April 1, 1991, carnegie newsletter

FREE - donat ions accepted.

N E W S L E T T E R APRIL 1 , 1991. --- i d i - ~ a i n S t . , V a n c o u v e r , B. C. (604) 665-2289

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C a r ; ~ e g i e C h a r a c t e r P o r t r a i t

J I M M Y MORGAN

"The f i r s t 100 y r s is t h e toughest!" M r . Jimmy Norgan is 100 y e a r s o l d . Born A p r i l 1, 1891 i n Winnipeg, Jimmy is t h e d i r e c t a s c e n d a n t of Henry Norgan, famous swashbuck le r and r u t h l e s s p i r a t e . "My f a m i l y is n o t proud o f Henry Morgan. He was e v i l and v e r y dangerous . Peop le l i k e t o t h i n k t h e r e ' s honour b e i n g r e l a t e d t o him b u t t h e r e i s n ' t . " Henry Morgan was a s l a v e , o r s e r f , who k i l l e d h i s m a s t e r & g o t o n a s h i p . He l e d a mutiny and even t - u a l l y became n o t o r i o u s f o r a t t a c k i n g S p a n i s h g a l l e o n s and r u t h l e s s murders of p r i s o n e r s and f e l l o w crew men.

Jimmy organ's f a m i l y came t o Vancou- v e r i n 1899, a f t e r hav ing q u i t e a few y e a r s i n Wales. "We met my f a t h e r i n Van- couver . H e worked f o r BC E l e c t r i c & was a f i n e c a b i n e t maker. The f i r s t p l a c e we l i v e d was on Gravely S t . , 2 houses from V i c t o r i a D r . We b u i l t t h a t house - i t ' s s t i l l t h e r e t o o & as good a s when h e b u i l t i t . There w e r e n ' t a l o t of peop le a r o u n d . They were s t i l l c u t t i n g down huze

Douglas F i r s , Spruce and Cedars , b u r n i n g t h e stumps. I remember G r a n v i l l e & Hast- i n g s s t r e e t s b e i n g v i r t u a l l y n f o r e s t . There were a l o t of " sk id roads" , r o a d s made of l o g s and teams of h o r s e s pul l i r l f : t imber a l o n g on t o p of them. It was v e r y hard work. Cordova S t . , Lakcview D r . and Renfrew were a l l Sk id r o a d s . I don ' L 1 ikc t h i s a r e a b e i n g c a l l e d " s k i d row" becausr. n f t h e h i s t o r y - i t ' s bad p l a y on word:;."

"The C i t y o f Vancouver had o r i g i n a l l y d e c i d e d t o b u i l d e a s t , because o f t h e su- g a r f a c t o r y , bu t somehow they grew wes t . Back t h e n p r o p e r t y on G r a n v i l l e , where B u r k ' s is today , would c o s t o n l y $200 f o r a good-s ized l o t . l l a s t i n g s from Hea t ley t o Abbott was a p lank road. Around 1900 t h e y planked i t up t o Csmbie and had a b i g to-do w i t h t h e mayor, p o l i c e , f i r e depar tment and s e v e r a l p i p e bands. . . i t was a r e a l go! Ply f a t h e r l o s t a l o t of money because he bought l a n d i n E a s t Van where h e assumed t h e c i t y would grow. Back then G r a n v i l l e on1 y had 6 store:; bu t t h e y s u r e b u i l t i t up o v e r t h e y e n r s . "

Jimmy's f i r s t s c h o o l was Cranview. ilc h i s f r i e n d s used t o p l a y f o l l o w t h e l ead- e r , l ~ i d e ' n s e e k and durk on the rccl .

" ~ u c k on t i le Rock was where jrou p u t a s m a l l r o c k on t o p of a b i g one and t r y t o knock i f o f f from a d i s t a n c e . Ke had a l o t o f fun p l a y i n g s t i c k b a l l on s t r e e t s o r marb les . There were no r a d i o s s o vou made your own games see!"

When lie was 1 0 he s t a r L e d pay ing room board and worked s t e a d y f o r XcKlennan, 1 . 1 ~ Phee ley & P r i o r i n a n o f f i c e - a t l o ! IIe l a t e r worked f o r I n ~ e r n a t i o n a l L u b r i c a t - i n g O i l , t h e n a d v e r t i z i n g f o r Iludson Bay.

" A t a g e 12 I went t o s e a working on b i g s a i l i n g s h i p s t r a v e l l i n g t h e world . I s t a r t e d a s a c a b i n boy, t h e n a deck hand and when I was good enough became an N3, an Able-Bodied Seaman. I was a n N3 a t 14 and became a c a p t a i n a t 25. Around 1910 d e i s e l s h i p s j o i n e d s t e a m s h i p s . I worked on one o f t h e f i r s t o n e s , a Swedish* s h i p , f o r a c o u p l e o f t r i p s . Much l a t e r I ended up i n A u s t r a l i a where t h e y were c o n s t r u c - t i n g a huge power p l a n t . I worked on Syd- ney Bridge. I l i v e d q u i t e a l i f e i n Aust- r a l i a . I know i t b e t t e r t h a n Canada!"

During t h e D e p r e s s i o n Jimmy was b u s i e r than any o t h e r t ime w i t h h i s own j o b p a i n . Ling hoincs i n Winnipeg. He'd work a l l day then go o u t and c a n v a s s more busin--ASS. "I d i d LhaL j o b f o i 11 ~ r s & averaged $200 a day - someiimes even more. My mot to w a s - " I h n ' t t a l k a b o u t i t - do it!" which i s what h a s k e p t me s o busy."

