November 1, 2013, carnegie newsletter

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NOVEMBER 1, 2013

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N E W S LETTE R 401 Ma1n Street Vancouver Canada V6A 2T7

carnnews@vcn be ca (604) 665-2289

carnnews@shaw.ca

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EXfRAOR.Oit4ARY

~VENTS To Aff£N]). lli£RE'.s ftlofHING Z CAN Do FoR H£R 1iL TI'/E FESTIVAL. E'Nl>S Nov. 3 11 ANI> THEil SOffE .. .

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lOth Annual Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival FINAL WEEKEND- So much more to do!

Friday November I to Sunday November 3. 2013

WORKSHOP- Free Sat Nov 2 • Slam Poetry, with Sho Wiley, 12:30pm Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main (pre-register Carnegie 3'd floor program office) FRIDAY November 1 • LIFESKILLS SLAM POETRY & MUSIC THERAPY. Led by Devon Martin aka Dr. Metro.

Participate or sit back and enjoy. Lifeskills Centre, 412 E. Cordova, I pm-3pm. Free • DAY OF THE DEAD Procession, Music & Poetry, Host Lady Die. Folklorista/singer Isabel Ramirez; Alfredo Flores leads a walk around the park to community shrines. Oppenheimer Park, 488 Powell, 5pm-7pm. Free • BARRIO FLAMENCO: Flamenco for the People, Hosted by Kelty McKerracher plus singers, dancers, musicians, and poet Gerardo Avila. Carnegie Theatre, 7:30pm. Free • TAIKO ROOTS IN THE HEART OF THE CITY, With Sansho Daiko, Uzume Taiko, LOUD. Katari Taiko and Sawagi Taiko, and Chibi Taiko. Vancouver Ballroom, 456 Prior, 8pm. Suggested donation $10 SATURDAY November 2 • VANCOUVER'S DTES OUTDOOR MURALS, Walking tour led by mural artist Richard Tetrault.

Meet at Raven's Eye Studio, 456 E. Hastings, II am. Pay what you can for local residents • ST. JAMES' OPEN HOUSE, Sing-a-long with City Opera Vancouver, guided tour, reading of the play "Everyman." St. James' Anglican Church, 303 E. Cordova, 12pm-4pm. Free • COMING TOGETHER, CELEBRATING OUR SENIORS, Tea and snacks, magic with Rod Chow. Singer Dalannah Gail Bowen. Ray-Cam Co-operative Centre Gym, 920 E. Hastings, I pm. Free • OPENING THE TREASURE BOX: Where Carrall Meets Pender, With James Johnstone, Lani Russwurm, Larry Wong, Steven Wong and T'Uy'Tanat/Cease Wyss- a panel of historians. Urban Aboriginal Fair Trade Gallery, 29 W. Pender, 2pm. Free

• CARNEGIE'S 1 5r POETRY SLAM, Host and MC Zaccheus Jackson. Carnegie Theatre, 3pm. Free • DTES POETS OPEN MIC, Host Diane Wood . Carnegie Theatre, 7pm. Free SATURDAY & SUNDAY, November 2 & 3

• OUT ON A LIMB, Presented by The Only Animal with PHS Community Services. Afternoon workshops, evening screenings. Hastings Urban Farm, 58 W. Hastings, 4pm-6:30pm, 7:30pm & 8:30pm. Free

SUNDAY November 3 • TOUT EST ICI: A walking tour of the early Franophones of Vancouver, led by chronicler Maurice Guibord. Meet at Victory Square, I Oam. Pay what you can for local residents • HEART OF THE CITY COMMUNITY SHOWCASE with The Swamp Angels Choir. Sticking Our Necks Out (singer/songwriters with Dalannah Gail Bowen and Mike Richter), Tibetan White Crane Mat1ial Art, African Crossing Drum Ensemble, and a drum circle led by ~ussell Shumsky. Hastings Urban Farm, 58 W. Hastings, 12pm-3pm. Free • HASTINGS STREET BAND, starts at Pigeon Park, I :30pm & 2:30pm. Free • CONNECT, The Carnegie Dance Troupe and Karen Jamieson Dance. Meet at steps of Carnegie, travel down Hastings to SFU Woodward's, 3pm. Free • VANCOUVER JAPANESE LANGUAGE SCHOOL & JAPANESE HALL FOOD BAZAAR (J pm Sansho Daiko will perform), Japanese Hall, 487 Alexander, 12pm-3pm. By donation to the Bazaar • MODERNIZE TAILORS: 100 Years of Dressing the Modern Man, Stories. readings, Silk Road Music. Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, 578 Carrall, I :30pm3:30pm. B y donation to the Garden • OUT ON A LIMB, Presented by The Only Animal with PHS Community Services. Afternoon workshops, evening screenings. Hast ings Urban Farm, 58 W. Hastings, 4pm-6:30pm, 7:30pm & 8:30pm. Free

For further detai ls pick up the Festival Program Guide at the Carnegie Front Desk, around the neighbourhood or visit www.heartofthecityfestival.com. For information please call 604-628-5672.

Presented by Vancouver Moving Theatre with the Carnegie Community Centre & the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians, working with over 40 community partners.

The 6th Annual Oppenheimer Park Community Art Show

•

October 24t h, 20 13 - December I st, 20 13 Gallery Gachet (88 East Cordova)

*DTES Communities' Back Yard* The 6th Annual Oppenheimer Park Community Art Show Additional Programming!

Saturday, November 9 ScavARTger Hunt- Art in the City Start at Oppenheimer Park between 1Oam - 1pm , submit your answers at Gallery Gachet by 5:30pm (Bus tickets will be available for participants while supplies last) -Scour the city of Vancouver to complete questions about artworks. Win prizes for right answers!

