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OCTOBER 1, 2008

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

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40 I Mnln St. VrutcoUV«!r V6A.217 604-665-2289 . .

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Startling info in 2008 Homeless Count report

The Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Com­mittee on Homelessness, on September 16, released a report on a count of the homeless which had been done on March 11 of this year. Here are some of the findings.

There are 2,660 she ltered and street homeless persons in Metro Vancouver. 1,086 are sheltered homeless; I ,574 are stree t homeless. "Street home­less" are persons who had no phys ical shelter on the day of the count, and were found living on the streets. "Sheltered ho meless" are persons who had some kind of roof over their heads.

The count was done during a 24 hour period. It is, by the report's own admittance, a conservative estimate of the actual number of homeless people.

Needless to say, compared to two earlier counts done in 2002 and 2005, homelessness in Metro Vancouver is increasing. (Don' t buy the govern­ment line that the rate o f increase is slow ing down, so that makes the increase okay- the fact is that the actual number of homeless people is on the rise, despite a ll of the good efforts to mitigate that.)

The 2005 count was 2, 174- the 2008 count represents a 22 per cent increase. It a lso represents a whopping 373 per cent increase over the 2002 count.

Three out of every four homeless people were found in Vancouver and Surrey.

Street homelessness increased significantly- 52 per cent in 2005 to 59 per cent in 2008.

About a quarte r of the homeless are women. The average age o f the homeless is increasing: 38

years in 2005; 41 years in 2008. "While people of Aborig inal ancestry represent

only abo ut '1. per cent or me reg tun s ~;~H ::.u ::. )JVJJUl a­

tion, they comprised 32 per cent of the region's homeless population on March 11 , an increase from 30 per cent in 2005."

About 84 per cent reported at least one health problem, such as addiction, menta l illnes~, or phys­ical disability. 53 per cent reported multtple health problems. This is consistent with the findings of the academic report on Severely Addicted and/or Menta lly Ill Homeless also done earlier this year.

Lo ng-term homelessness increased significantly, perhaps an indicat ion of the enduring nature of the homeless population's illnesses.

364 youth under the age of 25 were counted; 94 of these were children.

Almost 100 fully-employed people were counted in the shelters.

About half were receiv ing income assistance- an indication that homeless outreach programs were at least partially working . Compare this with the 30 per cent figure of 2005. Despite the better penetra­tion of oovernment aid programs, the homeless on income

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ass istance were unable to find places to live that they could afford.

In a sub-report ofFAQ (Frequent ly Asked Ques­tions), the question was asked, "What are you going to do now?" T he first part of the answer was, "Cont inue as before with outreach programs." Not that this is futile (as evidenced by the greater per­centage of homeless receiving i~come ass istance), but it must be noted that accordmg to the Metro Vancouver Hous ing Corporation, there was a .33 per cent vacancy rate in Vancouver in 2nd quarter 2008 . Compare that with the figure of .5 per cent as o f October of last year, and you can see prob­lems cropping up with regard to continuing to try to find housing for the homeless. But the second ~art of the answer is encouraging: the recommendation is to steer clear of building more shelters, and con­centrate instead on build ing more affordable hous­ing with support mechanisms to he lp the very ob­viously afflicted majority of the homeless popula­tion. The answer also states that we need more prevention strategies so that peop le don' t become homeless in the first p lace.

"The Regional Homeless Plan is ti tled 3 \Vays to Home to reflect the three components of the solu­tion to homelessness: Affordab le Housing, Support Services and Adequate Income. Action is needed on each of these components to address homeless­ness in the region."

By Ro lf Auer

{

Since 1993, when the federal

government cancelled its social housing programs,

homelessness in Vancouver h,.....,,

increased ten-fold.

Saturday October 4th 1 3 p

VOTE is like any ol' tote Why bother once they are in

2(] They are tied up like livestock By Corporate companies

Vote is like any ol' coat Why bother?

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Main & 36th Avenue Stand for Housing

They say the same shpiel - promises Unless you are the privileged.

Make a day of it -& Go & Vote - why not?

Vancouver All-Candidates Meeting on Housing

Help Bring Back a Federal Social Housing Program

On October 4th people from communities throughout British Columbia will stand peacefully at traffic intersections to show their support for increased social housing. Canada is the only major country in the world without a national housing strategy, spending even less than half what the US spends on housing programs per capita.

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Priscillia

[Margaret Atwood is a helluva writer. This likeness of her was done in 1969 when she was about 30, and maybe putting it here may go a bit to having her (you!) forgive me for reprinting this piece without asking you. Margaret is 70 now and likely doesn't need too much extra money, which is good 'cause the Carnegie Newsletter doesn't pay anybody. If or when you ever come to Vancouver, Margaret, drop in and get your volunteer tickets! Ed.]

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• ... -To be creative is, in fact, Canadian Harper is wrong: There's more to the arts than a lot of rich people at galas whining about their grants

MARGARET ATWOOD What sort of country do we want to live in? What sort of country do we already live in? What do we lil{e? Who are we?

At present, we are a very creative country. For decades, we've been punching above our weight on the world stage - in writing, in popular music and in many other field s. Canada was once a cultural void on the world map, now it's a force. In addition, the arts are a large segment of our economy: The Conference Board estimates Canada's cultural sec­tor generated $46-billion, or 3.8 per cent of Can­ada's GDP, in 2007. And, according to the Canada Council, in 2003-2004, the sector accounted for an "estimated 600,000 jobs (roughly the same as agri­culture, forestry, fishing, mining, o il & gas and utilities combined)." But we've just been sent a signal by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that he gives not a toss for these facts. Tuesday, he told us that some group called "ordinary people" didn't care about something

called " the arts." His idea of "the arts" is a bunch of rich people

gathering at galas whining about their grants. Well, I can count the number of moderately rich writers who live in Canada on the fingers of one hand: I'm one of them, and I'm no Warren Buffett. I don't whine about my grants because I don't get any grants. I whine about other grants- grants for young people, that may help them to turn into me, and thus pay to the federal and provincial govern­ments the kinds of taxes I pay, and cover off the salaries of such as Mr. Harper. In fact, less than 10 per cent of writers actually make a living by their writing, however modest that living may be. They

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have other jobs. But people write, and want to write, and pack into creative writing classes, be­cause they love this activity - not because they · think they'll be millionaires .

Every single one of those people is an "ordinary person." Mr. Harper's idea of an ordinary person is that of an envious hater without a scrap of artistic talent or creativity or curiosity, and no appreciation for anything that's attractive or beautiful. My idea of an ordinary person is quite different. Human beings are creative by nature. For millenniums we have been putting our creativity into our cultures -cultures with unique languages, architecture, reli­gious ceremonies, dances, music, furni shings, tex­tiles, clothing and special cuisines. "Ordinary peo­ple" pack into the cheap seats at concerts and fill theatres where operas are brought to them live. The total attendance for "the arts" in Canada in fact ex­ceeds that for sports events. "The arts" are not a " niche interest." They are part of being human. Moreover, "ordinary people" are participants. They form book clubs and join classes of all kinds -painting, dancing, drawing, pottery, photography - for the sheer joy of it. They sing in choirs , church and other, and play in marching bands. Kids start garage bands and make their own videos and web art, and put the ir music on the Net, and draw their own graphic novels. "Ordinary people" have other outlets for their creativity, as well: Knitting and quilting have made comebacks; gardening is taken very seriously; the home woodworking shop is ac­tive. Add origami, costume design, egg decorating, flower arranging, and on and on ... Canadians, it seems, like making things, and they like appreciat­ing things that are made. They show their appreciation by contributing . Ca­

nadians of all ages volunteer in vast numbers for local and city museums, for their art galleries and for countless cultural festivals -I think immed iately of the Chinese New Year and the Caribana festival in Toronto, but there are so many others. Literary festivals have sprung up all over the country - vol­unteers set them up and provide the food, and "or­dinary people" will drag their lawn chairs into a

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field - as in Nova Scotia's Read by the Sea - in or­der to listen to writers both local and national read and discuss their work. Mr. Harper has signalled that as far as he is concerned, those millions of hours of volunteer activity are a waste oftime. He ho Ids them in contempt.

I suggest that considering the huge amount of en­ergy we spend on creative activity, to be creative is "ordinary." It is an age-long and normal human characteristic: All children are born creative. It's the lack of any appreciation of these activities that is not ordinary. Mr. Harper has demonstrated that he has no knowledge of, or respect for, the capacities and interests of"ordinary people." He's the "niche interest." Not us. It's been suggested that Mr. Harper's disdain for

the arts is not merely a result of ignorance or a tin ear- that it is " ideologically motivated." Now, I wonder what could be meant by that? Mr. Harper has said quite rightly that people understand we ought to keep within a budget. But his own contri­bution to that budget has been to heave the Liberal­generated surplus overboard so we have nothing left for a rainy day, and now, in addition, he wants to jeopardize those 600,000 arts jobs and those bil­lions of dollars they generate for Canadians.

