July 15, 2019 Carnegie Newsletter

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JULY 15, 2019

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NEWSLETTER

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DOWNTOWN

EASTSIDE

SRO COLLABORATIVE

plifying the voices and fighting for the rights of the tenants who live within them.

SOCIETY

The Hotel Hospitality Survey comes through the work of the following people, among others: The SRO Collaborative was established to organize SRO tenants in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside and Chinatown. SROs are typically small single rooms about 10 x 10 feet with a shared bathroom on each floor and typically without a shared kitchen. They were built at the turn of the 20th century for seasonal workers in the resource industry and over time became the last stop before homelessness. There are 87 privately-owned SROs that are open in Vancouver today that rent at about $600/month or less. They are known to be aging, decrepit, infamously lawless and inhabitable places to live with poor maintenance and numerous health and safety code violations. In addition to these 87 hotels, a few dozen hotels were "renovicted" and in some cases, rents rose to $15001 month for a single room in these "boutique" hotels. A few more dozen hotels were purchased by governments, renovated and operated as deeply subsidized supportive housing by housing non-profit agencies.

DTES SRO Collaborative Tenant Co-Researchers

The SRO-C was established in 2015 as a pilot project that focused on setting up tenant committees and organizing for repairs in 5 privately-owned SROs which included the high profile cases where tenants won major improvements at the West and Lion Hotels and evacuation/relocation to better housing at the Regent and Balmoral Hotels. In 2017, SRO-C formed its own society and began organizing networks of SRO tenants for overdose prevention in the privately-owned SROs. In 2018, SRO tenants joined with academics from Queens and Simon Fraser Universities to research the past, present and future of SROs and to stimulate a new phase of organizing in the hotels. In 2019, SROC is working on a plan to present to the three levels of government to get renovations, rent control, better management practices and tenant committees in all privately-owned SROs.

Jack Gates is currently leading a precedent-setting class action lawsuit against his own landlords and the City of Vancouver. In 2016, Jack launched a civil claim which alleged that his landlords, the now notorious Sahota family, had failed to maintain their building, which had led to unsafe and unhealthy conditions for residents. Issues include lack of heat, lack of hot water, a leaking roof, a broken fire escape, a broken elevator, a crumbling facade, and a rat infestation. The Sahotas argued that this case should be heard by the Residential Tenancy Branch, a sort of small-claims housing court. But Jack believes that in cases such as his, tenants must be allowed to certify a class action lawsuit as individual claims are too small to justify the intervention of a lawyer, despite the illegal and inhumane conditions tenants often suffer. In October of 2018, the BC Court of Appeals rejected the possibility for Jack's case to become a class action lawsuit, relegating it to the flawed and limited Residential Tenancy Branch. Jack, however, intends to continue to fight and will share his story and motivations for taking his case to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The above 2 paragraphs are from the DTES SRO-C website. There is a strong working relationship between the SRO Collaborative and The Right to Remain. The Right to Remain is a four-year research project that examines the Single Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES). Inspired by activism in the DTES, crosscommunity solidarity, and our own histories, we seek to uncover the story of Vancouver's SROs while am-

Tom deGrey works as a Tenant Researcher with the DTES SRO Collaborative and, too, is a eo-researcher with the Right to Remain. Both of these roles involve building relationships with tenants through interviewing, haiku-making, and day-to-day activities to help tenants advocate for improved conditions in their homes. Responsibilities with the Right to Remain have also involved conducting archival research with students in order to uncover the historic importance and abdication of public health in ensuring the habitability of SRO hotels. As a tenant advocate and researcher, Tom has both academic and lived experience of the complications which arise when vulnerable tenants attempt to assert their legal rights against powerful and resourceful landlords. He has experience of the effects of inadequate legal protection and bylaw enforcement on low-income tenants in his neighbourhood, as well as • the roles of advocates, politicians, and researchers in supporting tenants' rights.

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Samantha Pranteau works as a Community Organizer for the Tenant Overdose Response Organizers (TORO) as well as in a number of other roles. In addition to working as a eo-researcher with the Right to Remain, Sam is a member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society (WAHRS), and other grassroots organ-

izing in the Downtown Eastside. All of these roles 3 involve forms of logistical, emotional, intellectual, and community-first labour that make Sam's contributions to the various activist initiatives in which she is involved immeasurable. As an Indigenous woman, the particular perspectives and knowledge which shape Sam's work in her community continuously call us to think seriously about what it means to respect community-led work, in research and beyond.

