JANUARY
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FREE.'Do not pay for this paper..
Carnegle. NEWSLETTER
carnnews@vcn.bc.ca
401 Main Street, Vancouver BC V6A 2T7 604-665-2289 email: carnnevvs@shavv.ca Website/catalogue: carnegienevvsletter.org
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15, 2018
A Poverty Reduction Plan for...
HEALTHY PEOPLE AN
Most people living in poverty have a job, and almost half the poor children in' BC live in families with at least one parent .. working full-time.
Increase he minimum wage to . $15/hour for all workers and index to cost of living; and improve employment standards.
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ILLUSTRATION BY 5Ml
BRADD
Welfare and disability benefits are far too low at $710 for a single. person and ..$1033 for a person with a disability.
Significantly . increase welfare & disability rates to the Market Basket Measure, index them to cost of livingr and remove arbitrary barriers.
BC has the worst record of housing affordability in Canada and increasing numbers of homeless andVhderhoused people. 4
Invest in bUilding 10,000 units of new social and co-op housing per year.
The high- Ct care is a I'll for many fa makes it Ct lnaccessits
Adopt the child care which will affordabil and acce
JOIN THE CA AT RCP
Learn about the efforts being made, from community to government levels, to bring in a real, comprehensive poverty reduction strategy. Visit the website below & contact BC Poverty Reduction at
info@bcpoverlvreduction.ca,
EALTHY COMMUNI
st of child ge burden nllies and mpletely to others. I
S10/day plan, address ty, quality 5.
Poverty is a fundamental determinant of health, and the health care costs of poverty add up to $1.2 billion/year.
Expand essential heal h services, like dental and optical, and enhance community health care for seniors and people with disabilities.
RYE
ES
Without meaningful, long-term training and education, people cannot access stable, well-paying jobs.
Adequately fund schools and make post-secondary education and training more accessible.
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Indigenous people. immigrants and refugees, people with disabilities. single mothers and single senior women have ..high poverty rates.
Focus on the .structural barriers fi;lced by each group.
Van
city
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Memorial
STAN HUDAC Friday, January 19, 2-4pm Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main ,---------------------. ANNOUNCEMENT:
Coming in February in the 3rd fl gallery,
chalk pastels by Stephen Belkin celebrating
Quebecois-Jewish culture
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The Dogwood Tree Manpreet lights a cigarette, the ache of loneliness, she stopped watching the sky. only to find, standing in the church yard, laughter by the door women weeping, women condemned, women who hear church bells. and after prayers, It never occurred she might drag herself over his heart. that she too hurts on Sunday afternoon. Ruby Diamond Feds expand signup for old age benefits to include income supplement Low-income seniors will no longer have to apply for an income top-up under a newly launched program to automatically sign them up for benefit payments. As of now, seniors who automatically enrolled for old age security benefits will also be automatically considered for the guaranteed income supplement based on their tax filings. â&#x20AC;˘ Benefits will begin to flow to eligible, low-income seniors beginning one month after they turn 65. CP
CARNEGIE CAFETERIA IS GETTING AN UPGRADE Carnegie Community Centre is an integral part of the community and we want to make it a better place for all. Our cafeteria serves approximately 280,000 meals each year and that number is growing. ill order to keep up with demand & continue providing nutritious, fresh and low-cost meals, we will be renovating the cafeteria. Construction will take place from January 2018 to approximately mid-2018. FEA TURES Larger serving area; Improved kitchen layout; New . kitchen equipment; Bright and inviting design. WHAT TO EXPECT . Carnegie Community Centre, including the cafeteria, will remain open during renovations, but you may notice minor changes: CAFETERIA SERVICE Service will be moved to the gymnasium. The regular dining room will remain open. MENU Carnegie CommunityCentre will continue to offer meals three times a day, 365 days a year. The menu may change to create meals that travel well as we pre. pare and cook the food off-site. CONSTRUCndN IMPACTS Safety is our top priority. Signs will be posted to notify you of areas that are off-limits during construction. You may notice noise, dust and vibration :THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE & UNDERSTANDING AS WE COMPLETE RENOVA nONS. Telephone: 604-665-2220 Email: carnegie@vancouver.ca In-person at the Info Desk on the main floor: . Open every day from () am to 11 pm
Jenny Kwan, MP Vancouver East Immigration, Refugee Citizenship Critic 2572 E Hastings St Vancouver,
BC V5K IZ3
T: 604-775-5800 F: 604-775-5811 Jenny.Kwan@parl.gc.ca
NDP and
SAVETHE DATES! February 6 - 9th, 2018 Homeless Connect Date: Tuesday February 6th Time: 10am - 2pm Location: Oppenheimer Park (488 Powell Street) Join us at Oppenheimer Park for Homeless Connect 2018! This event is an opportunity to connect with valuable resources in your community. Services include wheelchair repair, free glasses (please bring an updated prescription!), bike repair, pet care, and haircuts! Breakfast served at 1Oam. Lunch served at 12pm. Raffle and giveaways throughout the day!
1Qth Annual HomeGround Festival! Dates: Wednesday February
7th -
Friday February 9th
Time: 11am - 8pm daily Location: Oppenheimer Park (488 Powell Street) 10th Annual HomeGround Festival is just around the corner! This year's HomeGround festival,
hosted by the Carnegie Community Centre, Oppenheimer Park,
Gallery Gachet and WePress will feature food, entertainment,
and lots of fun activities.