A t t h e o u t b r e a k o f M W I I tie l o s ~ a bro- t h e r whose s h i p was to rpedoed . When Jimmy fourid o u t he t r i c d t o e n l i s t b u t t h e Army, A i r Force and even t h e Navy wouldn ' t t a k e him because he was t o o o l d . "I i h o u g h t t h e Navy would g r a b me, w i t h a l l t h e n a v a l ex- p e r i e n c e I had , b u t 110 d i c e . So I b u i l t sllip:: f o r North Van S l ~ i p R e p a i r s ; we b u i l t some 48 f r i c g l i t e r s . Af ter i h e war I went i n i o c o n t r a c t i n g w i t h a p a r t n e r i n Van. I a l s o g o t i n v o l v e d b e i n g s book ie . I d i d i t f o r q u i t e a few y e a r s , runnirig some o f t h e b i g g e s t books i n tlie c i t y . I t made me a m u l t i - m i l l i o n a i r e ! Tru ly ! "

Jimmy d o e s n ' t remember when h e g o t marr- i e d o r how o l d h e was, "but I do remember we g o t m a r r i e d 2 weeks a f t e r we met. She was s o b e a u t i f u l . I remember guys on t h e s t r e e t would bump i n t o l amppos t s . Everyone m i s t o o k h e r f o r a movie s t a r . She became

pp - -pp - - pp - -

111 i n t h e 1 9 6 0 ' s s o I q u i t work t o t a k e c, ire o f h e r and t h e house . I d i d eve ry - t h i n g t o keep h e r happy b u t s h e e v e n t u a l l y passed on i n 1978." But what k i n d of work was Jimmy d o i n g , we wonder? Wel l . . . "I was . a b e e r s l i n g e r ! 1'11 g i v e anyone $100 i f . tliey can ment ion a h o t e l ( i n my day) i n a11 Vancouver t h a t I h a v e n ' t worked i n . Ply f i r s L j o b was a t H o t e l Vancouver, t h e n t h e Georg ia . . a l l of 'em, even t h e Regent and t h e Balmoral . I t was a w i l d go! I s t o p p e d b e i n g a book ie by t h e n b u t I was c o l l e c t - i n g o l d a g e pens ion . "

Today Jimmy l i v e s a t Cooper P l a c e r i g h t a c r o s s from S t . James c h u r c h . I l e ' s g i v e n a l l h i s money away t o "peop le who needed i t , who needed o p e r a t i o n s , p l a c e s t o l i v e ' ' IIe 's up a t 4 :30 e v e r y morning, makes h i s bed and c l e a n s h i s room & bathroom. "Some t i m e s i t Lakes me l$ h r s t o change my bed because o f t h e w h e e l c h a i r . " B r e a k f a s t is a t 8am and l u n c h is between noon and 11 :. "Gary comes by e v e r y day a f t e r l u n c h and b r i n g s me t o C a r n e g i e . He n e v e r m i s s e s a d a y , never . Sometimes h e t a k e s m e t o t h e ' ' 44 ' when I d o n ' t want LO eat a t Cooper . A l b e r t Boers , who works on Jimmy's f l o o r , l ~ i g h l y r e s p e c t s him. "It 's s o i m p r e s s i v e t o s - e s m c n n e l i v e 100 y r s . ~ h e y ' v e s e e n s o many changes i t ' s i n c r e d i b l e . Jimmy's a g r e a t guy. H e t a l k s LO e v e r y o n e and nev- er compla ins . .one of Lhe n i c e s t people!"

A t t h e a g e o f 100 Jinmiy s p e n d s a l o t o f

I t i m e a t C a r n e g i e . " I t ' s a n i c e p l a c e t o spend t ime . I remember corning h e r e w i t h my mother when I was a boy. There was a l i f e - s i z e d s c u l p t u r e o f a n I n d i a n t h a t looked s o r e a l you 'd a l m o s t t a l k t o i t . " Asking w h a t ' s k e ~ t him g o i n g s o l o n g , Jimmy s a y s , "I f e e l eve ryone h a s a m i s s i o n t o f u l f i l l i n l i f e , t h e n God t a k e s you. Nine m u s ~ n ' t b e f u l f i l l e d i f I 'm s t i l l a l i v e a t 100. I g u e s s I want t o b e a s g i v i n g a s J e s u s was b u t no one c o u l d e v e r do t l i a t . T h a t ' s why I gave my money away. I haven ' L been t o c h u r c h i n many y e a r s b u t t h e B i b l e i s my church . " Uy STEVE ROSE

B r i t a n n j a Cen t re , a t Napier & Commer- c i a l , h a s a Film S o c i e t y showing f i l m s every Fr iday n i g h t i n t h e High School ' s aud i to r ium. The program w i l l i n c l u d e f i l m s t h a t r e f l e c t l o c a l i n t e r e s t i n t h e v i s u a l and l i t e r a r y arts , music, dance and t h e a t r e w i t h a n emphasis on t h e c u l t u r e of F i r s t Nat ions and ind ig- enous c u l t u r e s around t h e world. The work of l o c a l f i lmmakers w i l l a l s o be shown. Home-baked goods, j u i c e & cof- f e e w i l l be a v a i j a b l e and one program a month w i l l be o r i e n t e d toward f a m i l i e s . B a b y s i t t e r s w i l l c a r e f o r c h i l d r e n i n a s e p a r a t e room.

The f i r s t movie n i g h t is F r i d a y , Apr- il 12 . I f you buy a membership c a r d f o r $ 5 , each f i l m w i l l c o s t you $2 w i t h a membership. T i t l e s scheduled i n c l u d e : S t e e l Magnolias; S h i r l e y V a l e n t i n e ; The Milagro Beanf ie ld War, Xanadu..aLso t h e f i l m s of C h a r l i e Chapl in , Bus te r Keaton and t h e Marx Bro thers .

The b e s t way t o g e t more d e t a i l s i s t o go t o B r i t a n n i a and f i n d o u t .

GENOCIDE B Y INSTALLMENT LEGISLATED ASSIMILATION

The s l i p p e r y smoothness w i t h which t h e "siddon p l a n of genocide" by in- s t a1 ,emts i s presen ted t o t h e Nat ive Ind ian popula t ion t h a t e x i s t s on t h e s o i l of a coun t ry named Canada i s s i m - p l y a v e i l e d d e n i a l of a n a t u r a l s t a t e of Nat ive s o v e r e i g n t y , which d a t e s back s e v e r a l thousands of y e a r s .

