June 1, 2008, carnegie newsletter

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JUNE 1, 2008 •

catnnews@vcn. bc.ca www.carnnews.org

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manner of loosely-related stuff is just a statement that homelessness is not a priority and the poor will have to work or starve (or both). The Downtown Eastside has been exempted from certain zoning requirements and building requirements- replacing lost low-income units I for I, etc.

Study after study has shown that ending public programs to assist the poor and the capitalist ventures resulting in people on the street costs the taxpayer about $55,000 per homeless person (emergency services, ambulances, police, lost revenue due to hungry people frequenting any area) per year, and is climbing. And providing housing would cost under $40,000 per homeless person and dramatically reduce the attendant costs of poor health etc over time. But that's not nearly compelling enough for the government to put any kind of limitations on speculation or people only interested in making as much money as possible.

A !so, do you think that the impact that the Olympics will have on the homeless situation will stick around after the conclusion of the games? Why?

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Any temporary solution -taking anyone looking and/ or behaving mentally ill to Riverview for a month; rounding up and bussing street and homeless people to the abandoned army base in Chilliwack for the same month, etc. will only be temporary regardless of what promises are made. It is and will be a matter of optics only - looking world-class in the eyes of the (business and well-to-do) world ... Such practices occurred at 3 of the Olympics held in recent years in the States- Los Angeles, Atlanta and Salt Lake. In Atlanta they had government buses going around the streets and requesting that those targeted go out-of-town for 3 weeks and get a small amount of money and cigarettes, etc. Anyone refusing was just arrested and taken elsewhere. The promises of low-income housing and attendant programs were all made and supposedly in place for Salt Lake. Activists there reported that

barely 1o/o of promised units were actually available after the Games.

Homelessness will be treated as more of a criminal issue than an economic or social problem. Such will be ensconced via bylaws about sitting on sidewalks, sleeping on public land, urinating outside, being in any parking lot without a car parked there, and of course panhandling, squeegeeing or selling personal belongings from a blanket on the sidewalk. In the 30's the unemployed were rounded up and put in workcamps, housed & fed and paid 20 cents a day for a full day's labour. The capitalist system is repulsed by anyone not able to 'succeed' on its terms and allowances for those who 'fail' have always been meagre and given in a miserly fashion. There is never any responsibility or even blame ceeded by the very wealthy & powerful for legislated poverty. The problem will likely be addressed as though no one was aware of it until after the Olympics, and then "Oh wow! what to do?" But there will be no mass public expenditure on housing then as the extent of the Olympic debt incurred by the province (and the unrelated profits made by all the private business) will curtail public programs even further. Without a revolutionary change in the current system, there will likely be little deviation.

That's off the top of my head. For more detailed . and statistical information go to www.povertyolympics.ca and get more information about income assistance at www.raisetheratcs.org.

For articles on specific events showing the underlying impetus on housing issues, go to www.carnnews.org Hope this helps PaulR Taylor .

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OHWELL

without effort embrace it, when first'impressions are able to last a lifetime take tit em if so allowed and · when that last grain of sand hits rock bottom turn up that silence extremely lout/ I'm finally alone with my very own crowd oh well

By ROBERT McGlLLIVRA Y

I see empty people wherever I go please believe me, "If the Freedom ofSpeech is taken away then dumb oh well, you're not, I see dogs out walking their land & silent we may be led like sheep to the slaughter." lords did either bring a bag it must be a drag just leav- George Washington. ing your evacuation for the scoop foundation while expecting your donation to be picked up in what kinder entry were you taught?

Lik.e sight-seeing from dumptrucks the view was great unttl you were awake Lut by then it was way too late but maybe later in the park, like overloading the ark this world must have been dark because you double parked- the fine's bite is extremely worse than its bark- let's see some registration & some forms of identification it's early days for you my friends you romises, Promises, Promises w.ill learn the difference between Deport & Depart. _ .

So, you say, you never promtsed us Ttme to hop back on the Magical Mystical expression less and ~~st _importantly engine less Festival bus ~ ~ Rose Garden . . "' But we dtd not expect tlus commg to pass come on JOm m on the fun as we tour the worthless This Rough Beast lives section do not worry they are very busy in their Where our priests are perverted cells, we're talking very busybee type atmosphere as Our politicians corrupt and content competitive as beehives in this part of Hell. oh well..

When something so small can emit a sound so large in their corruption listen to it, when something so heavy can be lifted Their Greed, and worse their stupidity. without effort embrace it, when first impressions are Spirit has flown able to last a lifetime take them if so allowed and unless it be spirit of revenge when. that last grain of sand hits rock bottom turn up Spirit of spurious justice that stlence extremely loud I'm finally alone with my An eye for two eyes . very own crowa.• An' gettin' worse baby, gettin' worse Still can't believe I'm all alone with my crowd cheerMalthus and Hobbes'd be at home here 110\1 ~ng ?nd jeering me on like grabbing a glove and sleepWould be mighty comfortable mg m front of a hocke~' net your teeth will be returned In this too hard, too cold, too hot place along with your keys upon request, just more room for This gimtnee some hope please place. the dentist to work and we know Oh GOD do we know more is way better than less back on the expresRoses there are -unpruned, uprooted sionless bus a sprinkle of tears here and there the one due to Development thing we almost forgot was the person designated to Their frail freshness squashed into care, yet he just sits with hatred for his hair and his the tractor trailer treads of mud thinking out loud no hiding behind clouds he is just The children -gettin' older, gettin' resigne1 fed up with Satan/God their allies and there lies the Inventing a New Post-Compassion Family problem it's so painfully clear with no possibility of Yet honour among the thieves control or care for the next twenty-five·years oh well Caring in the sharing of spent resources Where is the Messiah ofthis\is time?

When something so small can emit a sound so large listen to it, when something so heavy can be lifted Wilhelmina Miles

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"Have a good run" or something like that. What else can you do but sit there for 4 hours and let the rnachine do its work. It always takes pretty close to 4 hours but there are 30 beds so some people are getting on and off at the same time. Because I use the Handy Dart I know that you have to be off by a certain time or the Handy Dart driver will leave you at the hospital.

I was left behind once and I phoned the office too late and they couldn't send another bus so I had to take the regular bus home. Another time they were able to send a bus for me. It's because I had learned that you don't wait to the last minute. Soon as you figure out that your bus has left you behind you phone the office and they can get you a ride without too much trouble. It can be a pain because sometimes after a run you're tired out. But most o f the time it's manageable. I get to watch TV for about 4 hours and I can watch whatever I want from channel 2 to 58. I usually watch hockey if there's a game on, otherwise I catch-up on my evening dramas. There's nothing I really like in the evening. Just like at home I always have the TV on but I just sit in front of it with nothing to do. Sometimes it's really hard to kill the 4 hours, at least when there's a game on it's a bit easier to pass the time. At the end of the run they usually put on these tourniquet like things that stop the blood from flow in out of your arm, I usually leave mine on for a half hour or so then I take off the tourniquets. Then I take of the band-aids in the morning. The system seems to be working quite well thank-you. Sometimes I'm really played out and other times it doesn't even bother me.