Enjoy one of many breakfast, lunch, and dinner seatings, prepared by the Vancouver Community College. Breakfast starts at 8:00 am. Lunches are served at 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm. Dinners are served and 4:00 p ,5:00 pm, and 6:00 pm. Lunch and dinner tickets are handed out one hour before mealtime. HomeGround showcases a mix of well-known local performers and Downtown Eastside musicians from a variety of cultural and musical genres. Highlights this year include Love Medicine Big Drum and Pow Wow dancers, Carnegie Jazz Band, Las Divas & friends, City Opera, Earle Peach & local choirs, Metis jigger & fiddler,
the ever-popular
Oppenheimer's
Got Talent show, and more!
Volunteer opportunities will be available throughout the Festival. Times for sign up will be listed in the next Carnegie Newsletter (Feb. 1).
Belvedere tenants and The VTU are calling on the city and the province to: - create policies to protect seniors from evictions - create rent control between tenancies, tying rent to , the unit rather than the tenant to disincentivize reno, victions 'Jan. 2, 2018 - strengthen tenant protection and relocation policies Happy New Year, You're Evicted! to require landlords who renovate apartments to allow The third vulnerable tenant at the Belvedere about to former tenants to return at the same rent be pushed out unfairly from his home of 25 years - robust emergency eviction protections for all tenants Join us in a rally and demonstrate that EVICTIONS facing homelessness must stop! - eliminate the redundant 3-strike law for late payment When: Tuesday January 2nd 2017, 12 Noon of rent (landlords can still evict tenants for non-payWhere: The Belvedere, 2545 Main St ment after 5 days) Contact info: Liam McClure - 778-378-6617 - immediate rent freeze The Belvedere Court and the Vancouver Tenants UnContact info: Liam McClure - 778-378-6617 ion (VTU) is fighting the eviction of another of its long-term senior tenants, Steve Williams. We are calling upon Vancouverites to come together for an event in solidarity with our valued seniors, who now more than ever are at risk of losing affordable, consistent OTES ARTIST RESOURCE FAIR housing and independence. SaturdayJanuary 20, 2018 1 :OOpm-3:00pm "More and more seniors are losing their homes and Carneqie Centre-In the Theatre becoming homeless because homes are now investments and market forces are out of control in our Artists can find out more about: Project funding; Creation support; Rehearsal space; city," said Liam McClure of the Vancouver Tenants Exhibition space; Classes; Workshops; Networks", Union. Participants confirmed to date are: Our neighbourhoods are rapidly gentrifying and this • artstarts in schools effects elderly tenants disproportionately. Seniors are bullied by landlords and targeted due to their long• Burrard Arts Foundation term tenancies, which, owing to lack of broader rent • Canadian Alliance of Dance Artists control, means that they are some of the last tenants • Community Arts Council of Vancouver with affordable rents left in Vancouver. The inacces• Cultural Services, City of Vancouver sibility of the Residential Tenancy Branch processes • EastsideCulture Crawl and the lack of viction protections under current RTB • EWMA (Enterprising Women Making Art) laws are contributing to seniors becoming more at risk • Gallery Gachet for homelessness. According to the Metro Vancouver • Made in BC,Dance on Tour Regional District homeless count, the number of • Playwrights Theatre Centre homeless seniors in Vancouver has grown by 990% in • The Inspiration Lab, Vancouver Library the last 15 years, from approximately 51 to 556. • VIVO Media Arts For two years, the Belvedere landlords have been • WePressArt Collective forcing out building residents through intimidation • Alliance for Arts and Culture and manipulation, inadequate basic services and dis• CMHCGranville Island ruptive living conditions. Seniors and tenants with dis• Western Front abilities have been amongst the first to be targeted in • Heart of the City Festival this campaign of attrition on the part of the landlords. Now they have targeted another vulnerable elderly We look forward to seeing you then! tenant for eviction while \0 of the building'S 39 units are being held vacant.
