Contents
- Provincial budget: welfare shelter increase?
- How to Eat in a World Without Petroleum
- Attributes: The Pig type
- "Reduce poverty and homelessness" - community leaders
- Phil Minton and the Feral Choir
- It's raining
- LIBBY DAVIES STATEMENT ON THE TRIAL
- Surveys say…
- Environmental issues . . .
- C.R.A.B. Park Update
- The objectives of United We Can
- Beats on Broadway
- COPPERTHUNDERBIRD
- Gath Place Sikewalk. Jan 11, 07.
- Proud to be a Newsletter member
- Missing Woman, Never Gone
- What Can Ya’ Say?
- Poverty in the Promised Land
- A Time for Homelessness
- Homelessness
- Mayor Sam Sullivan
- The Obscenity of Vancouver's Olympic Games
Provincial budget expected to announce welfare shelter increase The provincial budget is expected on Feb. 20th. Gordon Campbell has said that he will increase the shelter part of welfare in this budget. But he hasn't said by how much or which groups of people on welfare will get the increase. It probably won't be that great so don't get your hopes up too high. The Carnegie Community Action Project is a member of the Raise the Rates coalition that has been working hard to pressure the government to raise both the shelter and support parts of welfare by at least 50%, end the barriers to getting on welfare that are making people homeless, let all people have an earnings exemption of $500 per month, and increase minimum wage to $10 and hour and abolish the $6 an hour training wage. Many folks at Carnegie and in the Downtown Eastside have been helping out with this campaign. After the budget, Raise the Rates will see what the government has done, then keep working for the changes that we need. Remember, if the shelter allowance does go up, it does NOT mean that your landlord can immediately increase your rent. Landlords have to follow the rules in the Residential Tenancy Act. That means they can only increase your rent by a little bit each year UNLESS they spend a lot on upgrading. Either way you have to get proper notice in writing. Jean Swanson How to Eat in a World Without Petroleum
How to Eat in a World Without Petroleum By Colleen Carroll About the Book Humanity is on the brink of extinction because of our over-dependency on petroleum to bring our food to our tables. As our use of oil has increased, so too has the world population along with oil's use. When oil supplies decline, and they are already starting to, we will be facing ever more hardship and challenges in supplying our tables with food. This book addresses the need to take positive action immediately to minimize effects of declining oil supplies at the kitchen table level. It is a book about the possibility of survival in spite of the odds due to individual effort and community planning and support. It is an urgent request to take positive steps today in order to assure food supplies in the future and offset the drastic effects oil DEPLETION will have on our food supplies. It is a book of individual empowerment one kitchen table at a time. About the Author, Colleen Carroll I’m a concerned citizen who has been writing for 40 years on our over-dependency on petroleum products in our society. I have two children, both committed in Community building as well and thus have a great stake in seeing they survive into the future along with the rest of our civilization. I'm 57. Limited mobility has left me with time to read and write of these concerns. I am also blessed with many very knowledgeable and busy friends encouraging me on with ever more information, and who patiently edited the book many times over. Attributes: The Pig type
Attributes The Pig type is usually an honest, straightforward and patient person. He/she is a modest, shy character who prefers to work quietly behind the scenes. When others despair, he/she is often there to offer support. This type of person is reserved with those they do not know too well, but as time passes and they gain confidence, those around them may discover a lively and warm-hearted person behind that mask of aloofness. Despite those born in the year of pig having a wide circle of friends and acquaintances, they have few close friends who understand them and share their inner thoughts and feelings. It is easy to put trust in pig type; he/she won't let you down and will never even attempt to do so. Such people simply want to do everything right according to social norms. It is important to remember that these people are not vengeful creatures. If someone tries to take advantage of him/her, the pig type tends to withdraw to reflect on the problem and protect themselves. All they need in such situations is a little time to find a constructive way to respond. The people of the pig type are conservative creatures of habit. They dislike being made to travel too far from familiar surroundings, unless it is a trip to the countryside. They love nature and are never happier than when they are out somewhere, far from the city. There is a tolerant and peaceful side to their character. Such people are never afraid to allow others their freedom of expression; they do not want to cause arguments and if there is any way to avoid arguing, they will probably take this option. They are not weak, however, and if the situation forces them to fight these people will rise to the occasion, whether it is to defend themselves or those close to them. People of the Pig type are the most admired by others . "Reduce poverty and homelessness" - community leaders