What's the idea here? That arts jobs should not exist because artists are naughty and might not vote for Mr. Harper? That Canadians ought not to make money from the wicked arts, but only from virtuous oil? That artists don't all live in one constituency,

• so who cares? Or is it that the majority of those arts jobs are located in Ontario and Quebec, and Mr. Harper is peeved at those provinces, and wants to increase his ongoing gutting of Ontario- $20-billion a year of Ontario taxpayers' money going out, a dribble grudgingly al1owed back in -and spank Quebec for being so disobedient as not to appreciate his magnificence? He likes punishing, so maybe the arts-squashing is part of that: Whack the Heartland.

Or is it even worse? Every budding dictatorship begins by muzzling the artists, because they're a mouthy lot and they don't line up and salute very easily. Of course, you can always get some tame artists to design the uniforms and flags and the documentary about you, and so forth - the only kind of art you might need- but individual voices must be silenced, because there shall be only One Voice: Our Master's Voice. Maybe that's why Mr. Harper began by shutting down funding for our artists over seas He didn't like the competition for media space.

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The Conservative caucus has already learned that 5 lesson. Rumour has it that Mr. Harper's idea of the sort of art you should hang on your wall was sig­nalled by his removal of all pictures of previous Conservative prime ministers from their lobby room- including John A. and Diefthe Chief- and their replacement by pictures of none other than Mr. Harper himself. History, it seems, is to begin with him. In communist countries, this used to be called the Cult of Personality. M.r. Harper is a guy who - rumour has it, again- tried to disband the student union in high school and then tried the same thing in college. Destiny is calling him, the way it called Qin Shi Huang, the Chinese emperor who burnt all records of the rulers before himself. It's an impulse that's been repeated many times since, the list is very long. Tear it down and level it flat is the common motto. Then build a big statue

' of yourself. Now that would be Art!

Adapted from the 2008 Hurtig Lecture, to be delivered in Edmonton on Oct. I

Writing .... is an act of faith: I believe it's also an act of hope, the hope that things can be better than they are.

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Margaret Atwood (1939 ~)

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[The following story was in the daily news a week or so ago. It was sent here by an Aboriginal person who put her comments at the end. What fascinates me are some of the responses sent in to the Globe & Mail's website on how people saw it: Ignorance is a weapon of mass destruction.]

Harper's Quebec chief apologizes after Algonquins offended

MONTREAL (CBC) - The office of a Conservative MP and cabinet minister has issued an apology to Algonquins in his western Quebec riding after his personal assistant made remarks that some de­nounced as racist. The comments made by Darlene Lannigan came at the Maniwaki, Que., launch of the re-election cam­paign of Lawrence Cannon, transport minister and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper's Quebec lieu­tenant earlier this week.

In a conversation recorded by the Aboriginal Peo­ple's Television Network outside Cannon's Mani­waki campaign office during its opening Tuesday, Norman Matchewan, a member of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, asked Lannigan if he will bear­rested if he visits Cannon's campaign office. The Barriere Lake reserve is about 300 kilometres northwest of Ottawa in Cannon's riding of Pontiac, and a group including Matchewan had visited the office for a rally.

"If you behave and you're sober and there's no problem and if you sit down and whatever, I don't care," a female voice that the network identified as Lannigan responds in the recording.

She goes on to say that "one of them showed up the other day and was drinking."

When contacted by CBC News, Lannigan would not deny she made the remarks. The Algonquins allege Lannigan also made other

crude comments. Cannon's office issued its apology Wednesday

after being asked about the incident by the Aborigi­nal People's Television Network.

"We would like to take this opportunity to apolo­gize for any offence given," it said. "We also un­derstand these comments were made in a difficult context. That is regrettable." The statement also said the remarks don't reflect

the views of the government of Canada, and the parties involved will meet later this week.

Matchewan, 25, said he didn't think the context in which the remarks were made was difficult.

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"We showed up in a respectful manner. We were 0

peaceful," the teacher and part-time police officer said Thursday. "What she said was very offensive. It only goes to show how much they disrespect our community. "

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe said the remarks were a reflection of the Conservative party as it heads toward the Oct. 14 election.

"It's another example of the kind of contempt and arrogance they have, especially l would say to­wards the First Nations," he said.

"What I'm talking about [is] that kind of ideology that doesn't correspond to Quebec and I would say human values .... I think it's [the] kind of people we have in that party, sadly."

Submitted by Sylvia Sharon Isaac

Hello Folks I do not know about you but I was so upset when

I heard a women addressed an aboriginal pr9tester, shot down by Darlene Lannigan. Her comment not only shocked me, it also angered me. Another racial quote and so damning and put me back to when our People were sterotyped as "alcoholics, falling down drunks and other words like lazy indians - living off the government.

SHAME ON Darlene Lannigan

Comments from G&M's webpage: WHAT? How low is the media going to sink to sabotage the Conservatives campaign? Explain ONE word of that statement that is offensive, let alone requires an apology.

The Conservative machine is destroying itself. This is what happens when you only let your ministers/staff speak at election time.

They have no idea how to speak to the average Canadian, and when they do speak (or are ·al­lowed to), they insult millions of us.

That's like saying because you raped and mo­lested our children in the Residential Schools then all of you rape and molest!!!

Incredible, these accusations and disrespect towards Canadians just keep on coming from the Conservative campaign team. Seems Har­per is loosing control of the situation after keeping conservative members quiet for the past couple of years.

My Favourite: How about the "natives" issue apologies for their illegal land occupations .

~ss Your~ELr! By Libby Davies

There is a federal election underway and I want to encourage all of you to vote!

I fight every day for equality and justice. And let's face it, there isn ' t much of either in our society, I know that some people are definitely more power­ful than others. But on voting day equal ity does exist. Everybody's voice counts equally. Somebody who is a member of the Carnegie counts just as much as the guy who is a member of the Arbutus Club. Whether you live in the DES or Shaughnessy, your vote counts the same.

Voting is a right that you have to express your cho ice for who gets to represent you in govern­ment. How would you feel if you had no choice? In many countries, people are intimidated and threat­ened if they express themselves politically. In Can­ada, on voting day you can express your choice and affirm your opin ion as a free citizen. Please do it!

In order to vote, you must be: • A Canadian Citizen • 18 years old or over on Election Day,

which is Tuesday, October 14th • Resident of Vancouver East

Plus, vou must have proper identification: 1. Once piece ofiD: either the BC ID Card or BC drivers licence; OR 2. Two pieces of ID: both pieces must have your name, and at least o ne of these pieces must have your address (some examples: birth certificate; CareCard, Library Card, SIN Card; Seniors Card; Government cheque or cheque stub; phone bill; cable bill; hydro bill ; CPP statement; bank state­ment; income tax assessment notice); OR 3. Someone who has the proper identification as listed in #2 can vouch for you. This person has to live in the same po ll ing div ision as you.

You have 3 chances to vote: 1. Go to the Vancouver East E lectoral office at 106 Keefer (at Columbia). The office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00am-9:00pm; Saturday, 9:00am-6:00pm; and Sunday, 12:00noon-4:00pm

2. Go to the Advance Po lls on Friday, October 3rd, Saturday, October 4th, or Monday, October 6th. Th~ Advance Polls are open 12:00noon- 8:00pm. Check your polling card under the Advance Voting Days section to find where to vote. If you don't have a polling card, call Elections Canada at 604

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664 9050 or Libby Davies at 604 254 3833 and 7 we'll tell you where to vote. Advance Voting will most like ly be at the Salvation Army Harbour Light at 11 9 East Cordova, or the Chinese Cultural Cen-tre at 50 East Pender. 3. Go vote on Election Day on Tuesday, October 14th. The polls are open from 7:00am-7:00pm. Again, check your polling card under the Election Day section to find where to vote. If you don ' t have a polling card, call Elections Canada at 604 664 9050 or Libby Davies at 604 254 3833 and we'll te ll you where to go to vote.

fll'ret New It is appalling that we are just finding out that our

Govt has been negotiating a trade deal with Europe that would rival NAFT A in its impact. What little we have learned of the deal indicates it would represent a real threat to the delivery of public ser­vices in this country. Citizens have been totally excluded from any knowledge of these negotia­t ions, with a plan to keep us in the dark unti l after the Federal election. As reported today in the Metro Canada newspapers in Halifax, Edmonton, Toronto, Calgary, Vancou­ver and Ottawa, "Prime Minister Stephen Harper must make public the draft text of a new 'deep economic integration' trade deal with the Euro­pean Union that rivals NAFTA in scope The article continues, "'The prime minister should be accountable to the public and release the text immediate ly so that voters can make an informed decision on a dea l that will be furth er negotiated in Montreal just three days after the federa l election,' said Maude Barlow, national cha irperson ofthe Council of Canadians. 'Stephen Harper ran on a campaign of accountability in the 2006 election, promising to bring significant international treaties to Parliament. He must keep his word, be accounta­ble, and release the draft text of this sweeping new trade deal immediately."'

The Metro article also reports, "While the text has not been released, it reportedly includes the unre­stricted trade in goods, services and investment, the removal of tariffs, and an open market in govern­ment services and procurement - which would require the Canadian government to a llow Euro­pean companies to bid as equals on government contracts for both goods and services, and to not g ive preference to local or national providers of public-sector services."