The almost death scene. I was really out of it about the third day or so. I don't really remember. One of my favorite nurses came in to give me dialysis. Of course I don't remember anything about the day or session.

Apparently I pulled the tube out of my jugular. I guess I would have died if it wasn't for Sabina. Of course when she seen me on the ward later during a regular session she came up and playfully punched me about 3 or 4 times and gave me hell. I just laughed at her.

Later on in the week I bought her a coffee from Tim's but she didn't want any dough-nuts. It was just a regular day for her. I guess saving a life in some professions is just part of the job. I'd like to thank Sabina and all the other professionals on the ward who devote so much time and energy to us poor patients who have ruined our lives by not looking after ourselves. Have a nice week. -hal

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~ I was in the hospital for my dialysis, or rather lack of it. l had missed 2 times and they sent the cops for me before the third time was due. They arrested me and took me to the hospital. It's kind of a relief to be going to the hospital instead of jail. I had been out of it for a week or so when they got to me. I guess that they saved my life. I didn't know what I was doing and that fits in with some people's belief that I never know what I'm doing. Anyway in the hospital I was still out of it and I had this tube running into my jugular vein so they could take the blood out of my body and clean it and put it back. It usually takes about 4 hours and 1 do it 3 times a week. The Handy Dart bus picks me up at 4pm and I usually don't get home until lOpm or so.

It's almost like a job, 3 times a week for a total of about 18 hours. All my blood gets cleaned when I can get a complete 4 hour run in. They call it a run and I don' t know why, you know they say at the beginning

SO I ALMOST DIED

I luv the Downtown Eastside

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I luv the sidewalks I luv the long talks on the corner.

I luv the architecture and the neon l luv the Carnegie I luv the Chinatown Market I luv the gutter, the sme11s, the curbs and pathways I luv the sunrise and the skies in the DTES It's where 1 spend my time I Juv it when the traffic goes by I fee l alive in the DTES -it's where I reside It's got atmosphere and resources galore Come visit the Downtown Eastside and see what's in store.

Paul Noscotti

ITi;;" OVER .' GO I-\OM~ .

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How to fix BC's broken child welfare system? 'f>j\)ot knows.

By Rolf Auer This article is about a 120 page report on Pivot Legal Society's website titl~d Broken Promises: Parents Speak aboul B. C. 's Child Welfare System. It is about the inadequacies of BC's child welfare system and how to fix them. I am grateful to Lora Masotti, YWCA Crabtree Daycare worker, for bringing the report to my attention.

Like the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives I Raise The Rates report, Living On Welfare, this report is also interspersed with personal accounts of dealing with the system, with the parents' names changed to protect their privacy.

There is no way that an atticle as shott as this one can properly convey the contents of a report as long as it is, but at least it can convey the gist of it.

All quotes in this article are from the report.

"Work for this project began in October 2006, only 14 months before the report went to print. ... Time . limitations seriously impacted our ability to collect a . large number of affidavits for inclusion in this report." .. "Thirty-one of the participants were female and one was male. Of the 32 interview participants, 23 identified as Aboriginal. ... All of the parents we spoke to were facing sorhe level of economic hardship at the time of the interview and for most this had been a reoccurring theme throughout their lives." (This last is part of what makes the work of organizations like Raise The Rates (raise welfare rates) and the Carnegie Community Action Project (build social housing) so important.) Most previous reports resembling this one excluded the direct voices of the parents.

"We embarked on this research with an eye toward addressing the high rate of child apprehensions from . poor, mainly Aboriginal, families in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver. ... It is our position t~at until women's and children's poverty and the lack of services for survivors of abuse and people with disabilities of all kinds are addrt-ssed, better child protection practices will not, on their own, ensure better outcomes for vulnerable families."

"Approaches to prote~ting children remain individualistic, crisis driven and devoid of a real commitment to supporting universal public programs that would reduce poverty and the social and economic stresses on all parents. Although the colonial history of this

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province and ongoing discrimination against Aboriginal people are well recognized, comprehensive attempts to address the economic, social and cultural impacts of this legacy have not been forthcoming."

"Aboriginal children are nearly ten times more likely to be in care than non-Aboriginal children .... Seventy-three percent of youth involved with the young offenders system in BC are also involved with the child protection system. Only 21 percent of former youth in care graduate, compared with 78 percent of the general population."

The data analysis for the report was done via interviews, affidavits, and interview and focus groups with professionals. " .. . 84.2 percent of the Aboriginal children [currently] in the Ministry's care [are] residing in nonAboriginal homes."

The Child, Family and Community Services Act was passed in 1994 and came into effect in I 996. Before it came into effect, the Gove Report was released, "pushing the child protection system firmly away from a 'family supports' model and toward 'childcentred' child protection practices."

"The move away from a family supports model resulted in a dramatic increase in the number of children in care in the province. Between 1979 and 1993, prior to the Gove Report, British Columbia was experiencing a decline in the number of children in care .... Following the Gove Report. ... the province saw a steady increase in the number of children in care from 6,000

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in 1994 to almost I0,000 in 1999 .... [I]n 200 I .... a new Liberal government was elected in British Col lumbia and asked the Ministry for Children and Family Development. ... to slash its budget, resulting in an l I percent budget reduction .... Services to support families in caring for their children were either eliminated or strictly targeted to families in crisis."

Taken from an interview: '"The fact is that Aboriginal people have all been seriously traumatized. That means aunties, uncles, cousins, it doesn't matter they've all been traumatized because of colonization and genocide. Our people lost that parenting skill. s My mother doesn't have the parenting skills to teach v us because her mother went to a residential school and v it was beaten out of her, so it wasn't taught to my d mom, so it wasn't taught to me ... If I don't heal my daughters now and they have children, what's going to t happen to their children?"'

A few (out of very many) suggestions to improve I J the system: reduce social workers' caseloads; reduce multiple social workers for one parent to promote con( r tinuity; apprehensions as a last resort; culturally ap.. propriate child placements; better funding (i.e. foster t vs. kin care (at the moment, kin care funding is far lower)); eliminate barriers to reunification; more accountability of social workers and their managers; J Ministry files should be readily available to parents; I ~ the Ministry must adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward racism, classism and abusive behaviour by their staff; reduce delays in the court system; raise welfare rates and the minimum .wage; form a universal childcare system.