"Reduce poverty and homelessness" community leaders tell government At a news conference held Friday in Vancouver, the Raise the Rates coalition released an open letter to the Premier to be printed in the Vancouver Province on Monday. Sixty eight prominent community leaders and/or organizations including David Suzuki and Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan, are listed in the ad, but many more would not fit on the page and were faxed to the Premier with the letter Friday morning. "In its 2007 budget the BC Government has a rare opportunity to show decisive leadership in acting on the deep poverty and inequality in our province," Graham Riches, Director of the UBC School of Social Work, said at the news conference today. The open letter calls on the Campbell government to raise both the shelter and support portions of welfare rates by at least 50 percent, end the arbitrary barriers that keep people in need from accessing welfare, and increase the minimum wage to at least $10 an hour and end the $6 an hour training wage. "Homelessness, binning, panhandling and suffering by people who are poor is completely unnecessary and immoral," said Jean Swanson of Raise the Rates. "The government could raise welfare rates and end the arbitrary barriers to getting on welfare and pay for it with only a fraction of their budget surplus." "There is a complete moral gap between the government and the rest of the people," said BC Federation of Labour president, Jim Sinclair. "There's been no increase in basic welfare for 13 years while CEO salaries increased 240 percent." Sherman Chan, of the Working Group on Poverty, said that immigrants who have worked thousands of hours can end up working at the $6 an hour training wage simply because they need a job. Andrea Ottem, a registered dietitian, called for an increase in welfare rates so that all of us "have enough money to access safe and nutritious food." The government should stop punishing poor children and families with low welfare rates and wages, Adrienne Montani of First Call, BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition said, noting that half of young families under age 25 are poor. Contact: Jean Swanson: 604 729-2380 or 604 298-1614; Sherman Chan, 604 254-9626, local 230; Adrienne Montani, 604 875-2000, local 6928; Ken Buchanan, 604 646-5345, Andrea Ottem, 604 738-3481. Or check out www.raisetherates.org Phil Minton and the Feral Choir
Phil Minton and the Feral Choir On Wednesday, Feb 5, I strolled down to the Carnegie Theatre to see a one-time performance of the Phil Minton-conducted Feral Choir. I wasn’t exactly sure about I would see. I thought of Carnegie patrons who worked tremendously hard in a short time, the norm, and wasn’t disappointed. Turns out the rehearsals were 2-5 Monday, 2-5 Tuesday and 2-5 Wednesday with the one performance that same Wednesday. The result was brilliant! People included Joan Morelli, Rosetta Stone and Rudolf Penner, the three who also appeared in the created-in-Carnegie Opera Condemned: a work in progress Phil Minton, a well-respected British trumpet player, guided six players besides himself through their training and the 30-minute concert. The performance itself was full of many mysterious yet familiar sounds vocalized with an amazing array of styles and textures in a uniquely improvisational mode. We heard birds, monkeys, groaning, wailing – building in urgency with all voices interweaving most beautifully. It’s always fascinating to see new or ancient forms of experimental entertainment. The concert ended too soon with an unrehearsed, impromptu dance by the group. Thanks go to Rika and the programming committee for getting such imaginative entertainment choices. This was an action-packed, electrifying half hour for an appreciative audience. I certainly hope we see much more unique, living entertainment in the near future. Robyn Livingstone It's raining
It's raining Emotions Fear, hate, anger Drop by drop An ocean Greed, hate and .... Looks down Upon us all Torrents of water Lust ... more anger Uncontrolled emotions SPLASH The whale swallowed Its whole "Now it's by-polar" The bear said. © Montana King It's a crying shame Mur rr Veins flow- Heroin will not die Blood defeated Red flow from Bison Saps from tree Anger stampedes The heart beat Rip R- 1- P With the hoofs of every Animal killed Blood morbid morphine Each day Wrists cut to be blood Brothers/sisters Wine into blood-then To dine? Heavy armored boots In tanks-bleeding enemy Internal egg blood stuck Plugged-up Mother Earth ... it's stuck Sick of stench Gives life Gets back dried up emotional Death ... Awaken ... Oh Limbic Aren't you sick yet…. enough The land of.. NO. LIBBY DAVIES STATEMENT ON THE TRIAL
LIBBY DAVIES STATEMENT ON THE TRIAL FOR VANCOUVER’S MISSING WOMEN The tragedy of the missing women from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside will generate enormous media attention as the trial begins January 22, 2007. As the Member of Parliament representing Vancouver East (including the Downtown Eastside), I want to express my support and sympathy to the families and friends of the missing women who continue to grieve and be exposed to the violent and horrifying experience of what happened to these women. The tragedy of this situation is far reaching. For many in the Downtown Eastside and beyond there is a sense of loss and grief as people face the enormity of what has taken place. It raises many troubling questions about our society and about why these women were so at risk and vulnerable to violence, exploitation and death, and why so many sex workers continue to be at risk today. The disappearance of more that sixty women from the Downtown Eastside and hundreds more from across the country, also raises deeply disturbing questions about Canada’s justice system and how it failed. Despite the recent media attention to Vancouver’s missing women, no significant changes have been made, at any level of government, to protect sex workers, who remain at risk. I will continue to call for law reform, immediate support for exit strategies, and