Council of Canadians

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Carnegie Theatre Workshop

ACTING BASICS How to ...

Voice, Movement, Scene Study Imagine

Prepare, Investigate Emotional, Intellectual, Flexible

4 Saturday afternoons Sat Sept 27, Oct 4, 11 and 18

1:30pm to 4:30pm Carnegie Theatre

Free

All levels of experience welcome! led by Teresa Vandertuin

For more info call 604-255-9401

email thirteenofhearts@hotmail.com Or attend the first session!

2009 Artist in Residence at Carnegie!

I am very happy to announce that we have been selected as one of two community centres (the other is Dunbar Community Centre) to sponsor an artist in residence in 2009. This is a Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation program that supports profes­sional artists working with communities on projects of joint interest or concern . We welcome artists of all disciplines who have creative ideas for engaging Downtown Eastside residents to apply. For informa­tion on the program, you can go to www.city. vancouver.bc.ca/Parks/arts. There is also an Information Meeting at the Round­house Community Centre on Thursday, September 25, from 6:30 - 8:30 PM. The deadline for applica­tion is on Thursday, October 16.You can call me

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. Celebrate on Sundays with uplifting samba!

Learn how to play hot Brazilian samba music with

world percussionist Pepe Danza and then

perform at the 2008 Heart of tile City Festival.

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. . --Sunday, October 5, 1 , 9 & 26 ' 11 AM - 1 :00 PM

Carnegie Theatre

Don't miss out on this energizing opportunity! . For all ages and levels of experience.

Sign up in Carnegie's Jrd floor Program Office or call 604-665-2274. Workshop capacity is 15 and

participants are required to attend all four sessions.

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Rembrandt, The Windmill, etching. 1641.

Rika at (604) 665 3003, rika.uto@vancouver.ca, or Ethel at(604) 665 3301, ethel. whitty@vancouver.ca, if you have any questions . .

Rika Uto

Arts & Education Programmer

The 5th Annual Downtown Eastside

Heart of the City Festival Wednesday, October 29- Sunday November 9, 2008

More than 80 events at over 25 locations throughout the DTES

Diane Wood: DTES resident, poet, painter & activist

With twelve exciting days of music, theatre, film, poetry, forums, workshops and art shows, the 5th Annual Downtown Eastside Heart of the City Festival celebrates the creative and committed artists, residents and activists who thrive in our community.

The Festival profiles and encourages the development of community arts in the Downtown Eastside, promotes our cultures and DTES involved artists, gives voice to local concerns, and involves a wide range of professional, community, emerging and student artists, residents and lovers bf the arts .

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The 2008 Festival will especially honour the founding cultures and elders who have shaped our community, and spotlight Asian, European, and First Nations artists.

This year's festival features more than 80 events at over 25 locations throughout the Downtown Eastside, so choosing what to see and hear becomes a delightful challenge. In the next newsletter we will highlight a few special presentations you will want to put in your schedule so as not to miss! For now, reserve the dates Oct 29 to Nov 9 and we' ll see you there!

Watch the next Carnegie Newsletter for program highlights!

For more information contact 604-628-5672 or www.heartofthecityfestival.com

The Heart of the Festival is produced by Vancouver Moving Theatre with the Carnegie Community Centre & the Association of United Ukrainian Canadians, working with over 25 community partners.

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Il l M t"II IUI y U l

RICHARD ALBERT BAKER Sr. " Dick"

February 15, 1940 -September 16, 2008 One June 6,1998 a totem pole was raised in Oppenheimer

Park in Vancouver's downtown eastside. This historic event happened with the vision of Master Carver Dick Baker of the Squamish Nation who wanted to see this memorial pole carved by people in the community. Anyone who was not using drugs or alcohol was permitted to work on the pole. Dick insisted it be this way, too many of our people were stuck in the throes of addiction and many more were dying.

The Memorial Pole dedication reads: "This pole is not only a memorial to our sisters and

brothers who have died unnecessarily in the Downtown Eastside, it is also for those who have survived and continue to survive in this neighbourhood. It is for those who stand with Courage, Strength and Pride."

This is the Story of the Memorial Pole (Steven Johnson) *"At the base of the pole are three Copperheads that

represent the people of the West Coast. *Double Headed Sea Serpent which is representative of

the good and bad in all things. *The sitting down figure carries the most significance: it

represents the inaction of agencies, different bureaucracies, and the helplessness we feel in the downtown eastside. It also represents a challenge for the victims of whatever or whoever. We all can make a difference to not being a victim here ... even our inspiration of others allows others to grow. *The mother and child represents the generation lost here. *The two wolves represent all the people across Canada. *The Raven represents the Creator without whom we all

would not be here."

Acknowledgement of other carvers of the Memorial Pole: Kim Washburn, Paul Auger, Alec Weir, BC Matilipe, Dallas Hunt, David Marcus, Dave Rufus for his design, Maynard John, Matthew Baker and students of Native Education Centre with volunteers of the downtown eastside.

Dick not only contributed his artistic talents to the people of the downtown eastside he also contributed fish and his many resources. Dick was a dedicated friend of Bill W. and sponsored Aboriginal people in the program. He encour­aged sober Aboriginal people to always do their best and never forget where they come from, more importantly to give back or pay it forward. He will be deeply missed by Carnegie and Oppenheimer Park patrons and staff.

STANDING

with

COURAGE,

STRENGTH

and

P RIDE

,

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SMALL NOT FOR US!

As I was reading Richard Carlson's book Don't Sweat The Snwll Stuff, it came to my mind that that's what we people often do - complain about little things (small stuff). We need to stand together and fight for what we

believe, need and want for our city with one word ... and everyday we might solve another problem. As we are in ~he same situation we need to respect

and love one another. We all know the government doesn't care and why should they? They've got all they want.

Having one word year after year and our together­ness, with love, and somebody will hear us. We all stand for our city, our home that we love. We are here sweating for the real stuff, not the small stuff, and we mean what we say. Maybe someone will hear what we are all about.

We sweat for real stuff, not the small stuff.

Ruth Matemo~a

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Hatha Yoga is back! Drop-in classes start on Tuesdays, 9:30am Carnegie Theatre. Wear loose clothing and bring a yoga mat if you have one.

Boston newspaper reporter H.L. Mencken nailed it:

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hob­<::..vulins, all ofthem imaginary."

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Values *We believe that substance misuse is a multi­

faceted problem comprised of attitudes, values, beliefs and unproductive coping mechanisms that are learned.

*We believe that recovery is possible when per­sons change their attitudes, values, beliefs and re­spond to life as it presents itself.

*We believe that teaching and modeling healthy behaviors in a therapeutic community will help us deliv~r the best possible treatment for our clients. *We believe that service to our clients and the

quality of care we provide are so important that we are committed to continuous improvement. ·

*We respect the dignity, person and cultural dif­ferences of our clients.

*We believe in a management style that promotes openness and fairness.

*We believe in providing a positive and suppor­tive work environment where motivated people can proudly grow and contribute.

*We believe that effective and frugal management of resources must be based on client needs.

*We believe iri being open-minded to new oppor­tunities, ideas and methods of serving our clients.

*We believe that as an organization we must model integrity and demonstrate that recovery

works. •

Submitted by MD Prevost

Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House - DTES NH-

StorYtelling Showcase Saturday October 25th, 1- 3pm

Japanese Language Hall 475 Alexander(@ Jackson]

... featuring the wit and wisdom of the DTES NH Storytelling Workshop

Downtown Eastside residents working together since 2004 to build a grassroots, secular Neighbourhood House

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VOLUNTEERS in Colleen's Corner

Karaoke with Steve Friday, Oct.IO, 7-10 Karaoke is a form of singing available to everyone. It's a golden chance for people to discover the joy of singing in an encowaging and accepting envi­ronment. Come and have some fun with our Maes­tro Steve! Everyone is Welcome and refreshments are served to valiant souls! !

Volunteer Committee Meeting Wednesday, Oct gth@ 2pm in Classroom II Volunteers of the Month are chosen by those at this meeting (not the staff). ALL Volunteers Wel­come! Your voice is needed and appreciated. Volunteer Dinner Wed, Oct 15 at 4:30pm sharp(!) in the Theatre Your contribution and hard work is appreciated by the many people who benefit from your services. Let us (the ornery staff) serve you! [There'll be skill-testing questions for mystery prizes.] Get your ticket from the Volunteer Program Office. Volunteers of the Month Alvin Stewart, Kitchen Dishwasher

Fred Richards, Summer Cashiering

Happy October 15 Birthday, Big Guy

Keep your eyes open for November's SOCK HOP Dance - hosted by Co JJeen A sock hop is an informal dance that first became

popular in the 1950s. Since dances were often held in school gymnasiums, dancers would kick off their shoes and dance in socks to avoid marking up gym floors. Dancers don't have to attend with a partner. "All the flat top cats and the dungaree dolls are headed to the gym for the sock hop ball" The cats and chicks will get their kicks at the hop.