The word s o v e r e i g n t y i m p l i e s a def- i n i t e t o t a l i t y of t i t l e , ownership, language, c u l t u r e , government, resou-

3. r c e s and e d u c a t i o n . . . a l l of which t h e I n d i a n Nat ions have and a l l of which is being d i shonourab ly p r e d i c a t e d t o t h e w h i t e ideology of a s s i m i l a t i o n i n t o t h e commercialized world of North American greed and profi t-making.

I n a Canada t h a t p r o f e s s e s democracy and e q u a l i t y f o r a l l under (whi te man's) law, and where f l i e s a f o r e i g n f l a g i n Quebec, no such f a i r n e s s app- e a r s t o be e v i d e n t i n t h e suggested end ( impl ied programs) emanating from t h e "siddon" p r o p o s i t ions . They a r e i n f a c t a g r a d u a l bu t t o t a l a s s i m i l a - t i o n of Na t ives i n t o a c u l t u r e v o i d of Nat ive t r a d i t i o n s .

The p r o s e c u t i o n of a l l e g e d c r i m i n a l s involved i n road-block s t r a t e g i e s i n B.C. o n l y a c c e n t u a t e t h e vengefu lness o f a whi te j u s t i c e system. It l o s t a t Oka and, by s i l e n t approva l , al lowed t h e rock-throwing a t Akwasasne and Kanawake where Nat ive c h i l d r e n and E l d e r s were t a r g e t s .

It i s h i g h t i m e t h e hundreds of y e a r s o f p e r s e c u t i o n endured by t h e Abor ig ina l Peoples came t o an end and t h e i r s o v e r e i g n t y recognized , a l o n g w i t h f u l l e s t pecun ia ry compensation.

T h e i r l a n d c l a i m s must be acknowled- ged and r e s t o r a t i o n made o f a l l c u l t - u r a l a t t r i b u t e s s p e c i f i c a l l y p r e t a i n - i n g t o a b o r i g i n a l c l o s e n e s s t o Mother Ear th .

The I n d i a n way is p r e s e r v a t i o n , n o t d e s t r u c t i o n ; usage determined by nec- e s s i t y , n o t by greed ... A l l w e l l worthy of thought .

By W i l f r i d

Land Claims ..... An a t t i ~ u d e can be e i t h e r good o r

bad, b u t a bad one u s u a l l y h a s i t s beginning i n ignorance. . i n n o t u s i n g every moment a s a l e a r n i n g exper ience . I t ' s t r u l y amazing how many people b e l i e v e they c a n ' t change, and how many more t h i n k t h a t l e a r n i n g i s hard . One a s p e c t of be ing t r u l y a l i v e is knowing t h a t eve ry e x p e r i e n c e c a r r i e s i t s l e s s o n .

I n t h e las t i s s u e of t h e News le t t e r t h e f r o n t page, i n a p i c t u r e , spoke s imple t r u t h - Native people slammed f o r n o t becoming "apple Ind ians" y e a r s ago, f o r n o t r e a l i z i n g t h a t a smalJ , i g n o r a n t m i n o r i t y of non-nat ives ( t h e "white" r a c i s t ) would never a c c e p t t h e uniqueness of Na t ives . Even t h e term "apple Indian" comes from t h e s e few - a p p l e be ing f r u i t t h a t has a red s k i n bu t from j u s t undernea th i s whi te r i g h t down t o t h e c o r e .

A s u p p o r t i n g s t o r y , w r i t t e n by yours t r u l y on Page 2 , showed a n a l l too common f a i l i n g of non-nat ives who t a l k of t h e v a l u e of Na t ives t o o u r c u l t u r e ; l i k e a h a l f - w i t I s p e l l e d Gi tksan - ~ e t ' s u w e t ' a n wrong and d i d n ' t even n o t i c e f o r 4 o r 5 days. Small p o i n t but dumb..the words were r i g h t on t h e cover , j u s t a p a p e r ' s t h i n n e s s away.

Paying a t t e n t i o n t o d e t a i l h a s been t h e mark of Na t ives ' l and c l a i m s f o r yea r s . Every land g r a b by non-native people is now be ing cha l l enged bo th l e g a l l y and mora l ly . Oppress ion has been a hard t e a c h e r b u t more and more Nat ive people a r e f i n d i n g s t r e n g t h and purpose i n t h e s p i r i t u a l ways of t h e i r a n c e s t o r s , however i d e a l i z e d .

A Carnegie Town H a l l Forum was s e t up - a s a n i d e a anyway - f o r t h e 24th

5 . o f March. Na t ives had made c o m m i t ~ ~ ~ r n c t o come b e f o r e ~ c E a c h e r n ' s ' d e c i s i o n ' made such a s t i r i n t h e i r p lans . I t w a s thought b e s t t o postpone i t f o r a month, a s N a ~ i v e s regroup and meet t h i s new o b s t a c l e .

I n Vancouver magazine (March 1991) an in-depth a r t i c l e t i t l e d "Wha~ t h e I n d i a n s Want" r a n f o r 6% pages. I t wasn ' t a l a r m i s t o r p r i n t e d a s a ' s c a r e ' t a c t i c . . i t t a l k e d of t h e c l a i m s o f Vancouver's Nat ive popula- t i o n - s p e c i f i c a l l y he Musqueam, t h e Squamish & t h e Burrard Bands - and t r a c t s of l a n d w i t h modern names l i k e S t a n l e y Park , P a c i f i c S p i r i t Park , K i t s P o i n t , Be lca ra Park , and s c a p e s now known a s P o i n t Grey, North Shore l and and a long t h e Erase r River .

A f t e r a cen tu ry of o p p o s i t i o n , B C ' s n a t i v e people a r e now r e c e i v i n g un- precedented p u b l i c suppor t . The mask of t h e m a j o r i t y i s be ing r ipped away t o r e v e a l t h e tyranny of t h e m i n o r i t y - tyranny t h a t has v i c t i m i z e d and pe r secu ted n a t i v e s f o r w e l l over a cen tu ry .

