ISH

EASTWARD HO!

A caravan is making i t ' s way t o the Canada Games i n Kamloops, B.C. on Thursday, August 12, 1993.

The Native Sharing Group of Carnegie Community Centre has been invi ted t o p a r t i c i p a t e a t the inv i t a t ion of the Kamloops Indian Band. Demonstration of Drum-makimg, Bead work, and o th r c r a f t s w i l l be on display i n the Native Pavilion,

VULTURES ON HASTINGS"

Everyday a s I gaze out my f i l t h y window of my run-down roach-infested abode, $ see the scum of t h e c t t y s t r o l l , s t e a l , l i e , connive, looking,: . fo rever looking, ,

searching f o r t h e i r next prey.

They a r e the vu l tu res looking t o f e a s t o dead carrion. But unfortunately the pre they seek a r e not dead, only helpless , drunks, he lp less game f o r the vu l tu res t o prey on. Yes, even now the re a r e

. four t o s i x carr ion-eaters perched on What an opportunity t o share the many t a l e n t s of those involved, and from t h i s area!

b!e w i l l be camping out on the reserve w i with Tipi and t e n t s and taking pqr t i n o o the r c u l t u r a l events, such a s t r a d i t i o n a l dancing and singing. I hope t o r e tu rn WE with photos and more news of t h i s ijondgrful opportunity.

B, Gray

t h e i r skinny asses, looking t o waylay some innocent unknowing poor s lob of a drunk. So beware, you drunks, when you see one of those vultmres, p ro tec t your- s e l f from robbery. Simple, ca r ry no valuables, no money, give them s h i t t o e a t instead.

G. Mi l i tant

" THE ELDERS1'

X was very for tunate t o p a r t i c i p a t e a t '93 Elders gathering a t Duncan on August 3, t o the 6. I t ' s an experience I s h a l l not soon fo rge t nor l i k e l y t o forget . I ' m happy I d idn ' t change my mind t o at tend.

The people there made you f e e l welcome even though they knew you were strangers. When it comes t o feeding time they make the Salvation Army look l i k e paupers. .

They sure have respect f o r t h e i r Elders,' e s p i c i a l l y the9:very much care f o r t h e i r f u t u r e generation - t h e i r children. Those same young children w i l l be able t o ca r ry on t h e i r f i g h t and t r a d i t i o n and customs f o r the Cowichan Tribes t h a t a r e so v i t a l f o r tAeir surviyal .

A s a Cree from Northern Alberta, I had my eyes opened and now w i l l always respect and admire those great people, who managed t o pexserve t h e i r Native Culture, I say more power t o them. Cowichan Tribes, I s a l u t e you.

A f r i end A1 Milton

PNE tries to dump Carnegie 3

Every year, Carnegie members look forward t o t he PNE. I t has been a long-standing pract ice of the PNE t o o f fe r f r e e t i cke t s t o Carnegie so our low-income members could ge t t o enjoy t he f a i r .

But not t h i s year! A new scrooge mentality has descended on the midway. Carnegie was cut o f f , with no warning. What was especia l ly gal l ing was when we learned t ha t the PNE gave away 240 f r e e t i c k e t s t o customers of t h e i r Bingo so they could at tend t he PNE fo r f ree .

The Carnegie Association protested (see our l e t t e r below), and now we have been to ld by the PNE tha t we can have 30 t i c k e t s f o r t h i s year. But the t r i c k i s t h a t t o get a t i c k e t your a r e going t o have t o specify your physical o r mental d i s a b i l i t y and present yourself a t t he " W i l l Cdll" window. This type of arrangement is a throw- back t o t h e bad old days when the poor were divided in to two categories - t he deserving and the undeserving - and made t o stand hat i n hand, a demeaning process. Hardly be f i t t i ng an NDP government t ha t i s supposed t o care about human dignity.

We w i l l be protes t ing t h i s decision. But i n the meantime, check with t he volunteer coordinator i f you are in teres ted i n a t i c k e t f o r t h i s year.

J i m Kempling General Manager Pacif ic National Exhibition

Dear Mr. Kempling,

I am the Chairperson of t h e Carnegie Community Centre Association Community Relations Committee and 1 am writ ing t h i s i n response t o a decision by PNE s t a f f t h a t impacts heavily on the 3000 members of our association. Let me explain;

Two weeks ago our Association was inform- ed by PNE s t a f f t h a t the Carnegie Centre was no longer e l i g i b l e t o receive our customary allotment of 150 PNE passes t h a t we d i s t r i b u t e t o res idents i n need of such ass is tance t o at tend the annual PNE f a i r . The reasons given were ;

1. That i n f a c t we never haye been e l i g i b l e as these passes a re t o go only t o people with physical and mental d i s a b i l i t i e s . Therefore s ince the re are fewer passes avai lable our organization was taken off of the e l i g i b l e l ist .

cost money o r t h a t require expensive t ranspor ta t ion t o ge t i to . The Carnegi Community Centre Board of Directors on behalf of our 3000 members asks you t o reconsider the decision t o not i s s u any passes t o our organization.

Sincerely, Lorelie Hawkins f o r

2. That the PNE had received repor t s t h a t a fewsof the passes given t o our organization were i n f a c t sold by cer tafn individuals possessing them.

With regard t o our e l i g i b i l i t y given i n the f i r s t reason the Carnegie Community Centre serves primarily the Downtown Eastside neighbourhood which a s l l m sure you a r e aware is the poorest . * . - naighbourhood i n Canada accoxding t o the recent census data. A la rge number of our patrons a r e seniors on f ixed income and many of our patrons a r e indeed mentally o r physically disabled. Over 1500 people per day . . . come i n t o the Carnegie Centre many of whom I ' m sure meet your c r i t e r i a f o r e l i g i b i l i t y f o r a PNE pass.

As ,for the 2nd xeason given; t h a t PNE . ,

passes were sold by people who obtagned them a t the Carnegie Centre, th$s i s the f i r s t we have heard of t h i s , a l l e g a t i o n while we a r e being denied any f r e e passes t o t h i s years f a i r . If t h i s is a pfoblem I am sure we can put systems i n 5 > ,

place which w i l l address t h i s i s sue .

The PNE has expressed a good deal of i n t e r e s t i n developing a r e la t ionsh ip with the local community and has made great e f f o r t s t o include the community i n discussions regarding the fu tu re of the s i t e including a l locat ing resources t o a community o f f i c e and public meet- ings. We a t Carnegie f e e l t h a t it is very unfai r of those a t the PNE t o deny access t o our organization f o r PNE passes and indeed i s not i n the s p i r i t of community pa r t i c ipa t ion t h a t people a t t h e PNE have been speaking about.

The PNE f a i r is well supported by the members of t h i s community. I t i s an event t h a t is close t o the community and represents an important a c t i v i t y f o r people who of ten don' t have the luxury of at tending other events t h a t

Margaret Prevost Chair. Community Relations Committee ~ a r n e g i e community Centce Board of I

Directors I

Who knows?