"The Heroine of Moodyville" By Debra McNaught In 1873, when Emily Susan Patterson (nee Branscombe) and family arrives! in the shanty mill town that would become Vancouver, the rough settlement was delighted for two reasons. One, that despite a lack of formal training, Emily was as close to a medical professional (read: White) 'Granville' had yet seen and two, ith the addition of her four school-age daughters, the city finally had enough students to meet the provincial enrollment required for an official school. She was born in Bath, Maine in 1835, married John Peabody Patterson. They travelled around some before landing in P0I1 Alberni in 1864 where Mr P worked as a stevedore loading lumber at Stamps Mill. In 1873 they moved down the coast to 'Granville' where he became dock supervisor at Hastings Mill, located roughly at the foot of Dunlevy. And Emily was kept busy as only a nineteenth century First Responder could be. In a lumber mill town mostly populated by single, transient young men who worked very rough physical
jobs there must have been a steady stream of injuries:l Not all of them serious of course - those got to travel by boat to the closest hospitals (New West or Victoria) - but as an early paramedic Emily knew plenty, and experience doubtless kept her learning. Along with. all the commonly known nineteenth century remedies like making mustard plasters for chest colds, attending fevers and childhood illnesses, mixing "goose oil and turpentine" (eeew) to slather on chest ailments, delivering babies, brewing willow bark tea for headaches she could also stitch wounds, soothe burns, bind cuts, and deal with the aftermath of a normal Saturday night. When mill hands weren't pulling a shift they had few entertainment options: drinking, fighting, card playing, drinking, sleeping, visiting Birdie Stewart and her Ladies, and drinking. In that famous photo of Vancouver from the inlet in 1884, fourteen buildings can be identified: four of them sold alcohol. Emily didn't put up with any nonsense from her often-inebriated patients. Once, as she was readying stitches for a drunken brute of a Kanaka (Hawaiian) dock worker, his wife hovered nervously in the background, finally blurting, "Careful, Mrs Patterson, he will strike you!" Looking her patient in the eye Emily said, rather casually, "No you won't, will you? You dare move and t'lI hit you on the head with a club." He might have had fire in his eye the entire time, but he sat meekly enough. Another example of E~ily's commitment occurred when a message came, Just as a storm was beginning to unleash itself, that the wife of the lighthouse keeper at Atkinson Point was very ill. No boat captain was willing to risk the trip in that worsening weather until finally a Squamish man with a canoe offered to take her, perhaps even the same man who had brought word to begin with. They left immediately, in darkness, and arrived storm-battered at daylight the next morning and in time to save the woman. Heading out on rampaging water in a canoe, a distance somewhere around ten miles close as I can work out, must have been fairly hair-raising. I can't help but wonder if Emily learned some aboutpaddling that night, given her reputation for practicality. During the 1870s 'Granville' was not much more than a two block stretch of rough wooden buildings hugging the waterline & backed by rainforest. Birdie Stewart was here, George Black the butcher was here Gassy Jack was dispensing whisky from his Globe Saloon. Perhaps the Patterson family decided 'Gran-
vi lie' was not the ideal place to raise a family; whatever the reason, after only a year or so on this side of the inlet the family moved across the water to Sewel Moody's sawmill settlement, Moodyville, in 1874. Moody did not believe in alcohol. He had a puritanical streak, a strong insistence on Christian law and order, and essentially ran his little fiefdom as the 'company town' it was; there were virtually no independent merchant or commercial businesses to tempt his employees with anything he didn't approve of. In an effort to provide distractions from Demon Drink he offered his controlled community religious services, a school, a library and reading room. Maybe these basic amenities appealed to the Patterson family. Helen Shore, writing in BC Historical News, admired the "nicer mill atmosphere" at Moodyville but did not elaborate as to why she thought so. When Moody's crew got out of line he believed it his Christian duty to bring the hammer down. One on .â&#x20AC;˘ infamous occasion, when a visiting ship's captain had supplied his Indigenous workers with Demon Drink, .' he entered the Mission Reserve to personally berate his partying crew for failing to show up for work. The drunken partiers stripped him naked and carried him -loudly, publicly - down to the mill, trailed by an embarrassed priest carrying Moody's clothing. The mills of Burrard Inlet were forcibly idled whenever the workforce spent a day drinking rather than working, a common occurrence. The Hastings Mill . crew once booked off for days due to a particularly engrossing card game, much to the fury of manager RH Alexander. In 1886 the Pattersori's, along with everyone else on the North Shore, wa ched in horror as the Great Fire reduced Vancouver to smoking ash. People set out across the inlet in anything that floated, Emily among them; despite being rudely discouraged from living within city limits, even the Indigenous at the reserve paddled over to help. Emily's legacy remains that she was willing to help anyone, day or night, regardless of colour, but did she learn anything from the Indigenous healers who understood the medicinal properties of local plants long before the colonists arrived? As "members of the community's social elite" Emily would doubtless have been 'advised' to confine her assistance to the White population; that she willingly treated everyone stands to her credit, and testament to common sense.
Emily died in 1909 and is buried in Mountain View cemetery. PS: the title comes from a cheesy poem written by Nora M Duncan in 1936 Sources: Shore, Helen L. "Emily Susan Patterson: Vancouver's First Nurse," BC Historical News, summer 1993, jmd Making Vancouver by Robert AJ MacDonald. ;:G
,,'
Squamish Five I was an extra in the Canadian movie called "The Squamish Five." It told the story of five people, some of whom were in a band called The Subhumans* and another person was a political activist. They devised a plan to bomb a factory in Lytton BC that was manufacturing parts for nuclear warheads and .. missiles. They succeeded with their plan. Unfortunately there was one guard left in the otherwise deserted factory. They were all charged and convicted and are imprisoned to this day. Juxtapose this with today's stockpiles of missiles & warheads, estimated as enough to blow up the Earth 600X over. Countries ignore the U.N. order to disarm a certain percentage . DrewN.