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I'm thinking ..

Darkness blankets the sky Another day goes bye-bye Tomorrow the sun will rise Spreading 1ight until the blackness goes away It comes as no surprise In my mind a calmness Overcomes the nightmares past.

Revealing a whole new day With memories to grasp I' m thinking Paul Noscotti

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Newsl>o.from the Libra Main & Hastings Book Club

At the Main & Hastings Book Club we've just started reading a new book: Wayson Choy's All That Matters Set in Chinatown in the 1930s and 1940s, the book tells one family's story, weaving in politics, wartime, mah-jong and kitchen gods. If you'd like to join the book club, talk to Beth in the library or just show up on Tuesdays at 1lam in the third floor gallery.

New Books

No Laughing Matter: Adventure, Activism and Politics (971.06) is Margaret Mitchell's autobiography.

The title is taken from the time she was ridiculed, in May 1982, because she raised the iss~e of spousal abuse in the House of Commons. A furious Mitchell told them it was no laughing matter that l in 10 men beat their wives. MP for Vancouver East for 14 years, advocating for social housing, community activism, against poverty and for and wcmen's rights, this is fascinating look at an inspiring life.

Heroin Century (362.29) by Tom Carnwarth and Ian Smith asks two controversial questions: Is heroin really dangerous? Or is it just dangerous because it is illegal? This books talks about the history, chemistry and medical aspects of heroin, the links between heroin and crime, and draws on artistic sources as well as scientific texts. They argue that a more relaxed relationship between society and the drug would benefit both the economy and public health and safety.

The title of this book says it all: Intlie Girl: From Starting a Bantl to Launching a Fashion Company, Nine Ways to Turn Your Creative Talent Into Reality (305.23) by Arne Johnson & Karen Macklin. Plucky young women, what are you waiting for?

New computer books just in, all in the For Dummies series: The Internet for Dummies (004.67), Creating Web Pages for Dummies (005.75), Troubleshooting Your PC for Dummies (621.39), and Upgr(l(/ing & Fixing PCs for Dummies (621.39) are all now available in the library.

Beth, your Iibrarian I

David McLellan Chair, Development Permit Board c/o Alison Higginson, Development Services 453 West 12th Avenue Vancouver BC VSY 1V4

Re: Concord Pacific development at 58 W. Hastings

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Dear Members of the Development Permit Board, I am writing to you as a concerned citizen and as someone who has lived, worked and volunteered in the Downtown Eastside for the last 15 years. The development at 58 W.Hastings should not go ahead as a market development in the Downtown Eastside for a number of reasons. Chiefly, because it will, in concert with the Paris Block, Woodward's and the new development on the SE corner of Cambie and Hastings, seal the fate of this vulnerable community.

The term, "jaws of gentrification" has been bandied around for a long time as condo's have gone up on & around the Hastings corridor. This development would be the final crush.

As you well know, that regardless of how much affordable housing is built, if there is more market housing in the neighbourhood, the needs of people with more economic 路power will drive the market and what amenities will be present. We have seen it over and over again, and what follows is the effort to reduce or eliminate services to people who badly need them, including affordable grocery stores.

The reasons for not letting this development proceed are for more long term reasons though, like how we are perceived as a city in the future.

I have lived here 16 years, coming from Montreal and Edmonton. The Downtown Eastside has always felt like home to me. I realized recently why that is. I was born in a big city, Montreal, and what I loved about it as a child, was that the neighborhood was human scale, old, and people were social on the street.

I never experienced this in Edmonton, and I don't experience this anywhere else in our City. This quality is natural to the Downtown Eastside.

No one will argue the very serious issues the community faces, but as a 16 year resident, I have come to understand through conversations with many knowledgeable people and a lot of reading, that the Downtown Eastside as it stands today, as it suffers today, is

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a creation of policy and nimbyism (Not In l\'Iy Back Yard).

The neighborhood should be honoured for taking on what the rest of the city in their efforts to be world class and beautiful were not willing to do. Honoured for accepting and caring for people who no one wanted to care for, for being a place of resistance in n city set on demolishing anything that resembles aging, and removing anyone that doesn't fit the look of Vancouver: beautiful, healthy and ageless.

This neighborhood is a treasure surrounded by false gold. If we are serious about not displacing people and being a more "sustainable" City with the Olympics coming, the current residents of the Downtown Eastside have a practical and 'from the ground up' vision we have to share with you and Vancouver at large. You must not let this development proceed, or we will be losing the heart and soul of our city.

Si.ncerely, Sharon Kravitz

Dear Mayor and Council; Mr. McLellan, RE: Development Permit for 58 West Hastings

I am writing in support of the many constituents who have contacted me about their opposition to Concord Pacific's proposal for condominiums at 58 West Hastings Street.

I hear constantly about how affordable housing is virtually non-existent for East Vancouver's residents, and even more so for low income tenants of the Downtown Eastside who are under constant threat of increased rents or evictions due to gentrification. It is critical to stem the dangerous erosion of housing for Vancouver's most vulnerable residents, and create housing opportunities for them.

Residents tell me they feel besieged by the rapid pace of development in the Downtown Eastside neighbour-

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hood. The intense and overwhelming nature of condo expansion is neither compatible nor respectful of the existing residential community. The neighbourhood has more than its share of challenges, not least of which is survival, and maintaining a strong sense of community in the middle of a big and increasingly unaffordable city. However, through hard work, commitment, creativity and community activism, residents have persevered and made their urban section of Vancouver a neighbourhood, and a home. They have built a thriving, tight.;knit neighbourhood in one of Canada's poorest areas.

But a fragile balance exists between new development and the existing community. Cities throughout Canada and North America are littered with tragic examples of what happens when the balance is tipped and communities are overwhelmed.

Condominium developments should not be approved when the rate of single room occupancy loss is so high and many residents have either been evicted or are threatened with eviction.

I wish to emphasize that the fundamental issue here is the lack of foresight and planning for the Downtown Eastside. l think that it is premature and shortsighted to consider large-scale development in a neighbourhood that does not even have a comprehensive community vision. With such a vision in plac~, expecta_. tions are articulated and mutually benefictally goals are identified. As a result, many problems associated

c; government to assist with realistic housing solutions. I want Vancouver to be an affordable place to live.

There is an unacceptable amount of homelessness in our country, and I see its devastating effects all too frequently in my riding of Vancouver East, especially in the Downtown Eastside. There are many opportunities for municipal, provincial and federal governments to fulfill its obligations toward the homeless, and your leadership is crucial.

You have the means to meaningfully address the travesty of homelessness, a crisis that exposes a deep social injustice in one of Earth's greatest cities.