the need for a public inquiry, to ensure that necessary changes are made at all levels of government, to best protect the rights and safety of sex workers and affected communities. Current laws around prostitution make street level sex workers vulnerable to selective law enforcement as well as exploitation and violence. Survival sex workers are often poor and drug dependent, and are reluctant to seek protection under the law. Cuts in social programs and spending, together with increasing poverty, particularly over the past decade, have forced more women into survival sex trade. The Parliamentary Committee on Justice and Human Rights recently completed its report on prostitution laws, The Challenge of Change: a Study of Canada’s Criminal Prostitution Laws. (http://cmte.parl.gc.ca/Content/HOC/committee/391/just/reports/rp2599932/justrp06/05-honour-e.htm). The Committee began its work October 2, 2003 as a result of my motion unanimously adopted in Parliament to review prostitution laws to improve the safety of sex trade workers and the community in general, and to make recommendations to reduce the exploitation and violence against sex trade workers. The report outlines the failure of the criminal code to protect sex workers and local communities. When sex workers are displaced to isolated areas as a result of the communicating law, they face greater risk for harm and death and become easier targets for predators. There was near unanimous agreement from witnesses heard at the committee that the current status and regime of law enforcement pertaining to prostitution is unworkable, contradictory and unacceptable. It has created an environment of marginalization and violence, with negative impacts on both sex workers and affected local communities. Sex workers are fearful to report violence, assault and coercion because of their illegal status. Their poor relationship with law enforcement authorities, contributes to the danger they face. Better training of law enforcement agencies is needed. I believe the federal government must come to terms with the contradictions and impossibility of the status quo, and engage in a process of law reform that will lead to the decriminalization of laws pertaining to prostitution and focus criminal sanctions on harmful situations. It is also critical for all levels of government to immediately improve the safety of sex workers and assist them to exit the sex trade if they are not there by choice, by providing significant resources for poverty alleviation and income support, education and training, and treatment for addictions. In February 2002, I called on the Mayor of Vancouver, as Chair of the Vancouver Police Board, to support an inquiry into the police investigation of the missing women to determine what happened. This public inquiry still needs to happen. For more info / further comment please contact: Libby Davies 613-992-6036 or 604-775-5804 Surveys say…
Surveys say… Two articles in the January 16 Vancouver Sun caught my attention. The first, on the front page, titled “Drug Abuse ‘A Medical Issue’”, told of 2,938 Canadians polled on their views of approaches to handling the problem of drug abuse. The poll, done by Innovative, a company based in Vancouver and Toronto, stated that two-thirds of Canadians believe drug abuse is a medical problem that requires more prevention and treatment programs. A clear majority of the remaining third, who favour a crackdown by police, are Conservative supporters. The Conservatives just recently announced that they plan to place more emphasis on police measures, and less on harm reduction approaches, like, for example, Vancouver’s safe injection site for drug users. Innovative spokesperson Greg Lyle said, “Within the Tory base, [government support for] harm reduction would be problematic. But in the broader public, that approach is where people are moving.” Quoting the article, by reporter Peter O’Neil, “Lyle said the results show the issue is a good one for opposition parties and problematic for Harper as the prime minister tries to solidify and expand his coalition into a possible majority government.” That leads this writer to think that the next federal election should be fought on a number of issues, say five, and not on just one, like the state of the environment. Homelessness is another good candidate for a fighting issue. On that note, I introduce the second article, on the front page of the second section of the newspaper, called “Westcoast News.” It’s titled, “Mayor’s Poll: Homelessness tops list: Helping the less fortunate seen as more important than fighting crime.” Quoting the article, by reporter Frances Bula, “Homelessness is the issue that Vancouver residents see as the top priority for the city – outscoring crime by a long shot, says a poll commissioned by Mayor Sam Sullivan. And more than half of those polled say the most lasting impact of the 2010 Olympics should be solving homelessness and offering more programs for the less fortunate, not boosting the city or building sports facilities.” Sullivan claimed to be surprised and pleased by the results, vowing to use them to reinforce his requests to the provincial and federal governments for help in dealing with the problems of homelessness and building social housing. Whether this is just another empty promise by today’s special breed of rascal politician (actually, the special breed would really be politicians genuinely interested in the welfare of the people, like federal NDP MP Libby Davies, and NDP MLA Jenny Kwan) remains to be seen; after all, Sullivan said nothing when the Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) offered $500,000 to make the homeless disappear from Vancouver streets into shelters during the two-week 2010 Winter Olympics, and