[*Mentioned in the writing of Robert McGillivray. Ed]
â&#x20AC;˘
PROUT-Progressive
Utilization Theory
Specialities of Pro ut's Economic 5c. Decentralization
System
Where there is no proper economic development, surplus labour develops. Infact all undeveloped economic regions suffer from surplus labour & when the surplus labour migrates to other regions the region remains undeveloped forever. In areas of surplus labour provision should be made to immediately employ the local people. While providing employment to local people, local sentiments should also be taken into consideration. Maximum agro-industries & agrico-industries should be established on the basis ofthe socio-economic potential of the region, and various other types of industries should be established according to the collective needs. This approach will create enormous opportunities for new employment. Through such an employment policy, increasing the standard ofiiving of the local people will be possible. P. R. Sarkar
JANUARY 2018
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NEGIECOMMUNITY
REST IN POWER GODFREY TANG (KWOK It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Godfrey Tang (Kwok Fai Tang) on December 19,2017 at the age of 74,
FAI TANG)
>.
People before profit - with great conviction and passion, this is what Godfrey wholeheartedly believed in and advocated for, He fought tirelessly to protect the most marginalized whose lives were threatened by gentrification and displacement Godfrey grew up in Hong Kong before settling in Vancouver where he spent the rest of his life, After moving to the Chinatown area during his retirement he developed a sense for housing justice and an even stronger relationship to his Chinese heritage and culture through his volunteer work, Godfrey volunteered with numerous organizations including Chinatown Concern Group, Our Homes Can't Wait coalition, Chinatown Action Group, Right to Food Zine. the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House and more, Here at the Carnegie Community Action Project he contributed to our annual housing and hotel. research reports, attended and provided translation at numerous actions, assisted in preparing proposal documents for the Hoqan's Alley project at Main & Union Street. fought for 100% welfare and pension rate social housing 58 West Hastings, and more, He was commited to protecting and preserving Chinese culture in Vancouver's historic Chinatown, advocating for low-income housing for seniors and culturally appropriate businesses, "In Chinatown. 80% of residents are renters, yet a lot of new developments are market rate coridos." said Codfrey. "It is not sustainable for the neighbourhood, When one building is torn down in Chinatown to build a new condo tower, it results in the displacement of low-income residents," As a voice of Chinatown residents and volunteer with Chinatown Concern Group and Chinatown Action Group, Godfrey also spoke out against Beedie Living's 105 Keefer project which was successfully defeated by the Chinatown community five times: He will be dearly missed by the Chinatown
and DTES community,
Godfrey, we will continue your work and honor your legacy, The DTES Neighbourhood house will be holding a memorial event in Codfrey's honour on January 29th from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM,
Following on the historic victory to stop the Beedie development at 105 Keefer in Chinatown, Downtown Eastside and Chinatown residents are calling on the City of Vancouver to build 100% social housing at welfare and pension rates at 58 West Hastings.
traditional territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xOmaOkwayOam (Musqueam), Skwxwu'Zrnesh (Squamish). St6:16 and SalDflwataO/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
WHAT: 58 West Hastings St Rezoning Application Public Hearing WH EN:Tuesday,January 16 at 5:30 pm WHERE:Vancouver City Hall 453 West 12th Ave. (south entrance on W 12th Avenue), near Cambie and Broadway
BACKGROUND:
JOIN US IN TAKING ACTION:
1)ATTENDOUR ACTION at City Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 5:30 PM
Since 2007, Downtown Eastside residents have struggled to get the site at 58 W. Hastings for social housing for low-income community members. Residents and supporters have marched through the streets, organized two tent cities including the 2010 Olympic tent city' and 2016 tent city, guided tours with BC's new government, and held countless public meetings, demonstrations, and more.
2) SIGN UP TO SPEAKat the Public Hearing on Jan.16 or email Vancouver city council with your comments in support of 100% welfare and pension rate social housing at publichearing@ vancouver.ca or call 604-829-4238 or phone 604933-200l. Not sure what to say?Here are reasons why we want 100% welfare/pension rate social housing: - 1200 homeless people and 3000 SRO residents live in the DTESwithout decent, affordable housing -Homeless people have half the life expectancy of other people in society -Social mix does not work and contributes to gentrification and mass dislocation of poor people as seen with the Woodwards development
There have been important victories at this site. In 2008, Concord Pacific was forced to pause its 154 units of condos at 58 W Hastings after a year of community resistance. In 2010, Olympic tent city led by Indigenous women and elders won the immediate demand of housing all homeless residents living on the site. Following a second tent city in 2016, Mayor Gregor Robertson signed a commitment to build 100% welfare and pension rate, community-controlled social housing at 58 W Hastings.
3) SIGN OUR PETITION- you.leadnow.ca/ p/58WHastings
Based on the past decade of struggle and recent victories, we are determined to secure 58 West Hastings as 100 percent social housing at welfare and pension rates.
4) CONTACTMINISTEROF HOUSING,Selina Robinson and express your support for our community vision (email selina.robinson.MLA@ leg.bc.ca) Read about the DTEScommunity vision for 58 West Hastings and learn more about Our Homes Can't Wait here: www.carnegieaction.org/ ourhomescantwait/ This event is being organized by the Our Homes Can't Wait Coalition on the occupied, unceded
Since then, the city has reneged on its promise. Instead of a project that would provide over 300 units to low-income people, the city is moving along with a project that could provide as few as 70 units at a time with record high homelessness.
This site is on the faultline of a mass dislocation of poor people that the Woodwards development accelerated in 2010, where the community lost 450 social housing units and gained only 125 units of social housing for those on welfare and pension. OHCW wants to reverse this trend and prioritize low-income residents to live in dignity in their community. Join us in making this a reality!