Na t ives a r e t h e f i r s t t o say f i r m l y 11 We're n o t h e r e t o d i s r u p t anyone. But t h e Lions Gate Br idge i s on o u r l and . '

That is something t o n e g o t i a t e . And t h e Second Narrows Bridge i s on our l and . That i s something t o n e g o t i a t e . "

The Town . ta l l i'orui11 mentioned w i l l be a p l a c e t o g e t t h e b a s i c q u e s t i o n s o u t i n t h e open and t o begin o u r s a d l y n e g l e c t e d educa t ion . Na t ives a r e n ' t wanting t o be d e c l a r e d r o y a l t y . . b u t they a r e wanting land f o r housing and humane i n d u s t r y and room t o l i v e .

The l a s t paragraph of "What the In- d i a n s Want" g i v e s some scope t o what comes nex t :

"Set t lement of I n d i a n land c la ims is i n e v i t a b l e . I t w i l l n o t come about t o r i g h t s o c i a l wrongs. I t w i l l no t come about because t h e I n d i a n s have l e g a l l e v e r a g e . I t w i l l come about because

tie s e t t l e m e n t makes economic s e n s e - f o r b o ~ h s i d e s . U n t i l n a t i v e l a n d c l a i m s a r e s e t ~ l e d , i n d u s t r i e s a l l o v e r t h e p r o v i n c e , whose head o f f i c e s dominate t h e Vancouver s k y l i n e , f a c e an u n c e r t a i n f u t u r e . No one wants t o spend a b i l l i o n d o l l a r s on a p u l p m i l l o n l y t o f i n d O U L that . someone e l s e owns t h e t r e e s . S e t t l e m e n t w i l l n o t o n l y f r e e up inves tmen t o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r non-nat ive bus inessmen, i t w i l l p u t v a s t sums o f money i n t o t h e hands o f naLive businessmen and move I n d i a n s i n t o t h e economic mains t ream. And t h a t , more than any o t h e r e f f e c t o f l a n d c l a i m s , w i l l change t h e f a c e o f Vancouver. "

May you l i v e i n i n t e r e s t i n g t i m e s .

By PAULR TAYLOR

STRATHCONA GARDENS The Carneg ie P l o t s

I N T E R E S T E D ?

S a t u r d a y s , l o a m t o 2pm w i t h Kathyrn Thomson. Meet on t h e second f l o o r o u t s i d e t h e k i t c h e n o f f i c e .

'YOU HAVE

a

Smal l R e t u r n s

' w h i l e Suzanne h o l d s a m i r r o r ' Leonard Cohen

Wher, wimmin s p e a k , wisdom s u e s . I f e l l a s l e e p w r e s t l i n g w i h t ' c r u e l t y ' , and had t h e r i c h e s t dreams Lao T s e ' s l o n e l i n e s s n e v e r e n d s . . . .

T r u t h is o n l y c r u e l f o r a ' l i t t l e ' w h i l e . Three y e a r s , i n my c a s e , f o r example. L a s t ni'ght a goddess spoke t o m e . N . i e t z s c h e l s f l a w s dimmed h i s c a n d l e for him.

I c a l l e d i t t h e sea o f wimmin's p a i n and joy Tora made m e a s t a r f i s h . There are 'many' magic p e o p l e i n t h e word. S l i p p e r y pens a l l f l o w t o Dostoevaky.

A l l t h e c l u e s , e x c e p t f o r B lake you know, a r e i n Lhe n i n e t e e n t h c e n t u r y . No one h a s e v e r been as naked a s August S t r i n d b e r g and C h a r l o t e Bron te .

Now t h a t p h y s i c s i s b u r s t i n g p h i l o s o p h i c a l Now t h a t t h e ouroubus h a s b i t t e n o f f i t ' s mouth Now t h a t t h e mess i ah i s become r e d u n d a n t , It i s t ime f o r we gods t o f o l i o w o u r sisters.

S tephen B e l k i n

You ch ing r e p o r t and f r t h a t b it3 i s

And c r y on

made 0

y un- re-

s s i o n - r

o r . r i n g u l ts

should be made p u b l i c A p r i l F o o l ' s Day. Real e s t a t e agen t May Leung r e l e a s e d

t o t h e p r e s s t a p e s of c o n v e r s a t i o n s w i t h the Zalm. The l ady i n t h e f loppy k,at f l i p p e d o u t , r e f e r r i n g t o t h e s a l e of Fantasy Gardens and a d j o i n i n g l a n d s t o Taiwanese b i l l i ' o n a i r e Tan Yu.

"Tan Yu got a good d e a l , you g o t a good d e a l , everybody got a good d e a l , b ~ l c I go t the bum rap."

She was r e f e r r i n g t o $20,000 US cash b e l i e v e d t o be a commission f e e which she claimed t o have given Vander Zalm and which he assured he r i s " i n t r u s t " .

Two weeks ago, t h e RCMP s a i d they were look ing i n t o whether t h e Zalm and Flay Leung agreed t o s p l i t a commission on the s a l e of l a n d s a d j a c e n t t o t h e Richmond theme park . Independent pro- s e c u t o r P e t e r Freeman i s o v e r s e e i n g t h a t i n v e s t i g a t i o n and a n o t h e r i n t o t h e hand l ing of a l i q u o r l i c e n s e a t Fantasy Gardens.

The Zalm s a i d the i n v e s t i g a t i o n i s

" remin i scen t of Nazi Germany" and is " l i k e a bunch of v i g i l a n t e a c t i o n and you s o r t of had t o prove your innocen- ce". He i n s t r u c t e d r e p o r t e r s t o r'ind o u t who i s paying May Leung's l e g a l f e e s i n c r d e r t o know uho is o u t t o g e t him.

A l l n o t a b l e socreds , , i n c l u d i n g Grace McCarthy, a r e d e c l i n i n g p u b l i c comment. One e x c e p t i o n i s former f i n a n c e m i n i s t e r Me1 Couve l i e r , who s a i d h i s d e c i s i o n t o q u i t had been confirmed.