also said nothing when Liberal MLA Lorne Mayencourt suggested that the homeless be deported en masse to self-sustaining “work farms” in the country. (“$500,000 to be spent to shelter homeless during Games,” The Province, November 26, 2006; “Send addicts to country,” The Globe and Mail, November 30, 2006) Libby Davies wrote about VANOC’s “outrageous proposal” in a letter to the editor of The Province, reprinted in the December 1, 2006 Carnegie Newsletter. She wrote, “Such a shameful attitude of corporate irresponsibility is astounding.” Particularly astounding, when one considers that; (1) NBC, the biggest single private source of IOC (International Olympic Committee) revenue, pledged $2.2 billion US in 2003 for American TV rights to the 2010 and 2012 Games, and (2) VANOC has raised $115 million in sponsorship commitments. Instead of spending a mere (by comparison) $500,000 to lobby government to build more social housing by 2010, VANOC wants to spend it on “poor cleansing,” in the words of Jean Swanson of the Carnegie Community Action Project, as recorded in the December 1, 2006 Carnegie Newsletter. Let’s hope that the provincial government’s New Year’s resolutions included building more social housing, improving the fortunes of the homeless, and raising the welfare rates (and abiding by the other requests of the Raise the Rates campaign). Let’s also hope that Sam Sullivan has seen the light about wrongfully abolishing social housing, and is genuinely trying to help the homeless, as he has promised. By Rolf Auer Environmental issues . . .
Environmental issues . . . … should be looked at with caution. Air pollution is a priority and an almost forgotten example is Styrofoam cups and similar disposal items. These things are a great threat to the environment. When such get burned at waste disposal a lot of toxic pollution goes into our air. People are moving into the mountains. Lots of trees are cut down to make lots, roads, amenities; then floods happen and mudslides cause damage because the plants that held topsoil in place are gone. Pollution is in our water – think oil spills! What to do? Recycling should be an important factor. Binners should be appreciated for doing a lot of our recycling. Restaurants need to get involved in a big way, recycling cans, etc. In fact, there should be a bylaw to enforce recycling. Our environment is suffering too much. Thank you for the people who do recycle. All my relations, Bonnie E Stevens C.R.A.B. Park Update
C.R.A.B. Park Update Who is now calling Crab Park “Tailgate Park”? One is Matt Shillito, the City Planner now involved in the Whitecaps Stadium study. On a sunny January 26th, while strolling across the park’s green lawn, he made the “tailgate park” claim. A Tailgate Park would feature out-of-the-area people parking their SUVs, their RVs and other vehicles in the existing Canada Place parking lot, right beside the Crab Park birdmarsh and seven-acre green.. Loud music, beer drinking, rowdy behaviour would likely threaten Crab Park both before and after music and sports events. Is this a price we’re willing or even wanting to pay?! A 30-foot (~9 meter) wide Seawall walkway from the proposed 15-30,000 seat Whitecaps Stadium to Crab Park makes it even more likely that it and a Carrall Street pedestrian overpass, leading Stadium goers to the new “Gastown Party Central” would make our park “tailgate park” permanently. By Don Larson The objectives of United We Can
The objectives of United We Can are: * To plan and carry out positive actions which demonstrate responsible environmental stewardship in an urban setting. * To raise awareness of the environmental impact of human activity in urban communities; * To create sustainable economic initiatives based on local human and material resources; * To foster an inclusive community spirit that recognizes everyone's responsibility in caring for our surroundings. And their Goals are: * To create self-sustaining urban environmental enterprises; * To create jobs for inner city residents. Beats on Broadway
Folks Most of you have received my announcements about Beats on Broadway for a while now. As you know, Beats on Broadway is an acoustic open stage which happens on the third Friday of each month at the Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House. Although created primarily for the community of Mount Pleasant, B on B welcomes musicians and other performers from anywhere to come and share their talents with other creative people, and encourages new artists to come forward. On Friday Jan 19 we had a record crowd out to support Rachel Tetrault, a talented young singer performing her first "feature" act. Feature musicians receive all the proceeds from the door, so this event helps to keep money flowing to musicians. B on B has over the years received the generous and unstinting support of Mount Pleasant Neigh-bourhood House, the home of this coffee house and an important community meeting place and resource centre. MPNH serves one of the most diverse communities in the city, mixed both culturally and economically. Along with every other Neighbourhood House in the city, and indeed most of the social institutions in our society, MPNH is facing economic challenges and is being forced to look at its bottom line. B on B has great support from both the board and the director, but the simple fact is that it costs money to put on...I'd guess around $250 per event, mostly in paid staff time (me, front desk, kitchen, cleaning staff). By now you probably have an inkling of where this is going. We've been looking at ways of raising money for B on B, to allow it to continue without being a financial drain on MPNH. I'm not a big fan of financial appeals but given the alternatives this seems like an honourable way of proceeding. Here