Thursday, November 24th, at 6pm. The court injunction against 58 W Hastings was granted even though in similar cases last year the BC Supreme Court found that pushing homeless people out of public spaces without offering adequate shelter alternatives is a violation of their Charter rights. In this case, although 58 W. Hastings is owned by the City of Vancouver, it is the City's private property and designated for the City's private development not public use. The dozen residents ofWendy Poole Park were also forced to evacuate the park the same day by city staff In response to the shutdown of 58 W hastings and Wendy Poole Park, residents and supporters marched from 58 W. Hastings on the evening of November 24th to Thornton Park where they set up tents in the heavy rain.
The police arrested me for protecting my stuff, for being homeless After most of the people had been released from jail, supporters and residents hosted a press conference outside of the courthouse at 5pm Friday evening in solidarity with the one remaining supporter who remained in custody until9pm this evening. At the press conference residents spoke about their experience being homeless and the treatment they receive by police. Daniel, one of the seven people arrested, spoke about the criminalization of the poor: "The police arrested me for protecting my stuff, for being homeless." Andrew, a resident who had moved from 58 W Hastings the night before, explained how the criminalization of the poor has long-term effects on the lives of the homeless: "People who just need a place to live can end up with a criminal record and so they can't get ajob, they have to steal just to eat, or they get arrested for illegal camping." Michelle spoke about the punishingly low welfare rates and how they push people further into poverty: "For someone who isn't able to work anymore, like myself, with the amount that they give you, nobody can live on that and sur~ive. You have to think, 'Do I eat today?'"
All of the residents who spoke discussed government inaction. Daniel stated, "Shelters aren't a solution, they're just bandaids." Michelle spoke of her experience in SRO hotels: "SROs are dirty and infested. I've heard stories of people getting sick from rats." Andrew spoke to the lack of action that governments have taken: "We deserve to have safe housing, clean houses. And we deserve solutions, not promises." Andrew's final comment reminded the crowd of why we must continue to fight: "We are human beings - we all deserve a safe, warm, clean place to live:'
Displacement does not mean safety The City also used health and safety concerns to justify the injunction against 58 W Hastings, but in reality the injunction destroyed the little stability, safety and security that the homeless residents of 58 W Hastings had built up over the past months.
• Displacement does not mean safety for women or anyone. Displacement has now thrust the residents of 58, Wendy Poole Park and Thornton Park back into the alleys and dark spaces of the city where they will face increased danger from police and anti-homeless and misogynist bigots who act under cover of isolation.
Stories from the 58 W Hastings Tent City The two following articles are stories from residents of 58 W Hastings. CCAP has edited this article from an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in opposition to the City of Vancouver's application for
a court injunction that would enable police to use force to displace the tent city at 58 W. Hastings. We have not added any text except for titles, and have only removed or re-organized text for readability.
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"While Tent City is far from perfect and I desperately need proper housing, it has greatly improved my life situation." In 2014 I moved to Grande Prairie, Alberta to live with my father and try and recover from my struggles with addiction. My father became physically abusive and in December of 2015 I was forced to flee. I went to stay in a shelter at the Rotary House in Grande Prairie. In the shelter everyone stayed on mats or beds that were close together in wide-open rooms. I could not emotionally handle being in the shelter. I began to have panic attacks, including hyperventilation, vomiting and blacking out. Because I could not stay in the shelter I returned to Vancouver in December 2016. I have some friends and family here who I was able to couch-surf with for a time, but they were increasingly unwilling to host me. I repeatedly applied for housing but was denied over and over because I was on income-assistance and because I have a dog. I started going to various social organizations to get help applying for housing but I was repeatedly told that I could not get a housing advocate because I was not living in a shelter. But I could not go 0 a shelter because of my mental health.