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Tuesday, Oct. 7 from 9 am to 4 pm

Open to all Carnegie Members. You must have your membership.

Pre-register at 3rd floor office.

PACIFIC BLUEGRASS &

HERITAGE MUSIC SOCIETY presents a variety of bands playing

BLUEGRASS, fOLK o/ COUNTRY MUSIC

Wednesday, October 15, 7 - 9 pm Carnegie Theatre

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Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) Newsletter

You can find us in the Association office (604) 839-0379 Oct 1, 2008

How many empty rooms are there in our neighbourhood?

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The title of this article may sound like the start of a joke. But there's no punch line, just a sad story. In September 08, CCAP counted 486 privately owned empty housing units in the Downtown Eastside. Where is that vacant room tax when we need it? These rooms could easily be opened up with "some lipstick", a slap of paint and a little maintenance to house some of the 659 homeless people counted by SPARC in 2008.

We didn't include empty rooms in government owned hotels because most are ready to open soon except maybe the Pender that are sitting there collecting dust.

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Jay Rooms above ~~ the old Vic's

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Restaurant -these rooms may be offices which is illegal according to the SRA Bylaw

We cannot claim that our count is 100% accurate. We made our best guess based on attempts to contact the owners and managers, and, failing that, talk in the neighbourhood.

We found 36 empty units in apartments at 3 34 Carrall (evicted Ada and others last year) and 633 Gore. Both are for sale, one may be in receivership. We also found a condemned residential building across from Woodwards. We didn't count it because we don't know the # of rooms.

We counted 15 privately owned hotels with 450 empty rooms. One hotel is slowly emptying out - the Argyle Hotel (near

1 ( Cor..t\nueA.. on r~e :z.)

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( Cor\ttntld ft.eWl f~ t) Woodwards). Four hotels may be opening soon for rents higher than welfare shelter rate. Four hotels are for sale. Owners may want to empty their buildings as a condition of sale.

Here's the list of hotels with empty rooms. If a hotel is missing on this list, let us know: l. 228 E Pender - 20 rooms closed in 2003 - renovation and may open soon 2. American Hotel - 3 7 rooms closed - no renovations - collecting dust 3. Argyle Hotel- 41 rooms closed- 2 tenants remain according to tenants 4. Backpacker Hotel- 44 rooms closed 5. Burns Block- 28 rooms closed- to be

renovated into upscale rentals 6. Canadian North Star- 28 rooms closed - next to the Backpackers 7. Colonial Hotel - 15 empty rooms - are renovating that may open soon $405-$495/month 8. Dominion Hotel- 67 empty rooms ­for sale 9. Evergreen Hotel - 2 7 rooms - above BC Collateral 10. Hampton Rooms- 16 units closed

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because of fire - owned by the Ludicio family like the Brandiz Hotel 11. Jay Rooms- 12 rooms empty ­definitely renting as offices 12. No 5 Orange- 15 rooms empty - may be used for "other business" 13. Pacific Hotel- 30 rooms closed -tenants have eviction notices 14. Palace Hotel- 26 rooms empty- may be open soon possibly to methadone only clients 15. Piccadilly Hotel- 44 rooms empty - no renovations - its just sitting there collecting dust

More Hotel 11lntelligence" Star Beach Haven's (on Alexander) for sale sign is gone and we don't know if there are still tenants inside - evictions were underway last spring. We believe the City just bought the empty Phoenix Apts which is on Powell. The Chelsea Inn is full of tenants but is up for sale like the Palace. Chelsea and Palace (58 rooms) are across the street from the empty Concord Pacific condo site on Hastings. 2 full sro's may be for sale on 1100 block E. Hastings. - wp

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Map of hotels lost to closure (Apr 08), rent increases and

• conversions to hostels etc.

Notice the cluster · near Woodwards?

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Burns Block to go ''upscale'' On Sept. 16 City Council gave

unanimous pennission to the owner of the Burns Block at 18 W. Hastings to redevelop the former SRO hotel into 30 self contained 275 ft. sq. units. The City also gave the owner $3.3 million (or $3.7 million if you count the fact · that he didn't have to pay the $15,000 per unit SRA conversion fee) in incentives to do the heritage renovation. What follows is what CCAP's Jean Swanson said at the public hearing before the vote:

What I want to say tonight is in the context of having attended the news conference on the final homeless count stats this morning, going past 2 hotels in the 11 00 block of E. Hastings that are for sale, and listening to my colleague, Wendy Pedersen, who just took a bike tour of the West side of the Downtown Eastside checking out hotels for sale signs and empty rooms. At the news conference we all learned that homelessness is still growing hundreds of folks still have to sleep on our streets. Wendy found that there appears to be another slew of SRO's for sale and some of them are emptying out probably so the owners can sell the buildings vacant like the Bums Block owner did. We're not against having rental housing at $600-800 a month, if that's what this is going to be. But you guys still don't

•

~, The day after tenants ' ·-·

·,;l of tile Burns Block '

,:11, paid rent, they were "'

·--· given eviction notices .......

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..........

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"' '" " . ~m r::#l

. .

I . .-d with one hour to

.. leave. Pivot may still .;~i be seeki11g damages

~ --·- . .. -- on behalf of tenants. The owner later made

·J~ .,a ...

..

just under $1 million auctioning this building off in 2007.

...,,. · · seem to see what's happening with soft conversions. Presumably the SRA bylaw was passed because you wanted to keep from making more low income people homeless by letting the owners destroy their rooms. Our main fear here is that if you approve the Burns Block you will send a message to owners and developers that all they have to do is evict their tenants or let conditions run down and let the city evict them, and then they can merrily flip the building to the next person who comes along with enough money. Wendy found 15 buildings with empty rooms in her little survey -Dver 400 rooms were empty and closed. She also found 4 of these buildings with for sale signs on them. She found one that's advertising on Craig's list for

( Contlntle.d on p~e. Lt)

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(Cor\tinueA .fmn P'9e 3) international students at $500 a month, which people on welfare can't afford.

We know you think there is going to be lots of housing soon. But you have 4000 SRO units to replace with housing that people on welfare can afford. And you have at least 1500 homeless people to house. This is not the time to be allowing low rental housing to go upscale. People on welfare won't be able to afford the renovated Burns Block .

You're supposed to consider some factors like: • Will the new accommodation be

available to the tenants affected? The answer is clearly no.

• Is there a big enough supply of low income housing? Surely you're not going to answer yes to this one.

• What is the recent history of the building? The landlord didn't maintain it and the city evicted the residents with one hour notice and some become homeless.

Some other points: It's nice that the new Burns Block tenants will

.

have earthquake protection. Too bad there's a double standard and low income tenants don't have it; the city is still far short of getting the 800 units per year of new housing that the Homeless Action Plan says it needs; you guys really need a decent definition of affordable. $600-800 a month, a probable Burns Block rent, is only affordable if you make $2000- $2600 a

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month. People on welfare have $3 7 5 for rent.

The best thing that could come out of this is if the city would work with the owner and a non profit group to save these units for low income dtes residents. It wouldn't have to be supportive housing just affordable.

Meanwhile, it is September. How about working out some deals to temporarily (until all these units that you say are coming open up) open the closed rooms, slap a coat of paint on them, unplug the plumbing, and get some homeless people off the street? ~JS

Pivot said in their Cracks in the Foundation report that city staff gave Veronica Crow Eagle (60) directions to the emergency shelter after she was evicted from tlte BB Hotel. Two nights later she was walking the streets without a bed, as the shelter was full.

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Stagnant incomes big cause of neighbourhood ills

According to the City's Downtown Eastside Housing Plan, 67% of DTES residents have low incomes (based on 2001 census). The median income in the DTES is $12,084 compared to $47,309 for the rest of the city. According to a more recent City survey

60% of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) residents, 62% of non market SROs, and 25% of social housing residents in the area rely on income assistance. Income assistance rates in BC range from $61 0 a month for a single person who the goverrunent defines as able to work, to $906 for a person who the government recognizes as having a serious disability. This survey says that 77% of SRO residents and 72% of social housing residents have annual incomes of $15,000 or less.

The 2005 Statistics Canada low income cut off line for a single person in a city is $20,778 and for a family of 4: $38,801. Incomes are so low in the DTES because welfare, disability, and seniors benefits are so low and because the minimum

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wage, at $8 an hour or $6 an hour for new workers, does not provide enough income to get above the low income cut off.

While incomes in the DTES have always been low, the purchasing power of welfare and minimum wage is much less now than it was 25 or 30 years ago when the neighbourhood was healthier.

For example, in 1975, the minimum wage was 122o/o of the poverty line (low income cut off); now the $8 minimum is only 80% of the poverty line. If welfare for a single person had the same purchasing power today that it had in 1981, it would be $870 a month. But people only get $610 a month today.