Ron Kuhlke is a member of the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society (WAHRS), Eastside Illicit Drinkers Group for Education, and the DTES SRO Collaborative, in addition to his work as a eoresearcher with the Right to Remain. He is a renowned tenant advocate in his SRO building, where he has successfully defended his neighbours against illegal eviction and played a critical role in forcing his landlord to restore the building'S heat and hot water during a particularly cold winter. His experience leading Residential Tenancy Branch hearings, as well as managing complex relationships with regards to his role as a tenant advocate in his building, frequently provides unique insight into the complexities of legal advocacy for SRO tenants.

analysis (2012-2013), due to its force in conveying people's felt and lived experiences, by the spring and summer of2014, "the right to remain" became the focus of community workshops led by local artistresidents. The concept has since formed the basis of two exhibits showcased at our current (and past) partners' venues, at Gallery Gachet and at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre.

What we learned about "the right to remain":

Erica Grant is a well-known community advocate with the DTES SRO Collaborative, the Right to Remain, the Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP), and a founding member of the Vancouver Tenants Union Downtown Eastside Chapter. Her critical insight into the importance of standing up and giving voice to SRO tenants will continuously sheds light on the challenges and opportunities within tenant-led advocacy for legal changes. A resident of government-funded, non-profit run SRO housing, she has a unique experience of the complications and challenges of receiving social and health care support from your landlord. Non-profit owned and run SROs, considered favourable to privately-owned SROs by many, still presents challenges for tenants involving extra-legal evictions, privacy concerns, and dubious management strategies, as well as similar difficulties with regards to poor conditions. ...and on the symbiotic work of Right to Remain: "The right to remain" emerged as a key concept from a previous researclf project, originally titled Revitalizing Japantown?, which critically examined toponyms in the urban neighbourhood of the Downtown Eastside, particularly in light of efforts to supposedly "revitalize" the neighbourhood of Pauerugai ("Powell town"), where the largest Japanese Canadian community in Canada lived prior to 1942. (It was during this year that the federal government passed the order- incouncil under the War Measures Act that led to the violent dispossession, displacement, and internment of approximately 22,000 Japanese Canadian people).

While this concept of "the right to remain" was first formulated as an over-arching theme from interview

The Revitalizing Japantown? revealed "the right to remain" as an activist counter-brand confronting the market-based revitalization of the Downtown Eastside, particularly as it was (and, to some extent, is still) occurring under the auspices of an appropriated "Japantown." This work surfaced: - the existential right to be free from oppression; - the material right to the basic necessities of life; - the cultural right to sustain a community; - and the political right to access democratic mechanisms that protect human rights.

Why we kept going with The Right to Remain: Even as "the right to remain" became an activist frame of reference, it continued (and continues) to be violated, most grievously against the 3,600 people who are the most precariously-housed in privately-owned SROs, a notorious but diminishing housing stock paradoxically cited as our nation's "slum" as well as the "the last step before homelessness". Despite years of tepid efforts by the city to mitigate the conversion of SROs, landlords continue to act with impunity in forcing tenants to live under the harshest conditions, harassing them, demanding sex for rent, setting fires, and raising rents before finally and often illegally "\~novicti!lg'\pr "demovicting" teBanto/in a final f dispossessi~n.\ I I,::, ,

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This photo is Don Larson, president of the CRAB/Water for Life Society. It came Wednesday through social media and says "Peanuts from the Port." The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced last week that it was donating $2 million as "Community Investment". That breaks down like this: $1 million for improvements to CRAB Park $250,000 for First Nations initiatives $125,000 for Strathcona Community Centre Association $125,000 for Ray-Cam Co-operative Association, and $500,000 for the creation of a three-year community fund to support projects proposed by organizations in the Downtown Eastside, Strathcona, Hastings-Sunrise and Grandview-Woodland It was presented as ajoint 'gift' to alleviate the very real concerns over the expansion ofCenterrn, the corpo-

ration owned by the government of Dubai that has the huge container-handling facility bordering Crab Park.

The money has been spread out to get a diverse acceptance of the expansion, which will bring 2/3 more container traffic into the facility at the foot of Main Street.

The community rallied in the Spring in opposition to this expansion. In May, Larson and a group of Downtown Eastside residents and supporters rallied at the park board office highlighting the need for improvements to the park, including expanding the park, establishing an Indigenous healing centre and improving access, especially for people with mobility issues.

The $1 million for improvements to CRAB Park falls short of what the park board and community is asking for. There is an additional 4 acres ofland immediately west of the park that could be made part of the existing space and a First Nations Lodge for Healing and Wellness could be situated there. From a website on this: "For decades, indigenous elders, leaders, and the residents of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside have talked about a First Nations Healing Lodge on the waterfront next to CRAB Park. This dream never seemed like it could become a reality, but the opportunity has arisen due to a motion proposed by Parks Board Commissioner John Irwin."