are a few things we DON'T want to do to raise money: charge admission; split or remove the take from the feature's donation box; cut back on goodies in the kitchen or hold B on B less often. We feel strongly that this event must be free and open to all, and that any contributions must be voluntary. On the 19th we included a special donation box for the Neighbourhood House, to help support the coffee house as an ongoing program within MPNH; those of you who were there will be happy to know we raised $97 for the coffee house, and Rachel also did very well. With sales from the kitchen, for the first time B on B probably came within spitting distance of breaking even. Realistically, however, not every month is going to have the amazing turnout we did on Friday; so the responsible thing to do is to go to the community which supports B on B and ask for help. As a past supporter of the Beats on Broadway list I am asking you to consider making a donation to Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House (ideally earmarked for the coffee house) to help us continue. You can do it by writing a cheque to Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House and dropping it off or mailing to 800 E Broadway,V5T 1Y1. Or you can come to the next coffee house and donate there (need I add that of course you can also come, enjoy the evening, and NOT donate?) I'm also open to other fundraising ideas you might have. If you've gotten this far, you deserve to know what's up for the next few coffee houses. On February 16th the feature is the great, boisterous and entertaining group of guys known as Fraser Union. On March 16th we feature the downright amazing jazz singer Michelle Richard. On April 20th the excellent bluegrass band Greenhorn will perform. And May18th will bring the smokin' duo of Miller and Eastman to B on B. Thanks Earle [Peach] COPPERTHUNDERBIRD
COPPERTHUNDERBIRD RED, Black, Yellow, White, Brothers, Sisters, from Four corners of the globe A rainbow of humanity Together, share a moving But bittersweet experience A reading performance For many a roller coaster ride Through the storms of life, The good, the bad, the ugly, All rolled into one, ghosts From tbe past, reawakened As if in a deep, deep sleep Ancestors from beyond Tears, well inside, like gentle streams Watching, watching, watching, my surroundings Matter not, fixed my gaze to the performance Laughter, laughter, and more laughter Perhaps hiding, masking our own pain Moved by those you have touched Like a surgeon, an experienced sculptor Guided by the Creators' healing hands Gentle with love, heart You reach into the very core Of our being, to tbe very depth Of our souls our experience Cupped into the palm of your hands Molding, reshaping this, into a thing Of beauty. Copper Thunder Bird In Friendship: Stephen Lytton Gath Place Sikewalk. Jan 11, 07.
. On Jan 11 I saw a young woman trying to sleep on the sidewalk outside the Gathering Place on Helmcken St. --------------------------------------------------- Gath Place Sikewalk. Jan 11, 07. Millions for storm tossed trees. Look around you, here too lie the fallen crack death cold death the soon to be forgotten. Once I too was a mother's child bright and full of life and hope. I came into this world trailing clouds of glory and will soon leave it a dull grey cloud out the crematorium's vent. Print swastikas on your dollars Polish your bank accounts so bright Czech out your champagne Russian vodka your delight. Take the brave frontier, the Sturn und Drang of Capital. I know my place the cold, the dark, the night. by KenS. (Footnote: Indigent Corpses are cremated. The Holocaust is still ongoing.) Proud to be a Newsletter member
Proud to be a Newsletter member As any regular reader of The Carnegie Newsletter can confirm, it is different from the mainstream news media in the way it covers events, oriented as it is towards a people’s and community’s perspective, especially if that people and community belong to the Downtown Eastside. Readers generally seek and receive more sympathy than can be expected from regular sources on issues close to their hearts. What other publication do you know of, for example, that regularly features poetry from any number of contributors, even the alternative publications which typically have a reputation for being more people-oriented than mainstream news media? Only The Globe and Mail features a poem weekly, as opposed to every other newspaper having none. Of what importance is poetry, you might ask? Margaret Atwood has recently written two articles in The Globe and Mail (January 27, February 3) lambasting the Harper government for cutting funding to the Arts in Canada. Why would Harper let support for the Arts lapse? Perhaps the answer can be found in a recent interview with Howard Zinn published in the February issue of Z magazine. Zinn: “Artists have a special role in social movements—they lend passion, poetry, humour to the principles any movement espouses. They enhance the power of a social movement, which needs every additional strength it can muster to challenge the power of authorities.” Of course, Harper fears the power of social movements, because their goals are opposite to the neo-con objectives of his government, hence he cuts funding to Canadian artists.” The Carnegie Newsletter is at the forefront of a number of social movements. In fact, it is, in itself, a social movement. And that is one reason why I am proud to be a member of The Carnegie Newsletter. Here’s another reason: the way that the mainstream news media have covered the case of the missing women of the Downtown Eastside, and the resulting trial of Pickton, smacks of opportunistic sensationalism, newspaper exploitation of a tragic series of events intended solely to sell