Sincerely, Libby Davies, MP (Vancouver East)

The Corporate City

with development proposa s can avoided. Therefore, I urge you to proceed with a planning process for this community as soon as possible.

Since becoming a Member of Parliament in 1997 I have always pushed for a fully funded national housing program, as I believe that all 3 levels of government are responsible. Shamefully, the last federal budget contained no new money for housing. Be assured that I will continue to press hard for the federal

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"Whenever there has been a choice to make between providing people with what they want and need on the one hand, and pursuing a strategy that would increase the short term and long term profits of the development corporations on the other, the developers have chosen to pursue their own interests .... The consequences of this arrangement, however, is that the corporate city is designed not to provide a humane and liveable city, but rather to maximize the profits to be made from urban land and to capture as much control over the process of urban growth as possible for the development industry .... The corporate city .. .is not so much a place for people to live and call their own as it is a machine rationally and effectively designed for making money."

James Lorimer, in his book "The Developers," page 79.

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To wh01n it ruay concern: I'm very upset and angry that women of all ages, races, skin colour, weight, disability, ethnic groups, religions, cultures (both young and old) are getting sexually abused, made fun of and getting beat-up ... all because men think we are too strong and are powerless when we are really good, loving people.

We do not deserve to be treated like dirt. Because all many men do is put us down and there is no reason.

It causes too much pain, misery, loss of appetite, self esteem, empowerment, nutritional awareness, all leading to emotional, mental and spiritual problems.

All we are is just regular people like yourselves so please stop hurting us so we can live in a safe city and not a war zone/ Prostitution, drug abuse and violence are very wrong and the men who force it shouldn't be free to walk on 路 Vancouver streets. The justice system should be made tougher with increased jail sentences till these men are in prison. It has gone on for way too long and has got to stop- not next year, not tomorrow, but right now.

What bad things have women done just so some men feel it's okay to hurt us? All we want is our lives back and for our voices to be heard. Stop this abuse and domestic violence done because you feel bad. Leave us alone so we can live drug and violence-free in this city and in the Downtown Eastside.

Stop murdering, abusing, raping, molesting, stabbing, strangling and maiming, mutilating and manipulating us. We are not going to tolerate this abusive and violent behaviour, so get yourselves counselling, treatment and/or anger management help. Not doing this will have you dying in jail.

All my relations.

P.S: No Justice No Peace. Insite saves lives. s 路:ephen Harper, evidence should be put ahead of ideology.

Supervised injections help prevent HIVI AIDS and other STDs. Keep the safe injection site open cr else you will get kicked out of Parliament.

Hooray for Libby Davies, NDP MP for Vancouver East. She is a strong supporter of the downtown eastside and all other community districts including the Commercial Drive district. You are the best!!

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Exchange on BC Supreme Court Decision on Insite between Libby Davies MP (Vancouver East __; NDP) and Health Minister Tony Clement Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, yesterday B.C.'s Supreme Com1 decision makes it abundantly clear that lnsite, the supervised injection facility in east Vancouver, is a health facility.

The ruling also makes it clear that closing Insite would be "inconsistent with the state's interest in fostering individual and community health and preventing death and disease".

Can the Minister of Health assure the House today that his Conservative government will abide by the court's decision and not appeal this important case?

Hon. Tony Clement (Minister of Health and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, I am not in charge of appeals. That is the Minister of Justice.

But I can say to the House that on this side of the House at least we are disappointed with the judgment.

We disagree with the judgment. We are, of course, . examining our options and I would say to the House that we on this side of the House care about treating drug addicts who need our help. We care about preventing people, especially our young people, from becoming drug addicts in the first place. That is our way to reduce harm in our society and we are proud of taking that message to the people of Canada.

Ms. Libby Davies (Vancouver East, NDP): Mr. Speaker, if the Minister of Health claims that he cares about people whn use drugs and the issues they face, then he will respect the decision of the court.

The medical, scientific and now legal conclusions just could not be any clearer. Insite is a life-saving facility and harm reduction is an essential component of Canada's drug strategy.

When will the minister put aside his personal idcolog路

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ical position, respect the court's decision and get to work on changing Canada's drug laws to allow access to health facilities such as lnsite? When is he going to do that? He is taking too long.

Hon. Tony Clement

Mr. Speaker, it is a bit rich for the member from the New Democratic Party to start lecturing us on ideological positions. That is its bread and butter over there, but we on this side of the House are here for public policy. We are here to help our kids, prevent them from getting on drugs in the first place. We are here to help addicts.

Supreme Court Saves lnsite Denial ofaccess to Insite and safe injection for the reason stated by Canada, amounts to a condemnation of the consumption that led to addiction in the first place, while ignoring the resulting illness. While there is nothing to be said in favour of the injection of controlled substances that leads to addiction, there is much to be said against denying addicts health care services that will ameliorate I he effects of their condition. Society does that for other substances such as alcohol and tobacco... Management of the harm in those cases is accepted as a community responsibility.

I cannot see any rational or logical reason why the approach should be different when dealing with the addiction to narcotics ... Simply stated, I cannot agree with Canada's submission that an addict must feed his addiction in an unsafe environment when a safe environment that may lead to rehabilitation is alternative.

Come Hear Come See Come Be a

Downtown Eastside Poet! on the first Saturday of each month, beginning at 7 pm in the Carnegie Theatre. All are welcome to listen and perform; and lo eat and drink what's freely provided in the -theatre.

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Pivot demands action on shelter stats Pivot Legal Society is demanding that the City of Vancouver place a moratorium on tickets given to people sleeping outside in light of newly released shelter statistics that say homeless individuals, on over 40,000 separate occasions, were refused access to shelters in Metro Vancouver over a nine month period. Over 17,000 of these turn away incidents involved women and fam ilies.

"These turnaway statistics are alarming," said lawyer David Eby. "We have bylaw officers, police officers and security guards cracking down on people who sleep outside, but these statistics make it clear that there is nowhere else to sleep."

The statistics cannot be extrapolated into numbers of homeless individuals, because neither the participating shelters nor B.C. Housing can say whether the same individuals are being turned away from multiple shelters on any given night or whether individuals give up after visiting just one shelter. The statistics on families and women may count families as one person, or may count children as well as parents, making those numbers less certain as well.

"We need a provincial investigation of the real number of people who can't find shelter," said Eby . .

"We're calling for a moratorium on police and bylaw officers ticketing people who sleep outside until we figure out whether our shelter system has been overwhelmed by demand."

There are currently 1,028 known shelter beds in Metro Vancouver, according to the document. The GVRD Homelessness Count indicated that there were 2,592 homeless people counted during its biennial 24 hour count in March of2008.