SIGN THE PETITION AT: you.leadnow.ca/p/58WHastings Or on the CCAP announcement board, 2/F Carnegie Community Centre, 401 Main Street TO: MAYOR GREGOR ROBERTSON, HON. SELINA ROBINSON MINISTER OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS AND HOUSING Provide enough funds so that. as of the housing at the city-owned Hastings can be rented to people afford welfare and basic pension $438/month)
promised. 100% site on 58 W who can only rate rents ($375-
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Downtown Eastside residents have struggled for over a decade to get the site at 58 W. Hastings for social housing for low-income community members. Led by Indigenous women community organizers. residents and supporters have marched through the streets. organized two tent cities including the 2010 Olympic tent city and 2016 tent city. guided tours with BC's new NDP Minister of Housing and Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. held countless public meetings. demonstrations. and more.
â&#x20AC;˘
About 1.200 homeless people and 3.000 SRO residents live in the Downtown Eastside with no
decent housing available for them at rents they can afford. Homeless people have about half the life expectancy of other people in society. Indigenous people. women and children fleeing violence. and other marginalized communities are more likely to experience homelessness. SRO living. where residents share washrooms with everyone on their floor. is not adequate: residents do not have private kitchens. have n.umerous rodents and bugs. and are often subject to abusive management. SRO residents and homeless people need decent. dignified social housing they can afford. Yet the Mayor and City of Vancouver are planning to reduce the amount of social housing from the promise 100% down to 30%. The plan to build over 200 units of housing in the DTES. with only 70 of them planned to be at welfare/pension rate. is a waste of good housing and further contributes to the gentrification of the DTES. A "social mix" building which includes expensive rentals will exacerbate market pressures on the neighbourhood. create higher rents for SRO residents. and generate the displacement of even more low income people from the DTES. On August 2.2016. Mayor Gregor Robertson signed a commitment to build 100% welfare and pension rate. community-controlled social housing at 58 W Hastings. Since then. the city has reneged on its promise. Instead of a project that would provide over 300 units to low-income people. the city is moving along with a project that could provide as few as 70 units at a time with record high homelessness.
SltJN liP TD SPEAk AT THE
1151t1HASTINtJS PIIBllC HEAllNtJ DI SEND IN YDIII CDIIIIENTS AT publichearing@vancouver.ca NOT SURE WHAT TO SAY? HERE'S A GUIDE! 1)Keep your comments short - Individuals speaking at the public hearing have 5 minutes to speak while organizations have 8 minutes. 2 )Start with introducing yourself and your relationship to the DTES 3)Next, appeal to city council to build 100% community controlled social housing at welfare and pension rates at #58WHastings 4) Reasons why we need housing at #58WHastings -The City of Vancouver's definition of social housing excludes homeless and low-income people.
Rent in CoV'sdefinition of social housing can be high as $912 when folk on welfare only get $375 a month for rent -1200 homeless people and 3000 SRO residents live in the DTES without decent, affordable housing -Homeless people have half the life expectancy of other people in society -Social mix does not work and contributes to gentrification and mass dislocation of poor people as seen with the Woodwards development -The proposed project the city is going with could provide as few as 70 units at a time with record high homelessness.
CARNEGIE
COMMUNITY
ACTION
PROJECT 111:15AM EVERY FRIDAY
The Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP)is a project of the board of the Carnegie Community Centre Association. CCAPworks mostly on housing, income, and land use issues in the Downtown Eastside (DTES)of Vancouver so that the area can remain a low income friendly community. CCAPworks with english speaking and Chinese speaking DTESresidents in speaking out on their own behalf for the changes they would like to see in their neighbourhood. Join us on Fridays11:15am for our weekly volunteer meetinqs' Downtown Eastside residents who want to work on getting better housing and incomes and stop gentrification are welcome to attend. Lunch is provided!
CARNEGIE
AFRICAN
DESCENT GROUP
III AM EVERY 2ND TUESDAY
The Carnegie African Descent Group (CADG) is pleased to invite you to a bi-weekly lunch gathering at the Downtown Eastside Neighborhood House. Come, cook, talk and enjoy African dishes with us.The lunch will take place every Tuesdays,from 11:00am till 1:30 pm. The group has the same mandate as CCAP,but with particular focus on issuesthat Black and African Descent community members experience. DTEScommunity members who identify as Black and or as of African Descent are welcome to the lunch. For more information, contact: Imugab075@gmaiLcom
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CONCERN GROUP
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CONTACT
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Office: 2nd floor of the Carnegie, 401 Main Street. Vancouver Phone: 604-665-2105 Email: info@carnegieaction.org Website: www.carnegieaction.org
Oancity
Thank you to Vancity for supporting CCAP'swork. Support for this project does not necessarilyimply that funders endorse the findings or contents of this report.