The loss of purchasing power in the area is significant because developers, the City and others claim that the way to help business in the DTES is to build condos that have richer residents. They would be able to afford to buy more things in local stores. The Carnegie Community Action Project wants income for low income residents to

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Would stores open if welfare paid $1,300 a month? (Cont. page 6)

(continued frmn page 5) .... increase so they, too, can buy things in local stores. This means pressing the provincial government to increase welfare and minimum wage and the

federal government to increase pensions for seniors. CCAP is working with the Raise the Rates Coalition on these issues (see www.raiscthcratcs.org). ~JS

Over 600 Downtown Eastside residents are homeless

How many homeless people live in the Downtown Eastside? According to the official homeless count done last March, on March 11 there were 659 homeless people in the DTES, or 54 % of all the homeless people in Vancouver. Of these, 276 were in shelters and 383 were on the street or

• • ustng a servtce. According to

the Greater

' •

·ly ; . . .

l . . .. . "" ,.,·.· .. ' ·~.t··'"' -~-'1

Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness, which did the count, their method of counting "underestimates the number of homeless people," so there are really tnore homeless people than the official count found.

The number of people who are homeless and on the streets in the whole region (not just the DTES) increased by

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373% to 2660, according to the March count since 2001 . Aboriginal people represent 32% of homeless people in

spite of being only 2% of the regional population. And Aboriginal women make up 44% of homeless women in the region.

Some other facts: It costs the government about $3 3 million a year to maintain homelessness, according to a S FU

study it paid for. The province had a surplus of$2.9 billion in 2007-2008 and a $250 million housing fund that is in a bank. The feds had a surplus of$10.2 billion for the same period. CCAP estimates that there are over 400 vacant rooms in the DTES, enough to shelter all the homeless people found outside of shelters last March. "'JS

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What is Fred doing with that giant mushroom? Read CCAP's newsletter insert next month to find out what CCAP was up to at Sasamat Lake.

Mark your calendars Saturday, October 4 FEDERAL ALL-CANDIDATES MEETING ABOUT HOUSING 12:30 p.m. Leave Carnegie with C-cap, Little Mountain Social Housing Project Federal Candidates must commit to a national housing program or more people will be displaced like all the families at Little Mountain. Food and Music

Monday, October 6-7

SLEEP OUT AND RALLY "HARPER, HOUSE YOUR HOMELESS" Time and Location tba \ Tuesday, October 14 STANDING FOR HOMES- FASTING FOR JUSTICE Time of departure from Carnegie tba Homeless Action Week Vigil at City Hall organized by Streams of Justice

Saturday, October 18

SURROUND CITY HALL Time of departure from Carneg~e tba

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( Cm·I\VlllttA fYzrm p~e 1 J Organized by the Citywide Housing Coalition. Call for action. Never before has our country seen so much homelessness. We must not leave our basic needs to market forces. Pennanent housing programs, better incomes and laws against evictions now!

Saturday, November 10 CIVIC ALL CANDIDATES MEETING FOR DTES RESIDENTS 1-3:00 p.m., Carnegie Theatre- hosted by the DTES Neighbourhood House

Sunday, November 2 CCAP'S GENTRIFICATION TOUR 11-12:30 p.m., Carnegie front steps

Wednesday, November 8

CCAP BOOK LAUNCH- "THE SOUL OF VANCOUVER" 7 - 10 p.m., Carnegie Theatre Can poetry save the world? Join the idealists of the DTES Poets and community activists Jean Swanson from C-CAP, Kim Kerr from DERA, Bud Osborn, Sandy Cameron, Diane Wood and others for an exciting night of spoken word, resisting gentrification. They will be introducing and reading from a poetry anthology called "The Soul of Vancouver - Voices From The Downtown Eastside" which honours the history and community of the neighbourhood as developers move east, gobbling up the homes of thousands of low-income residents.

********Many thanks to Jay Black for his DTES photos******** btjp_j&_~JJ:._l£.ilickr. com/photos/blackbird hollowtaking/

C-cap's Blog: http://ccapvancouver.wordpress.com/

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• anc1 "Support for this project does not necessarily imply Vancity' s endorsement of the findings or contents of this report."

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News from the Library

Newly Added Books Five Ring Circus: Myths and Realities of the Olympic Games (796.98). In this important and much-anticipated work, Christopher Shaw uncovers what he calls the "cesspool of greed, backroom deals and the wholesale trampling of civil liberties" in Vancouver's preparation for the 2010 Olympic Games. Shaw details the economic, environmental and human costs of hosting the "games", and takes no prisoners in his damning indictment of the major players involved and their disregard for socia l jus­tice and fair play.

In a similar vein, Tony Clarke's Inside the Bottle (338.47), published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, exposes the behind-the-scenes machinations of the major bottled water companies. Clarke argues that, by exploiting publicly-owned resources and employing deceptive marketing and

. ' . lobbying strategies, these companies act10ns threaten the long-term public availability of a vital resource.

University of Alberta English professor Ted Bi­~hop's Riding with Rilke (921 BIS) combines travelogue with literary analysis and personal me­moir. The story fo llows Bishop as he rides his mo­torbike from Edmonton to Austin, Texas in order to research Virginia Woolfs novel Jacob's Room, and ends with the author lying on a hospital bed with a broken back. Bishop's love of literature and the open road, combined with humorous and finely­crafted tales of the people he meets, make this a great book to curl up with.

Finally, a new edition of Missing Sarah, Maggie De Vries' deeply personal and incredib ly moving memoir of her sister's troubled life on the Down­town Eastside and eventual disappearance-she was among the women whose DNA was found on Robert Pickton's farm- has been republished and updated with new information from the Pickton trial.

By Aaron on behalf of Beth

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My Second Husband

My Story, Your story My second husband, Mad Jack the Trapper Red Beret in the Korean Police Action An o ld guy Special forces in the Southeast Asian mud Intimate with cold wet feet 'n water-born parasites Taught me the right way to put on my hiking boots Like I would have then on for a long time Taught me fishing the clean streams ofNova Scotia Rainbow trout, sea trout when they were running The Mayfly is hatching The air full of white wings ... And bass where the nine mile river joins the Shubenacadadic. Gaspereax we took from fishermen's gill nets

- bonier than herri I never killed a deer When he was in the throes of delirium

and half-woke to strangle me -Later told me he thought I was a "Gook-

... never the same... ~:..::

Even after a year in that US hospital in Washington

Not many - a handle of his regiment returned He a sergeant all the way from Oxford High School

and fencing and Shakespeare to murder - legitimate murder in Southeast Asia

The women in his family were genteel Players of Bridge; Drinkers of tea Welsh and MicMac mix (Roman Catholic) garden parties with hats The men enjoyed dripping deer blood

on the kitchen floor Sleeping with other ~omen Becoming blood brothers in the Turtle Klan Leaving Indian wives on the reserves.

When I got pregnant in our 5th year - he split I listened to Lightfoot's Ribbon o(Darkness and ironed My son went away with a nice lady from the Children's Aid.. but they lied to me and made up a story, a long complicated story

He found me through the WWW when he was 30 And came to visit me My son, the engineer His wife, the engineer

and their children Alex and Nicolas QUE SERA SERA

Willie

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Meditation on the death of Frank Joseph Paul to be recited in the alley behind the Vancouver detox centre at 377 E. 2nd Ave

SHATTERING PERFORMANCE DATES: Frank Joseph Paul- Local Vancouver Run Frank Joseph Paul- what links us? . 1

Beyond injustice, beyond the old familiar story of what happens to people . Sep. 26 -- PREVIEW something else- Sep. 27 -- OPENING NIGHT a body dragged into the street Sep. 28 -- SHOW dying alone in a downtown alley. Sep. 29-- NO SHOW

· Sep. 30-- SHOW Frank Joseph Paul- even I, m my large suburban condo 0 t 01 __ SHOW ~ ' a di~erent kind of Indian, indios, inDios O~t: 02 __ SHOW m the tmage of god - Oct. 03 __ SHOW I bear witness for Frank Joseph Paul. Oct. 04 __ SHOW I bear witness for those who walk on foot, summoned to arrive before the Oct. 05 __ CLOSING NIGHT authorities and then later, then ... Frank Joseph Paul, breached. We are the trench soldiers-We are the small timers, thieves, crooks, or worse. We are the homeless, the itinerant We are the ragged ones roaming through the centuries through countries, borders, wars, famine, pogroms, land-clearances, reservations, partition. We are the tinkers, hired hands, gypsies, saints, shepherds, pilgrims, refugees and immigrants. We are cast out and then down, traveling the ground. All through time on foot we've walked, we've walked the road -But the rich have lifted themselves, but the rich have lifted themselves up on horseback, in coaches, trains and cars first class, business class, best class, high class, no class, our class, their class. What questions- Frank Joseph Paul- should we ask? If we are warm in our houses, warm on wet nights, and we hear the fist on the door, will we go with them? Or if among the crowds that line the way we see him, or in among the crowd you saw him bent over with his burden -his burden bent him- face close enough to see sweat would you help him? If at night in the city, stepping from our cars, stepping from your car­If at night you glimpse, just for an instant, we see just for a moment­A body, dumped into the street, cheek to pavement-You, he, us, them- what would you do? Frank Joseph Paul, your death is the place we'll meet. Golgatha.