Momentum has been building over last few years: -A healing lodge was part of the 1982 vision of the Founders of the Aboriginal Front Door Society and the CRAB Water for Life Society, who occupied the waterfront in tents to Create a Really Available Beach (CRAB).

-In 2000, Western Aboriginal Harm Reduction Society (WAHRS) founders incorporated the healing centre at CRAB Park into the city's visioning for the Woodwards' District -In 2012, Indigenous members of the city's Local Area Planning (LAP) Committee included the healing centre in the city's 30 year Local Action Plan.

After hearing from speakers, park board commissioners unanimously approved a motion from COPE commissioner John Irwin to ask the port authority to work with the City of Vancouver, park board and First Nations, on a plan for the central waterfront area, including CRAB Park, that would give equitable access to "expanded, high-quality greenspace," explore the feasibility of an Indigenous healing/cultural centre, create and enhance significant shoreline habitat, and put a city-wide focus on expanding waterfront park access.

Irwin was on hand for Thursday's announcement and said the park board is still pursuing the goal of expanding, and improving, the park and establishing the healing centre.

Board chair Stuart Mackinnon said the park board will consult with the community to determine the $1 million donation could be used.

"Improving CRAB Park is a high priority of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and, of course, for local residents that use this crucial green space," he said.

"The park board would like to thank the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority for this donation toward muchneeded impf(~vements....and we look forward to hearing from local park users on how best to use these funds," Mackinnon said. "We also recognize the continuing need for additional park, green space and shoreline habitat, in particular in the Downtown Eastside community."

Organizations can find out more about how to apply for the new community fund at portvancouver.com/ centerm-fund. The first submission period for applications will be open Sept. 3 to Nov. 29.

The motion "Expanding Downtown Eastside Greenspace and Waterfront Access" was passed by city council, but without the section that states, "that the Vancouver City Council support and assist in funding the development and construction of an indigenous-focused healing, wellness, and/or cultural centre at CRAB Park."

Instead, the mayor agreed to engage the prime minister's office immediately for funding. With the federal election coming up in the fall, there will be a federal announcement in September and a push for the Mayor, Parks and community to lobby together for the healing centre.

"It's pretty good, but there are still many hurdles to overcome," say members of the community group who lobbied and attended city hall this week to support the motion.

Here is the motion that was actually passed on Wednesday July 10th at City Hall: 8. Expanding Downtown Eastside Greenspace and Waterfront Access WHEREAS 1.0n May 27,2018, the Vancouver Park Board unanimously approved an amended motion requesting that the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority identifies further opportunities to make investments in the local Downtown Eastside community with a particular focus on parks, recreation, and Reconciliation, and that the Park Board explore the initiation of a working group in partnership with the City of Vancouver and community stakeholders with a goal to transition the development and construction of an indigenous-focused healing, wellness, and! or cultural centre out of the theoretical and into action and reality; 2.In 2015, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority announced the Centerm Expansion Project, which involves a series of improvements at the Centerm container terminal, including extending the terminal to the west; 3.0n April 18, 2018, a project permit was approved for the Centerm Expansion Project; 4. On June 20, 2018, City Council approved recommendations for staff to continue to work with community, health sector, foundation and government partners to plan for the development and operation of an Indigenous Healing and Wellness Centre in the Downtown Eastside; 5.Waterfront spaces are critically important both culturally and ecologically to the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, and every opportunity should be sought to partner with them on the potential of • such spaces; 6. Based on the City's support of the Park Board's park provision targets, the Downtown Eastside is park deficient and would benefit from the addition of greenspace; 7. Community members have expressed an interest for an indigenous healing centre/arts and cultural centre in CRAB Park; 8. The Port Authority has stated its commitment to being a good neighbour to local communities, municipalities and First Nations, and to demonstrating this commitment through its investments in those communities.

THEREFORE BE T RESOLVED A. THAT Vancouver City Council requests the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority identifies further opportunities to make investments in the local community with a particular focus on parks, recreation, and Reconciliation, and to engage with the City, Park Board, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, and Urban Indigenous communities on future planning processes and opportunities for CRAB Park including expanding CRAB Park, that would support: i. vulnerable populations in the Downtown Eastside through equitable access to expanded, high quality greenspace; ii. improving community access to existing parks and greenspace; iii. exploring the feasibility of a new indigenous healing centre or cultural centre at CRAB Park; iv. creating and enhancing significant shoreline habitat; and v. the city-wide focus of expanding waterfront park access.