Longers of girldom I 've long s i n c e Gridirons of S t a l i n a r e sunk i n t h e mire Languine bet rpyal i s my long way through

La l i e l o l u t h e Kentucky blue Symptoms of h e a r t l o s s a r e given t o you ,

Ins tan t reminders of murdering you Land i s submerging and feeding the sea The capta in of my love is wait ing f o r me.

i Longing f o r s k i e s t o freedom my sou l Yearning from one r i v e r t o reach t h e canal I promised you once Itno mat ter what" I d i d n ' t know you wanted me The coal i n t h e f i r e is turning t o ash - my h e a r t is broken i n smithereens My love l ays dying on beds of g rass .

Garden, Your d e l i g h t i s s l i g h t Despite your c o n t r i t e na tu re Desert, your hot sand i s home To c r e a t u r e s I ' v e never r e a l l y known

Arct ic , your i c e is unending and never is lawful amending Black Sea, your waters a r e But Asia was home one time f o r me.

Tropics, Your holiday is holy t o me , save me from t h i s hat red f r e e z e

Elizabeth Thorpe

ASHES IN THE WIND

~f I s t i l l smoked, the ashes would probably be pi led up t o t he level of a 20-storey highrise! Over the years, I ' v e turned by hand i n t o a b i t of gardening and used t o wonder i f the c iga r e t t e as ashes would do good f o r t he plants . I ' v e seen crushed egg s h e l l s and t e a leaves sprinkled on p lan te r s , ac t ing a s f e r t i l i z e r .

There's a t r ad i t i ona l statement a t funeral chapel services and it says, Ashes t o Ashes and Dust t o Dust. Sometimes t he cremated remains of the deceased a r e sprink- led over a r i v e r , ocean o r park. Some sprinklings take place near t he bi r thplace- of the deceased.

Regardless of cos ts , appearances, mild blends,, and be t t e r t a s t e s , a person with the nerve-racking addict ion must f i r s t l i g h t up and puff away with dr ied t rea ted leaves encompassed by l lspecial l l paper t h a t sometimes has t o be lit several times before it can be smoked.

And now; one l a s t word regarding fancy.named f i l t e r s o r cork t i p s .

Even i f you don' t puff a t these tailor-made c iga r e t t e s continuously, they s i t so e legant ly i n an ashtray, i n a passive mood, with smoke sp i r a l l i ng l a z i l y upwards and onwards i n to a nothingness u n t i l only the ashes remain.

VERNA M. JOHNSTON

Maybe c iga r e t t e ashes have a concrete pupose o r specia l significance,but a l l t h e ashes consumed from l1chainI1 smokers only make one ask about c i ga r e t t e smoking : Does it enhance o r prolong l i f e ? Does it give a look of d i s t inc t ion? Does it add o r subtract good clean a i r t o t he smokerl.s lungs? Does it a f f ec t those who don't smoke? Does it ease s t r e s s , considering the ever-r ising cost of tobacco?

What does it take t o convince "hooked" smokers who inhale them, cough u n t i l they ' re blue i n the .

face and then have the audacity t o complain about too much pol lu t ion i n t he a i r due t o an over-population of cars , t h a t giving up smoking is the only cure.

PERSONAL POWER

WeJve a l l known individuals who seem t o have nothing but bad luck, who j u s t can ' t seem t o come out ahead a t anything. Commonly, the reason wliy things always go badly f o r such persons is t h a t they lack Personal Power.

Whether we l i k e it o r not , except f o r the very old o r infirm, we a r e every one of us engaged i n a very complex game of Power, a l l of it ca r r i ed out on a sub, conscious level . Whether we l i k e it o r not, every person we encounter, we sub- consciously appraise them, estimating the l eve l of t h e i r Personal Power, comparing it t o our own and judging them i n t h e l i g h t of what they a r e l i k e l y t o do with t h a t Power, whether good f o r us o r not.

There a re no random events among human beings. Human minds l i n k together in to forces and these forces v i e with each other f o r advantage. En d i rec t ing and even manipulating these forces , s tronger individuals can play an astonishing ole.

Back i n the '701s, I got hooked on the horse races. While l iv ing very c o r r e c t l y f o r severa l weeks T read books on handi- capping, kept records of race ~ e s u l t s , f igured odds f o r endless hours. The correct l iv ing gave me Personal Power; the i n t e r e s t i n racing di rec ted it. When I f i n a l l y ventured off t o the taack, I found it didn' t matter what the heck I be t on, t h a t horse whould win. I s t a r t e d with t en d o l l a r s and i n shor t order ran it up i n t o thousands, be t t ing small. I j u s t couldn' t lose - u n t i l 1 got so giddy with it a l l , I took t o s i t t i n g i n the bar a t t h e t rack, drinking and be t t ing from there . Then I l o s t the money a s f a s t a s I ' d gained it because I j u s t couldn' t win. I had thrown away a l l my Power.

How cqn one bui ld up Personal Power so t h e i r l i v e s w i l l be Bet ter? There a r e two main ru les : C1) DonFt do things f o r en j oyment o r pleasure. (2) Do th ings you don't l i k e t o do but should do.

I-,

There a r e a few subsidiary ru les , l i k e ; Don't f e e l sorry f o r yourself ; DonFt gr ieve o r f e e l shame about the pas t - plan b e t t e r fu ture ; Don't do th lngs th7

would cause you embarrassment i f widely known. Don't mis t rea t others. J u s t be "firm and correct" i n a l l your behaviour. ("Firm and Correct' ' i s how the Ancient Chinese described proper behaviour . ) There a r e a few r a t h e r arcane t r i c k s aimed a t gathering power r a t h e r than creat ing it. I don ' t know why they work o r how they work but work they do. I was taught them i n dreams;

On a windy day, face i n t o the wind. Extend your r i g h t hand, palm down, f i s t closed. Whirl your arm i n a clockwise motion a s i f you were wind- ing the wind's Power l i k e a s t r i n g , around your arm. O r do the same, t h i s time pointing your arm a t f ly ing planes, taking care t o not do it above a 45 degree angle.

Another t r i c k i s t o es tab l i sh a route where you can walk i n a big loop every day, always going counter-clockwise and always conscious t h a t you a r e not j u s t out s t r o l l i n g , you a r e Power Walking, walking t h i s route i n t h i s way t o gather Power. Power gathered by these methods i s not e f fec t ive immediately. You have t o s l eep f i r s t .

I ' m going t o need a l l of the Personal Power I can e i t h e r c rea te or gather i n the next few days and weeks. I have smoked f o r 47 years. This morning a t 6:15 I smoked the l a s t c i g a r e t t e i n my dwelling and I said: "Thats it. I won won't buy more. I ' m going t o be a non-smoker."

I hqve t o get t h i s down t o Carnegie t h i s morning. The buses a r e comfy and convenient and I have a pass. But I w i l l choose t o walk and gain a b i t of Power by t h a t means.

E R I C ERICKSON

HOW TO WRITE A LETTER OF COMPLAINT TO THE POLICE

* .