Renee Sarojini Saklikar

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Japanese Hall • 475 Alexander Street, Vancouver

All shows: doors open at 7:30pm, performance begins at 8:00pm. Admission is by donation. Reservations recommended.

Language Advisory

To make a reservation or for further info pleaS! contact Headlines at (604) 871-0508 or publicity@ he a dli nesth eatre. com

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Back by popular demand!

SHATTERING (formerly know as METH) Forum Theatre created and performed by people who have struggled wth addiction

Shattering begins with the premise that addicts come from somewhere: our communities. It is also within our communities that solutions dwell. By combining the very real issue of addiction with Forum Theatre, Shattering engages our collective creativity. Audience members are invited to stop the action of the play, and replace characters onstage, providing an opportunity to initiate community dialogue in search of grassroots solutions. The play asks difficult questions that dig beneath the symptoms to get at the root causes of addiction, and also provides a safe place to explore approaches to complex situations.

CHAINS OF COMMAND f.', N • •'•,• ~ ·

Impacted composted diatribes, long since dissolved and discarded, desiccated into ether, ashes, poofed up to be blown away, spraying straying stagnant embers, non-existent fa­bricated fortuitous fictitious memories flickering faintly off into the impossible pinholes of darkness, squeezed into the black hollows, vaporizing apparitions. If that's not enough, declarations of war and carnage by boring past before date political flunkies and junkies welded to first-past-the-post bummedout burnedout mediocrities, bureaucratic clockwat­chers, ticking timebombs of unrestrained inaction and convoluted inertia: get lost; step down; step out; buzz off who needs ya? Who the hell asked ya to dish up your trash? Beat it you low rent high cost users, fiim flamming cruisers seeking no consensus nor an iota of discussion or worse debate. Just evil decrees to lower expectance of degrees of . democracy; freezing out Joe Blows & Jane Does steamrolled as usual; and why ain't we surprised at you spreading high gloss defeatist attitudisms growing staler by the millisec­ond but to be continued until the very reek of such cockeyed doctrines creaks. Your brand-spanking newness sickens the senses. We don't appreciate your tragic undocum­ented accounts, a ledger of lies buried under years of stifling psycho-babble, resting undisturbed in a bunker of secrecy and deceit, Irrelevant declarations of discrepancies and smothered dissension; scary chicaneries are all true yet true in surrealistic, close­minded, tight-fisted, policy-won king heretical disharmony. We are so sick and tired of being ruled by such self-absorbing abdications of responsibility; boring conceited carpet­baggers, as you so-called high society demi-gods like to appear to be when in fact you're classless anybodys- as you label us 'minions of the majority' that should, in a perfect world, rule with no elite, no middle class, no working class. Cast your doubts into the mirror of this soulless vanity of heart and mind. There is no convincing the elite, only elitist contemptibility and conspiracy remain when light shines on such historical, pathological revisionism. You still doubt me intensely and I still speak out about your unbalanced and fragile state of mind, especially at election time, and you devise highly suspicious casino-like games to appease all in a or the moment, to roustabout and secretly shut out any intelligent input whatsoever and it's business-as-usual because you know (you've insured} we're outta y.our loop. And it's 'See Ya Later sucker' for another 4 years and then, unfortunately for you, ya gotta roll dem dice again, cry your crocodile tears and watch with your suppressed, patriarchal pathologies resurfacing again and again and again. ROBYN LIVINGSTONE

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Ancient Trees

We were walking in the company of o ld growth Douglas Fir trees at Cypress Falls Park, and we saw their branches reaching into the sky and their roots reaching into the earth. Standing in the shade of ancient trees with sunlight shining through their branches was like being in dreamtime.

These trees are hundreds of years old, and they have much to teach those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. The trees are our re latives for we are both made of stardust and we are both children ofthe universe.

The trees tell us to live with the dignity that is manifest in the ir age and beauty, and ifwe listen closely we can hear them whispering "All my relations."

Sandy Cameron

Running Mad Running Mad with utmost calmness and glee! Children kidnapped, whose lives are shackled eternally. Childhood stolen, cultures are a mask of confusion, Taught to lie, fight and steal; life's an illusion.

Unreal images of truths are bathed in lies Babies crying - tears running from their eyes Happier moments are forever lost in dark voids Running mad , running free, happiness they now avoid.

Alcohol, drugs and suicide are dire aftermaths Oflndian Residential Schools assimilating crooked path What? A few penn .ies for children who screamed in fear Whose truth and reconci liation are far away, not near.

Truth & Reconc iliation are buried in unmarked graves Where Jay bones of mine s isters and brother, mine baby braves Unless they're unearthed, there'll be no truth or reconciliation Justice need be served, truths unburied with First Nations babie

Running mad betwixt truths and lies Are chi ldren with tears in blinded eyes, Babies afraid to run, afraid to hide, Oblivious are ones buried on the other side.

I saw babies run, I saw them flee Wandering, wandering, falling on wounded knee Rivers of fear, filling a lake of tears Means of escape were futile through all those years.

Caught and beaten night and day Whipped, tortured and to ld to pray Pray to my god, savage child Your gods are s laves and you' ll never run wi ld.

Awaken, awaken at the gates of hell Residential School reptiles shaking hellish bells Snakes and lizards disturbed your s leep Nightmare rattles of imps of the mires deep.

Darkness fi lls evi l hearts of fools Unforgiven killers at res idential schools Sword of lies lays bloodbaths - sad Lies running, running mad, mad, mad.

-- ··-· A ll my re lations,

William Arnold Coombes

Solder & Sons · Used books - Coffee & Tea

Curious audio recordings & equipment

247 Main Street- 315-7198

October Special is coffee & a fig bar for $3

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UNLETTERED Disarming the one you love like the hundreds be­fore after & back to before, it takes very little time to real ize insults do go through doors, at least it's one thing near completion, it comes with compli­mentary air & water depletion, just like a selfishist to leave home with the candles running, pretending it' s fun while he swears out loud "What have I done?"; I may have formed my hand into the shape of a gun - not very cunning is it! Just like your phones becoming the next & best instrument to imitate but not much left for imagination "Oh that's obsolete as of this week" (I thought I just heard Cellularman say cancer is on the way). All thru life your biggest fear was losing your hair but you are unlettered & can barely answer.

• Next up I fantasy hairball, get it parted on the s ide in style and show off those pearly gates I MEAN pearly whites yes, you are pretended - unattended & worse unlettered, we should of a ll known better ­nothing sadder than a child seeing question marks in place of every letter no No NO! Unlettered back when help was a4-letter word .. . quit jumping to delusions the las words of a dead man in a bow-tie of confusion to bring an end to a long line of con­clusions: take care around angry women & children ~hat began as conversation rapidly escalated into confrontation, the Save Lives people don't realize the panic & are I believe at some celebration if sal­vation is your solution then blind faith take a bow & Faith On like hanging ... on every word, hanging around to learn more about why you can't spell what you've just heard I check the time in the check-out line an even greater emotional appeal put on hold what was that check-out time? can the unlettered read numbersotherwise how will they know when their number' s up; If sympathy were in fashion which it is not did you expect another reaction the unlettered for better or · worse might at least know what's what, except for the 2 1h BILLION unlettered people trying to figure the figures that would spell HUT: Hut Sweet Hut ­if you can spell it.

Robert M cGillivray "Don't worry about the world coming to an end today .. it's a lready tomorrow in Australia."

Charles M. Shultz

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A Response to

Peter Ladner

I am the retired Nurse from the DEY AS Health Outreach Van from 1998 to 2003; fringe involved and dedicated to the DTES forever. W ho are you, Peter Ladner ... where do you live? The "vociferous encounter w ith 1a1 local resident~~

is an abso lutely ludicrous statement mentioned in tell ing of your recent 11Stro11" on Davie Street.

Where were the Mayorality Candidates who were invited to r ide along with me in the DEY AS Health Van in the nasty hours- 2 :00pm to 2:00am, 7/7?? I recall a candidate in the last e lection who DID ride with us. Mr. Moore-Dempsey was unsuccessful at the polls but I was very impressed. Federal M inis­ter, Monique Beguine, (forgive my spelling, Hon­ourable Minister!) rode with us from 6pm to mid­night...a wonderfu l, dedicated person who wanted to see, touch and learn .

The scourges of addiction, disease transmission, homeless, marginal ized/dual diagnosis and ELDER ABUSE are NOT 9 to 5, Monday to Friday with stats and w/e off.

I nursed in the Holding Cells, 222 Main Street; 1978 to retirement in 1998 and then crossed the street to assume the Charge Nurse position on the Clinic Health Outreach Van under DEY AS @ 223 Main Street.

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I knew John Turvey for over 40 yrs. I saw him build a Society that addressed the complex needs of the addicted and focussed, initially, on Youth Ac­tivities (Downtown Youth ACTIVIES Soci-ety ... NOT "Action11

)

John was articulate, cred ib le and diligent in ad­dressing a ll roblem areas in the DTES.