"My f e a r s were r e a l i z e d , " he s a i d . Behind t h e scenes , however, you can

be s u r e t h e r e i s a f l u r r y of a c t i v i t y t o keep t h e soc red s h i p from s i n k i n g .

W i l l t h e Zalm q u i t ? W i l l he b e f o r c e d o u t by caucus? W i l l Hughes' r e p o r t c l e a r him a t l e a s t enough t o s t a y i n o f f i c e ? Are t h o s e c r o c o d i l e t e a r s ? S tay tuned .....

By JOANNE HAMEN

Lines from your Learning Cen t re

BRENT)A ------ B e a u t i f u l Brenda, who is one of o u r

s t a f f members, came t o u s from t h e P r a i r i e s a few y e a r s ago.

S ince h e r a r r i v a l i n Vancouver s h ~ . h a s a t t e n d e d t h e Na t ive I n d i a n Teacher Educat ion Program a t U . B . C L a t e r s h e worked a t t h e Learning Front on Main S t r e e t and a t t h e Co-op Radio Access f o r L i t e r a c y P r o j e c t . F i n a l l y s h e came t o Carneg ie ' s Learning Centre . We were lucky t o g e t h e r !

Brenda l i k e s meet ing peop le and h e l p i n g them. Carnegie i s one of h e r f a v o u r i t e p l a c e s . Come and meet h e r anyt ime Monday t o F r i d a y , 9am t o 7pm. What a g r e a t way t o improve your edu- c a t i o n ! Free!

Joan Doree, Volunteer Tutor . .

i

1 RENOVATIONS HAVE BEGUN!!! 1 A f t e r almost 4% y e a r s of w a i t i n g & ' d e l a y s & plann ing & changing p l a n s &

surveys & p u b l i c meet ings ... t h e f i r s t t o o l was put t o work i n C a r n e g i e ' s k i t chen on Monday, March 18 th . The "plant ' was t o s t a r t on t h e l a n e

l e v e l , where t h e ga rage i s , and work on c r e a t i n g a much l a r g e r space f o r S e n i o r s and a new room f o r t h e pool t a b l e s . There i s going t o be a n o t h e r s p i r a l s t a i r c a s e i n Carnegie s t a r t i n g where t h e S e n i o r s Lounge is r i g h t now and winding down t o t h e l a n e l e v e l .

There was a l s o going t o be s h i f t s of people on t h e 3rd f l o o r w i t h t h e Learning Cen t re u s i n g t h e programmers ' o f f i c e s t o do t u t o r i n g and t h e main

9 . s p e c i f i c upgrading of t h e k i t c h e n ; & Concorde P a c i f i c dug deep i n t o i t ' s pocket and came up w i t h $1,000. A l l t o g e t h e r t h e r e is $l ,076,000. .and we a r e on ly s h o r t about 4 o r 5 hundred thousand d o l l a r s . L i t t l e t h i n g s l i k e a c o n s u l t a n t coming back a f t e r es t ima- t i n g t h e c o s t of e l e c t r i c a L work - he s a i d he was shy by $120,000. Costs have kep t i n c r e a s i n g , a sum of $70Gs was l e f t ou t of some b a s i c a d d i t i o n & t h e 3rd f l o o r h a s been l e f t f o r t h e f u t u r e .

On A p r i l 11 th Carnegie w i l l submit a r eques t f o r more funds t o C i t y Council ... a long w i t h every o t h e r submiss ion from a l l o v e r Vancouver. To b e t t e r o u r chances , a few C o u n c i l l o r s have

[ is week & is h e r e now

o f f i c e going where Classroom #1 is . been i n v i t e d t o Carnegie th

p l e a s e n o t e t h e c a u t i o u s u s e of t h e next t o g e t a look a t what

p a s t t e n s e - "was" - a s t h e e t e r n a l and t o t r y and s e e what is hoped f o r

d i f f i c u l t y of money e n t e r s t h e scene . (and t h e need f o r t h a t hope t o be

Vancouver v o t e r s ag reed t o a l l o t made r e a l ) .

$650,000 ( i n a 1986 referendum) t o re - You and me and a l l of us can c a l l

n o v a t e Carnegie . We've s i n c e l e a r n e d c o u n c i l l o r s a t C i t y H a l l and ask them

t h a t t h i s f i g u r e was vaguely based on t o h e l p Carnegie . We're t h e most suc-

paying f o r a new e l e v a t o r and a few c e s s f u l community c e n t r e i n Canada &

cosmet ic changes. Real p lann ing and a jewel among Vancouver's 2 2 c e n t r e s .

look ing a t t h e a c t u a l needs of Carne- C a l l Gordon P r i c e , Don Bellamy, Tung

g i e u s e r s h a s brought an e n t i r e l y d i f - Chan, P h i l i p Owen, Georgie P u i l and

f e r e n t o u t l o o k on what r e n o v a t i o n s a r e even Campbe11 and each that n e c e s s a r y , a long wi th an e n t i r e l y d i f -

Carnegie u s e r s can t a k e 5 o r 10 buses and swamp Council Chambers any t ime -

f e r e n t assessment of c o s t s . GO B C ( l o t t e r y g r a n t ) h a s provided

i f they want some proof t h a t we need

an $325,000; t h e Vancouver what we need - 'pace t o live!

Foundat ion provided $100,000 f o r t h e By PAULR TAYLOR

the nega t ive d e f i n i t i o n of freedom i n John S t u a r t M i l l ' s "On Liber ty ' ' - a d e f i n i t i o n so i n d i v i d u a l and i s o l a t e d i n n a t u r e t h a t i t has made i t imposs- i b l e f o r l i b e r a l i s m t o d e a l w i t h t h e overwhelming c o r p o r a t e f o r c e s t h a t a r e b u i l d i n g an o l i g a r c h a l new world o r d e r . This t e a c h i n g comes i n t h e form of a paradox a s Mike Kramer observed i n t h e Carnegie Newsle t t e r . ( a ) The i n d i v i d u a l v o i c e is e s s e n t i a l t o a u t h e n t i c i t y ; (b ) The i n d i v i d u a l only h a s meaning i n r e l a t i o n LO o t h e r s .