What counts a s a complaint? Tf you t h i n k --- .v--------- ------ ---- you save a compIaint aKout any a c t i o n s of an RCMP o r municipal po l i ce o f f i c e r , then you do. The Po l i ce Act & t h e RCMP Act set out your r i g h t t o complain, & your r i g h t t o an adequate response,

A complaint could include an2 of these: ,- ----- --.A---------------- -------- ruae o r a i s r e g p e c t f u l behaviour , a r r e s t , de tent ion, o r search without reasonable grounds, r e l e a s e of conf iden t i a l informa- t i o n , neglect of duty, excessive force .

When should I complain? A s soon a s poss- ..................... i b l e a f t e r t h e incident -. while evidence is s t i l l a v a i l a b l e & t h e memories of any witnesses a r e still f resh . After 6.months a municipal can r e f u s e t o i n v e s t i g a t e your complaint.

How do I complain? The b e s t way is t o ----------------- w r i t e a l e t t e r of complaint addressed t o t h e Chief Constable o r t o t h e Commanding Off icer ( f o r a complaint aga ins t an RCMP o f f i c e r ) . We suggest you w r i t e your l e t t - e r i n four p a r t s , a l l of which are,.impor- t a n t : The l e t t e r should begin by s t a t i n g t h a t you wish t o l i d g e a complaint under t h e pb l i ce Act ( fo r a pun ic ipa l po l i ce o f f i c e r ) o r t h e RCMP Act ( fo r t h e RCMP).

What i n f o should I give a b o u t ~ c o m p l a i n t / .............................. --------- * t h e time & loca t ion of the inc iden t * t h e events which took p lace i n t h e ord-

e r in which they happened * t h e names and/or t h e badge numbers of

t h e po l i ce o f f i c e r s involved o r a phys- i c a l desc r ip t ion of t h e o f f i c e r

* t h e names, addresses & telephone numb- e r s of any witnesses

* t h e name of t h e doctor who examined you and/or t h e name of t h e h o s p i t a l o r c l i - n i c you a t tended, i f you received medi- c a l treatment a s a r e s u l t of inc iden t s

* p r i n t s of photographs taken of any in- j u r i e s t o you i n t h e incident I n t h e t h i r d p a r t of your l e t t e r , s t a t e

t h e s p e c i f i c a c t i o n s of t h e po l i ce o f f i c - e r s about which you wish t o complain. De- s c r i b e & number each a c t i o n o r s e t of same

I n t h e four th p a r t of t h e l e t t e r , say what you want t o happen because of your complaint. I f you don' t know, say you want a " f u l l & reasonable" response.

Sign your l e t t e r & inc lude your name, address & phone number. Make 2 copies and keep them.

!!?~d!?-f - ~ E & ~ x E E _ E z - ~ ~ E P ~ ! ~ ~ ? There a r e severa l ways: * d e l i v e r it by hand o r mai l it t o t h e

municipal po l i ce dept. o r RCMP * d e l i v e r it by hand o t mail it t o t h e BC

C i v i l L ibe r t i e a Associat ion & ' they w i l l submit it f o r you

' The BC C i v i l L i b e r t i e s Assoc. w i l l t e l l you o the r ways t o d e l i v e r it (687-2919)

What w i l l happen then? Your complaint ' l l ----------- --------- most ( l i k e l y 6 e inves t igated by t h e i n t e r - n a l inves t iga t ion s e c t i o n of t h e po l i ce department o r t h e RCMP;

I f t h e po l i ce re fuse t o i n b e s t i g a t e your complaint, you w i l l r ece ive a l e t t e r saying so. You should contact t h e BC Civ- il L i b e r t i e s Associat ion f o r advice & as- s i s t a n c e i n a poss ib le appeal of r e f u s a l *

It w i l l t a k e 3 o r 4 months f o r you t o rece ive a formal response.

B .C. CIVIL LIBERTIES ASSOCIATION 687-2919

TEDDY COME HOME

... I knew it would come t o t h i s * I ... Some kid l o s t h i s teddy bear I and they put it on the f ron t

page of t h e P r ~ y i g ~ e newspaper. My grandfather used t o s e t type f o r t h e Province i n t h e days when it ac tua l ly was a news paper repor t ing news a s ser ious business. Held probably d i e a l l over again if he saw t h i s : "Teddy come home". Tia Dastmalchian, 7 years old, l e f t h i s teddy bear on t h e "Sp i r i t of Vancouverw. (That's some kind of l a rge passenger vesse l , no doubt.) A f u l l colour p ic tu re of l i t t l e Kia, s i t t i n g on an expensive bedspread i n h i s bed- room, surrounded by TV & other modern conveniences ... on a c h a i r beside him sits a white teddy bear, (presumably not t h e one he l o s t ) & h i s l i t t l e 7 year old face peers out from behind round glasses with a s o r t of spoiled

'pouty look on it, a s i f he is accusing the whole world of s t e a l i n g h i s teddy bear.

The f a c t is, he was s o dumb he l e f t t h e s tupid th ing on t h e boat. ..but here he is on t h e f r o n t page i n f u l l colour, of a newspaper t h a t dumps mi l l ions of copies on t h e lower mainland every morning, & everyone who sits down t o a c*p of coffee & a morn- ing read i s confronted by h i s a f f luen t ch i ld i sh face t ry ing t o blame somebody f o r h i s own neglect.

When you point th ings l i k e t h i s o u t t o people, you know what they say: "it s e l l s papers. . . . Does it r e a l l y ; o r is t h a t j u s t another i d i o t i c phrase repeated a s j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r every t w i s t - ed image o r base absurdity some well-paid neurot ic e d i t o r wants t o i n f l i c t on us i n t h e name of cu te "human i n t e r e s t v journalism?

My grandfather was a good old Scotsman who learned typeset t ing when it was a d ignif ied , almost i n t e l l e c t u a l s k i l l . . . t h e o ld t r ade union thing, they dumped him 6 t h e r e s t of the union supporters somewhere back there , i n order t o compete i n new markets - f r o n t page s t u f f , l i k e "Teddy come home. 11

Meanwhile t h e same old conspir- acy of s i l ence i n t h e media aboug the s e a l sQurces of sersous eyeqts t h a t a r e moving us d a i l y towards an unknown 6 increasingly danger- ous fu ture . ... Kia Dastmalchianls l i t t l e f ace w i l l hang the re forever, accusing us a l l of s t e a l i n g h i s teddy bear, while r e a l l i f e loses i t s way somewhere on a map of Disneyland.

Tora

Words - Glen Wheeler I l l u s t r a t i o n s - Peter Haskell

CARNEGIE LIBRARY

A most enjoyable time was had by those who attended a d3splay of the books concerning Women's Issues. This educational event took p lace i n t h e Carnegie Library on August 12 a t 9 a.m.

Susan t h e l i b r a r i a n d id an excel lent job of organizing t h i s p a r t i c u l a r event. The books covered a v a r i e t y of sub jec t s including s e l f esteem, improving family r e l a t ionsh ips , d i f f i c u l t i e s abor ig inal women have t o face, and poetry.