I CHALLENGE A LL CANDIDATES TO A PANEL DISC USSION ON ADDICTION, HOMELESS, M ARGINALIZED/DUAL Dl-, AGNOSED PERSONS AND ELDER ABUSE IN THE DTES and THE ROLE O F DEY AS-

, past, present and future .. .I was there and wi l1 never give up speaking up.

I have the hard copy references from 1967 to 2008. I was honoured to be elected to the Board of Direc­tors of DEY AS in July/08.

It is insanity to withdraw fundi ng for the Youth Detox Center and deny funding to DEY AS Youth Workers. Family Services cannot handle the pre­sent load and lack the one-on-one trust between troubled youth and DEY AS Youth Workers. I will, again, make reference to the 9 to 5, stats and w/e off. DEY AS IS THERE and available for commu­nication/messaging 24hrs.

I have never been one to sit on my hands with my mouth closed. I stand for reality, truth and educa­tion. My goal is to Aspire to Inspire until I Expire.

NAME THEDA Y, TIME and PLACE!

By Bonnie Fourn ier, Registered Psychiatric Nurse

The Hallowe'en Dance Is Coming Up ... This year, why not make your own Hallowe'en MASK!

4 Workshops ·Starting October 1oth

>; Fridays 2 - 4 pm Carnegie 3 rd floor Art Galiery

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Note: The following legal trespass notice follows on an Eviction Order issued by Squamish Hereditary Cief (Siem) Kiapilano on March 4, 2008 against the Catholic, Anglican and United Churches in Vancouver. It was prompted by the refusal of these churches to surrender the remains of children who died in their Indian residential schools, after repeated requests to them to do so. Chief Kiapilano has therefore ordered these churches off his land, and calls upon all people of conscience to boycott these churches and enforce this Eviction, including by peacefully occupying these church buildings and opening them up to the poor and homeless. He also asks that other tribal elders across Canada issue similar evictions against these churches on their territories. Please publish and circulate this notice.

Eagle Strong Voice, Fiduicary Officer and Agent for Chief Kiapilano.

Common Law Notice of Trespass

To: The Members, Participants and Officers of the Corporations known as The Roman Catholic Church, The Anglican Church of Canada, and The United Church of Canada.

You are hereby notified, pursuant to Docket S036483, Supreme Court of British Columbia Registry of 4 March, 2008 (Notice of Eviction}, not to remain upon or to enter property on the land legally possessed by Hereditary Siem Chief Kiapilano of the Squamish Nation.

Said property, upon which the buildings owned by the said church corporations now stand, is under the lawful control of Siem Chief Kiapilano as legal custodian of this land, which is located in the city of Vancouver and its suburbs, and consists of the following:

Seventy nine churches, two church administrative offices, and one theological seminary owned by the United Church of Canada;

Seventy one churches, two church administrative offices, and one theological seminary owned by the Anglican Church of Canada;

Ninety three churches, two diocesan administrative offices, and two theological colleges owned by the Roman Catholic Church.

Signature of Legal Owner: (in original} Siem Kiapilano

Dated this 161h Day of September, 2008, on Squamish Nation Territory

TRESPASS NOTICE Under SECTION 4(1)(2) AND (4) British Columbia TRESPASS ACT 1980

In accordance with the above Act and Section, you are hereby warned to stay off the places known as the churches and buildings of the Roman Catholic Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the United Church of Canada located in the City of Vancouver and its suburbs, lawfully owned and never relinquished by Hereditary Siem Chief Kiapilano of Squamish Nation. (Jurat: Quod Meum est sine me auferri non potest - What is mine cannot be taken away without my consent)

You are advised that, in accordance with the provisions of the Trespass Act 1980, it is an offence punishable by a fine not exceeding $1000, or imprisonment not exceeding three months, to enter onto the aforementioned place within the space of TWO YEARS after you have received this warning, OR UNTIL SUCH TIME AS THIS NOTICE IS CANCELLED.

Registered April 21, 2008. Vancouver Court Registry: Affidavit #2- SHCC Docket 5036483

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tnatgenous ana 1oca1 organizers con-front the Olympic 'Spirit' Train.

Edmonton- On Monday September 29th at Wagner School, 6310 Wagner road,the Native 2010 Resis­tance, a part of the Olympics Res istance Network, in solidarity with concerned citizens of Fort Chipe­wyan will confront the CPR's "Spirit Train". The Spirit Train is crossing Canada and stopping in numerous cities along the way. Preparations for the Games 'nd Tar Sands operations are already having a negative impact on Indigenous, low-income, and marginalized communities and on Indigenous lands

According to Dustin Johnson of the Native 2010 Resistance, "We are here to expose the genocide, ecocide and displacement being promoted by this 'Spirit Train' propaganda machine steaming through Native communities."

Johnson's sentiment is shared by other Indigenous peoples across Canada who are fighting to protect their land. "We are in Ed.monton in solidarity with the Native

2010 Resistance to confront the Spirit Train. It em­bodies the synergies between the corporate sector supporting the Olympics, and the corporate inter­ests in Alberta's Tar Sands .. while simultaneously continuing the destruction of Indigenous lands and livelihoods," explains Mike Mercredi, resident from Fort Chipewyan . "The Olympics is the world's largest sporting event, brought to us with the corporate sponsorship of some of the largest profiteers from the world's larg­est industrial development known as the Tar Sands" says Clayton Thomas Muller of the Indigenous En­vironmental Network.

Some of the big players in this massive public relations campaign are the Royal Bank of Canada which has $15.7 billion invested in Canada's fossil fuel industry. RBC also has $110 mi1lion invested into the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, making them the 3rd largest corporate sponsor. Petro Can­ada is set to be one of the largest operators in the Tar Sands and has $60 million invested in Olympic sponsorship and is the official energy supplier of the games. The events in Edmonton will be the third of a series of actions against the "Spirit Train" planned across the country. For info: Clay Thomas-Muller- 218-760-6632 Sheila Muxlow- 780-233-2528 Macdonald Stainsby- 780-233-4992

The Native 2010 Resistance is primarily based on

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the occupied territories of'BC and exists as an In­digenous space to coordinate anti-20 10 Olympics efforts in conjunction with the Olympics Resistance Network.

The community of Fort Chipewyan is Alberta's oldest settlement and is downstream from the Tar Sands. --

The Indigenous Free School "It is better to have less thunder in the mouth and

more lightning in the hand. -Apache"

Out In The Cold will have its world premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival in a couple of weeks. It would be great to have local people in the audience. VIFF Screening Times and Location:

Sunday, Oct. 5, 9:45 pm Empire Granville 7 Monday, Oct. 6, 3:00pm Empire Granville 7

SYNOPSIS: On a night so cold it hurts to breathe, three First

Nations Men find themselves abandoned on the outskirts of town. The wonderful script, written by Cheryl Jack from Saskatoon, was inspired by the freezing deaths of several First Nations in Saskatoon. The film, often­times humorous, is a metaphorically rich drama that explores themes of loss, memory and disregard faced by Indigenous people in Canada and around the world. Film's website: www.sarahabbott.ca/outinthecold.

You can also read about Out In The Cold and other films being screened at www.viff.org. Out In The Cold will have its Saskatchewan pre­miere in Regina on October 25 and will screen in Saskatoon on October 27. Both screenings will be followed by a panel discussion. The film has also been selected for screening at the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival that runs November 19 -23, 2008.

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All Ideas are Suggestions ...

A Suggestion Box has been suggested. The Board of Directors is just one forum in Carnegie: most discuss­ion and activity happens at the different comrr~ittees, and going to the right one to present your idea is the best way to get ears and minds listening. Committees include:

Oppenheimer Park, 2nd Thursday, 3:30, at the park; Volunteer, 2 weeks before cheques, 2pm, clsrm II Seniors, 3rd Thursday, 2pm. Theatre; Library/Education, Wed before cheques, 3pm, Clr II Community Relations, Thurs before Board, 4pm,

Association Office; Program, Tuesday before Board, 4pm, Assoc. Office; Finance, Wednesday before Board, 4pm, Assoc. Ofc; BOARD, First Thursday of each month, 5:30, Theatre Publications, Friday, day after the Board, l pm, AO

A dated schedule is on the door of the Association Office on the 2nd floor and a call to the Front Desk is a sure way of getti ng the date and time if you're unsure.

If you can't get to the proper committee, put your idea on paper and hand it in to the lnfo Desk staff. A Board member will collect all suggestions on a regular basis and get them to the appropriate committee.

This method of learning of ideas will be tried for 3-4 months and then evaluated for how effective it is. You can always pick up a Carnegie Centre Program Guide for monthly schedules of all programs and meetings.

By Lisa David, on behalfofthe Board

Bklwbolt, 1943. Wood engraving, 7 x 7~ in.

a ora Candidates Meeting

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FREE PUBLIC EVENT: October 22, 7pm

St. Andrew's-Wesley Church, Burrard & Nelson

Affordable Housing

Homelessness

Mental Health

Hear the candidates' views on these issues

Peter Ladner

Gregor Robertson

For more information: 604-862-6826 Events.staw@telus.net

www .endhomelessnessnow .ca

Never Think Before You Act, from FlordePascuo, 1921. Woodcut 4~ x 3V. in

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DOWNTOWN NEEDLE EXCHANGE VAN·- 3 Routes: •

EAS'fSIDE . • . 604-685-6561

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Qtt- 5s4~pm- ll t45pm YOUTH .