The Myth jf Development There are many who see unchecked gentrification as a form of 'natural' improvement, marking the inevitable replacement of one population & way of life with another more suited to Vancouver's emergent role as a world-class city. One striking example of the use of natural metaphors was recently printed in the Sun (Urban evolution eventually will drop its blanket over downtown's decay). The changes sweeping through the Downtown Eastside were described as a form of 'natural urban evolution.' It's a phrase that prodevelopment forces often use. Birth is natural. Death is natural. The cycle of life between the two is natural. But are cities natural? The city's far removed from everything that appears natural. So it's odd how often references to nature & the natural order appear. But metaphors & associations, however innocent-appearing, can distort the way we think about our city & act upon it. One immediate consequence is that gentrification appears as inevitable & unstoppable. Like the annual migration of birds, the rise & fall of tides, gentrification is part of the natural order. There's nothing we can do to stop it. If we cannot do anything, why worry about it? Why not even profit from it? Yes, there are those who will suffer the well-documented costs of gentrification through displacement. Nature can be tragic & cruel, but it is not something we can challenge. What is more, i~gentrification is a form of 'evidence' then it must entail a change for the better. With gentrification comes improvement, or as it's sometimes termed, 'revitalisation' & 'renewal'. According to this story-line, th depressed retail strip around Woodwards would return to its former glory when the rich moved in. The poor should've quietly disappeared from public view & downtown would be the clean, affluent sector a 21 st century world-class city deserves. Metaphors - like 'natural urban evolution' - conceal some lazy thinking. They can also serve some more worrying ends. To say that gentrification is inevitable to the extent that it's natural is to miss the point. Gentrification is as natural as any economic process. It is the consequence of a whole series of more or less I
rational decisions by investors, landlords, planners, home-buyers, financial investors & others. If the area shows signs of decay, this is not due to 'natural' decl ine, but reflects a long history of disinvestment in the area, as well as the decision of many landowners to 'warehouse' their pr.operties with the expectation of increasing land values in the future. So does that mean that displacement is inevitable? No. To the extent that gentrification entails carefully calculated decisions by developers (rather than the unfolding of some biological process) the development of policy that shapes those decisions is easily done. In fact the City's Planning Dept. has proposed such policy. Other areas have even more sweeping proposals in place [Chinatown, DTES, etc] Following community resistance to gentrification in San Francisco's inner city, a package of anti-displacement measures were put in place, targeted at retaining residential hotels, downzoning land & ensuring that developers came up with large in-kind payments to the neighbourhood. We often dernonize American cities as everything we are supposedly not. In the San Francisco case this is true, though not in the ways we'd suppose. The lesson of San Francisco is that if we were serious about restricting displacement, it'd be easy to do~ B ut even 'if the 'natural' change of an area through gentrification could be significantly slowed, why would we want to? Should the rights of the poor residents of the Downtown Eastside to remain in their neighbourhood be decisive? We can make a whole number of different arguments -econornic, social, political & moral- in defence of the Downtown Eastside as a social community. However, why is it necessary to make those arguments to begin with? What does it say about Vancouver as a community that its residents can even entertain the idea that the forcible displacement of a population from its home is not only natural (read: inevitable), but a form of evolution (read: improvement)? It is the same convenient moral code that has justified dispossessions & displacements in the past, such as those experienced by First Nations peoples. Who will call Carrall Street & the DTES home ten years from now? This question is one of the most pressing moral issues that we face as a civic community. By our answers will you know us. By NICK BLOMLEY
Holi
Christmas Eve As I walked through the salty sidewalk a jelly-like feeling swished down my spine alone, saddened, lonesome, excluded ... alone Yet Itell them I'm fine
I
Longing for home, family, and cast cooking for strangers rather than family yet giving it my best trying to impress who? trying to include who? trying to love who? I look around, see familiar faces, know nothing of them likes, dislikes, growth, personality traits longing to get away, yet staying not enjoying, counting up the dates
Her eyes said I've never been this happy although I knew of this happiness I've always worn black clothes but I can't be more grateful for this colour in my dress She wanted to cry tears of happiness and joy but her eyes seem to swallow them years of being treated like a toy her body, mind and soul trained itself to hide, no mater where, what and when
Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I look up at the ceiling while I lay wishing Icould die today Wednesday, Thursday and Friday wishing it was my decision and not a forced stay
from my view she gets to be to be relieved and forget the she will never As are As are
loveleen keeping my blinders shut low not letting my anger show breathing in and breathing out taking things nice and slow yes, even though I'm angry that's really not how Iwant people to remember me So I'm going to take my time and really see where I'm going and where I wanna be keeping muy family and trust within no matter where Iam in life I shall always win cherishing the ones that really care protecting them with love giving space but being aware being selfish, but when it's time ready to share â&#x20AC;˘ loveleen kaur Dhaliwal
As I watched her dull, bland face light up with colour orange, green, yellow, pink and red her laughter reminded me of home She glances at me realising that I had read what her eyes had said
I guess holi is the only time herself feeling of society's wash this dress
terms & stress
blue as the sky the tears that Icry blue as the ocean the tears in my eyes loveleen