B. THAT the Vancouver City Council support the development and construction of an indigenous-focused healing, wellness, and/or cultural centre at CRAB Park and work with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority as well as Federal and Provincial government and other potential partners to secure funding to achieve delivery of such a centre.

C. THAT the Mayor immediately engage with the Vancouver Port Authority, the Minister of Transportation, and the Prime Minister's Office to achieve points i-v of Part A above as well as inform Vancouver City Council, the Vancouver Park Board, the local Member of Parliament, and the local Member of the Legislative Assembly, as to the progress of these efforts.

This article has the work of Jessica Kerr (Courier), Fiona York (CCAP) and Paul Taylor.

Photo Dan Toulgoet

(on Vancouver Courier website)

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CARNEGIE COMMUNITY

ACTION

PROJECT

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NEWSLETTER

HEALING, WELLNESS, AND THE NEED FOR ETHICAL SERVICE PROVIDERS

JULY 2019

ERICA GRANT'S INDIGENOUS DAY BBQ appreciated gift card of $50. This went to paper plates and napkins. VANDU contributed a very generous $150, thankyou for believing in my vision. My fellow colleagues at CCAP made my day with love. They volunteered their time serving the food, setting up and cleaning after our event.

I would like to thank the community of the DTES for graciously accepting our invitation to join us for our DTES Indigenous Day Celebration. It was a total success! There was music, laughter, food (delicious salmon) courtesy of Canfishco Fisheries.

The FARM Dispensary assisted in hands-on help as well as a monetary donation of $200 which was much appreci'ated. Ryan Giesbrecht made the bannock we served and it was delicious. Ryan and wife Allie donated a gift card of $100 for Costco which paid for all the beverages, thank you Ryan and Alii, you two always have my back.

A very special thanks to Jean Swanson for her monetary donation of $300, thank you my friend forever and mentor. London Drugs gave us a much Ol

Fiona, thank you for taking the time to find a barbeque grill for all of us to use.

And Serge, thank you for stepping up and taking charge of barbequing the salmon. Elli and Danelle thank you for assisting with the letters to possible sponsors, you mutual support and

encouragement carried me through ...

Elli you are an awesome friend , sister , and colleague and the same goes to Fiona, I love you ladies.

Chris Livingstone thank you for the use of your vehicle and thank you Riaz Behra for driving us around and uplifting my spirits when I ran into confusion. Rider Cooley, you are always more then willing to be our driver and you also stored our food supplies plus you picked up bread and buns from Cobbs Bakery. Grant, thank you for

staying at my side, always ready to do last minute errands. This event would not have taken off if not for the TSSU and their generous small DTES grant of $200. Thank you for believing in me.

Tooyak'sip

niin, Erica Grant.

CCAP Member and Mental Health Peer Research Erica Grant fundraised over $7,000.00 for her Aboriginal Oay BBQ at Crab Park. It was an awesome success!

52-92 EAST HASTINGS J.

There is a proposed development for the zero block from 52-92 East Hastings.

Yes, it is true that this development will house an Aboriginal healing centre which is traditional as well as western medicine. It is going to have 53 shelter rate units (or so they state thus far) 50 of which we already had and the other 3 being new Two floors of housing will be run by RainCity Housing and the other 6 floors with 59 units will be a mix of-low end of market and RGI (rent geared to income). These units will be singles with bathrooms and kitchenettes, two bedrooms, and three bedrooms. Indigenous people from all over will be coming to this centre. It will take up the space currently occupied by the OPS, the Shaldon, the Street Market, and Pigeon Park Savings.

Pigeon Park Savings will be moving to 312 Main, the old police station. OPS

will be "moved where it most needed", according to the developers.

Lu'Ma Development and others are working on-this project and are in the planninqstaqes.

There is a lot of hope about this development, but we must also consider we are only gaining three new shelter rate units in a development ofl12 units. Again, the rest will be slightly affordable, but the fact we are only gaining three more shelter rate units makes us anxious that we will lose a whole block and not be able to house the people who need it the most in the DTES. Groups like Our Homes Can't Wait and others have been organizing for a similar model but with 100% shelter rate units. When OHCW proposed this, it was not considered "financially viable", however it is once Lu'Ma and RainCity get in the mix?

02

THE NEED FOR ETHICAL SERVICE PROVIDERS The Downtown Eastside in Vancouver has long been an area which has specific needs and an areas where many vulnerable people live, and tragically, die.

It is true that we have some solace in buildings and service providers who have long had heart and a solid reputation in this area.