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I moved to Tent City in July of 2016. In mid-October the city posted a notice saying that everyone at Tent City had a week to leave. We were promised shelter beds but eventually I was told that my partner and I would have to go to different shelters. I refused. My boyfriend is a primary source of support for me. There are very few people I feel safe with. I have suffered a lot of abuse in my life. Eventually we were offered a spot at New Fountain Shelter by BC Housing but when we
arrived there was only a single cot in a small room with three other men. There were bed bugs and cockroaches everywhere. Mike went to stay on the street because there wasn't enough room on the cot. I couldn't sleep all night, my anxiety was horrible. We returned the next night and were given chairs to sit on in the hallway. After several nights of this treatment we returned to Tent City. While Tent City is far from perfect and I desperately need proper housing, it has greatly improved my life situation. The same social organizations which were unwilling to help me before were now willing to help me apply for housing. Now that I am not shuttling around from couch to couch I have the stability to actually attend their offices and go for follow-up meetings. And Htey know where to find me when we need to take the next steps on my application. I still struggle with anxiety but it is manageable because when I start to panic I can return to my tent, sit with my dog and spend time with my partner, and calm down before I re-engage. I am able to stay with my partner, who I have been with for 6 or 7 years. Many shelters and housing options are single-gender.1 feel safe at Tent City. I am able to lock my things in my tent and I haven't had any issues with theft or violence. People are respectful and supportive. I struggle with addiction and I feel safer at Tent City. If a person is overdosing all they have to do is yell "Narcan" and everyone comes running. People administer Naloxone, call 911 and start giving CPR. I have seen people's lives saved. By: Anonymous 58 residents
"The camp is more stable than being on the street or in the shelter" I am a 51 year old woman. My parents passed away when I was 12. I grew up on the street in Vancouver. I lived in a hostel for teenage runaways for a few years. The hostel was positive in some ways, but they put a lot on us. It was hard. I had my eldest daughter when I was 17. Later, I was married for 15 years and had a daughter who has autism. My husband died in 2008. I was devastated. My husband worked constantly to support my youngest daughter and me. After he passed away I went downhill. I started using drugs. I couldn't afford to take care of my daughter any more. I surrendered her to the government. She lives in assisted living. She's getting the best care that she can. After that I was so depressed and lonely. Then I met my partner. We talked and laughed a lot and after a while we started dating.
Shelters are not an option.
been stolen at other shelters tooWe've had arguments and altercations with other people living in the shelters. Once a man freaked out close to me, and it took staff like 10 minutes to do anything. It was really scary. We slept at the Aboriginal Shelter and got bed bugs. Our legs were so chewed up. Another time all of our stuff was covered by cockroaches. It's disgusting. There are always bugs in all the shelters. They freak me out and make me feel unsafe and unhealthy. I don't want to go there, I don't want to be near those things.
Feeling safer at 58 West Hastings. We moved into the camp about 3.5 months ago. We were some of the first people there. We've been living there full time ever since. The camp is good because I don't have to get up, put all my stuff in a bag and leave, day after day. That's hard on you.
About 8 years ago I lost my mobile home due to some kind of legal technicality. My husband had taken care of the home and I didn't know exactly wha to do. Stacey and I ended up being homeless together. I lost all my belongings that were in the home too. My whole life was in that place.
If you're in a shelter, they wake you up and kick you out. You have to take all your stuff with you. Out on the street, the City wakes you up at 6am and makes you move on. Doing that every day for 8% years is unbelievable. It takes a toll on your whole body.
I've been homeless since then. Sometimes we live in shelters but mostly we live outside. We've had bad experiences in shelters. At the United Church shelter, back when they accepted couples, someone stole all of our stuff even though a security guard was standing right beside our bunk bed. Our stuff has
In camp we sleep better. The fresh air is good. It was nice not to have to walk around all night trying to find a place to sleep. Being in camp is better for my health. Normally I have callouses and blisters on my feet from walking so much. The calluses and blisters went away since being in camp.