Pivot Legal Society released two open letters, one to Sam Sullivan, Mayor of the City of Vancouver and Chair of the Police Board, calling for a moratorium on bylaw and Trespass Act tickets given to the homeless. and one to Rich Coleman. B.C.'s Minister responsible for housing, calling for a formal investigation into the capacity of Metro Vancouver's emergency shelter system.

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The Community Play Symposium and

The Downtown Eas-tside When the curtain came down on A Downtown Eastside Romeo and Juliet, the cur1ain went up on a 3-day conference on community plays. It was the 4111 Annual Community Play Symposium. Savannah Walling and Terry Hunter of the Vancouver Moving Theatre were the hosts, Susan Gordon was coordinator and Sharon Kravitz kept the motley crew alive with some wonderful food.

If you saw In The Hea11 of a City at the Japanese 1 !all in 2003, you know what a community play is. It's a work in which professional theatre artists work with a community to create a play about that community.

Usually they combine many media and disciplines.

There might be: actors, singers, musicians, clowns, mimes, puppets, masks, flags, banners, poems, artwork, and so on. The form is determined by the conlent. They can involve many people (50-I 00) and they take a long time to produce (about 2 years).

The community play form originated in England vvith Ann Jell icoe and was brought to Canada by Dale Hamilton in 1991. A cursory glance shows that many community plays have been done right across Canada.

The conference involve invited community play practitioners making presentations. The presenters talked about their beginnings, the plays they have worked on, methods they used, sources of funding obtained, some of the problems encountered and how they created scripts.

Cathy Stubington, who lives in Enderby, did theatre before she moved there. When she saw that the white and native communities did not associate with one another very much, she proposed doing a community play. Although quite a few were doubtful- Enderby being more of a sports town - she persevered. The idea finally caught fire and the result was: Not the Way I Heard Jt. The play had a healing effect by bringing the two communities a little closer together. It led to the First Nations ladies and the white ladies having teas together, and it inspired the white folks to plant flowers along the path the Shuswap take to town from there-

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serve.

Ruth Howard founded Jumblies Theatre to do her own work. She has produced and directed plays for over 20 years, but now she feels a need to pass on her knowledge by training future community play artists.

She holds workshops and offers courses and internships at her studio . Her hope is: "Perhaps they will learn it better and use time more effectively." Howard says that the ingredients to care about are: "Everyone is welcome; art is at the centre; the piece will take its own form; and once the play is over our lives are moving on."

Howard and many others talked about burnout. The stress level to finish large projects; the pressure to please all parties: government funders, community members, participants; and the need to deal with unforeseen events: bad weather and people quitting- are, to say the least, enormous. Burnout is a major problem

made worse by the artists agreeing to do projects even though they are under-funded.

But the symposium was not all 'listen and learn.' We also had two workshops. Mike Stack - actor, director and teacher- gave us his take on Shakespeare. He asked us what experience we had with the Bard. Savannah she had "a love affair with Shakespeare." Dale Hamilton said, "I grew up in the shadow of Stratford."

Early on she also felt it was elitist. Cathy Stubington was not too fond of Wi 11 either. "I never read it, "she said. "The print was too small."

Stack left us with a few things to ponder. He said, "Shakespeare questions; he doesn't give answers."

And, "His writing plumbs the depths of our souls."

How about one more: 'The vowels carry the emotion, the consonants carry the intellect."

Gina Bastone, clown, actor and director, also gave a workshop. As she always says, "Clowns don't say funny things; they say things funny." It's true. She had this big cardboard box-full of quotes and made-up lines. Three people at a time got up, went behind some flats, carne out and said their lines. We laughed so much our bellies got sore. We were surprised at the talent of people.

Dale Hamilton, founder of Everybody's Theatre

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Company, holds to the principle: "Everyone who wants a part gets a part." She also wants to push the limit as to how far a play can go, commenting that " We weren' t quite insane enough!" · Elaine Caro l, director of Miscellaneous Productions, works with at-risk youth. She does performance a11 that is relevant and successful. An example of her work is The Cooking Show. It's about "explaining racism, stereotyping, violence, gangs, addiction, the politics of food and pleasures of cooking." It is based on The Iron Chef, a popular Japanese cooking show with teenagers.

Laurie McGauley teaches Women's Studies at Laurentian University in Sudbury. She founded Sticks and Stones Theatre. Doesn't that name make you want to go join up? On a more serious note she sees a problem in how to connect this work to institutional centres.

Many of the other artists like Ruth Howard, Terry llunter and Jud ith Marcuse agree.

McGauley's other work involved youth and the slag heaps around Sudbury. She also did a project with call-centre workers. They had a story they wanted to tell and concerns about their working conditions.

By PATRICK fOLEY [This is the first half of Patrick's article. The second half will appear in the June 15, 2008 edition. Ed.]

Okinawan Drumming & Dance

by

Yuaikai Ryukyu Taiko

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Yuaikai Ryukyu Taiko is an Okinawan taiko (drum) dance group based in Vancouver. Most of the members are Okinawan expatriates or their descendants. Yuaikai Ryukyu Taiko started in 2004 with members of the Vancouver Okinawaken Yuaikai (friendship association) acting as self~ppointed ambassadors ofOkinawanfolk pe1jormmg arts, Jo broaden audiences in the Lower Mainland.

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1 PM Saturday, June 14th, Carnegte

Ayisha, Diane and Harley are the host s of East Side Story, a weekly radio show of interviews, news updates, music and poetry f r om the neighbourhood.

We're the voice of the Carnegie Act ion Project · CAP does research, public education and acti f o improve the lives of the low- income res idents of t he DTES .

Eastside Story comes to you live

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In The Morning Light

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It was a beautiful day in the forest So lively, peaceful and free Just watching the birds in my tree Then along came some fo lks And in loud voices they spoke They pulled out a knife as big as my hand And took a big slice into my side Expelling my air in one last great breath I begged for mercy They did not see For all I am, is a tree.

every Monday at 2:00, on Co-Op Radio , CFRO 102 .7 fm .

Natasha Hurtig

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Welcome to the Downtown Eastside Community The Downtown Eastside is 1ike a small town in the City of Vancouver. Residents can walk in the streets and meet lots of people they know. "1 like the people here," one resident said in a survey done by the Carnegie Acti,on Project (CAP). "I can walk up to them and talk to them." Another resident said, "We're all in the same boat, and we don't reject each other." The sense of pride and belonging to the community is captured in a statement by the late Bruce Eriksen; "The people who live here, they call it the Downtown Eastside." Ninety-five percent of the people in the CAP survey said that they would like to live in the Downtown Eastside if they had safe, secure housing.