On the flip side, there has been corruption, and one just has to look at the recent "fines" that the Sahota's received for their hotels. The SROs were shut down after inspections were forced, and it was clear the buildings were so dangerous, the City could no longer allow them to operate in the manner they have been.

Horror stories abound. and I will share a few with you. Of course, I have permission to share these tales but I will not disclose the authors because I was sworn to confidentiality and it is a professional standard to maintain such confidentiality.

While petitioning for expropriation of the Balmoral and the Regent, I talked with many past residents and friends of residents who told tales that either made me quite angry or were frightening.

03

One individual told me that he was hired to help with some wiring and there were holes in the walls to access the wiring in the Balmoral. He did some further work in the walls and a stench so bad was present. It could only be the horrid smell of death. A body was in the wall. Who knows how long it had been there, and whether it was from a professional hit, a murder, or it's just where they put the nameless when they died.

Another person told me that the bathroom sinks were torn off the walls completely, and people were using just the ,hoses for water. Even then, this sometimes didn't work, as the pipes were so ancient the water stopped flowing sometimes or it was dusty or too toxic to drink. Who knows if there was lead in the pipes or what.

And yet another tale of a person "hired" to do electrical and plumbing with NO EXPERIENCE and a reduction of $50 of rent for 9 hours of work. The Sahotas are slumlords, the likes of which we have never seen. They were recently fined and found guilty and the fines amounted to 175,000 - a measly "slap on the wrist".

This is why we need compassionate, accountable, and transparent service providers and building property managers. Instead, we have a surplus of service providers who are working to make a career out of poverty, the very thing we don't like to do.

We are no longer going to settle for conditions worse then a third-world country. Why should we suffer a short life expectancy, and also deal with people who have greed as their priority rather then compassionate harmreducing care.

By Elli Taylor

CRAB PARK HEALING AND WELLNESS many people and organizations have been organizing to finally have a healing centre. Organizations such as the SRO Collaborative, CCAP, WHARS, VANOU, OEWC, etc. have been working hard. HOVl{ever,there have been many roadblocks.

People have been organizing for a long time to ensure a traditional, more non-clinical approach to healing the generational effects of colonization.

Colonization is still ongoing and is traumatizing to people every day in the OTES. Indigenous women such as Tracey Morrison have been organizing for over 25 years to get some type of healing centre, and more recognition of the Missing and Murdered women and children, at Crab Park. Since the Port is expanding,

Indigenous voices from the OTES are often overlooked and not listened to.

This form of racism truly hurts us as we see other projects springing up with funding, even though we have been demanding a centre for over 25 years.

It is with a grain of salt that we move forward with any new developments, especially those that don't provide 100% shelter rate housing.

If you wish to show support for this campaign, please get a hold of the SRO Collab or CCAP for more information.

04

100 BLOCK COMMUNITY VISION You may be aware that community members are organizing around the 100 block of East Hastings, as discussion and speculation continue around the Balmoral and Regent Hotels. People have been visioning these ideas for a long time. A group of people began walking around the DTES looking at buildings and identifying what they are and who they are owned and managed by. A much larger audience participated in the first 100 block visioning event on May 24th. The SRO Collaborative and CCAP organized to help pull it off. We had served free hotdogs, coffee and snacks.

We hung flip chart paper against the Balmoral outside walls for passersby to write about their hopes and dreams and answer questions (such as where Insite should be and should it be expanded to how do we protect Indigenous women and children, etc.).

People also filled out surveys and petitions. The process was revised and found that there were methodological issues when we asked open ended questions rather then a "yes" or "no" question. Understandably, it was much harder to present data in a representative form when it came to the open-ended statements.

05

Another event, the 100 Block Vision Townhall, was held in the Carnegie Community Centre Theatre on Friday June 28th. People were able to speak at an open mic as well as write their ideas on flip charts. This information will now be added to a report, and this report will be nicely published and available to people. It is of utmost importance that we work on these pressing issues.

The following motion has been presented to city hall: Whereas: 7.In July 2078 the City of Vancouver began the process to expropriate two Downtown Eastside Single Room Occupancy (SRO)Hotels - the Regent and the Balmoral that housed very low-income people for decades; and 2. Three hundred and twenty-four rooms at the Regent and Balmoral Hotels remain vacant; and 3. The 2079 homeless highest in Vancouver about 7370 homeless Downtown Eastside;

count is the history with (62%) in the and

4. The needs of marginalized people are unique and it is important to support more access to health care, housing, arts and culture where these people live now; and

B. Approaching the Regent and Balmoral with sensitivity due to their relationship to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women;

5. Insite, located on the same block, is the only project in the world that connects people from a supervised injection site directly into treatment (400 per year access Onsitej, and is a hub for marginalized people in the area that many depend on; and

that serve current low income community members and allow them to run tabs until welfare day remain open;

6. The incomes of people are extremely low; many do not feel comfortable in other neighbourhoods and make the Downtown Eastside their community of choice.