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In camp, we're stable. We can do things, like look for jobs or look for treatment. If we're on the street or in a shelter we have to pick up all our stuff and carry it around. I can't carry all my stuff looking for jobs. I need a place to stay. Outside, we don't have bed bugs or cockroaches, so we don't have to worry about that. I feel safer in camp. When we're here, we don't get people teasing us or laughing at us. When we're living on the street you get people laughing at us, calling us names. We're binners and people say all kind of awful things to us. Someone threw an egg at me once. In camp here, people leave you alone.
Also, I can be with my partner. When we're in shelters we have to stay apart all the time. I miss him when we're apart. He's the person I can talk to things about emotionally, about things I've been through in my life. We've stuck by each other through everything. We want to stay together. If they make us leave the camp, we won't have anywhere to go. It's so hard to find a place to sleep in the wintertime. Last year I got frostbite on my toes. Shelters were always stocked full. We need stable housing. Without it I can't eat properly or take care of my body. By: Anonymous 58 resident
Provincial money favours private developer, not homeless The BC government says it's the 'largest single-year housing investment by any province in Canada," $500 million for about 2900 housing units across BC. But what does it mean for the 1000 homeless people in the DTES? At most it means that over the next 5 years or so, we get at the most 96 new housing units that low income people can afford, but it could be fewer. And, this could be the total provincial funding we get for the ne~t 5 years, as this big funding
announcement of $500 million for the whole province is a pre-election announcement. There is no commitment to spend another $500 million a year fer the next few years. In total the $500 million would build about one third of what is needed across BC, every year, according to the Alliance Against Displacement which calculates that we need about 10,000 social housing units per year in BC. Meanwhile, the NDP hasn't said how much it will spend on social housing if elected.
ABOUT CAllNEGlE COMMUNITY AcnoN
PROJECT
CCAPfights poverty, works for social housing and demand that the government raise welfare and pension rates to meet the cost of living in the province. We are DTESresidents who organize to combat gentrification and the displacement of poor people onto the streets as low-cost housing units are replaced by high-end condos. We meet every Friday 11.5 on the third floor of Carnegie,join us! More info: www.carnegieaction.org UNCEDED SQUAMISH. TSLEIL-WAUTHUTH AND MUSQUEAM TERRITORIES
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thirty years now, you say, Paul: wow. and what does that mean, as an outlet to folks? "1 can speak my mind, from the heart, in my own voice." "1 can shout of injustice, I can cry for peace and hope." "1 can show and tell you of my creative, artistic works." "1 can invite you to join in community celebrations." "We can celebrate the brief or long lives of one another." "We can demonstrate the substance and value of this neighbourhood." "and we can love or care for whomever we choose, hoping it is received." so with that said, 1 offer the prayer of St Francis of Assisi: (which continues to remind me to put it into practice) 'Lord, where where where where where where where where
make there there there there there there there there
me an instrument of your peace. is hatred, let me sow love. is resentment, let me bring me forgiveness. is discord, let me bring harmony. is error, let me bring truth. is doubt, let me ring faith. is despair, let me ring hope. is darkness, let me bring light. is sadness, let me bring joy.