The Downtown Eastside is Vancouver's oldest community, except for First Nations communities which are much older. It began in 1867 when Gassy (because he talked a lot) Jack Deighton wandered over to Burrard lnlet from New Westminster, and built a log cabin saloon twelve feet by twenty feet at what is now the intersection of Carrall and Water Streets. His customers were the loggers and saw mill workers on Burrard Inlet. .:

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827 East Georgia Street Hendrix House

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Today the Downtown Eastside is a multicultural community made up of seniors, families, children, youth, singles, First Nations people, immigrants, refugees, and people with disabilities. There are many smaller communities within the larger community of the Downtown Eastside, and what links them is the shared experience of poverty and the struggle for dignity and human rights. People live in the stressful condition of poverty with a dignity and caring that gives the neighbourhood surprising strength, and the long history of struggle for a better life is an inspiration for Vancouver. · Consider the ongoing struggle for a just land claims settlement by First Nations people, the struggle of working people for the eight hour day and the right to form trade unions, the fight for human rights by the Chinese, Japanese, African-American, Indo-Canadian and Latino communities, as well as the courageous struggles for respect and the opportunity to lead a meaningful life by groups such as the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), the Women's Centre, WISH, the Downtown Eastside Youth Activities Society (DEYAS), and many other groups. When one Downtown Eastside resident was asked in the CAP survey about the quality that makes us strong in the community, she replied, "Our collective desire to make life better."

"I feel safe knowing that people help each other here," a person said in the CAP survey. It's the people who make the community the special place that it is. Many residents have lived through hard times and survived.

Over its long history, people in the Downtown Eastside have experienced the pain of poverty, illness and exclusion, but in their pain they have reached out to each other, helped each other, and worked to build a community that includes everyone. That's why the Downtown Eastside is the soul of Vancouver.

The vitality and creativity of the multicultural life of the Downtown Eastside is astonishing- theatre, dance, drumming, opera, plays, poetry, crafts, quilt-making, photography, painting, books, music, speaking in chalks, banners, parades, murals, the learning centre, story telling, newsletters, websites, videos, film making, community T.V., and other creative activities.

So much beauty bringing the gift of hope. So much creativity celebrating the proud, caring, sometimes tragic, low income community of the Downtown Eastside. The liberating energy of a community finding its voice, a community rejecting the negative image as-

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to it and replacing that image with the reality of 1 creative, caring community that speaks from the 1eart. When Larry Campbell was路 Mayor of Vancouver, he attended the Heart of the City Festival in 2004 .

StJames Chur<h

Speaking to the people of the Downtown Eastside who ,vere there as actors or spectators, he said, "This is ,vhere you live, and will continue to live." He saw the iynamic community that is here, and heard its voice.

That powerful voice saying, "We are somebody," can )e found in the inspiring history of the Downtown Eastside. Here are a few examples. On the evening of June 3rd, 1935, seven hundred young men climbed mto a ninety car freight train at the foot of Gore Aveme. This was the beginning of the On-To-Ottawa frek and these unemployed men were hoping to travel lo Ottawa to demand a place in Canadian society. In 1968, the Strathcona Property Owners and Tenants A.ssociation (SPOTA) formed to stop the disastrous Jrban renewal plans of City Council. SPOTA stopped !he bulldozers and saved Strathcona. Bessie Lee of SPOTA reminded the City that when they decide to ~hange things in a community, they must always conmit with the people who live there.

In the 1970's, the Downtown Eastside Residents' Association (DERA) fought to improve the community and to change its image from skid road to the Downtown Eastside. DERA led the seven year fight to win the Carnegie Community Centre for the neighbourhood, and today this community centre is one of the busiest in Vancouver, and a model fo~ community centres in other low income neighbourhoods in North America. In the 1980's DERA built much needed affordable housing in the Downtown Eastside, including the award-winning Four Sisters Co-op.

In the early 1980's, residents, led by the Create A Real Available Beach Society (CRAB), fought for a local park on the waterfront. In 1984, a seventy-five day illegal occupation of the land began with the construction of a tent city. The community was successful in its struggle, and Crab Park opened in 1987.

In 1985, citizens started the Strathcona Gardens which

empowered the community through the creative act of planting seeds. Today there is a strong sense of unity among the various groups in the Downtown Eastside as they fight for decent, affordable housing in order to address the growing problem of homelessness in our , community.

The Downtown Eastside is under siege from the gentrification that has destroyed many inner city neighbourhoods. It is a class-rooted process as the name implies, and the struggle for survival is a desperate one as those who seek huge profits in land speculation refuse to acknowledge the low income community that is here. When the only thing you can see is skid road, you can't see the caring community that lies behind that negative image. Not only homes are destroyed by gentrification. A circle of friends is de-

stroyed, a neighbourhood, a small world in itself, a world that people who are dispossessed cannot路hope to rebuild. Citizens become refugees in their own land.

When men of great power deny the humanity of human beings and the history of a community, they tend to think that they can destroy both the people and the place without moral qualms. The Downtown Eastside has a long history, however, and a rugged identity.

"What most people don't know about the Downtown Eastside is that we are a family," Stephen Johnson, an Oppenheimer Park worker, wrote when the Oppenheimer Park totem pole was raised in 1998.

"Despite the hardships that come with addiction and poverty, we love, support and protect each other as if we were blood relations. We survive because there is strength in belonging. Wherever you come from, you will find acceptance here. 11 We are strong when we stand in solidarity with those who have fought for human rights for over one hundred years. Memory is the mother of community.

Sandy Cameron

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NEEDLE EXCHANGE VAN·- 3 Routes: ,.

604..685-6561 City- S:4~pm -ll:4Spm

EAS'~ ·.JIDE

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Overnight- l2:30am- 8:30am Downtown Eastside~ 5:30p~ - 1:30am·

ACTIVITIES SOCIETY

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Thursday, June 12

Free Showers for homeless persons at 327

Carra// Wed 7-8:30am; Sat 7-10am; Fri: WOMEN ONLY 6-Bpm

TillS NEWSLETTER IS A PUBLICATION 01•' 'I'll It;

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CAilNl!:GU: COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIA'riON "'W-;.ae~O~GdOo th';t·:CiTneOiec-:m~nli;Crntr;and'ihl~ I A rfictcs represent the views of lndlvldunt I Newitettet··are:hagpenlng.on;ttie.Squpmlth:Natlon'• "territory. contributors And not of the AssodRtlon.

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------Editor: PauiR Taylor· cover and layout help: Lisa David . ..J .

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CITY COUNCILLOR SERVING THE COMMUNITY WITH PRIDE

CITY /fALL 453 WEsr 12 111 AVE. V5Y 1V4 Emalt:

Artwork for the Carnegie NettJsletter ,

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Small Illustrations to accompany articles and poetry

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Cover art- Maximum size: 17cm(6·3/4") wide x 15cm(6") high.