Please f e e l f r e e t o come down and look a t t h e v a r i e t y of books and if what you m u l d l i k e is not ava i l ab le Susan w i l l order it f o r you.

Coffee, cinnamon buns and baking powder b i s c u i t s with homemade jam topped o f f t h e event.

We would love t o s e e more people come t o the l i b r a r y committee meetings. The next one is scheduled f o r September 14 a t 3:00 P.M.

IRENE SCHMIDT

LITTLE STAR

Wayne Wayne L i t t l e S t a r , How I wonder what your are! Underneath t h a t mop of h a i r , Te l l me-are you r e a l l y the re?

IRENE SCHMIDT

ENTERTAINMENT PLUS

On Sunday, Ju ly 25th, 1993, a group of members and musicians from the Carnegie Centre,with lunch and a t t e n t i v e i n t e r e s t attended the Mission Folk Music Fest ival . The diverse music and diverse d i rec t ions t h a t was offered and taken by our group found myself l i s t e n - ing with a r a p t ea r t o v i o l i n o r f i d d l e music pe r se. The music was C e l t i c and apparently from the o r ig ina l type seed from t h e o r ig ina l type area, Cel t ic , t h a t is.

The a r t i s t , who i s well-respected i n Canadian music apprecidtive audiences and c i r c l e s was t h e one and only Ashley Reed, born i n Gateshead, England. My own f a t h e r , a musician, was the son of parents from t h a t same area. So some-. how the vibes and beat a s well as t h e recurring s t r a i n s of a lament heqrd i n the s t r i n g s brought l y ~ i c s and almost house-wife t a l e s of i n s t i n c t i v e phrases t o my memory. H i s co-heart i n the B.C. representation of C e l t i c music was Daniel Lapp: born i n Prfnce George, B .C. who t ravel led, through-out B ,C. co l l ec t ing over 200 o r ig ina l tunes of c e l t i c or ig in . He plans t o do a t ape in the f a l l . Most of h i s own compositions of l y r i c s and music r e l a t e t o personal experiences. A t one time he played and studied Class ical trumpet.

The amazing th ing was my keen i n t e r e s t i n the o r ig ina l seed-celtic-music so I ' l l now get back t o my interview with Ashley Reed. It seems l i k e f ' m being not so f a i r i n feigning i n t e r e s t with local o r s t ress - re la ted sett lement of ce l t3c music and expression of B.C. o r Canadian, East o r West but somehow I got jo l t ed back t o an a rea my beats o r connective musical t h ~ e a d s were somehow not only threaded but knotted.

Well, basics, please, do l i s t e n t o the two tapes I have access t o by phoning 681-8621 and asking Dianne Cla i re o r leaving your number and I ' l l bet back t o

11' you but p lease f e e l f r e e t o drop i n and enjoy t h e Coffee Carnegie Cabaret where the back-ground music of my songs w i l l somehow may-be have a b i t of t h i s C e l t i c music i n t h e back-ground. Somehow the plus an a ~ t i s t g e t s i n at tending such afternoon type musical f e s t i v a l s is found not only i n t h e seeds of one's own expression but i n t h e universal sound of a p e t a l by p e t a l movement of constant c u l t u r a l growth.

Diane Claire

IIELP

LEAWERS CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE

Meets Every Other Monday

AUGUST 23 SEPTEMBER 7 (Tues)

SEPTEMBER 20

We need help PLANNING - Food, Workshops, Decorations, Pub l ic i ty .

A l l Learners and Students from the Downtown Easts ide Welcome

The Learners ' Conference is f o r a l l l e a r n e r s t o t a k e p a r t i n . GET INVOLVED! Become a member of t h e execut ive of t h e conference & t a k e pa r t i n t h e program.

It w i l l happen on September 23i-d. So f a r , t h e t e n t a t i v e program is - loam Int roduct ion,

(coffee & mu•’ •’ ins ) llam-12 noon: Workshop i n t h e Theatre .

lpm Lunch 2pm-3pm: Open Forum 4pm Karaoke Theatre

Tables w i l l be s e t up. Chairs w i l l be placed around t h e room.

Brochures may be l a i d out . Advertisements may be presented.

Learners can a l s o get involved doing o ther th ings a t the ,Carnegie . Read s igns i n t h e cen t re , f i n d out what i n t e r e s t s

, you and become an a c t i v e p a r t i c i p a n t . I

Is Canada's debt crisis really a revenue crisis? BY MURRAY DOBBIN

Saskatoon

A FTER absorbing thousands of body-blows from the Big Debt Bully, the Canadian public has been judged softened up enough

to be takcn out with a few killer punches. 'The C. D. Howe Institute and now The Globe and Mail (in a March 8 editorial) have joined Tories, neo-conservative NDP governments and the Business Council on National Issues in one deafening call for huge cuts to government spending. While the calls aren't explicitly aimed at social programs, this budget item is so large that

%y talk of "deep cuts" must inevitably in- clude them.

No onc denies the dcbt is a problem. ljut to suggcst, as The Globc docs, that thc only solution is to "cut spending and cut deeply" is misleading. And it just happens to serve thc interests of the very people who put us into debt in the first place: the wealthiest Canadians and the largest corporations whose tax breaks and loopholes have created Canada's fiscal problems.

The critical fact left out of the debt debate is just where the debt came from. Politicians and commentators alike now openly ex- press doubts that we can afford our social programs. As a result, the public is left to assume that these have been financed by ir- responsible borrowing - that we have been living, and spending, beyond obr means.

This is simply false. As a raft of studies, beginning with the Tories' Nielsen Task Force on Program Review in the mid- 1980s, have shown, Canada's debt, and many of the provinces' debts, are a function notbf program spending but of tax expendi- tu1;es. This type of government "spending" - tax deferments, fast write-offs of capital.

costs, depletion allowances, RRSPs, special provisions for family trusts, capital gains exemptions, and scores of others - grew enormously throughout the 1970s and'80s.

A 1991 statistics Canada study (eventu- ally published in a revised version) rev~aled the consequences: Fifty per cent of our then-$400-billion debt was due to the failure of revenue collection to keep up with gross domestic product. Forty-four per cent of the debt was due to interest charges on the ac- cumulated deficit. Just 6 per cent was due to increases in "spending" relative to GDP. And that was all spending. Social spending accounted, at most, for a third of that - in other words, for about 2 per ccnt of the total federal debt.

To suggest, as the editorial did, that in- dcbtedness "has not - repeat not - been for lack of taxcs" is just dead wrong. Ot- tawa researcher Kirk Falconer, in a study of corporate tax expenditurcs published in Ca- nadian Review of Social Policy, revealed that rcvenue lost to this dubious spcnding increascd rapidly from 1980 to 1987: from $10-billion in untaxcd corporate profits in 1980 to $27-billion in 1987.

1 HE Nielsen r&on estimated that be- tween $20-billion and $25-billion in reve- nue was sacrificed each year through tax ex- penditures. Even after the tax reforms of 1987, which closed many tax loopholes, the government admits that upward of 60,000 profitable corporations will pay no taxes for the 1992 year. Even the rcvenue we gained by closirig loopholes we lost by decreasing the corporate tax rate to 28 per cent from 36.