I Saw Jesus Again Today a call/ion to the ignorant and rich with their heads up their asses The Robin Hood clan reside everywhere to humble the classes ErinRyan
I saw Jesus again today He's still begging at the Library He showed me his wounds He needed nine dollars for medicine Asked my name - where I could be found He would repay next Tuesday. Ipressed a coin into his dirty hardened palm Along with my regrets. Maybe he's ajunkie Perhaps he's a con artist who believes his own stories For sure he is desperate For sure he is Jesus. Wilhelmina
CRAB-Water
for Life
Revision and Revitalise Recently the Vancouver Park Board at Crab-Water for Life Society's request brought the bird marsh by the point back to life, as it had seriously dried out over the summer. It had been totally taken over by an invasive species of golden rod, cattails / bulrushes. From there the Park Board staff cleaned up the park of what seemed like thirty years of weeds and undergrowth. We have sent to the Park Board and the Port of Vancouver our list of what we envision should be built & done at Crab Park. First, we would like to see a major renovation to the existing caretaker's building & with proper funding to do so. Secondly, a brand-new building should be built to house DTES local artists, including First Nation artists. This building needs to have imaginative, even world class architecture. These two buildings could be an anchor for the future decades of our community's park. We would always want the people on low income to continue to feel welcome in Crab Park. We also support a stair / elevator combination overpass access at Columbia Street over to Crab Park especially for seniors, mothers and young children, and people with disabilities. Crab-Water for Life Society has made a number of funding requests for a memorial totem pole / art installation for the Missing & Murdered Women. We made these requests to the City of Vancouver & the Federal Government MPs connected with the current Federal Missing Women and Girls Inquiry. We have received no response. W~ see a future Memorial located out at the point in the northwest section of the park adjacent to the bird marsh. We have already expressed our deep concern at the impact of the proposed Centerm Pier Extension that would block a lot of the view to the north shore and mountains from the park. We have also expressed concerns about future loss of water quality at Crab Beach. We have serious concerns about the increase in dirty freighters running on bunker fuel, "a cheap but very polluting type of oil". Under the Port's proposal, the container traffic would be increased by two thirds. All of this container movement will have a negative and possibly dangerous impact on the DTES communities
i.e. dangerous chemical Our main purpose for which our organization ated, is to revision and
cargo. our 30-year-old Crab Park worked five years to get crerevitalize it for future decades.
Don Larson, Crab- Water for Life Society
From the library 2? 18 is happening! The library is looking forward to bemg part of the DTES Artists' Resource Fair on Saturday January 20th in the Theatre. We will be featuring the Inspiration Lab from the Central library and the Bud Osbom Creation Space at the n;)ca7mat ct Strathcon~ Branch up the street at 730 East Hastings. Both locations have the technology to allow library patrons to record music, learn how to self-publish books, create online videos, and digitize photos and documents ... for free! Experts will be available at the , fair to get you set-up and signed-up for success since there are a wide range of free workshops to explore. Here are some titles to help make 2018 fantastic.
An Appeal to the World: the way to peace in a time of division (2017) by the Dalai Lama. If anyone understands peace it's the Dalai Lama. Read his book discussing contemporary topics like war, climate change and materialism, and find peace.
Knit Yourself Calm: a creative path to managing stress (2017) by Lynne Rowe. Focusing on relaxation and meditation, these knit patterns are designed to calm and soothe, and encourages knitters to join supportive friends during your progress.
~indshift : Bre?k through obstacles to learning and discover your hidden potential (2017) by Barbara Oakley. No matter your age or background, Dr. Oakley will help you cultivate hidden talents and transform "bad" traits like poor memory into creativity and new career paths.
Wide-open world: How volunteering around the globe changed one family's lives forever (2015) by John Marshal!. At the Camegie we are extremely grateful for our volunteers, and this book shares how one family volunteered around the world, exploring new cultures and getting out of a daily rut. Your librarian, Natalie
", . : ,
The MPA (Mental Patients Association) was founded in 1971 as a grassroots response to deinstitutionalization ., and to a crisis in community mental health. Led by former patients and allies, the group initiated many successful) . social, housing, and employment projects, and in the process challenged the power of psychiatry. MPA left behind its radical roots to become an important service provider, however the story of its early years endures. MAD CITY recreates MPA's legendary Drop-In, circa 1976, a place of cfeativity, support, and political action. The exhibition welcomes visitors to sit down on a comfortable couch, read a copy of MPA's tabloid newspaperIn a Nutshell-grab a coffee and play some scrabble. Consider how community was mobilized through participa: tory democracy, peer support, and a passion for social change. Visitors can explore the multi-media display of MPA's contributions to mental health in Vancouver and listen to former members reflect on how the early MPA . empowered them and changed the mental health landscape. The exhibit will also showcase 30 black and white portraits of early MP A members though photographs curated by the late Geoff McMurchy an MP A Founder. . Thinking back but looking forward, this exhibition forges a new vision for community mental health today This event is taking place on occupied Coast Salish territories of the s!s:w~ wu'Zmesh (Squamish), sel ii witulh (Tsleil- Waututh), and xwm~ekw~y em (Musqueam) nations. Thank you to our funders and sponsors: Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), York University, Simon Fraser University, Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies (York University), Slegg Building Materials, JJ Bean Coffee Roasters, Staples Canada, the Hornby Island Recycling Depot, and Godfrey Painting.