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Subject matter relevant to Issues pertaining to the Downtown Eastside is preferred, but all work will be considered Black & white printing only Size restrictions must be consld~red (I.e., lf your place Is too large, It will be reduced and/or cropped to fit) AU artists will receive credit for their work Originals will be returned to the artist after being copied for publication Remuneration: Carnegie volunteer tickets

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Phone : 604.873·7147

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Jenny WaiChlng Kwan MLA

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Please make submissions to: · -· ··Paul Taylor, Editor... - ·~

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l ,IM STEVENSON

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2008 DONATIONS: Barry for Dave McC.·$250

Working f(u· You t070-.64t C:mmueniMI Ur VSI, 3Vl ·- ._ J~huma 775·Q72!L l!'.ftll&.17:1·ftftHt ........

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Anne P.·$40 Margaret 0.-$40 Paddy -$70 Michael C.·$50 Judy E.·$1 0 Alayne K.-$50 libby D.·$70 Callum C.·$100 The Edge ·$200 Jenny K.-$22 Penny G.·$40 Wilhelmina M.·$30 Jaya B.-$1 00 Mel L.-$50 Pam B-$50 Rolf A.-$50 r G~!~.~0~.: :~~2~ Greta P:-~59

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UBC Law Students' Legal Advice Program C riminal Small Claims T enancy

WCB

Employment Wills Family

Call us at 604-822-5791 www.lslap.bc.ca

from COLUMBUS's LOG:

Summer Hikes On four Fridays: 9:30 AM - 3 PM

.June 6' 11

Mundy LaiH· in Coquitlam

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C~' JH'ess

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" They ... brought us parrots a nd balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks' bells. They willingly traded everything they owned .... They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features .... They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance.

They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane...

They would make fine servants .... With fifty men we could s ubjugate them all and make them do whatever we want. "

COME CELEBRATE INSITE!

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Lnm lleadwatcrs iu North Va n

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TBD (th e Chief? ( ; rouSl' Grind '?'!)

These trips are for hiking enthusiasts. You must be okay with c limbing hi lis and walking on uneven terrain. All of the hikes are 2.5 to 3 hou rs long.

Remember to wear sturdy shoes and to bring water, sunscreen, hat, and bag to carry yo ur Carnegie lunch! Sign up is at 3rd Floor Program Office, two weeks before each scheduled hike.

The rum bling of her stomach aches Huckleberries gleaming with envy.

• • Blood rushes - s1gn of hunger Huckleberries taunting its scent Nose quivers - such desperation Huckleberries lonely in a Mason jar Lips reach to comfort the berries

Come on out for a gathering of InSite supporters this Saturday, May 31 st! Meet at Victory Square Park at 12:00 noon for live entertainment, a BBQ, and a chance to remember lives lost to drug addiction and to celebrate those saved by InSite. ·

The weather report says it wiII be "hot and sunny" so don't forget your sunscreen - a more widely supported form of harm reduction. However) on the off chance that the weather report's wrong (which never happens) this event will be happening rain or shine.

Thanks evervone! See vou there!

Falls in \ Ves t Van co un .' r

Prisci llia Ta it

Carnegie Community Centre Association's

2008 Annual General Meeting Thursday, June 5, 5:30 prn To run for the Board of Directors, you must have been a member for 60 days immediate ly prior to the e lection. To vote yo u must have

been a member for 14 days immediately prior to the election. Member registration begins in the Theatre at 5:00 pm.

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The Carnegie Community Centre Association This article is both a response to alleged actions performed by a self-c~ntred member during a year on the Carnegie Association's Board of Directors and an objective look at the history and purpose of this nonprofit society. And, hopefully, it will help make you, as voting members, do what sensible heads and hea~ts should always do - use the past to form your personal code and use common sense to apply your principles.

History Prior to 1986 the Board of Directors had an 8-7 split.

No business was conducted at a committee level due to the difficulty this 8-member clique had in holding a majority of votes there, before motions came to the Board. Every decision was taken at the Board meetings, making such meetings last anywhere from 3 hrs lo J days. The voting block passed motions in their own personal and business interests, while the other members and volunteers suffered the consequences.

Articles and repo1ts on their machinations began to appear in this Newsletter. The Executive then tried to kill the paper by first refusing to pay for its printing and then finally showing th~ir true colours by tabling a motion at a packed Board meeting to return a grant of $1 ,000, received from local churches, to support the Carnegie Newsletter. Members were "aghast" at the person who proposed giving this money back- like he was well off enough to not even understand what hurting for money was like and didn't give a damn as long as he got his way.

The motion to return the $1 ,000 failed. The Executive then put itself"in charge" demanding last say on what did and didn ' t go into print. The next issue was emptied of anything referring to the Board and a letter from said Exec was given to the editor with instructions to print it in its entirety. The letter had 3 clear points of libel, and those who had written it knew. The

editor didn't publish it but did write a response, shedding light on the Executive's censoring practices and indifference to the law ofthe land.

A long story but the short version is that a petition to remove the entire Board of Directors was seen through by a group of members calling themselves FOCUS (Friends of Carnegie Users Society). At a Special General Meeting there was a vote of 131-1 in favour of throwing these people off the Carnegie Association's Board of Directors.

The newly elected Board was set up along the lines of almost every working non-profit. Committees were established to deal much more directly with the many things that affect us as members of Carnegie and as residents of the larger community. Membership, for internal matters; Education & Library to deal with issues raised in the Learning Centre and to better the library services; Publications to oversee the Newsletter and other books I newssheets originating in Carnegie; Volunteers for guidelines on tickets, shifts, trips, fundraising; Seniors for room rules, activities, coffee sales and other fundraising, trips; Oppenheimer Pari\. for all stuff about users, sports, equipment, programs, safety and families; Community Relations for all issues, causes, development plans, health and welfare systems and delivery, and liaison with other groups/ organizations like DERA, DEYAS, the Women's Centre, etc.; Finance to oversee all money going through the various Association accounts, to make a budget each year, to recommend expenditures to the Board and to keep good and legal records and submit rep01ts to the Charities Directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency.

The Constitution was reviewed by a committee set up to do just that and the document was revised and updated. Similar reviews were done with the Volunteer Program, the Learning Centre and its relation with the Vancouver School Board, the Newsletter had an Editorial Policy established and the fundraising efforts of several semi-independent groups within Carnegie were reviewed and coordinated by a financial review.