7 Over 200 community members gathered to give input into a vision for the Regent and Balmoral Hotels and the surrounding community, with the help of the Carnegie Community Action Project and the Downtown Eastside SRO-Collaborative.

Therefore, be it resolved that: The City of Vancouver implements these recomrnendouorvs put forward by the Carnegie Community Action Project and the Downtown Eastside SRO-Collaborative, with input from over 200 community members, in their Vision for the Balmoral and Regent Hotels and surrounding area: A Centering Indigenous residents of the neighborhood in a consultation process about the future of the hotels and surrounding area;

C Keeping resources and businesses

D. Ensuring that 324 units or more are built on the same location and operate at the shelter rate, to replace units lost on the 700 block of East Hastings;

E Encouraging more peer programming and control of housing and services; F Ensuring convenience stores that allow people to run tabs until welfare day remain open; G Creating more spaces for arts and culture, especially Indigenous arts and culture; H. Increasing access to sanitation facilities including garbage cleanup, washrooms, showers, and laundry; I. Including and protecting sex workers and youth in consultation community projects; and,

and

1. Creating a less clinical, improved continuum of care for drug users, including access to a safe supply of opiates and stimulants.

06

CARNEGIE

COMMUNITY

ACTION

PROJECT

111:15 AM EVERY

FRIDAY

The Carnegie Community Action Project is a project ofthe board of the Carnegie Community Centre Association. CCAP works mostly on housing, income, and land use issues in the Downtown Eastside (DTES),so that the area can remain a low income friendly community.

CCAP works with English-speaking and Chinese-speaking DTES residents in speaking out on their own behalf for the changes they would like to see in their neighbourhood. Join us on Fridays ll:l5 am in classroom 2 on the th ird floor of the Ca rneg ie Centre for ou r weekly volunteer rneetinqsl Downtown Eastside residents who want to work on getting better housing and incomes and stop gentrification are welcome to attend.

Lunch is provided.

~Alli~51~J.l. 1 CHINATOWN

CONCERN

GROUP

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CONTACT

US:

Office: 2nd floor of the Carnegie, 401 Main Street, Vancouver Phone: 604-665-2105 Email: info@carnegieaction.org Website: www.carnegieaction.org

Vancity

Thank you to Vancity for supporting CCAP'swork. Support for this project does not necessarily imply that funders endorse the findings or contents of this newsletter.

A Good Friend A good friend is like a mother's love I don't have words to say what I feel I seek inspiration from above Will He the values and virtues reveal?

There is nothing better than a friend A special delight until the end.

Juana Peralta

...

A powerful things is our loyalty It makes a binding so very strong In closeness and solidarity It lifts my mood when all goes wrong

Jenny Kwan MP Vancouver Immigration,

East NDP Refugee

and Citizenship Critic

But, together we can always have a laugh Jokes where no one else gets the drift Shared sorrow then is cut in half True friendship is a wonderful gift

2572 E Hastings 5t Vancouver,

BC V5K IZ3

T: 604-775-5800 F: 604-775-5811 Jenny.Kwan@parl.gc.ca

THE 4TH ANNUAL SANDY' CAMERON MEMORSlAL WRrrma

CONJTÂŁST

Sandy was a writer and poet and an historian emeritus who traced the years of struggle for social and econom ic justice in the life of the Downtown Eastside. He contributed his thoughts and feelings on subjects as diverse as class and whale watching but tied everything to our ongoing ideation on social justice. This contest is to hon our him and all who use the written word to express themselves.

Writers and poets who identify with the struggles of the Downtown Eastside, who see and feel passion in living with spiritual, mental and physical yeamings. It may be with wealth (too much or not enough), housing (to: luxurious or not good enough), homelessness (seeing people or trying to ignore reality), both sides of addiction in the drug trade, the sex trade, "free" trade, community, women (murdered, missing what it is to be safe and creative), children and growing, festivals, ceremonies, memorials, special people and their contributions (past, present) all you do to make your life meaningful both now and towards the future. Whew!

Prizes will be awarded for each category. 1st, 2nd & 3rd will be $100, $75 and $50 respectively.

Additional non-cash prizes for entries deserving recognition.

Guidelines for Writing Contest.

1.

Writing must be the original work of the person submitting the contest entry & not fiction.

2.