Ovornlgbt- l2:30a~ - 8r30am ACTIVITIES

SOCIETY 604-251-3310 Dpwntown Rosf§ld~...; 5r30p1J! - ~ :30a•

CFRO 102 •. 1 FM CO-OP RADIO 0 • • •

fill! I! aublllf11I011411Rdllue. fur IUUIC lt!Jt!!'

' Free Showers for homeless persons nt 327 Cnrmll

I N ':= W S LET! ~ R ~ Wed 7-8:30sm; Sst 1·10sm; Frl WOMEN ONLY 6·8PM

l'IUS NEWSLETTE~ IS A PUBLICATION 011 :nu; ~ - _ ,;,; ·~ · ~· ·· · ;;. · · ~ ... - - . ~ ~. ~ ~ ·~ f Ci\ICNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCI/\ riON · tJ/e:aohnowledat·Chat:Cirifegf~Comm~pf~.'O&nt~~~ a~dthle

Artldu rearrt~ent •••• vlowa otlndlvlduat I Newife«•t•·ere•tl••uitii!!•OI\;tHe .,q2m~:N_flo~ f!,!!IIO,!l· ~ontrlbutorumd nol oflhe Auorlntlon. • - - - - f'.w .. ; ":"'T .~ . ............ . :. • •• -· . , .

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;-Edit~ Pa~ TaYfor; c-;e;s -;rt by Pris~ili; T~it;layo~hclp 1 W. A N T E 0 1 - Lisa David. Collation & Distribution crew: Harold, Liu Lin, I ; A tw k 1ti th C ~ le Newslel/er • Bill, Mary Ann, Videha, Miriam, Hal, Kelly, Jackie, Nick, Robyn r ~ or or e arn 1J

L_ R~lt~a~th~,_u~ !in~P~~ ~e~ ________ I • Smallllluatratlona to accompanv articles

TIM STEVENSON l· . and poetry . . ·. • .Cover art- Maximum size: 17cm(6·3f4", '

CITY COUNCILLOR l~ SERVING THE COMMUNITY

WtTH PRIDE

CITYIIAU 453 Wur 12m AVE., V5Y 1V4 Phone: 604.873·7247

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wrde )( 16cm(6") hfgh. • Subject matter relevant to laaueil pertaining

to the Downtown Eaatalde Ia preferred, but all work wilt be considered

• Black & while printing onlv • Size reatdctrone must be conaldered (I.e., If

. Jenny Wai Ching Kwan MLA •

your pie eels too large, It will be reduced andlor cropped to fit) AU artists will receive credit for their work Orlgfnals will be returned to the artist· after Working for You • being coplad for publication . 1070-1641 Commercial Or, V5L 3Y3

Phone: 604-775-0790

Do you Have a Legal Problem? A.re you charged wJth a crltne7

VIsit the UBC Law Clinic in the 3rd floor gallery of Carnegie Centre for free advice & representation.

uilc Law Students Legal Advice Program (LSLAP) Drop-In, T uesdays, 7- 9pm.

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• Remuneration: Carnegie volunteer tickets

Please make subanlssfons Cm · ·· · ··-···'Paul Taylor, Editor~:: .~.-... :.

2008 DONATIONS: Barry for Dave McC.-$260 Anne·P.·$40 Margaret 0.·$40 Paddy ·$70 Michael C.·$50 Judy E.·$10 Alayne K.·$50 libby 0.·$70 Callum C.·$100 The Edge ·$200 Jenny K.·$22 Penny G.·$40 · Wilhelmina M.-$40 Jaya B.·$100 Mel L.·$50 Pam 8·$50 Rolf A.·$50 Otonn 8.-$200 · o,~~~_P:·i5P Anonymous -$50 Sue K.-$3( Sandy C.-$25 CEEDS -$60

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Carnegie Community Centre Hosts

Hope in G/Jadows PIVOT's 2009 Calendar Award Ceremony

The Award Ceremony will start at 10 a.m. on Thursday October 9. We will play a short 5-minute video made of the camera contest at this time. It was done by Daniel Froidevaux and people can already see it onl ine on VancouverlAM.com. The top 40 are then announced, and the people are

asked to come to the stage to receive a certificate and an enlargement of their photo: first we give out 24 Honourable Mentions. They all receive $25 each in prize money. Next is the 10 3rd place-getters ­they receive $50. Five people receive $100, and finally the winner receives $500. The calendar is unveiled also at this time. The top

sellers from last year will have already done pre­training for the City of Vancouver Street Licence so they will be able to pick up their free calendars. The top 40 winners also get one free calendar as their names are in it.

Exhibition The Hope in Shlldows exhibition officially opens that evening at the Pendulum Gallery at 885 West Georgia Street (HSBC Building). The exhibition . has the top 40 and all the captions about the photo-graphs. Everyone is invited and winners are invited

NEWS FROM THE CARNEGIE LEARNING CENTRE

The Learning Centre is getting geared up for another great year after a summer season staffed only by volunteers; with both Lucy and Betsy away on vacation. Lucy threw a great Appreciation Lunch for our faithful volunteers on Wednesday, September 17 and a good time was had by all. Thanks to everyone who makes this place run!

We are always looking for new volunteers. I've been doing it for a long time and it is a very re­warding experience. There are workshops, one-on-

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to speak about their experience if they want to.

Calendar Street Sale Training Training is planned for many venues. Training

usually takes about an hour. It is run by an expe­rienced trainer (Garvin Snider). While Garvin does the training on how to sell the calendar and goes over the Code of Conduct, we process the ID cards on a laptop computer and portable printer and lami­nator. At the end of the training, the person goes away with an official ID card, and one calendar to start them off. If they want to buy more to sell, they have to pay $1 0 at one of the depots. The main de­pots in the Downtown Eastside are:

• Pivot Legal Society, 678 East Hastings • Po.-tland Hotel, 20 West Hastings Street

There are also depots on Commercial Drive (Vanci­ty), East Broadway (Cuppa Joes), and two in the downtown core. Last year calendar sellers made more than $55,000 for themselves from selling ca­lendars. The "pre-training" is reserved for top sellers and is

on the 8th. Here are the ones booked with local community centres already: October 10: LifeSkills, 412 E Cordova Street, 11 a.m. October 10: Gathering Place, 609 Helmcken {Seymour and Helmcken) 2 p.m. October 15: LifeSkills, 412 East Cordova Street, 11 a.m. October 17: LifeSkills, 412 East Cordova Street, 11 a.m. October 20: DTES Women's Centre, 1:30pm; November 3: DTES Women's Centre, 1:30 p.m. (all women trainers at both sessions)

one tutoring, computer classes and resume help. Presently the Learning Centre is open every week­day from 9am-5pm. We are looking for volunteers so we can open on Saturday afternoons as well; it's a very popular time for people who can't come dur­ing the week.

Wr·iting for Fun is a popular and fun class of­fered by Betsy every Tuesday from 1-2pm. On Tuesdays and Thursdays Bao teaches Intro to Compute•·s (Chinese) and on Wednesdays at 2pm Bob is offering a basic_ c lass. If you need individu­al tutoring in English or Math, Lucy can line you up with your own tutor to guide you through your studies.

So I hope you can drop by the 3rd floor and find out more about our great Carnegie Learning Centre

Written by Adrienne, Learning Centre Reporter Extraordinaire

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The Oppenheimer Park Community Art Show

Gallery Gachet, October 3 - 2'3

Featuring the inspired works of artists and allies belonging to the

vitally diverse and creative community in and around

Oppenheimer Park, on Coast Salish Territories

Opening Celebration: Friday, October 3rd

5pm: Procession from Oppenheimer Park to Gallery Gachet 6-9pm: Opening reception at the Gallery

Show your spirit in the procession from Oppenheimer Park to the gallery with the Homeless Band, show participants, community members and neighbourhood families. Procession leaves Oppenheimer Park, 400 Powell St, at 5:00pm and ends at Gallery Gachet, 88 East Cordova

Tuesday, October 21st, 1 :30 - 3:30pm Bingo! at Gallery Gachet Tea served by the Oppenheimer Park Ladies' Tea Party

Wednesday October 29th, 6- 10pm

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Closing Celebration: A Night of Remembrance Poetry, Stories and Ofrenda* in Celebration of the Oppenheimer Park Community and honouring friends past. Organized in conjunction with the Heart of the City Festival.

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Miercoles, 29 de octubre, de 6 a 10pn Celebracion del Cierre de Ia Exhibicioq con Poesia, Cuentos y Ofrendas Esta es una celebraci6n de la comunida del parque Oppenheimer, en honor y memoria a nuestros amigos y amigas. Organizado conjuntamente con el festival

Ofrenda: Spanish for 'Offering' Heart of the City (Coraz6n de Ia Ciudad).

For more information, please contact Ali or Barb at Oppenheimer Park at 604.665.2210

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