more newspapers. With a minimum of coverage of the disappeared women—and then, only that they were drug addicts, sex trade workers, or negligent mothers—in addition to the far greater, splashy coverage of Pickton, the alleged mass murderer, the mainstream news media have conveniently overlooked the causes of the plights of the missing women—there has been barely a mention of: the lack of social housing; the inaccessibility, and inadequacy, of welfare; homelessness; the growing inequality between the rich and the poor, etc., and when these were mentioned, they were by-the-way, here’s some news filler. The Carnegie Newsletter, on the other hand, has always pushed for improvement in these areas, thus displaying a far greater sense of social responsibility than the mainstream news media ever did. The Newsletter never even mentioned Pickton, giving instead coverage to sympathetic views of relatives or friends. The February 14 March for the Missing Women has always received coverage by The Newsletter, hardly ever by the mainstream press. And it’s also for these further reasons that I am proud to be a member of The Carnegie Newsletter. There’s a very pertinent quote: "The job of the newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." (This famous quote is about a hundred years old and can be traced to the work of Finley Peter Dunne, one of the great journalists of the day.) That quote could well be the motto of The Carnegie Newsletter. The mainstream press have it backwards: they operate as if they should comfort the comfortable and afflict the afflicted. All that The Carnegie Newsletter can do is to forge onwards, hoping to lead by its shining example. By Rolf Auer Missing Woman, Never Gone
Missing Woman, Never Gone Always here, forever in memory, recalled with fondness. Unlost souls as you are, please repose and read on. Light your candles, praise eternal flames & spirits whole.. always with us but ever missed. We feel the heat of your hearts, an unreality that we will never doubt – shadows in, shadows out. Serenely smiling distant faces with no more fear, no more screams. And the authorities: where in the hell were you at crucial times? No protection, no concern when the need was most urgent – blinded, lost? Women lost, led astray, surely there were cries for help in the mud and rain? Your pleas ignored when carried off to suffer cruel pain. Curse the ears that refused to listen, that neglected to hear. All of you have close loved ones who are so cherished and dear, beyond ‘good’, having fun. Ours were a bother to you, but that’s just too bad; they wished these would just disappear into the night. Harsh for the few who should be pitied for their inhumanness. The horrific, unspeakable, premeditated crimes committed as if under sedation, in slow motion ‘til the terrible change and so sudden when the time is here. You have waited so long for rights, to correct, to get answers to the myriad ways you’ve been wronged. The breeze speaks your names, one by one; to give comfort to those who grieve yet remain; long forgotten differences, clashes that may have pulled relations apart but are now mostly forgotten again or forgiven --- bygones --- so senseless now. You shall ever continue to beat in the tornado of our wounded, bruised though enlightened hearts. Robyn Livingstone What Can Ya’ Say?
What Can Ya’ Say? Much of this issue has to do with the Olympic Countdown Clock and, in somewhat rhetorical ideas, whether we should have these Games when there are over 200,000 people who are working poor, low-income, on income assistance or homeless in BC. This, along with the crudely, crassly, blatantly obvious need to Raise the Rates of income assistance and the minimum wage to at least restore purchasing power and living beyond/above bare survival, simply put are better ways to spend the $2.5 billion the Olympics will cost (at least with 3 years to go). The research, proof, common sense and widespread support for these basics of being human is piled so high, so outweighs any argument to the contrary, that the continued ignoring of it all by the so-called powers-that-be beggars comprehension. Okay. At the countdown clock event, a great number of people put in efforts to get equal (best but not likely) press coverage of the whole thing of homelessness and what we, as an Olympic bidder, took responsibility for. When the Homeless Countdown Clock and all the people with reams of information began an alternate ceremony, the hope was that the national press coverage would include some of it. Lo and behold, the anti-poverty committee (apc) had plans only to disrupt the bigger event; to yell and scream obscenities, to be set up or set up themselves as one side in a physical clash. Well, if that was what was wanted, it sure happened – in spades. The largest press coverage came through CTV, which is the official media source of the Games and is just part of a transnational corporation. The entire coverage on television and repeated in their newspapers and radio stations had almost nothing to do with housing.. or poverty.. or homelessness. The entire story was reduced to violent protestors and security. The spin kept churning the next day as a radio poll had 2 in 3 people agreeing with the leading question “Should protestors be banned from Olympic ANYTHING?!? The minority of 1 in 3 callers were clear in saying that in a democracy you can’t shut people up or out. But the apc isn’t interested in anything except how to get their 15 seconds of fame, regardless of how arrogant, angering or just dumb chosen actions turn out to be. They sure succeeded on February 12. There was no support for the kind of crap pulled; just a lot of people feeling kicked in the stomach by supposed allies. Others: frustration and disappointment and anger and feeling of lost opportunities, or worse, loss of the necessary friendships involved in any coalition. The arrogance of the apc people is stifling – they seem to think that only by being as obscene and violent and disruptive as possible will their core issue be given any notice. And all they accomplish is to get arrested, charged, and have the real workers in this fight feel ripped off. Last point: Gord Campbell and Sullivan spoke their politician’s pieces on ‘everyone has a right’ but then went back to lying through their teeth about costs and ‘everything under control.’ Campbell, in an interview on (you guessed it) CTV looked and talked like he was high.. stoned. At least he wasn’t drunk. The person reading prepared questions off the teleprompter gave him lead-ins to claim that he and his crap government are so clean and shiny they squeak. It quickly got nauseating, but to him and likely much of the audience, it was so like everything else they spin doctor, few bother to make their sickness at such bullshit known. It is a long haul and we cannot but emerge victorious. Stay strong. PAULR TAYLOR Poverty in the Promised Land
Poverty in the Promised Land So the food banks are still feeding the poor Food banks they tell us should not be necessary In the land of milk and honey – Two items, by the way, that seem to be missing from my cupboard – That and oil of any kind. Picking through the green beans not the freshest - some downright rotten Still – it’s food, isn’t it? That was this can of strawberry & rhubarb filling I coveted and was lucky enough to get Unfortunately the fruit had rusted through the can So, I chuck out those deceptive items Until I can pick the blackberries. I traded my candy for apples A young Japanese tourist spurned them When I washed the apple the deep red skin turned filthy white… I ate them anyway. Too tired to report or inquire I’m still okay – so far. Wilhelmina. A Time for Homelessness
A Time for Homelessness It’s late in the decade and we’re running out of time. 3 more years and we’ll have a record number of homeless people prowling the streets because they have nowhere else to go. All the SRO’s will be closed or cost too much for a person on welfare or a low-income wage earner to afford. There is something that can be done now but we seem to have hit a bump in the road and we’re careening madly out of control. Our leaders are stumped as to what to do. On one side they have the developers who pay good money to keep the town running the way it should according to their rules. On the other side they have us poverty line or lower income people who can’t afford to do monumental things without help. Governments - municipal, provincial and federal, seem to be passing the buck or in this case the responsibility to help those who are unable to help themselves. They can’t or won’t see that the city is out of room to live in and the powers that be are building affordable housing only for those who live well above the poverty line. They are leaving nothing but the streets to those who live at or below that same line. They are trying to impress the World by hiding the sickness of there own making and that’s the homeless people on the street. Instead of hiding them they should be housing them and showing the World how compassionate and caring they are. But they seem to revel in the act of tearing down any existing affordable housing and hope that the problem will just go away. I don’t think it will go away, do you? In light of all this gloom and doom we went to the unveiling of the new Olympic Countdown Clock but with a plan of our own. We thought maybe they’d get an idea from us if we pointed out what is happening in the city. We brought our own clock and called it a Countdown to Homelessness clock and all the events seem to coincide perfectly with the Olympic countdown. Not having those smart people to show us how to guesstimate we had to project values for ourselves. Facts like in 2002 there were 600 homeless people. Then in 2005 there were 1291 homeless. In 2006 the number is over 2100 homeless. So you can see that the number has more than tripled in less than 4 years. If we use that as a base then we can expect it to at least triple again in the next 3 years, just in time for the great Olympic train to roll into town. They can’t hide everybody or maybe they can. The time to get housing is now when it means something to these people. If we wait til the Olympics are over there will be no urgent need to house anybody. But what the heck, in 50 years it’ll all be gone anyway with the losing of the Ozone layer and global warming the sea will probably be covering what was once the Fraser valley or at least Richmond and Delta. I guess i should say hi to Gordie. He was there but he didn’t seem to notice us and he didn’t even say hi. Talk about rude and standoffish. Well you never can tell about people when they get what they want they seem to ignore the little guy. It might have been because of all the noise going on near the museum. There were noisemakers and protest groups of all shapes and sizes. Whoever was in charge of entertainment for the big event had the amps cranked right up. I guess they were trying to drown out the protesters. But I can forgive them. They probably wouldn’t have noticed me even if I were the only one there. I’d like to say I have nothing against the Olympics I just think that there should be more focus and work done on the homeless situation. - hal Homelessness
Homelessness Here you are without a home Sleeping on the sidewalk cold & alone A great big party is coming to town Not much fun when you’re so far down Lots of money to be spent But for us, not one red cent. Governments, developers & the rich don’t give a damn if we sleep in a ditch So to them I say One day soon you will have to pay. We are human beings too & deserve homes. M. Kelly Mayor Sam Sullivan
