October 15, 2020 Carnegie Newsletter

401 Main Street Vancouver Canada V6A 2T7

(604) 665~2289

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. Wednesday October 28 - Sunday November 8, 2020

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Here we come! The annual DTESHeart of the City Festival features twelve days of online and pop-up outdoor events. Due to circumstances of the pandemic, we have reimagined this year's festival with programming mostly online and outdoors. We are excited by the community's response to our call to participate - you have said you're eager and ready to join in! Live stream www.heartofthecityfestival.com

Opening Day - Wednesday

October 28 - a Festival highlight!

5:30pm OPENING CEREMONY live stream, with special guests and pre-recorded surprises 6:30pm SANDY CAMERON MEMORIAL WRITING CONTEST AWARD CEREMONY, live stream th 7:30pm TRIBUTE TO CARNEGIE'S40 ANNIVERSARY, w/ special guest Ubby Davies, live stream Join us to celebrate the most extraordinary community centre in Canada!

The evening's special guests will join live on Zoom, along with recorded performances including: the Highs & Lows Choir sing "Sandstone Lady", a love song to Carnegie written by Patrick Foley and Earle Peach; Richard Tylman reads his epic poem "To the People of the Carnegie Kitchen"; the Carnegie Theatre Workshop read the closing scene of Bob Sarti's "Bruce the Musical"; and Libby Davies reads selections from her book Outside In, A Political M~moir and, in conversation with Am ,.Johal, recounts stories of why and how the Centre was established. As Libby says: "Opening day of Camegie was quite the drama." Tell us more!

The opening of Carnegie in 1980 was a transformative event in the history of the Downtown Eastside. Libby Davies, along with Bruce Eriksen and DERAwas front and centre in the community-led initiative to establish the Carnegie Community Centre.

Go to Festival website to pre-register via Eventbrite, or for viewing details.

Ubby Dovies, Bruce Eriksen, and son Leif, in front of Carneqie, Grand Opening, Ianuorv 1980 Many more FREEexciting events during the upcoming days of the Festival!

Find the Festival Program Guide at Carnegie Centre and at locations throughout the neighbourhood.

For complete Festival details, visit - www.heartofthecifestival.com.

Go to Facebook for outdoor Art in the Street "day-of" schedules - htt s: www.facebook.com HeartoftheCi

Festival

Produced by Vancouver Moving Theatre with Camegie Community Centre & Association of United Ukrainian Canadians. with a host of community partners. Front cover photo: Leslie Nelson, Marr Oorvoult, Sam McKay. photo Oavid Cooper

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Bob Sarti passed away. Bob was a roaming fixture around Camegie Centre for a few decades and the following is pieced together from incidents & memories.

He was an American who came to Canada as an anti-war resister in the 70s. When I met him in the mid-80s he was partnered with Muggs Sigurgeirson and the Board here was in upheaval. The Carnegie Newsletter had been going for less than 6 months.

Bob and Muggs worked hard to get the Association on track and Bob was moonlighting as a reporter for the Vancouver Sun. Due to his involvement in the Downtown Eastside he was not permitted to write stories (for the Sun, anyway) on happenings in the area. To get around this, stuff would often appear under Muggs' name in the Newsletter, or a pseudonym.

Bob was known for making pots of chili for next to nothing for local people when the space between cheques was long and money for almost everyone was short. He was also involved in the local arts community with writing and helping produce plays. "Bruce: The Musical" is best remembered, perhaps, as a light but searing story of the heyday ofBruce Eriksen.

Jay Hamburger knew Bob for most of his life (in Canada at least) and the two had lively duels, always ending with laughter. They tried to collaborate ...

Hearsay had Bob struck with more than one stroke in his last years. He and Muggs had retired to Hornby Island where her sister lived.

This is pretty sketchy for summing up a life but hopefully some other people will send in some thoughts of their own. I have no warm or fuzzy memories outside of Carnegie; just reflecting on the commitment Bob Sarti had to the Downtown Eastside community.

Paul Taylor

Note: The AGM of the Carnegie Community Centre Association was held on October 1. A group of members wanted to challenge the entire thing with procedural wrangles, didn't get their way and left the meeting. Below is the Association's response to allegations made:

Hello DTES Neighbours, Recently many community members received an emaiI outlining issues that impact Carnegie Community Centre, the Carnegie Community Centre Association and Carnegie Community Action Project. There are a number of points in the email that we would like to correct.

The email asked that people attend the Annual General Meeting of the Association to address the lack of notice and access to the AGM. There was no lack of notice. Notice of nomination was posted in print and online on time, in keeping with our policies and bylaws. The date of the nomination meeting was advertised. Nominations were made at the previous month's board meeting, which has been the long term practice of the Board.

We have not spent $30,000 in legal fees, as alleged, to fight unionization of Carnegie. We did have to retain professional support to deal with a request from CCAP to become a CUPE bargaining unit, and to respond to issues referred to the Labour Relations Board.

We did not return recreation program funding to the fund er. It was reassigned to another program .. Funding was returned to the funder for Vancouver Coastal Health work because when the field house was closed, the Association and staff were no longer able to meet the terms as set out by the funder.

We are not intentionally defunding part-time positions. When project objectives have been met and a grant's funds have been spent, we are not able to continue until new funding arrives. The epidemic made it impossible for us to hire and supervise summer placements.

No volunteer has ever come to the Board or to any City staff person with complaints about hostility from any board member. Hostile behaviour is not tolerated in Carnegie Community Centre.

The Association and Carnegie Community Centre are providing ongoing support for frontline Covid relief. CCAP is not a service providing agency. As a project of the Board, their mandate is to work to end homelessness, raise welfare rates, and end gentrification.

Thirty.hours of volunteer work are required as a condition for running for the Board for the very good reason that the Board has to consist of people familiar with Carnegie day to day operations.

Anyone interested in being involved in future policy and procedural changes is encouraged to attend a future committee or Board meeting.

Thank you to all the dedicated staff and volunteers who work and serve Carnegie Community Centre, the CCCA and CCAP. Gilles Cyrenne, President, CCCA