Wealthy individuals in Canada face among the lowest taxes of any country in the Organization for Economic Co-opera-

tion and Development. One result of this re- gressive system is Canada's dubious dis- tinction of having the highest number of bil- lionaires per capita in the world. Only two industrialized countries have no estate tax: Canada and Australia. Half the countries in Europe also have a net wealth tax.

The indexing of personal income-tax rates in the seventies and the gradual reduc- tion of the number of tax brackcts has lbst and continues to lose billions each year. Os- goode Hall professor Neil Brooks calculates that just by increasing the three current rates by four, three and two percentage points (starting with the highest bracket), we would raise an additional'$l8-billion.

Lest it be thought these generous tax give- aways serve some usef6l policy purpose, four major studies done in Canada - in- cluding one by Douglas May of Memorial University -- suggcst just thc opposite. These studies of the cfkctivcncss ol' tax breaks i n promoting investment concluded that every dollar "spent" netted very little in ncw investment - on average, 21 cents. Another study revealed that, as a way of in- creasing competitiveness, tax brcaks were an cven greater failure: On average, they re- duced unit costs by half of 1 per cent.

These enormous giveaways not only failed to create the investment hoped for, but went to the largest corporations and led to the elimination of tens of thousands of jobs. The first major round of such brcaks was implemented by Liberal Finance Min-

. h e r John lkrner. Instead of creating a quarter of a million new manufacturing jobs by 1979 as predicted, they resulted in a net decrease.

The reason was simple: Most of the breaks, such as accelerated capital cost de- preciation, interiened in the price competi- tion between labour and capital to make

capital relatively cheaper. The $2.8-billion in tax breaks accorded the already profita- ble big five banks between 1981 and 1985 facilitated the laying off of 11,119 bank em- ployees in that samc period.

H A R w m economic lecturer Robert Reich, now President Bill Clinton's Labour Secretary, has written and spoken elo- quently about the U.S. phenomenon of the "secession of the successful." In pan he is referring to the removal of the wealthy from "the revenue stream." Low taxes on upper- income earners has starved government ser- vices for others, while the wealthy move in- creasingly into privately financed "gated cities." Indeed, it is this analysis by Mr. Ilcich that promptcd Mr. Clinton's propo- sal to incrcase taxcs on corporations and thc wealthy.

Canada nccds to have a debate about the dcbt and how to.manage it. Besides fairer taxcs, we nced to debate the wisdom of the high-interest-rate crusade against inflation. As well, we should use the Bank of Cana- da's mone7:creating authority to manage more of the debt. Until the mid-1970s, the Bank created enough new money to absorb up to 30 per cent of the federal government deficit. That figure is now down to 7.5 per cent. (This move would be no more inflatio- nary than having private banks create the money supply, as they now do.)

Our debt is a function of all thes.e factors. Those who insist there are no alternatives to "deep cuts" do a disservice to the countiy and may fairly be suspected of not wanting a debate.

Murray Dobbin is a Saskatoon author and journalist. .

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BY MUGGS SIGURGEIRSON

A s many of you know, Paul Taylor, our Newsletter Editor , is v i s i t i n g Nicaragua, a country long under a t t a c k by t h e United S ta tes . I ' ve j u s t returned from a two-week v i s i t and saw many d i s tu rb ing th ings a s a r e s u l t of American influence, including t h e f a c t t h a t a r e now 25,000 chi ldren l iv ing i n the s t r e e t s of Managua, a c i t y t h e s i z e of Greater Vancouver.

When Paul g e t s back, he w i l l have a l o t of informatiom on t h e s i t u a t i o n a s p a r t of h i s Tools For Peace tour . Meantime, he re ' s some sad background information -- on how Latin American got t o where it is today.

1823: Monroe Doctrine claims Latin America a s US wprotectorate. ' l

1833: US troops invade Nicaragua. 1835: US t roops invade Peru. 1854: US troops invade Nicaragua. 1855: US t roops invade Uruguay. 1856: US troops invade Panama. 1858: US t roops invade Uruguay. 1865: US troops invade Panama. 1868: US troops invade Uruguay. 1868: US troops invade Columbia. 1873: US troops invade Columbia. 1885: US troops invade Panama. 1888: US t roops invade Ha i t i . 1891: US troops invade Chile. 1894: US troops invade Nicaragua. 1895: US troops invade Colombia. 1896: US troops invade Honduras. 1896: US t roops invade Nicarague. 1898: US s t a r t s Spanish-American

war a f t e r b a t t l e s h i p Marine sunk.

1898: US " l ibe ra tesu Puerto Rico. 1899: US troops invade Nicaragua. 1901: US troops invade Colombia. 1902: US troops invade Colombia.

1903: US troops invade Dominican Republic .

1903: US t roops invade Panama. 1904: US t roops invade Dominican

Republic. 1904: US t roops invade Panama. 1907: US troops invade Honduras. 19PO: US t roops invade Nicaragua. 1911: US t roops invade Honduras. 1912: US troops invade Cuba. 1913: US t roops invade Mexico, 1914: US t roops invade Ha i t i . 1915: US troops invade Hai t i . 1919: US troops invade Honduras. 1920: US t roops invade Guatemala. 1924: US troops invade Honduras. 1925: US troops invade Honduras. 1925: US troops invade Panama. 1926: US troops invade Nicaragua. 1928: 1,000 s t r i k i n g banana workers

s laughtered i n Colombia a t US-owned United F r u i t .

1932: 30,000 Salvadoran peasants k i l l e d i n upr is ing , a s US Canadian warships s tand by.

1954: CTA overthrows Arbenz govern- ment i n Guatemala,

1961: Bay of Pigs invasion i n Cuba. 1962: )US blockade of Cuba. 1964: US troops k i l l s tudent pro-

t e s t o r s i n Panama Canal Zone.

1965: US invades Dominican Republic .

1973: CIA-sponsored coup i n Chile.

1983: US invades Grenada. 1983: US mines Nicaragua's

harbours. 1983-87: US f inances and

d i r e c t s c o n t r a war. 1988: US invades Panama.

-. ADVENTURE WALKS

~t is time t o catch up on wri t ing about our summer walks. We had some very

in teres t ing ones during the month of July.

F i r s t we explored the Downtown Eastside, Chinatown and then toured the Expo Lands where we saw where they plan t o put Poison Park and the new hockey rink.

Next we walked along Second Avenue

We walked around'Granville I'sland before boarding the f e r r y t o the

North s ide . We went o f f the f e r r y a t the Hornby S t r e e t entrance and ex explored t h e Downtown Granvil le South area before being t r ea ted t o coffee and birthday cake a t t h e New Continental. We would have l iked t o see Dianne McKenzie but she wasn't i n here o f f i c e t h a t p a r t i c u l a r day.