Master, let me not seek rather to be consoled, than to console; to be understood, than to understand; to be loved, than to love. for in giving, we receive; in forgetting ourselves, we find ourselves; in forgiving, that we are forgiven; in dying, that we rise to eternal life.' may ijust add, that our worthy adversary is also human and will one day-no longer exist: let us offer compassion A.S.Naomi
Narvey
If We Had Our Own Homes A "Zipper Song" to the tune IF I HAD A HAMMER by Pete Seeger If we had our own homes We'd close down all the shelters We'd be sleeping in warm beds All over this la-and We'd say goodbye to bed bugs Friends could come to vi-is-it We'd be safe and secure; out of the rain Ava-a-a-all over this land. If we had our own homes We could cook our own meals We'd say goodbye to soup lines All over this la-and We'd have our own ta-bles Friends could come to vi-is-it We'd be safe and secure; healthier, too! Asa-a-a-all over this land. If we had our own homes We'd store our belongings We'd say, "Goodbye shopping carts!" All over this la-and We'd go out unencumbered Friends could ask us a-av-er We'd be safe and secure; happier, too! Ava-a-a-all over this land. Lisa David
*PiR5T SHoW* 1ltURSDAY
DEC8·G:3~ ETERNAL LIFE Sleep, eternal sleep Dream, impossible dream Lost in dimensions of the human soul Feel the tranquility See what no one can see This journey lasts for eternity Sky opens up for me Light, can face the light It's good to know , I'm finally home I
Peace, eternal peace No time and no space I lived my life just to get to this place Fear, nothing to fear Possessions, all are gone Sustained adrift away from harm Hands can't touch my face Friends, and now I've learned These rented bodies must be returned Born into a world of magic life Must spread my wings now to take flight Good-bye to everyone I loved just look for me in the stars above Kerry L Chartrand
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CARN£6IE Some people's fears are expressed in different ways. If you do not conquer your fears those fears can take over your life - then life may seem unbearable. With the love and support we gain from those around us, we as a society can come together. A simple expression of love and gratitude can make a change in a person's daily life. Maria Teixeira
The Dirty Little Empire of Joe Celona By Debra McNaught Calling Joe Celona a hero is definitely a stretch, but there is no denying he was a colourful addition to Vancouver's history, and in particular the history of the Downtown Eastside. Born in Italy in 1897 as Giuseppe Florenzo, he spent some time anglicizing in New York City before arriving in Vancouver in 1919 as Joe Celona. He was a keeper of bawdy houses, a bookmaker, a bootlegger, a hotel owner, and friend of crooked politicians and crooked cops. He had his fingers in a lot of dirty pies, and the sensationalized media of the day labelled him the "Vice Czar," the number one bad boy of Vancouver and the closest thing we had (then) to a mobster. Celona bought a building at 272 Union Street, not far from Hogan's Alley, which served as residence and business combined. He installed a corner store on the ground floor, a half-hearted attempt at camouflage that didn't fool the neighbours because everyone knew what went on in the upper floors. Celona was running what was then called a "disorderly house," so what with his working Ladies, a bookmaking operation, a bootlegging operation, his residence, and a store all under the same r of, the place must have been pretty lively. It was certainly profitable: he soon added more disorder to the DTES: more houses, and then houses became hotels, and Celona's sordid little empire grew quickly. He eventually acquired real estate at 204 and 244 East Hastings, as well as 210 Keefer just past Main, where the HSBC now squats. In the 1930s he owned and operated the Maple Hotel at 177 East Hastings, where his bookmaking operation and another group of Ladies occupied the fourth floor. To maintain his front as a legitimate businessman, a "hotel owner and man about town," as the Vancouver Sun called him, he also owned a cigar store at 600 Main. That store was located oh-so-conveniently just down the block from the old City Hall (which used to be right
next door to the Carnegie, then still in its original incarnation as the city's library), because then-mayor LD Taylor, a committed cigar smoker, also just happened to be a dedicated customer. Taylor also just happened to be pretty casual on vice crime, arguing the police should concentrate on solving serious crime, not the stuff that outraged the moral reformers and titillated the citizenry, a rather interesting argument given that rumours of corruption on a grand scale surrounded Taylor his entire time in office. Never mind that the 1928 Lennie Commission investigating organized crime made it perfectly clear that CeIona had ties to vice, the report didn't have teeth enough to bite him or any corrupt partners / officials. Meanwhile, he partied with the Mayor on numerous occasions, and at the home of Chief of Police John