Winner will be announced on Tuesday, November 12th at Oppenheimer Park.

Here is a sneak peek of prizes: - General admission to Vancouver Art Gallery -A pair ticket to Hotel Bethlehem at Firehall Arts Theatre - Gift certificate from Sunrise Market

-and more!

There is a park. . . Oppenhiemer A commons in the heart of the city , For the poorest of the poor to stay.

And pass, in a wonderful way, their day.

The club-house in the park is a wonder to behold.

What goes on in that park space.

Are too many wonderful things to be told.

Here music and art and entertainment do abound.

And a good hot fresh coffee or pancake breakfast in the morning can be found.

Oh so sweet, after spending the night out doors, homeless, sleeping on the ground.

The staff there, are all bar none to be sure.

Giving dignity and humanity to all who come.

For the blues and loneliness there's no better cure.

K

It

Hot soup and tea for the hungry and cold Real food, not junk, made with care can be fond.

Most delicious the staff is always being told.

Here anyone can sing or play a game or two.

Those rugged and exiled in other places to be sure, Can come here for a "humanity cure".

Because acceptance and respect is the way of the park.

Everyone can mix and mingle with a warm heart.

Those with a dollar and those without a dime.

All may come here and share a good time.

Be they long of tooth or in the prime of their youth.

Time is spent enjoyably by all in this dear park.

The people working there really do care.

Thus everyone enjoys themselves when going there.

This park is a wonderful statement to the caring of this city.

Too bad there are not more such parks. Oh what a pity.

In the heart of the city and this community you do shine.

Thank you for all the great time.

Though one may someday travel far and wide.

The memories of this park, I am sure will always remain deep inside.

Colleen Carroll

COFFEE, SWEETS & TREATS

BY COFFEE lONG & QUEEN TUE-SAT 10:30AM I OPPENHEIMER PARIC

Today is World Food Day, which invites us to consider our responses to hunger both overseas and here in B.C. G lobally hunger is being reduced. In deve loping countries the just released FAO repoi1, The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2013, signals a 7.1 per cent reduction in the numbers of undernourished people from 907 million to 842 million people. The Mi llennium Development Goal and World Food Summit hunger reduction targets remain elusive. However, as this & previous reports indicate progress is being made. They also make clear that while economic growth is essential, good governance and social protection policies informed by the right to food are likewise significant drivers in achieving food security fo r all.

Interestingly this same FAO report provides a glim pse of undernourishment in developed regions of the world. Contrary to global trends, food insecurity in ' first world ' countries, while accounting for only two per cent of global hunger, increased by 15 per cent from 13.6 million to 15.7 million people, doubtless a consequence of the 2008 G reat Recession and its aftermath.

What though has any of this got to do with hunger and food insecurity in B.C. and Canada? After all, in aggregate terms we produce or import enough food to feed ourselves, enjoy a high standard of living and export food to feed a hungry world. However some would argue that in light of ' third world' conditions on many F irst Nations reserves, in Aboriginal communities in Canada's No rth as well as in Vancouver's DTES there is a case to answer.

The fact that 80 per cent of B.C.'s 96,000 food bank users receive El, social assistance, di sability benefits or pensions is evidence of the lack of food access created by the failure of public policy and our broken social safety net. The Dietitians of Canada Cost of Eating in B.C. report estimates the average cost of a nutritious food basket for a fami ly of four is $868.43 per month. Little wo nder those in low wage jobs or on income assistance struggle to purchase food and meet other basic needs. B.C. has had the highest provincial poverty rate in Canada fo r 13 years and sti ll lacks a poverty red uction plan. Furthermore Canada's Community Health Survey of20 11 reports 45,800

( 11 per cent) B.C. households experiencing food insecurity.

B ..C.'s primary response to these failures of public poltcy has been food charity and food drives. Yet the compassion and generosity of British Columbians in their 30 years of suppoi1 for food banking has proved unequal to the task. What is to be done?

T he 2012 visi t to Canada of Dr. Olivier de Schutter, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food reminded us of Canada's ratification ofthe Right to Food in 1976 (International Covenant of Economic Social and Cultural Rights) and the respective roles, and responsibilities of all stakeholders: government as the_rrimary duty bearer as well as civil society and the pnvate sector in addressing domestic hunger.

Recogniz ing the critical role of the media in promoting public debate about significant social issues leading B.C. anti-poverty, food, health and social p~licy organizations invited the CBC to sponsor a B.C. Right to Food Day to coincide with this year's World Food Day. Its purpose would be to generate public debate about reframing domestic hunger from one of fo?d chari ty to. that of the right to food. It suggested us rng the Spec ial Rapporteur's report as a framework for meaningful publi.c consultation about r ight to food approaches and the ir application in B.C. Regrettably the CBC as our public broadcaster declined this proposal.

It must be stated that while the human right to adequ~te f?~d is concerned about governance and public poltcy It IS not about government doing everything for hungry people nor about giving away free food to hungry people. At root it is about policies and programs (public and community based) that ensure the ability of a ll vulnerable people, in common with the rest of us, to access and make their food choices with dignity and adequate purchasing power.

An annual BC Right to Food Day would be an mvitation to an informed public conversation about the about the right to food and i~s implications for public policy and the role of community organizations in addressing w idespread hunger and food insecurity in our province.

The media has a vital role to play.

Graham Riches is Emeritus Professor of Social Work, UBC, and Research Associate, Canadian Centre for Policy A lternatives-B.C.