If plagiarism is recognised the work will be disqualified and returned.

3.

Entry forms for contact information are available both at the Community Centre's front desk (Main. floor) and from the Newsletter office (2nd floor). Contact information for the writer must be provided with each contest entry.

4.

Essays: This means writing in sentences, with grammar and structure attempted.

5.

Poetry, All forms accepted. Must use the same font (typeface) throughout

6.

Subject is open to the individual author. It can be about most anything relevant to readers. In the words of Sam Roddan "[It] must have a bite. It must create some kind of disturbance, a turmoil in the heart, a turbulence of memory and feeling."

7.

The length of the essay can be 250-700 words, basically what can be printed on 1 page of the Newslettei Poetry of whatever length, but no more than can be printed on 1 page.

8.

Deadline for submissions is noon on September 15,2019. Results will be announced at a special event during the Heart of the City Festival (early November).

9.

Each writer may submit only one essay and/or one poetry entry. Do not include any photographs or illus trations with your entry.

OPPENHEIMER 12TH ANNUAL COMMUNITY

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Things are starting to gear up for Pride, and that includes here at Camegie Centre. Festivities are kicking off on Saturday, July 20th with Storytelling with Drag Queens at 5PM in the Theatre. We thought we'd support it in this column by highlighting one ofVPL's fabulous online booklists. Fit for A Queen provides an up-to-date list of some of the best Queer identified literature titles at VPL. To find this booklist, go to http://tiny.cc/8mbf9y. And if you just want to get to reading/viewing right away - here are some titles from Camegie library: Let's start with superheroes. Sacred Band by Joseph D. Carriker, jr. is a sci-fi novel about a vigilante superhero team that forms to fight a sinister plot against queer youth. A fun read, but also a great example of how some of the best social commentary can be found in genre fiction.

Graphic novels are also a great way to explore ideas in an engaging format. As described on the back cover Archie Bongiovanni is a 'snarky genderqueer artist' and Tristan Jimerson is a 'cisgender dude' who are best friends. They teamed up to bring us A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns, which in addition to being a super useful and accessible guide to pronoun use in relation to gender identity, is also just a fun read. The warmth and humour of the authors' friendship really comes through.

One of the best known drag performers of the 20th century was Divine, legendary for his acting work in many John Waters films. Female Trouble, from 1974, was Divine's stanturn for Waters, as well as one of his best films.

The Trauma Cleaner looks like an amazing read.

The story of Sandra Pankhurst, a trans woman with both a fascinating life story, and a fascinating current career (when the book was published two years ago) as a trauma cleaner, someone who cleans up crime scenes, hoarding sites, and other difficult and traumatizing locations. Grab this one quick, or I might have it checked out already!

Happy Reading, and Happy Pride!

Province Announces

Policy Changes Aimed at

Reducing Poverty

On June 17, the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction announced a number of policy changes that will take effect on July 1st. These changes are being introduced to further the Province's poverty reduction strategy, TogetherBC, and help reduce the rate of poverty in BC. For all people on Ministry assistance, including those on PWD: -ending penalties for families providing room and board to a family member; -expanding access to the identification supplement; -eliminating the "transient" client category; and -expanding the moving supplement to cover more circumstances.

For people not intending to apply for PWD: -decreasing the work search from five weeks to three weeks; -expanding access and simplifying the application process for Persons with Persistent Multiple Barriers programs by eliminating the Employability Screen, the 12115month wait period to apply and removing addiction-related restrictions to eligibility; -removing $10,000 asset limit on a vehicle for everyday use; and -increasing asset limits for people on income assistance from $2,000 to $5,000 for a single income assistance or PPMB recipient and from $4,000 to $10,000 for families and couples.

For more info, please contact our Advocacy Access program by phone at 604-872-127811-800-663-1278 or by email at feedback@disabilityalliancebc.org.

Randy

LIFE'S SHOPPING LIST Are you out to find your niche ... on what's most comfortable when looking for the right fit in: clothing, vocation & social?

Sometimes

our first impetuous choice does not give the right fit even if it seems logical at the time for as Einstein said: "Logic will get you from A to B but imagination will take you everywhere".

Sometimes our first choice gives super luck! or it may become something that we just want to chuck! for luck is not something really thought out - its just the luck of the draw.

So if you want a comfortable fit in all the choices that you make sometimes you got to return - or let go - of what first caught your eye causing a temporary loss of time or money but you got to "explore" - if you want your life to become more sunny. and choose what makes you feel good - every day - as it should; for life is too short to cry over a wrong choice that gives a pain in the gut while experiencing a tight suffocating fit. . .if it's too small or too large a mitt to wear. ... and we can't say this is unfair. when saying yes to a change for the better -js always in the air. .... inga g.