Cameron. Is this beginning to smell funny? The only raids on Celona's businesses were the kind where the cops gave advance notice, and only the unimportant or inconvenient customers got arrested. But by 1934 there had been a change in power, and there was a new mayor in town. That's the problem with Big Cool Friends in high places - when they go down, so do you. After Celona's wife Josie caught him in bed with another woman and shot him in the <cough> "hip," the media attention gave new Mayor Gerry Mcfieer something to focus on. After he fired up the local press and called for pitchforks, Celona and a couple of his business partners were arrested on charges a lot juicier than just keeping "disorderly" houses. McGeer knew how to press buttons, and had Celona and company charged with White Slavery: the procuring of underage girls for "Asian men," all of which was described in salacious detail in the Vancouver Sun and the Province. It was the big story of the year, probably for several years. Vancouver was not an easy city to live in (and in far too many ways still isn't) if you were anything other than a White AngloSaxon Protestant; race riots, unfortunately, were not a rare occurrence. In other words, it didn't take too much push from McGeer to get the populace excited, and with the tagline "We're going to Barcelona!" (bar Celona, get it?) the "Vice Czar" was sentenced to 22 years, which was later shortened to 11; he eventually served only 9. Once back on the streets in 1944 - not literally, because Celona and the missus were living plush at 4973 Angus Drive in Point Grey - he picked up his old
strings and re-opened for business, sticking (mostly?) to bootlegging, trying to keep a low profile and operating from a location at 373 East Hastings. Meanwhile, Mrs Vice Czar had not been very good at keeping a low profile. In 1943 she had driven over some poor kid in front of the Princeton Hotel at Powell and Victoria, another "interesting" establishment at that time, but that's another story. Angelo Branca, a lawyer with interesting connections of his own, was the Celona family lawyer; but failed to get her acquitted. The last public hurrah for Joe Celona was during the 1950s when he was subpoenaed to testify during a corruption trial starring the Vancouver Police. Again, the press went wild, fawning over the celebrity criminal, describing him as urbane and nattily dressed. When he died in 1958 at St Paul's Hospital, he left a sum of money behind that translated into over $800,000 in today's money. Not bad for a guy that only ran a corner store and a cigar shop.
"Know someone'? story that needs to be told? Write it, or just send us the idea; if you need help with the telling we can do that. Contact Debra or Paul at carnnews@shaw.ca."
For Me I'm asking Please Now if it's ten cents a dance Hey where is the prance Oh yeah come closer Let's find romance Hi, pretty lady would you like to dance Oh that's OK I understand you have no time The music too slow for the right kind of mood you're in I know I look strange or funny for any kind of chance Is that still romance? If it's a place, Is there any flowers that are in bloom' I'll get you one and sing you a tune OK run away don't listen to the music play You just want the other stuff HA YE a nice evening. I'll just walk away HA YE a nice evening. I'll just walk away I could have been a nice evening Bye now good night good evening. Mike McCormack
T-Wrapped - Cornered Again
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Or is it still caught in the Game of Prey & Predator - the survival of the fittest Checkmated A pawn in the Big Bowling Game The outcome fixed well into the future The hand of Athena tugging your curly locks during an important battle Preventing you Tipping the cosmic scales in the field of contest In her favour You puny mortals - , We won, we are winning, we will win, Again, and again, and again And there will be singing and dancing and feasting Ceremony and celebration: Sacrifice to all gods while conversations re disease, plagues of insects spiders, toads and such occupy the good people in the cafes The fire department is busy The police department is busier The ambulances block traffic The wheelchairs slow down major connectors A spiral down like cogged heels on edge Click, chick, one turn, over + over Hooked in every way but determination Myself, I prefer the wines from Tuscan grapes Or that fine liquid distilled by the Scots In the highlands, or across the Irish Sea Even music called Rock n Roll or perhaps honky-tonk Some good Celtic poetry - Yeats maybe Such is my story Common to many Rare to a fortunate few PI us "ca change, plus ,le meme chose" And of course Dalie et Decorum Est" All that universal jingo-jazz Teetering on the brink of the Brave New World That world just out of reach Are we beginning to learn those hard lessons Lessons we keep for only a few years And then FORGET Wilhelmina Mary