Raise the Rates

Can you Live on $610 a month?

www .ra isetherates.org

Justice not Charity

7

At the End of the Welfare Food Challenge: Hungry for Change Everyone who took the Welfare Food Challenge spent most of their time thinking about food. '"I'm a trained dietitian. but even still it was impossible. I couldn路t get enough food and nutrients." stated Melissa Baker. " I could feel that my body was suffering after just one week."'

Denise Swanson, an educator, pointed out that " I had to chose. with the $26 that someone on welfare would have for food for a week, either to have nutrients or volume, I ended up short of 25% of the calories I need."

Colleen McGuire, another dietitian and co-author of the Cost of Eating report commented that this was "a real eye-opener. A loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter cost nearly a quarter of all the money I had for a week's food. '.

As well as almost constant, hunger eating a welfare diet had many other negative impacts.

Anna Cavouras, Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House. pointed out that, "Doing the shopping for food was stressful. I became anxious about the impossible choices and was overwhelmed by all the things that I couldn't eat. lt felt lonely and upsetting."

People felt isolated. Jenna Drabble, a post-grad student, noted that, ''poverty is socially isolating. So much of social relations and human connections are built around food; sharing food is so important."

Reverend Margaret Marquardt explained that "1 felt isolated as I was unable to offer, to be generous to another person." While Melissa pointed out that " I felt excluded, I had to walk by coffee shops, restaurants and food stores. lt made even it worse as I had no choice, I could not afford anything."

Seth Klein. Director of Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC said, "I have researched poverty but this, for a week, was glimpse of the reality. I lost weight, lacked nutrients and was irritable and found it hard to focus."

Everyone agreed when Colleen shared that, "the food was bland, repetiti'fe and uninteresting. In fact, eating ceased to be a joy."

All were aware that, in contrast to most people on welfare, they had proper kitchens, started it in good health and knew it ended after a week. Anna pointed out also that, "I didn't have to buy toilet paper or tampons."' Seth remarked, "The slightest thing can destroy the budget of a person on welfare. With the best planning in the world a small upset becomes a crisis as there is no spare money. Getting a cold and needing some medicine or Vitamin C would be a disaster. People become ill on this diet."

Harold Lavender, who lives on disability, explained that, " I am on disability because I have chronic health issues, so I get a bit more than $610 a month. But I have special food needs which cost more, so I still don't have enough money. I spend around $40 a week on food which is less than dietitians recommend for basic health. Food prices are going up while welfare has stood still so we are worse off. We are 10% worse off since the last increase in welfare. Shopping is a constant stress and at the end of the month I often run out of food and money."

Seth said, "The government claims that people on the $610 are only on it temporarily as they are looking for work. But why make it hard for them to find work as they spend so much time looking for food, are constantly stressed and undernourished. This means it is harder to get a job and it can also damage their health. Those on disability still live in grim poverty and this is often for their lifetime."'

Melissa said that, " My mother was in a serious car accident and now she is on disability. She struggles financially and lives in poverty through no fault of her own."

Margaret stated that welfare system is "punitive" and "traps people in a spiral of poverty." Melissa pointed out that, "Children need good food for their development and the poverty diet can have life-long negative impacts."

Fraser Stuart, living on $610, shared an experience. "My friend got cancer and lost his job. Eventually all his

resources were gone and he was evicted from his home. Now he is on welfare and lives at Union Gospel. He spent an entire day. as he had no money, walking as he looked for food . He walked to a free breakfast, then for a free haircut, then to a free lunch and then headed for a free supper. However, he was late so missed that meal.

He only got a free peanut butter sandwich for supper as he wa lked back near Carnegie. He walked about 30 kilometres and s pent the entire day trying to eat, but still didn ' t get enough food. He had worked all his life and now is on welfare. He wants a job but the doctors say he is too ill to work. This is the reality of welfare."

Bill Hopwood, Raise the Rates, summed it up with, " Food is a basic health requirement; if people's dietary needs are not met they become ill and those with pre-existing condition such as diabetes or allergies become worse. This costs the health system ofB C over $1 billion dollars a year. We lfare should be about giving people a help up - and not this system . lt is crazy that people on welfare do not receive support w ith training ...

Everyone agreed that BC needs to raise welfare rates and bring in a comprehensive program to end poverty. BC could afford it and it would save money in the long term and this would reduce human suffering and make BC a much better place.

At/east 11% ofthe population. and over 15% ofchildren. in BC are .food insecure. (Household Food insecurity in Canada, 2011) Contact Raise the Rates: Bill Hopwood: 604 738- I653, 778 686-5293 (cell) bill50@ vcn.bc.ca https:!/www.facebook.com/events/635990433089949 http://welfarefoodchallenge.org/.

Oddly Awed

Jesus Never had Blue Eyes, Cracker Jack

I grow weary watery teary eyed, saddened, disappointed, joyless, when good appointments come to an end, on this planet, it is the way it is .

I did not plan it to have discourse of startling tale's of disparity, terrible fate and ruin of earth, th is planet, the one that I cherish.

Essentially describes feelings, feeli ngs I have hiding here for earth, toppled over, all ove11hrown about, unab le to participate, pout.

Broke 'n cannot pay attention, nor pay the intuition fee, before setting out at the outset to tread the good path not unkindly.

Cultural appropriate protocol: ceremonial celebration, hereditary tradition, feasting house potlatch, not potluck.