On our way back t o Carnegie we stopped by the D e l ~ a r Hotel. This residence i is most i n t e r e s t i n g because the owner r e s i s t e d s e l l i n g out t o B,C. Hydro and kept t h e premises f o r low income people. J ~ n l y wish t h a t more c i t i z e n s would

take a stand agains t huge corporations,

Our l a s t important s top before re turn- t o Cambie S t r e e t which is t h e i n d u s t r i a l ing to Carnegie was the old tram area. We explored both s ides of False Creek. The South s ide of False Creek was well planned, b e a u t i f u l l y arranged and re laxing. In sharp cont ras t t h e North s i d e promises t o be a mi l l ion- a i r e ' s ghet to with poor planning and appears t o be c l u t t e r e d , congested and t h e bui ld ings a r e too high.

We had a very nice lunch on the south s ide i n a beaut i fu l park. The Canada geese were extremely aggressive and invi ted themselves t o lunch when Vickey stood up. The geese t r i e d t o snatch pieces of lunch from our hands.

Steve Rose brought h i s l i t t l e daughter Kyia along and the re a r e some cute p ic tu res of her chasing the geese.

A wonderful senior was v i s i t i n g from Chicago and she came along on the walk. Maria was o r i g i n a l l y from Switzerland and we found her t o be most in te res t ing , This fasc inat ing lady sa id she always l i k e s t o associa te with low income people when she t r a v e l s Because they a r e f a r more in te res t ing and .. .. informative.

a t - ~ a r r a l l a id Hastings. That -

p a r t i c u l a r building reminds one of a museum a s it has a g rea t number of p ic tu res from t h e ea r ly days.

We arr ived back a t Carnegie t i r e d , but f u l l of wonder a t the wealth of h is tory such a shor t d is tance form our community centre .

Bob and Marty were our f e a r l e s s leaders during the e n t i ~ e adventure, Narty has l e f t us f o r a four month leave and we r e a l l y miss her.

IRENE SCHMIDT

116:30 Wed.

NmA AND THE PUBLIC SECTOR

' . Canada' s public i n s t i t u t ions & services, along with bur social pbograms, have pres- erved our national ident i ty & enriched our qua l i ty of l i f e .

But f o r the past 8 years,. since the Mul- rone)r gov't came t o power, our public ag- encies G services have been under const- ant attack.

Over 20 Crown Corporations, established t o provide important transportation, com- munication & other services t o Canadians, have been privatized, and others a re on the verge of being~utoncthdauctfb~iblock

Repeated cutbacks have ravaged our soc- i a l programs, and grea t ly increased the number of unemployed workers & people de- pendent on social assistance 4 food banks

Our communities have become l e s s l ive- able 4manyqreinastateofphysical disre- pair .

More than $5 b i l l i on of federal gov't work is being contracted-out every year t o the pr ivate sector.

In short, our d i s t i n c t Canadian society is being americanized.

The Tories would never admit t ha t they a re tear ing down Canadian society, They prefer t o say they are merely 'harmoniz-

ing" our public sector 7 social programs with those of our major t rading partners, par t icu lar ly the united s t a t e s . But the Americans, the Mexicans, and other count- rEes cer ta rn ly a ren ' t m i s i n g t h e i r stan- dards t o match ours. Tory Ilharmonizationtt r ea l ly means lowering our standards t o match the lowest standards elsewhere.

The Toriest chief wrecking tool has been the Canada-US f r e e t ~ a d e agreement (FTA), the one-sided deal they E t h e i r corporate a l l i e s fo is ted on us i n 1989. I t 's a deal tha t was designed t o benefit the big transnational corporations, who view our superior public services as Wn- f a i r ~ u b s i d i e s ~ ~ & our public $nst i tut lons as t a rge t s f o r pr iva t iza t ion E ' f a t corp- ora te prof i t s .

Acting on behalf of these big corporat- ions, the Torles have been using the FTA as an excuse t o systematically dismantle the Canadian public sector t h a t was pain- stakingly constructed over the past 125

PUBLIC SECTOR H e ~ e a re some of the things the Tories

have done a s they've pursued tha t object- ive. They've-- -

:ut off a l l federal funding for unemp-

loyment insurance $ dras t i ca l ly reduced

- - - both coverage 4 benef i t s , with t h e ult im- a t e goal of dragging our UT down t o t h e much lower l e v e r s prevai l ing i n t h e U.S. * stea,dily cu t f e d e r d funding f o r both

Medicare 4 pos t - t econda~y educatfon, with t h e aim of ever tua l ly t ~ a n s f e r r i n g s i g n i f i c a n t por t ions of both of these ser- v i c e s from t h e publ ic t o t h e p r i v a t e sec. * s t a r t e d phasing out federal -provincia l

cost-sharing f o r s o c i a l a ss i s t ance even though t h e demand f o r s o c i a l a ss i s t ance programs has dramat ical ly increased a s a r e s u l t of Tory economic programs/policiea * forced t h e CBC t o reduce regional prog-

ramming, thereby c u r t a i l i n g o r even e l - iminating t h e coverage of t h e l o c a l ev- e n t s t h a t t i e communities together. * refused t o address t h e urgent c a l l by

c i t y mayors f o r municipal i n f r a s t r u c t - u r e investment, something t h a t would h a l t t h e unacceptable de te r io ra t ion of such v i - t a l publ ic s t r u c t u r e s a s roads, highways, hosp i ta l s , water mains, bridges & schoolsc * deregulated t h e t r anspor ta t ion indust ry ,

NAFTA - t h e North American Free Trade Agreemeat - which w i l l extend f r e e t r ade t o include Mexico, i f i t ' s r a t - i f i e d & put i n t o e f f e c t a s scheduled 1/94.

If you thought t h a t harmonizing our soc- i a l & economic standards with those i n t h e US was t e r r i b l e , wait till t h e Tories and t h e i r corporate cronies s t a r t harmonizing

r e s u i t i n g i n higher a i r f a r e s with fewer them with those i n Mexico - and once NAFTA choices of rou tes & depar tures & begun t h e g e t s through with o ther countr ies i n t h e deregulation of telecommunications, some- Southern Hemisphere. th ing t h a t could put t h e cost of bas ic tel- Considering t h a t t h e average wage i n Me* ephone se rv ices beyond t h e reach of many. i co is 62 cents an hour & i t s public serv- * shut down more than 200 small- town&rur- i c e s a pa le shadow of ours, we're facing a a1 post off ices , t o t h e detriment of t h e f a r worse decl ine i n our l i v i n g condit ions many r u r a l communities, a s a prelude t o than we could ever imagine. p r iva t i z ing t h e e n t i r e Canadian Post Off- And a l l because t h e mul t inat ional compa- ice ; and n i e s regard our wage l eve l s , labour r i g h t s * persuaded many provincia l governments t o hea l th 4 sa fe ty ru les , pay equity, Medic-