Palms and Granite Industrial playgrounds this Twenty-first Century is most definitely a first avoid reflections from oily waters the last thing you need is a brand new curse we humans sure know how to create the right wreck, like the murdered children who of course can be named yet murderer kids' names are forbidden I find this more than a little strange this gospel autopsy sonnet is for the dead then again death has few side effects, here we are at the show where they stamp your hand just in case you die it is their Policy like being on the Opium Windfrey Show every dream you've ever dreamt is yours absolutely free but do you have the guts to live the next twenty years if U answered Yes I hope you live thru whatever evil is coming next, like the masses who'd pay to watch the depressed 'lonely ones' taking their solitude one day at a time this global autopsy is informative in no way is this a crime the next twenty years shall wipe out the next right wreck does every mistake have to have such a huge effect?! Like watching beautiful structures being imploded because they are an eyesore I wish I could pity ignorant people like you but you usually fade away on chainsmoking airlines i ot the first then the second pack will be all yours doom those unwanted years await the right wreck, like atomic bombs at twenty paces or prisons on exotic island sands we looked for peace but found only granite in the palms of our hands all held high in a world getting lower than low can get. .. like a generation just brimming with apeirophobia (the fear of Eternity) whose advance & subtract tactics turn children into fearhoarders or serial killers thankyougod that I will not be here thank you so much peace while I've got you so many well a few o.k. maybe less are curious at your truly being here (is hell that bad?) what about the environment is it something we should fear if so can I split there are people I think need to be
warned let-alone feared should I or do people truly deserve what they get?! Like pornographic colouring books a good thing or ,evil or very healthy for ones mind, body & soul yet this beautiful planet is more troubled & dangerous than ever with priests foaming at the mouth as we helplessly watch the selfishly insane take over every control like the fumes of the exhausted who have seen or heard of the psalms and granite I believe in truth in anarchy in moderation life really does not need war after war as someone &/or people have said what the fuck is it good for? Let peace reign we shall speak again. By ROBERT McGILLIVRA Y PS: Leonard Cohen has died! Holy F&#$! "The gods are just and of our pleasant vices make instruments to plague us." King Lear (Shakespeare)
REMEMBERING on 11/11 WORLD WAR ONE A lot of Canadian soldiers passed away in the â&#x20AC;˘ trenches.
WORLD WAR TWO Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Germans bombed England for eight months. There were lots of bomb shelters for the English to hide in but over 20,000 pec .pIe were killed during that blitz. The Holocaust was the slaughter of over 6 million Jewish people by the Germans in their concentration camps during that war. I read The Diary of Anne Frank which is a true story & I believe that all people should read it.
.FAMILY MEMBERS My uncles were in wars: Uncle Gavin Wuttunee drove an ambulance on the front lines in WWIl. Uncle Noel Wuttunee was a paratrooper and he lande: on the trees. He was also a sniper. Uncle Tommy Wuttunee was in the Korean War. Alsc my Aunt Florence Wuttunee was in the Air Force. They all survived & came home to us. Marlene Wuttunee
Carnegiet NEWSLETTER
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acknowledge that Camegie Community Centre, arid this Newsletter, are occurring on Coast Sal ish Territory.
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THIS NEWSLETIER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION
Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association.
"Never doubt that a sl11~1Igroup of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Meade'
WANTED
Artwork for the Carnegie Newsletter
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Small illustralions to accompany articles and poetry. Cover art - Max size 17cm(6 ';'")wide x 15cm(6")high Subject matter pertaining 10issues relevanl to the Downlown Eastside, but all work considered. Black & White printing only. Size restrictions apply !i.e. if your piece is too large, it will be reduced and/or cropped to fit). All artists will receive credit for their work. Originals will be returned to the artisl after being copied for publication' . Remuneration: Carnegie Volunteer Tickets
Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor. The editor can edit for clarily, format & brevity, but not at the expense of the writer's message.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE TUESDAY,DECEMBER13TH
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WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION • • •
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AIDS PqVERTY ,HOMELESSNESS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ABORIGINAL GENOCIDE TOTALITARIAN CAPITALISM IGNORANCE and SUSTAINED FEAR
(Publication is possible only with now-necessary donations.)