Neil Benson

I take the Bubba Kush caps stops the murderer from coming out see I'm still at war; worst mistake ever made was being kind to the muthas, time .... got plenty of time got plenty to regret of ever extending a hand in helping be payin ' for it forever so it seems in my day dreams for a race caught up in the C's ya know crucifixion castration and throw in some scalping too best trick you ever taught us be ready Freddie cows comin' in to the barn and I don' t know if there' ll be time for you to sound the alarm my accidental ne ighbour calls the cops he screans, "Go to Hell , you piece of shit" " In the name of Jesus Christ I curse you (! )" you dead soul, piece of shit I smoke a little more to stop coming out the door with the vengeful hatchet and the answer to all your religious questions AI

A letter to canada's ministe > BY

DR. GABOR MATE

ear Rona Ambrose, As a member of the federal government, you are currently titled Canada's health minister. I question the accu racy of that nomenclature.

You have recently taken it upon yourself to void a decision by Health Canada, the public agency granted the task of supervising health practices in this country. The decision authorized a few physicians in Vancouver to prescribe heroin to a selected number of clients, patients who have failed other treatment attempts to keep their addictive habits manageable. The doctors did not seek such authorization because they wish to promote drug use but because clinical practice and scientific evidence have shown that the provision of this opiate is beneficial in some cases.

Your reported comments were that there are already safe treatments for heroin addiction, such as methadone, and that there is insufficient proof that heroin is a safe treatment for drug addicts. I find your statements puzzling, at best.

There has been no sign that you or your government pay the least attention to scientific data in formulating drug policies. It would be helpful if you were to cite publicly which studies you have consulted, which ones support your position, or how the many that do not may be lacking in scientific acumen, method, or objectivity.

For many years, I worked as a physician in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. I can personally attest that some people simply fail methadone treatment. It does very little for them. Their particular biochemistry does not respond to that synthetic opiate. They still need to keep using heroin. It's just how it

D

is. I trust you don't like that. I don't like it either. I wish it were otherwise, but what you or I may wish is not the issue. The issue is reality.

Here is how a University of British Columbia professor who worked on a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, probably the world's most prestigious medical publication, put it: "Heroin assistance treatment has a very small, but very important, role in the addiction treatment system," Dr. Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes told a Globe and Mail reporter recently. "It is not meant as a first-line treatment; it is meant to continue the care of people we cannot reach with what is available." According to European studies, those people may be about 10 percent of the heroin-addicted clientele.

In the absence of medically provided heroin in a safe environment, such unfortunate individuals will continue to seek illegal sources of

drugs, potentially impure, and inject them under frequently unsafe circumstances. The resulting illness, overdose, and deaths are surely not outcomes you would desire.

The documented benefits, according to Canadian and international studies, include: ·less crime • better employment outcomes • improved physical and mental health, increased longevity • financial savings to the public purse • enhanced life satisfaction and social integration Given such findings, Minister, your opposition to this Health Canada permission, which you have moved to block, has little to do with insufficient proof. More to the point may be another statement of yours: "This decision is in_direct opposition

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to the goverm There's the sponse to tik your goverru stance. WhaJ pro-health sh The War o cabinet mal proven, nurt unrelieved d promotes ilb ticking on a scale, ostract the most hurt our populati and incurs a And it has drug traffick recent decao drugs has im has decrease~ interdict thei by draconian spite greatly "The botl ' ized crime'! these mark! the crimin3J to contain th been quite ful," Dr. E\1 search Chair at UBC, tol September I war on drug1 Antweiler, a at UBC, poi article, "The become less, Three yeaJ colleague an tawa to addn tee then co: ment's ornn tough on d enacted. The itical party ' with unflind impassively upon fact ab tion and th

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Of disease?

nent's antidrug policy." rub, that policy. In re, tragedy of addiction, nent has an antidrug you do not have is a ategy. n Drugs you and your es favour has been erous times, to be an saster: it kills people, ess, rewards drug trafmassive international zes and marginalizes and vulnerable among ~n. destroys families, ippling financial costs. tterly failed to curtail ng and drug use. In :s the purity of street proved while the price I, despite all efforts to 路 transmission and sale legal measures and delcreased drug seizures. m line is that organ~fforts to .succeed in t has flourished, and estice system's efforts ..se markets have really emarkably unsuccessn Wood , Canada Rein inner-city medicine I Canadian Press on . "By every metric, the has faHed." As Werner >rofessor of economics tted out in that same drug problem has not mtmore." s ago, an experienced I I were invited to Otss a Senate subcomm itsidering your governJUS "tough on crime, ugs" legislation, since .enators fro m your polndured our testimony ing politeness, listened ts we presented fact ut the nature of addictrauma-burdened life

histories of addicted human beings, the flaws of drug-war approaches, the retrograde effects of criminalization, the necessity of harm-reduction measures such as the provision of opiates to confirmed addicts. Your senatorial party mates spoke afterwards as if they had not heard a word. Nor do you appear to hear any words that question what you believe. But what you believe personally should not matter when it comes to the health of human beings.

"I want to be crystal clear," your predecessor as health minister, Leona Aglu kkaq, said last year. "I do not believe that politicians- should pick and choose which drugs get approved." Perhaps that is why you have replaced her. Nor does your British Columbia counterpart agree with you. "I know that the thought of using heroin as a treatment is scary for people," B.C. health minister Terry Lake has said, "but I think we have to take the emotions out of it and let science inform the discussion ."

There is that word again, science.

Based on which, your invalidation of this Health Canada decision will have predictable effects: illness, death, suffering.