gallery gachet, 9 West Hastings, Vancouver
BC V6B IG4
Šimage by K. Portland Frank and William Willis, MAD CITY
"Art is a means for survival" Yoko Ono, 200~
6046872468
gachet.org
tue - sat 12.00-6.00
the reasons a great friend of mine CarIos gave me a form Eleven-Fifty-One otherwise known as a toe-tag like a medal of honour life is precious when we al fall together Strawberry Fields is where we go truly not an evil ending to whatever has been your show. Being the destroyer of so many others' time if I had any scanners or phones they'd be fun for hiding secrets out in the open does evil leave a forwarding address a conscience can weigh a ton but hey oblong boxes weigh so much more, to witness what I cannot share many New Years ago others would follow me just to stare nothing can be everything - metaphoric centuries spend their time grooming as the sun is fuming, both awaiting the poor. By ROBERT McGILLIVRA Y "The weariest and most loathed worldly life that age, ache, penury and imprisonment can lay on nature is a paradise to what we fear of death." - Shakespeare
FORM 1151 Like opening the door for death come right on in a new Zodiac sign & year cannot wait to begin you are one of the few who pay their life insurance with couch change (lucky you), were we given life sentences for evil done or undone shattered records underscore our present situation is anyone having fun someone dead could tell you none boohoo... ' Like a truant officer at a homeless camp displacement is no one's New Year hope imagine those killed by homelessness on the new batch of Canada Post Christmas stamps like dogs enjoying a fire hydrant on a sweltering August afternoon, like an addict being dragged into the closest room you do not want nosy floor tenants flashing a (I've got it covered) kind of authority singing any eviction-type songs will make you homeless then what is the point of living lay back crank on Joy Division look out your window & join your friend The Man in The Moon Like countries which begin to pack because where they've lived is breaking apart look at England' Spain Sudan even Quebec Yemen Northern Ireland it's as if th murdered could just stand still for a bit sports cards would make a killing while a universal conscience'd be up in arms certain incidents like genocidal cherry kool-aid must be force-fed, like drawing yourself an outline with chalk every step creates nausea but soon they're able to talk the telephone song it underscores how one future has us all being buried together as an ideal. Lives may suck but who gives the order to alter plans instantly you just may be tops in a photo album yet the Pope just received & blessed a new Lamborgeni how many homeless could call that a home none. Death has always been my hobby loved ones die how do you say goodbye? We've become a gadget generation how sad these are true facts like putting Elmer Fudd in charge of the Tate-Labpan murders I don't mean to depress you but maybe should be more forthcoming & whole, if you still follow t.v. they're running ads for hard liquor from noon right thru dinner a multitasking network like facing an international war crimes tribunal & being found guilty of anorexia with new drug addict ads tearing apart my soul, like solving the homeless problem by giving everyone wandering a home in the Bermuda Triangle people avoid what is given free-of-charge trust me you don't want to know
Disability Alliance BC Launches Videos & Help Sheets for People with Disabilities Who Are Victims of Crime
s
Videos in Reader-friendly format, ASL, & Captioned: Disability Alliance BC (DABC) has created a series of short videos an a number of topics on the criminal justice system - how it works and what to expect - in a reader-friendly format for people with low-literacy, and in sign language with captioning for people who are Deaf. These videos will help people with disabilities to increase their understanding of the procedures and processes they will go through if they have been a victim of a crime. The videos are also intended to help the victim support worker to communicate important information to the victim/survivor in a more effective way & to support them better throughout the process. The How I Need to Know Project video topics are: • How to Report a Crime to Police • How to Write Your Victim Impact Statement • Being a Witness and Testifying in Court • What Happens When You Go to Court • What to Do if You Have Been Sexually Assaulted • How to Report a Crime When You Have a Communications Disability DABC has also created help information sheets in English and French that cover the key information in the videos in an easy to understand print form. You can access the videos online disabilityalliancebc.org
2018 Cernevle Community Centre Memberships ARE ON SALE NOW!
$1 at the Information
Desk
In Honor of Our Brothers Food Sharing Flash Mob â&#x20AC;˘ January 23, 2018 Come on over to Pideon Square at 5:15 for frybread & other donated goodi~s. This event is being held in honor , of our brothers here & in the spirit world ' on ti! 6, so come on down If you can donate to our potluck event please feel free to call Kat: 604 253 1405
All Drummers Welcome!
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W: acknowledge that Camegie Community Centre, and thts Newsletter, are occurring on Coast Salish Territory.
carnncW5@vcn.bc.",
THIS NEWSLETTER ISA PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Meade
tsLAP (Law Students legal Advice Program)
WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie Newsletter • • • • • • • •
Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry Cover art - Max size: 17cm wide X 15cm high Subject matter pertaining to issues relevant to the Downtown 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 artist after being copied for publicanon. Remuneration: Camegie Volunteer Tickets
Please make submissions to Paul Taylor, Editor. The editor can edit for clarity, format & brevity, but not at the expense of the writer's message. Website carnegienewsletter.org Catalogue email: carnnews@vcn.bc.ca carnnews@shaw.ca phone: 604-665-2289 address: 401 Main Street, Vancouver V6A 2T7
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WEAPONS • • • • • • •
~OTH
OF MASS DESTRUCTION
AIDS POVERTY HOMELESSNESS ,:,"IdLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ABORIGINAL GENOCIDE TOT ALIT ARIAN CAPITALISM IGNORANCE and SUSTAINED FEAR
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DONATIONS 2018 In memory of Bud Osbom -$40 Kelly F. Craig H.-$500 Winnie T.-$200
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