impose publ ic sec to r wage controls , f ro- a r e & other s o c i a l programs a s %nproduct- zen t h e wages of federa l gov' t employees & ivell 6 "uncompetitive." They don' t add any eliminated t e n s of thousands of pub l ic s e e th ing t o corporate p r o f i t s - so they have t o r jobs. Actions t h a t have had a se r ious t o be discarded, no matter how much people negative impact on service q u a l i t y - a s and communities ge t hur t , workers s t rugg le t o cope with v a s t l y inc- In t h e process, of course, Canada i t s e l f reased workloads & fewer resources -, a s - a t l e a s t t h e Canada we know & love - w i l l well a s l o c a l communities dependent on a l s o be destroyed. Our na t iona l publ ic en- publ ic sec to r jobs. t e ~ p r i s e s were t h e building blocks of our

hat's an awful l o t of damage t h e Tories country. Given our small population, vas t have a l ready done t o Canada's publ ic sec t - d is tances , severe cl imate & high transpor- or . And they ' re f a r from f inished. In t h e t a t i o n cos t s , we had t o have a s t rong and l a s t few months of t h e i r mandate, t h e y ' r e active central gov't t o provide the east- planning t o i n f l i c t a g r e a t deal more dam- est l inks that held us together. The a l t - age, using an even more des t ruc t ive weapon eniative was to give up on Canada & join than t h e f r e e t r ade agreement. the United States.

This, of course, is what the Tories

want. They ' re committed t o weakening the ro l e of gov't&making it f a r more supgort- ive of a market-based economy. I s sues tha t f a i l the market t e s t , such a s environment- a l protection, would have a low p r io r i t y i n t h i s scheme of things.

In sum, the corporations. & internat ional money speculators aren ' t interested i n building or maintaining nations.

That's why Canada always needed a strong & extensive public sector - t o ensure nat- ional standards from coast t o coast t o coast , to- reduce the d i spa r i t i e s between d i f f e ren t regions, t o build safe , secure & productive towns & c i t i e s & t o make our economy as f a i r & ef fec t ive as it could possibly be on the global stage.

The Mulroney/Campbell/Tory gov't has ab- andoned t h a t essent ia l role. Instead of governing i n the in t e re s t s of a l l Canadi- ans, it has opted, time & again, t o be a p o l i t i c a l nation wrecker f o r Big Business.

WIELDING THE NAFTA AXE

NAFTA w i l l del iver a number of shat ter- ing t o our public sector.

F i r s t of a l l it w i l l dr ive many more thousands of plants out of Canada, forcing our unemployment even higher & draining more tax revenue out of govl t coffers.

The 600,000 jobs lo s t under the Canada- US f ree t rade agreement have already ser i - ously undermined the revenue base of the public sector. The loss of just one manu- facturing job tha t paid $35,000 costs the federal gov't approximately $4600 a 'year i n l o s t income-tax alone. The combined annual f e d e ~ a l income t ax loss from the FTA has been in excess of $2.7 b i l l ion . Add lo s t income t ax t o the provinces (an- other $1.5 b i l l i on ) , plus l o s t sa les tax revenue, plus increased unemployment in- surance & soc ia l assistance paymentj plus lower corporate taxes, & the dimensions of the f r e e trade-induced revenue short- f a l l become staggering.

Under NAFTA the employment & revenue

process of removing & reducing consumer protection i n crucial areas such a s food inspection, a l l modes of transportation, and even a i r & water qual i ty . One obvious example is meat inspection, which now can be done by the companies ra ther than fed- e r a l meat inspectors. The f ree t rademot to seems t o be lCaveatemptor' - l e t the buyer beware !

Thirdly, the NAFTA tex t contains sever- a l spec i f ic anti-public-sector provisions tha t w i l l lead t o the erosion o r pr iva t i - zation of social programs. For example:'

* The 'protection" of Medicare l i s t e d in the agreement doesn't cover support s e p

vices, so we can expect more hospi tals & other heal th care i n s t i t u t ions t o turn t h e i r food, laundry & j an i to r i a l work ov- e r t o pr iva te contractors, whose prof i t f igures depend on the vas t ly educed wage 5 benef i t s they pay the workers who actu- a l l y provide those services. In a s imilar vein, we can a l so expect pr iva te laborat- o r i e s 4 c l i n i c s t o spring up everywhere. * Nore g w l t funding w i l l be diverted

from public agencies ta t h e i r commerci- a l rivals. Already, millions of our tax d o l l ~ r s Are being df spensed in, grants and in te res t - f ree l ~ m s t o help foreign drug 4 biotechn~logy firms get established here. * NAFTA w i l l guarantee these foreign com-

panies "national treatment ." They'll have t o be t reated the same as Canadian public sector agencies, who w i l l be forc- ed t o compete with them in bids t o provi- de health care 6 other services. Nbmatter how much t h i s "bare bones11 approach dimi- nishes the qual i ty or access ib i l i ty of the services they current ly provide t o Canadian c i t izens , the lowest b i d ' l l win. * Unlike the PT4, which (on paper, a t

l e a s t ) exempted public services from b e ing considered %unfair subsidies" 4;cal led for a negotiated def in i t ion of such subs- i d i e s with 7 years, NAFTA leaves t h i s v i - t a l question i n limbo, Look f o r incxeas- $~ng pressure from the Americans Cand the ~ e x i c a n s ) t o keep f'harmonizingtl (downgra- losses w i l l worsen. That i n t&n w i l l in-

f l a t e the d e f i c i t & give conservative pol- d*n!3) our ProtVams* i t i c i a n s a convenient excuse for curring * N4PT4 reinforces the FTA provf sion tha t more public sector s t a f f and services. would force a Canadian gov't t o compen-

Secondly, NAFTA w i l l continue the FTA sa t e foreign companies fo r any profits

they might . lose from t h e in t roduct ion of a new publxc program, such a s c h i l d ca re , publ ic a u t ~ insurance, o r an extension of ~ ~ d f c a r e t o covex drugs, The ?mount of

compepsqtion would be de temined by an i n t e r n a t i o n a l a r b i t x a t f o n t r i b u n a l not accountable t o Canadians. * NAFTA w i l l r e q u i r e Cx~wn Corporations

such a s Canada Post t o p r i c e t h e i r mon- opoly products i n t h e same way a s commerc- i a l corporat ions i n the same sec to r . This w i l l prevent gov't-owned Crown Corporation from using t h e i r p r i c ing s t r u c t u r e t o pro- mote publ ic pol icy . This, d e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t promotion of pub l i c pol icy is t h e primary r o l e of Crown Corporations. In ad- d i t i o n t h e NAFTA w i l l prevefit f e d e r a l Crown Corporations from cross-subsidis ing var ious operations. * While t h e FTA gave these & o t h e r advant-

ages t o fore ign corporations, NAFTA1s %at iona l t rea tmentf f enforcement mechanism - a s it r e l a t e s t o Crown Corporations, gou ernment procurement p r a c t i c e s & o t h e r key pol icy a reas - w i l l have more d i r e conse- quences f o r provincia l & municipal govern- ments. Corporations res iden t i n t h e US a r e t o be given g r e a t e r leverage t o in t rude i n the publ ic se rv ices a t a l l l e v e l s of government, even where t h i s r e s u l t s i n a dec l ine i n t h e q u a l i t y of se rv ice those governments o f f e r , o r where it r e s u l t s i n Canadian jobs being l o s t .