I know that is not your intention. 1 I'm sure in your heart you wish, as 1 we all do, that addicted people would heal, that drugs would no longer blight the lives of so many. I'm convinced of that. But an objective regard for the facts leads me to this lamentable conclusion: whatever your intentions are, so long as you embrace policies that "' promote illness, you are in fact serving as Canada's minister of disease.~ Dr. Gabor Mate is the author of several books, including In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction. This article first appeared on his blog at drgabormate.comlblogl

The following piece is the first of 3-4 parts. It is an excellent report on the struggle that has been going on for years, to gain some security and worker's rights for women involved in the sex trade. lfs too good to reduce by removing portions just to fit it in 2 pages.

(Go to http://pivotlegal.orgfPublicationsfreports.htm for the footnotes and references. Ed.)

Sex Workers United Against Violence & Kiselbach v. Canada: An innovative approach to strategic litigation on behalf of marginalised communities.

Darcie Bennet, Campaign Director, Pivot L.S. n 0 Jill Chettier, Coordinator, Downtown Eastside Sex ' Workers United Against Violence Society ~ DJ Joe, Director, Downtown Eastside Sex Workers Q Vl United Against Violence Society Lisa Kerr, Doctoral Candidate, New York University School ofLaw Sheryl Kiselbach, Violence Prevention Coordi nator PACE Society Katrina Pacey, Litigation Director, Pivot Legal Society Elin Sigurdson, lawyer, JF.K. Law Corporation Strategic liti~ation is an important tactic for movements in Canada that seek to advance social justice and defend human rights. With the enactment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms I thirty years ago, ce1iain fundamental rights became entrenched in Canada's Constitution, significantly expanding the social change potential of litigation. By aiiiculating these fundamental rights and protections, the Charter places important limits on government powers. Hand in hand with these limits, the enactment of the C harter enhanced the power of the judiciary by empowering courts to strike down laws that violate a person's rights or to order government to take remedial actions.

Canadian Cha11er litigation has resu lted in systemic legal changes on a number of key social justice issues such as same sex marriage2, drug policy reform3 and women's reproductive rights4. However, this type of litigation is not without its challenges, which are explored in this paper through an examination of the case of Canada (Attorney General) v . Downtown Eastside Sex Workers Un ited Against Violence Society & Kiselbach.S This paper tells the story of two

plaintiffs and their tireless fight for justice for sex workers. The experience of the Downtown Eastside Sex Workers United Agai nst Violence Society ("SWUA V") and Sheryl Kiselbach provides insight into the role of Charter litigation in the fight for sex workers路 rights in Canada. It also demonstrates the s igniticanr barriers that marginalized groups face in order to li tigate their hu man rights claims. This paper will outli ne the creative and courageous ways that SWUA V and Kiselbach overcame those barriers, ultimately leading to a change in the legal landscape that has increased access to justice fo r other margi n alized groups in Canada.

The Fight for Sex Workers Rights in Canada In Canada, sex workers experience alarm ing rates of violence. ab use, socia l exclus ion and discrimi nati on .

The Downtown Eastside ne ighbourhood of Vancouver has received pa11icular attention, on both the nationa l and international level, because over 60 streetbased sex workers have disappeared from that neighbourhood over the course of the past several decades. This reality of missing & murdered women is not unique to Vancouver; it is a tragic reality in urban and rural communities across the country. The scale of these horrific events in Vancouver have, however, brought a number of iss ues into focus, including the dangerous working conditions faced by street-based sex workers and the failure of the pol ice and criminal justice system to effectively respond to crimes against them. In comparison, indoo r sex work has proven to be a much safer setting in terms of reduced levels of violence, but significant barriers remain in terms of access to employment protections, human rights and other supports that are available to other workers and communities.

The harms faced by sex workers can be attributed, in large part, to the impacts of the criminal laws that prohibit various aspects of adu lt sex work. While the exchange of sexual services for compensation is a legal activity in Canada, the criminal law prohibits many of the activities that relate to prostitution, such as communication in public, working indoors, and working with or for others. An extensive body of research identifies how these laws create conditions that are conducive to violence, stigma and discrimination.6 Based on these findings, a robust movement for the decriminalization of adult sex work has emerged, with sex workers at the forefro nt of the move-

ment, supported by human rights advocates and lawyers, women路s organizations & public health experts, all of whom call on Canada to take an evidence & a human rights approach to regu lation of sex work.

Canada's sex workers' rights movement has employed a range of political & public education strategies to urge the fede ral government to shift Canada's legal framework away from criminal prohibition towards laws that recognize sex work as a labour issue.

However, despite the compelling body of evidence demonstrating the necessity of decriminalization to suppo11 sex worker safety, there has been no willingness o n the part of the Canadian government to create this legal change.

The lack of political will to support decriminalization became particularl y evident when the Government of Canada released the 2006 report, The Challenge of C hange: A Study of Canada's Criminal Prostitution Laws.7 This report was the result of a three-year research and consultation initiative that examined the impact of Canada's criminal laws relating to prostitution. The Parliamentary Subcommittee on Solicitatio n Laws reviewed the relevant academic and community-based research and heard testimony fro m approximately 300 witnesses at public and private hearings and meetings across Canada. Despite extensive evidence and con!>istent recommendations from sex workers, academics, legal and human rights experts urging the Subcommittee to recommend full decriminalization of adult sex work, the Subcommittee's final report failed to do so.

In fact, the report provided little direction for Canadian law and policy-makers, instead making the following broad statement: "The Subcommittee recommends that the Government of Canada recognize that the status quo with respect to Canada's laws dealing with prostitution is unacceptable, and that the laws that exist are uneq ually applied."8 Three of the four political parties represented o n the Subcommittee went slightly further by agreeing that sex work is a public health issue, as opposed to a criminal laws iss ue. Neverthe less, the report was deeply disappointing for sex workers and human rights advocates who , had invested enormous time, resources and hope in the parliamentary process. Therefore, sex workers and allies across Canada began to look for other means to challenge the laws that crim inalize sex work.