Na t ive ceremonies sometimes c l o s e w i t h t h e express ion , " A l l my r e l a t i o n s . ' ' Th i s phrase recogn izes t h a t which is common among c r e a t u r e s . We a r e , a f t e r a l l , t h e c h i l d r e n of o u r mother. L i f e is r e l a t i o n s h i p . From t h i s i n s i g h t a r i s e s r e s p e c t and balance .

Jung h a s helped u s unders tand t h a t t h e journey a r i i s t s make i n t u r n i n g in - ward t o l i s t e n t o t h e i r most a u t h e n t i c images is a communal ( c o l l e c t i v e ) jour- ney. The paradox remains, however, and I ' m going t o s t o p by s a y i n g Tora is a f i n e poe t and a r t i s t who has made an enormous c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e b u i l d - i n g o f community a t Carnegie .

Dear E d i t o r :

RE: Let u s make w a r . . . . .

We t h e Knights o f Lady Pover ty vow LO defend h e r c a s t l e a g a i n s t d i a l e c t i - c a l m a t e r i a l i s t i c o p p o r t u n i s t s . The I

jobs of judges , lawyers , p o l i c e , c a r e I

teams, p s y c h o l o g i s t s , p s y c h i a t r i s t s , s o c i a l workers , l i t e r a c y boneheads and o t h e r h y p e r p a r a s i t e s depend on us : j u n k i e s , hookers , c o n v i c t s , menta l p a t i e n t s , d runks , and t h e rest of u s ne 'er-do-wells and lumpen l a y a b o u t s t h a t b u i l t t h i s coun t ry from t h e g u t t e r up.

You sanct imonious , i rksome and unct- i o u s s n i v e l e r s t h e world a w a i t s one thought of o r i g i n a l i t y . Prcpaganda i s an i n s u l t t o a l l f r e e i n t e l l i g e n c e .

Although we prove you wrong a thou- sand t imes you w i l l s t i l l c l i n g t o your u b i q u i t o u s axioms, d a t a , and z e i t g e i s t s and we w i l l c o n t i n u e t o f i g h t o v e r t h e crumbs f a l l i n g from t h e f e a s t t a b l e s of your s t e l l a r i n t e l l e c t s .

Yours i n s u p e r s u b s t a n t i a l heaven,

J. Hussy

Sandy Cameron

"FULL EPPLOYMENT"/NO ALTERNATIVE :

During h i s t ime , A l b e r t E i n s ~ e i n de- f ined c a p i t a 1 i s m . a ~ "economic anarchy" - those were t h e good o l d days. Now th ings have become much more h i g h l y organized. The so -ca l l ed h i - t e c h rev- o l u t i o n h a s r a i s e d b u s i n e s s o u t of t h e compet i t ive anarchy of i t s ado lescence i n t o a new world dominance - a k ind of world-wide co-opera t ive e f f i c i e n c y h a s been i n t r o d u c e d , t h a t Aight b e s t be desc r ibed as economic fasc ism.

A l b e r t would have unders tood i t . Any- one who knows f a s c i s m knows i t h a s al- ways been t h e most s u c c e s s f u l moke f o r c a p i t a l i s m . Today, because of cons i s - t e n t l y low v o t e r t u r n o u t s i n "western" e l e c t i o n s , t h e p o l i t i c a l sys tem known a s " r e p r e s e n t a t i v e democracy" i s no longer happening. A s t r i c t l y c o n t r o l l e d method of governing by s e l e c t e d m i l l i - o n a i r e s h a s r e p l a c e d i t , bu t of c o u r s e

I the i d e a s of democra t i c "freedom", "eq- ua l i ty"" , & s o on, c o n t i n u e t o be wide-

! l y used as propaganda, & t h e image of i n d i v i d u a l economic s u c c e s s is be ing

o f f e r e d 24 hours a day through adver- t i s i n g & a commercial ly b i a s e d media.

Canadians a r e waving t h e f l a g a s never b e f o r e . They t a k e p a r t i n pa t - r i o t i c s p o r t s s p e c t a c l e s , s u p p o r t t h e m i l i t a r y o b j e c t i v e s of George Bush, t h e American image of l aw enforcement , & wear t h e s u i t & t i e of economic f a s c i s m f o r t h e i r d a i l y uniform. J u s t s i t down i n a s o b e r s t a t e of mind & watch any t e l e v i s i o n channe l f o r a n extended per- iod of t ime . . then t r y t o convince your- s e l f t h a t "economic fasc ism" is o n l y a pa rano id f igment o f your s t a r v e d imag- i n a t ion .

Huge m u l t i n a t i o n a l networks around t h e world l i n k i n t e r n a t i o n a l b u s i n e s s empires c a l l e d c o r p o r a t i o n s w i t h t h e popu la r economic f a s c i s m o f r e p u b l i c a n s democrats , l i b e r a l s , c o n s e r v a t i v e s and, t o a s l i g h t l y l e s s e r degree , s o c i a l i s t s and communists. T e l e v i s i o n d e f i n e s t h e " r e a l p o l i t i k " of p o l i c e p r o t e c t i o n f o r p r o p e r t y v a l u e s , p r e s e r v i n g t h e menta l s t a t u s quo of a c l o s e l y moni tored con- sumer s o c i e i y .

c a l o b j e c t i v e of n o t on ly c a p i t a l i s t s , bu t s o c i a l i s t s a s w e l l .

To my way of t h i n k i n g , 100% f u l l em- ployment could on ly mean a n o t h e r v i c t - o r y f o r economic fasc i sm o v e r c e r t a i n timeless, f r e e k and u n p r e d i c t a b l e ele- ments i n t h e human s p i r i t .

A s o c i e t y i n which t h e r e was no a l t - e r n a t i v e t o economic enslavement i n l i f e t i m e c a r e e r s , resumes, ge t - r i ch- q u i c k schemes & s e l l - y o u r s e l f competi- t i o n , would be a v e r y , v e r y s i c k s o c i - e t y indeed. . .& i t seems l i k e we ' re a l - most t h e r e .