DONATION 2016: Sheila B.-$300 Robert McG.-$230 Elsie McG.-$400 In memorycifSam Snobe/en: Anonymous$200 In memory of Harold David: Susan S.-$200 In memory of Bud Osbom: Kelly F.-$66 Laura $50 In memory of Gram: L.-$10 Barb & Mel L.-$100 Christopher R.-$300 Laurie R.-$50 Sid CT -$50 Wilhelmina M.-$44 Leslie S.-$300 Ellen W.-$35 Glenn B.-$200 Cory K.-$19 Winnie T.-$200 Humanities 101 -$300 Craig H.-$500Maria Z.-$50 Micbele C.-$100 Yasushi K.-$50+ Michael C.-$50 Lisa D.-$50 Susan C.-$100 New Star Books -$56 . Laila B.-$100 The F.arm-$250 Anonymous -$160 Vancouver Moving Theatre -$500 Penny'G.-$75; . Elaine V.-$100 • r
Vancouver's non-commercial, listener supported community station.
Seniors Performing Arts Group Thursdays, 1:30 - 4pm, Started November 10th Carnegie Community Centre Gym / Art Room (basement) Looking for performers young at heart to share their stories! Join Bill Beauregarde, a Cree/Metis artist from Encock Nation, in this mask-making and story-telling workshop for seniors. Bill is skilled in puppet construction, First Nations drum making, woodcarving and teaching in clown and mask-making. He is a deeply respectful listener who values all peoples place. Sandy Mackeigan: sandy.mackeigan@vancouver.ca
e want Justice so we Won't need Charity
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We need a Cure, not Band-Aid Solutions The use of Food Banks is up again to a new record level. In 1982, Food Banks were established in BC as a "temporary" measure. 34 years is not temporary - Food Banks are now a tragic permanent feature. Food Banks can only provide partial relief to the persistent problems of hunger and poverty. They treat the symptom, not the cause which is poverty. Relying on charity can be humiliating and take away self-respect. The CBC has held Food Bank Day for 30 years. This helps feed hungry people. Thank you for keeping hunger away for a few days. Why do we still need Food Banks after 34 years? BC has one of the worst poverty rates in Canada. Write to politicians to tell them you want higher wel fare rates & a comprehensive anti-poverty strategy: *Christy Clark, West Annex, Parliament Buildings, Victoria BC V8V 1X4. Emai1: premier@gov.bc.ca *John Horgan, Leader of Opposition, Room 201, Parliament Buildings.Victoria BC V8V lX4 or Email: john.horgan.mla@leg.bc.ca
Nearly 700,000 people live in poverty in BC, and over 186,000 of these people are on welfare. This includes over 116,000 people with disabilities, who have great difficulty getting work. In addition, there are people who have serious health barriers to work. Most people are on welfare because of misfortune ill health, serious injury, job loss, family breakup or fleeing abuse. Basic Welfare has been frozen for 10 years at $610 a month. People on welfare struggle every da just to survive. A single person receives a total of $610 a month for everything, including rent. They have $18 a week for all their food - imagine feeding yourself on that. You cannot live a healthy life on welfare. Raise the Rates hopes that you will recognise that social justice, rather than charity, is needed. We hope that you will be inspired to voice your support for justice and changes to lift BC people out of poverty. Raise the Rates calls for: * Raise welfare above the poverty level to $1,500 a month for a single person; * Raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour; * Build 10,000 units of social housing a year.
Poverty costs BC over $8 billion a year. Raise the Rates: http//raisetherates.org/
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