WANT TO EARN SOME EXTRA MONEY?

ESS Where: Pivot Legal Society & Megaphone Office 121 Heatley Ave. (between Alexander & Powell) It is the blue building behind the Strathcona welfare office.

When: I

Wed Nov. 6, 4pm

Wed Nov. 27, 1pm

Wed Nov. 13, 1pm

Wed Dec. 4, 1 pm

Mon Nov. 18, 1pm

HopelnShadows.com

HOPE IN SHADOWS

Hello frotn -the LibrarY . We have some excellent new and interesting books on display fo r the next week in the Carnegie Library and you're invited to come check them out!

Abominable Science! Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and Other Famous Cryptids by Daniel Loxton and Donald R. Prothero 2013 The fascinating wo rld of cryptozoology comes to life in this entertaining and educational book. The authors are widely respected scientists who approach the subject fro m a skeptical perspective, systematically challenging the pseudoscience that litters much of the field. Featuring lots of fu ll-colour photos and illustrations, this book is a reall y fun read.

My First Guitar: Tales of True Love & Lost Chords

by Julia Crowe 20 12 . .

Crowe brings us interviews with 70 legendary gUitarists in this exploration of their inspired musical beginnings. Find out what motivated these young dreamers as they share the stories about their first instruments, and the experiences that ignit~d their lifelong passion for music. This book features interviews and childhood photos from Jimmy Page, Les Paul , Melissa Etheridge and many, many more.

The Power ofNow: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle 1997 We're happy to have a fresh, new copy of this classic book of self-discovery by Vancouver's own Eckhart Tolle. Using simple language and a powerful question and answer format, this immensely popular book w ill guide you through a spiritual joumey that could radically change your life for the better.

Rastafari: A Very Short Introduction by Ennis Bar. , . rington Edmonds 2012 Books from the ' Very Short IntroductiOns senes are a great way to learn about a new topic b~cause of their committment to providing consise mformaton inte nded for a general audience. The 340th book is the series is Edmonds' Rastafari, which illuminates the international socio-religious movement embraced by up to 1 million people. deepening the reader's understanding through sharing the essential history and principles of Rastafari, as well as its influence on global c ulture through reggae music.

63 Docum ents the Government Doesn't Want You to Read by Jesse Ventura 20 11 Fonner Navy SEAL and professional wrestler turned political commentator and conspiracy theo~i st Je~se Ventura offers an alternative take on Amencan history through a selection of incri minating ~ove~nme.nt documents. The book takes a close look at maJor h!storal events from John F. Kennedy's assassination to the 9111 attacks and the war on terror.

We Are Born with the Songs inside Us: Lives and Stories of First Nations People in British Columbia

by Katherine Gordon 20 13 Journalist Katherine Gordon has interviewed dozens of First Nations people living in BC since 2004. This book collects sixteen stories that came from those interviews, presenting the thoughts and hopes of young First Nations people making amazing contributions to the province. They come from fields such as the arts, comedy, medicine, marine biology, and even the NHL. Thanks, Emily (Carnegie Librarian- Happy to be here for the next few weeks !)

CRUNCH CALENDARS FOR SALE

--L-...>"'-"""~__Jim Dewar has been publishing his Crunch cartoons in the Carnegie Newsletter for several years. A calendar featuring his work is now

available for $10. phone 604-569-4310 or email jimdewarll@gmail.com

DISSOLVE

by Meghan Gardiner, director Renee Iaci shameless hussy productions* Ta1kback follows performance 1 woman, 16 characters & 45 minutes that could change a life

SUNDAY, November 10, 2:00 Pl\'1 In Carnegie Theatre Ever woken up beside a stranger? What if it was planned that way? shameless hussy presents the acclaimed one-woman, 14 character, theatrical tour de fo rce DISSOLVE by Meghan Gardiner. At turns hilarious and heartbreaking, DISSOLVE confronts the topic of drink spiking and drug facilitated sexual assault. Responding to interest from schools and educators, this play has a lready been touring to colleges, universities and high schools throughout North America for a decade. DISSOLVE stars Jessie Richardson award winning actress, Em mel ia Gordon.

The play follows a young girl on a night out and the people s he encounters, with the actress morphing fluidl y between a flurry of 14 characters, both comedi c and compelling. Designed to provoke thought and di alogue about sexual consent, DISSOLVE chal-

lenges us to change our bel iefs and behaviour surrounding alcohol, drugs and sexual assau lt. DISSOLVE proposes to transfom1 potential bystanders into ' upstanders. ' "In 25 years as an educator I've never seen a more powerful presentati on. There's a tremendous need for this in schools today." -Jay Prepchuk, Counseli ng Head, Handsworth Secondary "There's nothing funny about drink spiking and sexual assault, but Meghan Gardiner has brilliantly created a highly entertaining dark comedy that plays out like a Saturday Night Live skit."- Katie Bennison, CTV Director Renee laci leads the creative team including our Artistic Associates Lana Krause (Costume Design), and Stephen Bulat (Sound Design), with Matthew Norm an (Scenography), Stephen I Ieat ley (Directoria l Mentor), and Yeon Kyeom Kim (Stage Manager). With a mandate of "telling provocative stories about women to inspire the hand that rocks the cradle to rock the world" shameless hussy puts herstory to the forefront. We bring work that provokes a deeper understanding of women's past, present and potential, onto stages across Canada and the US. www .sham elesshussy .com

90 days in ...