This system works incredibly well. For 20 years the reputation and recognition ofthe Carnegie Association was very good. Carnegie Centre itself was prevented from being lumped in with other community centres and their funding system, the issues and problems experienced by residents and regular visitors to our community got the attention each deserved, with many

forums for people to raise their ideas and discuss them to find a good course of action. Every now and then someone or a few people would come to committees and/or the Board and try to make everything grind to a halt so they could claim as loudly and as long as possible how bad the Carnegie Association's system was, how they wanted the entire Board meeting to just stop whatever was happening and let said person or persons rant and rip apart and denigrate all the efforts of all committees and even individual members for not doing things the way these people thought it should be done- usually with s/he or them in charge. Mental health was often a factor in such disruptions cum dissent but it is in a lot of activities in the Downtown Eastside and can usually be accepted or at least recognized. The Association grew stronger and has become a force to be reckoned with. â&#x20AC;˘

Currently The Board of Directors seem~ LU o~ Ctt a turning point.

For the past II months almost every meeting has been beset with the majority of directors being criticized for almost anything- answering or just speaking in the wrong 'tone', being stupid for not throwing out the entire Board & Committee system and doing all business at the Board itself~ blindly following procedure that is not microscopically according to the guidelines of Robert's Rules of Order while at the same time not blindly accepting the personal interpretations of said Rules by one or two members; not responding to the libel and slander being disseminated by one or two members "anonyrnously" on the Internet- a new playground for bullies and their malicious attacks in such a way that they could be held up to contempt.

Meetings at the Board have been dragged out for up to 3 Y2 hours, and over half of the volunteers serving as directors getting disgusted with the silliness of said attacks on everything built up for 20 years.

The matter of one board member being barred from Carnegie- by the City of Vancouver- was distorted and manipulated. The Board was excoriated for somehow not declaring war on the City or taking a confrontational stand against their decision to bar said director. This distortion was furthered with half-truths and outright attacks on individuals mentioned by name on both a local radio show and on the CBC. The Director of Carnegie, a city employee, had to cancel other

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commitments and go on CBC the next day - again to the "million listeners" in a self-congratulatory report by the attacker- and refute all the allegations and 11 fill in all the fragmentary truths given as gospel!!?

Other City employees and staff in the Learning Centre were attacked on both the Internet and through letters written by a board member to the City of Vancouver and Capilano College, apparently denigra-ting these employees for imagined malfeasance and, 'vVOrst of all, signing the letter "Board member of the Carnegie Association" implying that the letters were written on behalf of and with the knowledge of the entire board. The board member was reprimanded by the City of Vancouver through its Legal Department, maybe a warning that such nonsense can not be tolerated. The majority on the Board sent an apology to Cap College stating that they had no knowledge of the letter sent and signed by the lone board member.

To stop any reporting on such stuff, a couple of members on the board tried to pass motions at the Publications Committee to limit or gag the editor, and finally reveal ing their real intent by tabling a motion to shut down the Carnegie Newsletter unless and until an Editorial Board was set up with them in charge!

That motion was reworded to sound positive and at the next Board meeting the report from the Pub Iications Committee was accepted, as a matter of course.

Several members went on record saying they had just accepted a committee report, but not the pending establishment of this Ed. Bd. At the next Publications Committee meeting, over 30 people showed up. A motion to keep the Newsletter and the editor's role the same was passed 25-4 (the four being the 2 board members and 2 of their (what) plants?). At one point a member got up and shared his experience with such manipulative acts; one of the board members who called for killing the newsletter got up and walked out: the chairperson of the committee quietly said "Case in point" and, of course, the very next day the other board member involved sends email to all and sundry stating that she found herself "aghast" at the simple observation made by the chairperson. A fragmentary truth was almost squirreled in as the whole truth.

(Alert the media!!?)

The nastiness has apparently manifested in other areas of the Centre and affected other members - like in

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the Music Program and the concertea enon oy one individual to oust the part-time facilitator because "I've always wanted that job."

The Carnegie Community Centre Association's Board of Directors finally asked for the resignation of the one remaining member still part of its body. The reasons were taken directly fl¡om a standard society regimen defining the responsibi lities of a director. The director singled out for acting contrary to these responsibilities refused to resign, somehow holding onto the fantasy that 'everything was in the best interest and with the best intent' (read "I am blameless!")

for it. These were all mysteriously torn down, while a few of them were put up on poles outside and in a few bus shelters, each one with a completely disto11ed claim of how undemocratic and underhanded the proposal was. One member held vigil outside and passed on the distorted interpretation to anyone passing by.

About I0 people were semi-manipulated into coming and voting against the proposal and, needing 75% of those voting to pass, was defeated by 1 vote.

Ok, next year.

What is disappointing is that "They'' is now in use to allude to the Board _of Directors and anything it does that is contrary to those who apparently side-lined the proposal and arc trying to manipulate people into votGÂŁNOA ing against anything not supported I00% by them.

On the very bright side, it's good to know that members of the Carnegie Association are not extremely stupid or that open to being fed what each is supposed to think. New members who've agreed to accept nom ination include Jack Barry, a solid volunteer in the Learning Centre and who has acted as a mentor in the Humanities and Science I 0 I programs at UBC; Priscillia Tait, actress and community activist, and Lisa David, origam i teacher and newsletter volunteer.

Come out on Thursday, June 5. Bring your membership card, because the long-time rules require a person (J to have been a member for at least 14 days immedi~ atcly prior to the election to vote. l f you arc nom inated and agree to stand for elect ion, you must have been a â&#x20AC;˘ member for at least 60 days immediately prior to the election to run.

Annual General Meeting Registration of members begi ns at 5:00 p.m. in the Th is is the meeting held once a year where the Board Theatre and the AGM will be called to order at 5:30. uf Directors gets elected. Reports arc avail able in print This wri ter is not sure of the correct procedure but lor each of the committees of the Board, highlighting either I) once the meeting begins registration is closed "cti vities and progress made during the year. Because and any member entering after then is free to come in nf the high turnover in people leaving the Board and but may not vote; or 2) once the nominations have having to be replaced mid-term, the majority thought been closed any member entering after that may sit that accepting nominations at the last regular meeting but not vote. Anyone who has purchased a memberorthe Board would give those accepting nomination a ship with less than 14 days to go until the AGM may month to think about the comm itments involved and the responsibilities of being a director. It would also enter but is not yet qualified to vote.

Okay, long and involved, but we need a strong and give time for voting members to meet and talk with united Board to meet the ongoi ng threats of unchecked candidates to see if their views coincided. The special meeting to discuss and vote on this proposal was held development, gentrification and dislocation of hundreds of residents, as well as keeping the Carnegie without notice of it being made public with at least 14 days to go. Funny thing though: the Secretary of the Centre, its relationship to the Carnegie Association and internal collaborations going with shared respect.

Board put up over 20 bright posters throughout the Carnegie stati ng the proposed change and the reasons

By PAULR TAYLOR

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