ENOUGH

The f i r s t such p r i o r i t y was c l e a r l y t o use t h e FTA a s both a weapon & an excuse t o s l a s h pub l i c se rv ices 6 s o c i a l programs, l a y o f f thousands of pub l i c employees Ego on a rampage of deregula t ion E p r i v a t i z a t h

NAFTA w i l l arm them with even more dead- l y t o o l s t o continue dismantling our pub- l i c sec to r .

I t is no exaggeration t o p r e d i c t t h a t d '

what happens i n 1993 with NAFTAGthe next f edera l e l e c t i o n w i l l decide the f a t e of t h e publ ic sector, G i n d e e d o f c a n a d a i t s e l f .

Publ ic employees, l i k e a l l o t h e r Canadi- ans, have a s take i n t h e outcome. I t be- hooves every one of u s t o g e t a c t i v e i n t h e c r u c i a l dampaign t o g e t r i d of t h e FTA $ NAFTA- 6 t h e gov ' t t h a t spawned them:

YOU CAN DO: * Become more informed about NAFTA & f r e e t rade . The Action Canada Network publica- t i o n , V h e Action D o ~ s i e r , ' ~ i s an exce l l - ent source of re levant f a c t s & f igures , wr i t t en i n a non-technical, ~ e a d a b l e s t y l e

* Talk it up with your fe l low workers, neighbours & f r i ends . I t ' s important t h a t

a l l Canadians know how deadly t h e Tory- NAFTA t h r e a t r e a l l y is.

* I f you're not a l ready a c t i v e i n your union loca l , i n the Action Canada Network, o r i n some o t h e r organisa t ion committed t o preserving our publ ic s e c t o r & se rv ices , ge t a c t i v e a s soon a s you can. IVorking'to- gether , we have a good chance t o wtn'our

When t h e Tor ies enacted the f i r s t f r e e t r ade deal , they openly admitted t h a t it

Edi to r , RE: Need f o r Downtown Easts ide Grocery

Delivery ,Service

I chuckled as I read Elizabeth Aird 's column. 1. had j u s t arranged t o have organ- i c , pest icide-•’ r e e l o c a l b lueber r i e s del - ivered t o my co-op from Circ l ing Dawn. C i rc l ing Dawn i s run by a group of young people who l i v e & work communally a s Veg- e t a r i a n s opera t ing a produce/deli /restau- r an t business on Commercial Drive near Br i tannia . They s e l l only organic p e s t i - c ide-f ree produce & a r e t r y i n g t o expand t h e i r s a l e s by o f fe r ing de l ive ry l o c a l l y .

I agree completely with Aird 's comments about t h e need f o r some kind of grocery de l ive ry s e r v i c e he re i n t h e Downtown Easts ide area . Some members of my co-op, p a r t i c u l a r l y young mothers on a t i g h t bud- g e t , can ' t a f fo rd organic produce. A l l of us r e a l l y m i s s having a good supermarket with t h e v a r i e t y of items t h a t w e were a b l e t o buy at t h e I G A when Woodwards closed its downtown s t o r e .

I 44Y PAY THE

AIlv x RWr ww Shy EAT

WITH

F a i r i e t a l e s of love 1 learned

Because of t r a f f i c niidlock. manv of u s Seek% one who could not t u r n - want t o shop l o c a l l y . Even a 4 - l i t i e jug Her face 80 anger i n the end of milk is heavy & awkward t o ca r ry , es- Love's r u l e is s t rong and s h a l l not bend pecial l jr f o r a young mother t r y i n g t o Y Q U ~ na tu re r u l e 1 would have taken manage g rocer ies & a todd le r as well, In This c o n t h e n t hW been forsaken my co-op, f o r ins tnace , we have about 70 L Q V ~ l i e s not i n time of mourning chi ldren res iden t here . A s we l l we have Your hea r t t r ansgresses your love l i e s never

many sen io r s l i v i n g independently who'd cannot make It well l i k e t o have t h e i r g roce r ies del ivered in- is more{'than hearing b e l l s t ead of having t o always go out & shop I take t o h e a r t every day because they can only ca r ry a This is a place to s t a r t . small amount. El izabeth Thorpe

Also, f o r your information, t h e r e a r e about 800 people l i v i n g in t h e v i c i n i t y Race is only colour deep of -in & Powel1,as permanent r e s i d e n t s Life is not f o r you t o reap i n "socia l housing" complexes. Love is f a r r e x f o r t o s e e

We need both a permanent grocery del iv- In t h e end i t 's only we e ry se rv ice & a new supermarket. Who was here first seeing s t r a i g h t

P.C. Who is here now missing of l a t e Conquer racism - not t h e race

Get a job - do undo what we've done wrong Conquer sexism - not t h e sex Get a job - t ake your money t h a t we've earned Race of l i v e s your s t rugg le is mine Get a job - f ind a money-man who knows what's I can never make you sublime

r i g h t A I f you l e t up on t h e hat red

Get a job - POUT back 3n t h e environment what You begin t o see your maker we've taken If you th ink you have t h e power

Get a job - sweat f o r what you know is r i g h t Love s h a l l conquer your l a s t hour Love is not t o keep

Elizabeth Thorpe Elizabeth Thorpe

1993 DONATIONS Eleanor K.-$25 - - - - - - -

Stuar t M.-$50 Adbusters -$SO K e t t l e F.s.-$16 Wayne H.-$2.50 Bert T . -$lo ~ e g a l Aid -$SO Ueadliue Etienne S .-$SO Mary C.-$25 NCX'I' ISSUE Lisa E.-$10 Paula R.-$20 27th AUGUST Matt -$20 Steve T.-$15 Keith C,-$20 E r i c E,-$10 Abby K.-$10 Anonymous -$70 - 4

nil* i d i h e Downtown Easts ide Soc ia l Services -$lo00 Vancouver Health Dept . -$I1 3 Employment & Immigration -$a00 P.L.U.R.A. -$lo00

NEED HELP ?

n l E HEISLF.TTER IS A PIIII.ICATION OF IIIE CARWECIL COHUHMI CENllE ASSMIATION.

Article, represent the v l e r c o f I n d l v l ~ h ~ a t ~ o n t t l b a r o r s and nor o f the A ~ ~ o c l a t l o n

The Downtown Eas t s l d e Res idents ' Assoc la t Ion can h e l p you wltlr:

, any we l fare problem fi lnformatloa on l e g a l r lg l l t s * d i s p q t e s wltlr landlorde * unsafe l l v l n g col tdl t l o n s * lncome t a x * UIC problems * f lndlrrg lwusing * opening a bank account

Come i n t o the DEM o f f l c e a t 9 East llnst lngs S t o r phone u s a t 682-0931.

DEMts General Menhership meeting i s on the la s t Friday of every month in Car~~egie Theatre, starf ing at 10:3(1 am. - -

DERA HAS BEEN SERVING THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE FOR 20 YEARS.