Testament 2019

the poet won'~write

the lines

you want to hear He won't join your club won't sing your fears He'll just ride out your karma and suavely watch & see you corrupt ones disappear ....

POETS & WRITERS: The Poetry Institute of Canada is having its 26th annual contest. There are cash prizes and the possibility of being published. No entry fee.

Poetry Open to all ages. 32 lines or less. Typed or neatly hand-written Send one original poem only to: Open Ages Poetry Contest 461 View Royal Avenue Victoria, BC, V9B 5L6 Writing Must be 18+. Indicate whether work is Fiction or non-fiction & 850 word limit. Send one original entry only to: Adult Creative Writing Contest 461 View Royal Avenue Victoria, BC, V9B 5L6 Name, age and address must be on the front page of entry. e-mail forboth:poetryinstitute@shaw.ca For more info contact via email

john alan douglas

Recovery Rule #2

=

Stop Being Sorry

As Canadians, we tend to over-apologize. As recovering addicts, we are told to apologize and "make amends" to those who we have hurt along the way with our addictions even though our addictions are an adaptive response to those that hurt us. Ten times out of ten, if someone is seeking an apology from you for hurting them with your addiction, they are not rooting for you. They are rooting for themselves and do not have the capacity to see beyond their own self-centeredness to empathize with the pain and suffering you've been through. These people are a waste of time.

When someone makes your sobriety or anything you do that does not directly involve them about them, they have issues that are beyond your ability to solve. In fact, keeping people like this in your life is sabotaging your recovery. If you feel guilt towards someone for something you do to yourself, there is either a problem with the relationship or your perspective. Unless you stole their booze or snorted their cocaine without asking, you owe them nothing but a genuine dose of reality.

The path to healing means being accountable for our actions instead of sorry for them. Accountability leads to power whereas being sorry leads to guilt and powerlessness. The former builds resilience and the latter destroys the soul. Which option would you prefer?

Instead of being sorry for our actions and placing judgement on them, a more helpful approach is to see them for what they are and think about how we would like to do things differently. If we plan ahead, about how we can respond to life's challenges in a new way, we are more likely to influence a desired behavioral change in ourselves. By contrast, if we berate ourselves for actions we are not proud of, we will repeat them. The bad feelings and guilt burry the opportunity to learn something new. Shifting our focus to how we want to think, act and behave in the privacy of our own minds is the catalyst for living a better life.

Recovering from any addiction means owning it, but not being sorry about who we are or what we've done. If you are going to apologize to anyone as part of your recovery, apologize to yourself for treating your body so badly and thinking toxic thoughts. In order to recover, the relationship to ourselves is the only one we need to amend. When you get to a place where you pursue your own well-being at all costs and you are prepared to walk away from any and all past relationships that no longer serve you, half the battle is already won. Instead of being a passenger in your own life, you become the driver and life starts to become way more fun. And just in case you missed it, now is a good time to go back and review reco,very rule number one in the March 15 issue = Do it for YOU. lennifer Elizabeth Risingwithgrace.com

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We acknowledge that Carnegie Community Centre, and this Newsletter, are occurring on Coast Sal ish Territory.

THIS NEWSLEITER IS A PUBLICATION OF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION Articles represent the views of individual contributors and not of the Association.

WANTED Artwork for the Carnegie Newsletter -Small illustrations to accompany articles and poetry.

-Cover art - Max size: 17cm(6 %')wide x 15cm(6')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 publication.

-Remuneration: Carnegie 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.

401 Main Street, Vancouver V6A 2T7 604-665-2289 Website carnegienewsletter.org carnnews@vcn.bc.ca

Catalogue

LSLAP (Law Students Legal Advice Program) DROP-IN Call 604-665-2220

Next issue:

for time

SUBMISSION DEADLINE

Noon, MONDAY, JULY 29 WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION • •

AIDS POVERTY

•

HOMELESSNESS

•

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

•

TOTALITARIAN CAPITALISM

•

IGNORANCE and SUSTAINED FEAR

•

email

carnnews@shaw.ca

DONATIONS 2019 In memory of Bud Osbom $5 Drew Craig H.-$500 Barry M.-$250 Laurie R.-$100 In memory of those who passed in 2018 -$10 Elaine V.-$100 Glenn B.-$250 Barbara L -$50 Laila B.-$100 Michele C-$100 Michael C-$100.Douglas Z.-$10 Penny G.-$10 Farmer Family Foundation Anonymous -$1000

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