Double Murder I graduated from Humanities 10 I , UBC, on April 25 2013. I got a certificate and, to practise journalism, I will tell a true sto ry.

T his happened long ago. It was summer time in Saskatchewan. There were two young s isters - 13 and 14 years old. They were hitchhiking from North Battleford to their reserve, 30 miles away. They were on open prairie. Here came a large van, coming at them.

They ran into the ditch to save their lives, but that van also went into the ditch. The driver ran them down, murdering the two girls. There was no one there to get a licence number or anything to 10 the van. This was figured out by police but no o ne was charged.

The driver of the 18-wheeler was an evil, diabolical man.

I saw the girls' coffins on the reserve.

Marlene Wuttunee

good morning good morning brew good morning miss crow as you begin your day with a tantalising wormy good morning morning Nora you are going to have the best day of your life . open your heart and truly listen to what's shared strength in truth amen I say too. god gives success in many ways love your ancestors Nora Kay

Angel Kisses hugs and kisses angel's wishes I fu ll y concede to my innermost self that life's not so bad every day is a journey in remaining teachable Nora Kay

Gentrification doesn't trickle down to help everyone Regenerat ion boosters praise c ities that 'bounce back' from poverty. The reality is poverty just gets bounced elsewhere

~~--.. ::1 Gentrification is the predominant form of neighborhood development in many cities. It's no secret that today's big cities are massively unequal, and gentrification is now the predominant form of neighborhood development. In countless urban districts across the world, affordable housing is on the decline and displacement is on the rise. This is especially true in New York and London, where observers are straining to find sufficient prefixes (mega, hyper and super have all been aptly applied) to describe the pace at which gentrification is changing the city.But most of the discussion is about how gentrification doesn't do justice to everything at stake.

Here's how gentrification talk typically goes: poor neighborhoods are said to need "regeneration" or "revital ization", as if lifelessness and torpor - as opposed to impoverishment and disempowermentwere the problem. Exclusion is rebranded as creative "renewal". The liberal mission to "increase diversity" is perversely used as an excuse to turn residents out of their homes in places like Harlem or Brixtonareas famous for the ir long histories of independent political and cultural scenes.

After gentrification takes hold, neighborhoods are commended for having "bounced back" from poverty, ignoring the fact that poverty has usually only been

bounced elsewhere.

In an insidious way. the narrative of "urban renaissance" - the tale of heroic elites redeeming a city that had been lost to the dangerous c lasses - permeates a lot of contemporary thinking about cities, despite being a condescending and often racist fa ntasy.

When ge ntrificati on is cri ticized these days. it tends to be done in terms that m udd le the issues. The least useful way to critic ize gentrification is to obsess about an area's character, coolness, o r even worse, "grit". Lamenting the pro liferation o f cu pcakes and cappuccino is a staple of reporting on places li ke Williamsburg or Dalston. But this ki nd of story red uces som ething that's all about inequality to middle-c lass agonizing over authenticity.

It's beyond time that policym akers, planners and urbanites de-gentrified the ir thinking about c ities.

This will require abandoning a number of pervas ive myths which have helped to legitimize inequality and contribute to gentrification's colonization of the urbanist imagination.

The leading myth is that the o nly possibilities fo r neighborhoods are gentrificati on or urban decay.

Well-meaning liberals sometimes think cities face a choice between the bad days of the past and a gentrified future, Urban theorists invo ke this same theme with the idea of the city as a ceaselessly changing organism that can either gentrify or stagnate. But these are all deeply mis leading arguments, because they offer a false choice. N o serious critic of gentrification wants to maintain the status quo. Instead of either gentrification or decay, cities co uld push for more equal distribution of resources and more democratic decision-making.

Another myth is that gentrification actually trickl es down to help everyone. Evangelists for elite-dominated urbanism sometimes argue, as New York's mayor Michael Bloomberg did recently, that attracting the super-rich is the best way to he lp those citydwellers he quaintly calls "those who are Jess fortunate". But the trickle-down argument for gentrification ignores the fact that the "very fortunate" invari ably seek to bend municipal priorities and local land uses towards their own needs, usually to the detri ment of their less powerful neighbors . And the more that urban governments become obsessed with g utting welfare policies and punishing the poor, the less

the trickle-down theory of gentrification makes sense.

Probably the most damaging myth about boentrifi ca. . t1on IS that nothing can be done abo ut it beyond wrangling a few tokenistic concessions from big developers. But gentrification is not an unstoppable force. It's true that it has its roots in politicaleconomic processes - the commodification of housing, the neoliberal transformation of the state and the growth of economic inequality - that require action at ~arge scales . But there are many policies which, even 111 the short term, would produce a more democratic and egalitarian city: more and better public housing, rent control and regulat ion, community control of neighborhood space, expanding social welfare, strengthening progressive labor unions, and empowering social movements that embody the political ambitions of the urban working classes and poor.

There was a time when London, New York and other modern cities e mbarked on large-scale proorams to build hous ing, educational faci lities, transp~rtation infrastructure, public health systems and public spaces to benefit all. Twentieth-century urban social democracy had its own contradictions and li mitations but it shows that even in the heartlands of capitalism,' other urban landscapes are possible. Even today, it's not too late to unforeclose urban politics and build an alternative to the city of gentrification and inequality.

The opposite of gentrification isn't urban decay; it's the democrati zation of urban space.

David Madden theguardian.com, Thursday 10 October 2013 BST

Fake Greens and Real Greens B.C. Liberal leader Gordon Campbell was on a campaign swing through Metro Vancouver in the closing days of the 200 I B.C. provincial electio.n campaign. Campbell was on a roll as the polls told him he would lead his party to a massive victory over the hapless N.D.P., led by premier Ujjal Dosanjh.