Mayor Sam Sullivan Councilors Raymond Louie, David Cadman George Chow, Heather Deal, Tim Stevenson, Suzanne Anton, Elizabeth Ball, Kim Capri, B.C. Lee, Peter Ladner Dear Councilors, I am writing with regard to the upcoming Olympics and guaranteed Homelessness in Vancouver’s very near future. I think our legacy or at least the Olympic legacy will be one of homelessness and silly laws (Civil Cities) that can only hurt our international image. As Vancouver relies heavily on Tourism; I think we could make a long lasting and favorable impression on the world if we were to house all our homeless people as a result of the Olympics being staged here. In our attempt to get the Olympics we stated that there would be no adverse conditions placed on the poor people of our town. I think we are failing in that objective and we should start making adjustments to our goals and aims to take care of these people. I ask you to please consider the legacy that we want, and that is we want the world to look at and say, “They did it the right way, the only way.” I thank you for taking the time to look at and read this letter. Yours Respectfully, Harold Asham The Obscenity of Vancouver's Olympic Games
The Obscenity of Vancouver's Olympic Games: Here Comes Frankenstein No, we can't blame it all on the Olympics. The downtown peninsula was already about to be built up and real estate economics were savouring the asset value of Downtown Eastside property. Oh, but what to do with the poor people? Kick them off welfare after two years, stop the construction of social housing, put in the Safe Streets Act and bring in Project Civil City? The surveillance cameras are surely soon to follow? City Councillor Kim Capri asks why people are no longer displaying civil behaviour? Go figure. Since the Olympics were awarded to Vancouver in 2003, over 800 units of low-income housing have been lost from the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood due to conversions. More property speculation in the coming years, weak intervention on the part of civic government and inadequate funding for new social housing in the province have essentially created a whitewash around what was purported to be the most well planned and sustainable Olympics ever. Another 800 units were also lost in the few years preceding the bid being awarded as well. Unfortunately, it's the same old story unfolding. Global capital meets local greed. Real estate and tourism interests trump the needs of the long term low-income community which has called this neighbourhood home for decades. Academics no longer engaging in questions related to the public interest. Non-profits worried about funding streams, unwilling to be critical of governments. The sad thing about it is that people in Vancouver don't really seem to care. Even the Olympic village which was supposed to have guaranteed social housing is now being taken away. The 'sustainable' Southeast False Creek development has also had its moderate income piece taken out. All of the negative things associated with these Olympics were to have been planned for. After all, the research had been done on what happens in the lead up to these events -- none of this should be coming as a surprise. Unfortunately, the apparatus of power in this city has set up the usual old boys way of doing things and there isn't anything anyone can do about it. At a meeting in 2002, I remember asking for an SRO bylaw to be put in to place at City Hall and described the evictions which were happening in Salt Lake City. The City Manager informed the councillors that she wasn't aware of any evictions. Early on, it was clear that the social agenda for the Olympics was not adequately planned for. Later on, as the Inner City Inclusivity Statement was being formed, I asked if a specific number of housing units could be included in the document so that we would have a number we could hold them accountable for in the future. We were told that they couldn't do that. That was when I knew early on that any hope for a sustainable Olympics or a different approach was ostensibly dead -- this was going to be a public relations document plain and simple. Someone once told me that the great thing about seeing time go by, is that you get to see how things turn out. The mass media in this city rarely write critical stories of what is happening. As hundreds of millions of dollars is spent on Olympic infrastructure, homelessness continues to increase. Between 2002 and 2005, homelessness doubled in the Greater Vancouver Regional District and will continue to increase leading up to the Olympics unless major changes aremade. The safe injection site for drug addicts is also scheduled to come up for renewal again in December of 2007. If it is not renewed, more users will be shooting up on the streets and will be vulnerable to infectious diseases and an increased risk of overdose deaths. Raincity is about real estate and 99 cent pizza, depending on where you fall in the economic order of things. The city should erect a bust of Karl Marx and put it up in Oppenheimer Park -- it would serve as a lasting reminder of how this neighbourhood is afflicted by capital flows and disfigured public policy based on the winners and losers of the economic system. The city placed a moratorium on commercial businesses converting to condominiums in the Downtown business district. The idea that SRO's are being permanently lost at an astounding rate leading up to the Olympics as a conscious part of public policy can only mean that senior city bureaucrats and politicians are working on a de facto policy of gentrification. Look out for 2010 -- here comes Frankenstein. -Am Johal