A t t h e moment, t h i s " f u l l employment" s c e n a r i o e x i s t s i n t h e f u t u r e agenda of every p o l i t i c a l p e r s u a s i o n , be it NDP, S o c i a l C r e d i t , NPA, COPE o r what- ever . A l l p o l i t i c i a n s are r e q u i r e d t o suppor t & work w i t h law enforcement & t h e so -ca l l ed "bus iness community", t o a c h i e v e what t h e "community" wants - bottom l i n e , no th ing l e s s than t h e com- p l e t e involvement of t h e energy of e v e r y " c i t i z e n " i n b u s i n e s s p r a c t i c e s

marketplace v a l u e s from c r a d l e t o grave.

O f c o u r s e , p o l i t i c i a n s know " f u l l em- ployment" i s n o t something t h a t could be achieved v o l u n t a r i l y ... too many peo- p l e h a t e o r m i s t r u s t t h e mot ives o f governments & l a r g e c o r p o r a t i o n s f o r t h a t t o happen - s o i t ' s c l e a r t h a t 11 f u l l employment" - t h e g r e a t u n i f y i n g

cause of c a p i t a l i s t s & s o c i a l i s t s a l i k e - would have t o be enforced.

How would " f r e e wes te rn democracy" go about e n o f r c i n g f u l l employment l eg- i s l a t i o n ? Wouldn't t h i s be t h e l o g i c a l r e s u l t of economic fasc i sm? Such pol- icies cou ld p r o v i d e a s o l i d founda t ion f o r any "new world order" , w i t h Canada, European & Asian c o u n t r s a l r e a d y on- s i d e i n a b i g way. Communists & s o c i - a l i s t s want t o be good c a p i t a l i s t s too. C lean- l iv ing , r ight-minded, so -ca l l ed sane , mach ine l ike , thoroughly scheduled human be ings a r e encouraged t o dominate , & f o r c e b h e i r sys tem on those who al- . ready have been d r i v e n i n t o an o u t c a s t e x i s t e n c e by t h e d i s h o n e s t manipula- t i o n s & horrendous c r i m i n a l greed o f i t a l l .

F u l l employment c o u n s e l l i n g & job enforcement could probably be q u i e t l y in t roduced under t h e g u i s e o f progress- i v e s o c i a l s e r v i c e , The so-ca l l ed " r i g h t t o work" is a l r e a d y enshr ined i n o u r Canadian c o n s t i t u t i o n ( b u t never t h e r i g h t n o t t o work).

I s p e n t o v e r 10 y e a r s o f my l i f e working f o r ad agencys & v a r i o u s com- panys i n Toronto; every one of my em- p l o y e r s tu rned o u t t o be a l y i n g , greed mot ivated power f r e a k p r e t e n d i n g t o a '

benevolent f a t h e r image. They would a l l v o t e f o r " f u l l employment" - every one of them, & they would a l l l o v e t o s e e every l a s t sh red of human freedom channeled i n t o t h e work f o r c e m e n t a l i t y t h a t has s o thoroughly taken o v e r t h e i r l i v e s , & l e a v e s them no a l t e r n a t i v e .

With rumours of Vanderzalm's res ig- na t ion , wi th t h e media p lay ing t o the outrageous scanda ls and socred minis t - ers leav ing l i k e r a t s d e s e r t i n g a sink- i ng sh ip , End Legis la ted Poverty saw a need t o keep the most ba s i c i s s u e s i n t he minds of p o l i t i c i a n s .

No ma t t e r what t h e ou t e r mask, un- de r every i s s u e and concern i s t h e s p e c t r e of poverty. For many thous- ands i t ' s been a d a i l y experience f o r yea r s ... f o r many thousands more i t ' s s t a r t i n g t o c reep i n t o t h e i r l i v e s with lay-of fs , p l a n t c lo su re s , g ross r e n t s , unaffordable c h i l d c a r e and on and on and on.

On Thursday, March 21s t , 13 people from d i f f e r e n t groups i n t h e Lower Mainland and on Vancouver I s l and went t o V i c t o r i a t o meet wi th Norm Jacob- sen (Minis ter of Soc i a l Serv ices and Housing) and, i n t h e a f te rnoon wi th t h e S o c i a l Serv ices Committee of t h e NDP .

The b a s i c i s s u e s a r e : (1) School Lunch Programs; ( 2 ) Forced Employment of s i n g l e pa ren t s on wel fa re ; (3) Rais- i ng wel fa re r a t e s t o t h e poverty l i n e ; and (4) Rais ing the minimum wage t o g ive i t t h e purchasing power i t had i n 1975.. to $7.50/hr i n today ' s money.

Each of t he se i s s u e s i n t e r l o c k s wi th t h e o t h e r s . Karen from Nanaimo spoke of t h e need f o r provincially-funded lunch programs t h a t would be univer- s a l ( a v a i l a b l e t o a l l k i d s i n school) and t h a t pa ren t s who could pay would and those who cou ldn ' t a f f o r d i t d i d n ' t have to . This one ho t meal should provide 113 of a c h i l d ' s d a i l y n u t r i - t i o n a l requirements. The reasons f o r a r e bas ic : hungry k ids don ' t concen- t r a t e on schoolwork; they g e t s i c k more o f t e n , m i s s school and even drop ou t sooner & f a s t e r . Being i d e n t i f i e d a s a "poor" k id can be t raumat ic & s t i gma t i ze t be c h i l d . Support f o r t he se b a s i c s comes from n u t r i t i o n ex-

L r 11\41 ~ e r t s and s o c i a l workers a l i k e . A of a f f o r d a b l e c h i l d c a r e a n d l a c k of . - r e c e n t s t u d y showed t h a t t o buy t h e most b a s i c food f o r a fami ly would c o s t about $20 more than t h a t f ami ly

r e c e i v e d i n support f o r food, c l o t h i n g and e v e r y t h i n g e l s e a month. They s a i d i n loud v o i c e s : "There is simply n o t enough money provided. Budget t ing i s a s t u p i d s u g g e s t i o n when p r i c e s a r e t h e i s sue . "

To t h i s Jacobsen r e p l i e d t h a t h e had t o a s k 'What about t h e weekends and t h e summer?' "Who c a r e s f o r f e e d i n g k i d s then?" P a t Chauncey (ELP) r e p l i e d t h a t r a i s i n g t h e w e l f a r e r a t e s would t h e n a l l o w p a r e n t s t o feed t h e i r k ids .