Yet Campbell knew he'd been targeted as an ultraconservative & may have wanted to soften his image.

"I give you my word," he said in effect to a campaign crowd . "I give you my word that 1 will not tear up any collective agreements" that unions had sig ned with the B.C. governm ent. Yet once Campbell had led his party to a massive victory, reducing the N.D.P

to just two seats, he broke that promise in spades.

Jennifer(which is not her real name) worked in the emergency ward of a Metro Vancouver hospital. She earned $18 an hour in a to ugh job that often tired her out. Campbell's government slashed her pay down to $11 an hour. T housands of other B.C. health workers suffered the same fate. Others were fired as the Liberal government closed 19 hospitals across the province.

"It was tough," Jennifer recalled years after a Supreme Court decision had restored some of her pay.

"Even now I'm just catching up with that pay cut."

Premier Campbell gave Christy C lark the not so plumb job of Minister of Education. Clark closed down 70 schools and then bailed out in 2005 to become a CKNW hot line radio host. Later still, she became premier of B.C. Over the next few years other Liberal Ministers of Education closed down another I 00 schools, yet while Premier Campbell oversaw this massive attack on health and education, and drastically shrunk welfare prog rams and human rights services, he put forward green prog rams.

"He may have seen himself as an environmentalist," one member of the Green Party said of Campbell years later. "Remember that in the 200 I election we Greens did win mimy votes but no seats in the legis lature. So there were a lot of Green votes that he may have wanted.

For whatever reason, Premier Campbell brought in a carbon tax to cut down on greenhouse gas emiss ions. lt had the strange and unfair feature of forcing schools and hospitals to pay money to private businesses. Yet it did cut down greenhouse gas emissions.

"Axe the carbon tax," urged the N.D.P. leader Carole James in one of her two election campaigns.

James led the N.D.P. to a big comeback but not victory in 2005. Yet these days the N.D.P. would keep the carbon tax .. that is if they ever win another election.

As premier, Gordon Campbell also pushed for people to drive electric cars instead of to-day's gas g uzzlers. He helped set up stations where these cars could be refilled.Yet Campbell was no Green politician. He lifted and put in pa11s of the Green party's pro~ram , while pushing a massive pro-business, antisocial services, anti-union program.

By Dave Jaffe

S: Mother of God protect us

~

from the zealots, spiritual pirates ranting and raving about Jesus ~ for the love of humanity silence the snake tongue rSl) who said? o religion is the last refuge of the insane " last hideout for the wigged out 0 I am a warrior, a seeker ~ of the fact from the fiction '< the real as opposed to the endless bullshit

o

-<

(1)

1 pray every day, every night and in between Let me li ve sans all yer quasi-modo muthafukin rhetoric crapola will the first one who has any sense stand and deli ver deliver us from those who know nothing to add to the picture and for the love of Murphy can't shut the fuck up, fuck up.

'-\ I

True to Form: if immigrants succeeded economically that was good enough There is some controversy over whether the policy of Multiculturalism supported by the Federal Government was successful. There was no definition of the word "culture." Perhaps the intent was that if immigrants succeeded economically that was good enough. A diversity of cultures rather than a Canadian culture was encouraged. Now it's felt that a Canad ian culture should prevail: women and homosexuals are equal; discrimination against minorities is unacceptable. Assimilation is desirable and interracial marriage is to be encouraged. _ It used to be that religion was an obstacle to integration; the churches objected to marriage between Catholics and Protestants. This spiritual persuasion has gone the way of the "Dodo bird." In British Columbia we are fortunate; few if any ethnic minorities adhere to such rigid beliefs. Education in Canada has increased considerably in past years and old ideas of colour advantage are fast disappearing.

Good communication is the key to integration. Our extensive English language courses are speeding the time when our differences will no longer be considered significant.

By Velma Demerson

Our planet is overheating. Inequality is growing.

But what's the alternative to capitalism?

VANCOUVER BOOK LAUNCH

*The New Commune-ist Manifesto - Workers of the World It Really is Time to Unite*

7 p.m. Thursday Nov. 7 Central Library, 350 West Georgia Alice Mackay Room Lower Level Our current economic system produces war, inequality and is destroying life on our planet. We know what we don't like, but what kind of world are we fighting for? What is the alternative to capitalism?

How do we get there, wherever there is? Where can we go to begin searching for a renewed sense of social ist purpose? Back to the beginning of the Left and the union movement, argue four longtime Canadian union and political activists.

While following the spirit of the old, the *New Commune-ist Manifesto*transforms the original from a historical document into a call-for-action to build an economic dem~cracy based on environmental sustainability.

Regaining our vision of an alternative to the existing system is the key to rebuilding the Left and workers' movement.

*About the Author* Ernesto (Ernie) Raj Peshkov-Chow is an avatar of the international working class. He is all of us and yet none of us. He is the ideal post-ethnic internationalist, working-class militant. Created by Gary Engler, Ernie was also directed by AI Engler, Jean Rands and Yves Engler in writing the New Manifesto. Gary, VP ofUnifor Loca\2000, is the author of *The Year We Became Us*, a novel about the 1962 Saskatchewan doctors strike. AI is a retired former B.C. maritime workers union local president and author of *Economic Democracy- a working class a lternative to capitalism.* Jean was a founder in the 1970s of the first feminist union in Canada. Yves is the author of seven previous books, including *The Ugly Canadian

- Stephen Harper's Foreign Policy.*

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