S i n g l e p a r e n t s w i t h a c h i l d over 6 months o l d a r e being f o r c e d t o s e e k employment o u t s i d e t h e home. Not do ing s o can be reason f o r g e t t i n g c u t o f f and l o s i n g t h e i r c h i l d . Government programs prov ide them w i t h c h i l d c a r e subs idy and t r a n s p o r t a t i o n a l lowance f o r 1 y e a r , b u t most mothers start a t minimum wage j o b s ($5 /hr ) and a f t e r a y e a r would need t o be e a r n i n g $9.79 a n hour t o a f f o r d what i s n e c e s s a r y t o s u r v i v e . What happens a lmos t always i s t h a t a f t e r a y e a r i s up t h e mothers have t o back on w e l f a r e due t o l a c k

a job paying enough t o s u r v i v e . . l e t a l o n e raise c h i l d r e n on.

Ra i s ing w e l f a r e r a t e s t o t h e pover ty .

l i n e i s a l s o a b a s i c n e c e s s i t y . The i m p o s s i b i l i t y o f l i v i n g on t h e meagre amounts now set r o b s peop le of d i g n i t y and hope. Th is i s e s p e c i a l l y t r u e f o r f a m i l i e s and c h i l d r e n . Always having seconds, always be ing robbed o f s e l f - esteem makes be ing on w e l f a r e more work t h a n a job. Th is a l s o b lends w i t h t h e minimum wage, where peop le s imply cannot a f f o r d t o r e n t AND have medical i n s u r a n c e AND g e t d e n t a l work done AND have a t e lephone . Programs s e t up by t h e government pay t h e mini- mum wage f o r 6-month o r 1-year p e r i o d s and t h e peop le do ing t h e work have no cho ice bu t t o go back on w e l f a r e .

Jacobsen t a l k e d i n megadol la r s , c i t i n g t h e b i l l i o n d o l l a r s be ing s p e n t on s o c i a l s e r v i c e s , p o i n t e d l y r e f u s e d t o l i n k t h e growing numbers of people on s o c i a l a s s i s t a n c e programs w i t h h i s government 's double s t a n d a r d s . I t ' s q u i t e f i n e f o r h i s c r o n i e s t o g i v e away m i l l i o n s t o c o r p o r a t e w e l f a r e bums i n a t t e m p t s t o e n s u r e t h e i r p o l i t i c a l f u t u r e , b c t blaming people f o r t h e i r

ver ty is okay by Jacobsen & S o c i a l e d i t . . During t h e 45 minutes t h a t we t with him, Jacobsen wasn ' t even pay-

{ing a t t e n t ion when speakers t a l k e d on each of t h e 4 concerns . He had h i s rhe to r ic down p a t and when each speaker elaborated on how t h e p r e s e n t r u l e s & regu la t ions of GAIN i n c r e a s e h a r d s h i p i t was l i k e t a l k i n g t o an empty c h a i r .

The NDP were much more r e c e p t i v e and Joan Smallwood made commitments t o ra i se w e l f a r e r a t e s and t h e minimum wage. She r e p e a t e d h e r d i s g u s t w i t h the c u r r e n t p r a c t i c e of f o r c i n g s i n g l e parents on w e l f a r e t o t a k e any work a t any wage and w i l l c o n t i n u e t o assist in e s t a b l i s h i n g food programs i n our schools. The NDP weren ' t a l l aware o f the r e a l i t y of pover ty ; one MLA o r s t a f f person t r i e d t o l aunch i n t o a debate of o u r u s e of " t h e pover ty l i n e " . . . Claude Richmond, when h e w a s mini= s t e r of s o c i a l s e r v i c e s , a l s o t r i e d t o make i t an academic i s s u e , s a y i n g t h a t there w a s "no such t h i n g a s a pover ty l ine." ( !) I n each meeting t h e f o l l - owing s t a t e m e n t w a s made and is t r u e : "I doubt i f anyone i n t h i s room, excep t members o f ELP's d e l e g a t i o n , have e v e r experienced pover ty . Granted, some of you may have been broke now and then, or had t o budget l i m i t e d funds , b u t never l o n g enough t o have any pro- nounced e f f e c t . G e t t i n g o u t o f pover ty is hard ly e v e r a matter o f p u l l i n g yourself up by t h e b o o t s t r a p s . There are 181,000 peop le unemployed and al-

. most one-quar ter m i l l i o n people on wel- , fa re i n BC a l o n e , y e t t h e m a j o r i t y of

jobs a r e minimum wage - o f t e n worse ' than wel fa re . It w i l l t a k e p o l i t i c a l w i l l and s o c i a l l y - c o n s c i o u s l e g i s l a - to r s t o change t h i s . I f you have t h e former and c o n s i d e r y o u r s e l f one of the l a t t e r , r a i s i n g t h e minimum wage - and r a i s i n g w e l f a r e r a t e s t o t h e pov- e r ty l i n e should be a p r i o r i t y . "

By PAULR TAYLOR

An open l e t t e r to a l l MLAs of B . C . :

For 15 months we have been t ry ing , without success, to obta in from the So4ici tor General and the Motor Vehicle Branch, the f a c t s and s t a t i s t i c s under- ly ing the conception and const ruct ion o f , t h e new Pr iva te Vehicle Inspection Program (PVIP). This e f f o r t has inclu- ded a debate i n the l e g i s l a t u r e on 18 July 1990, during which former Sol ic i - t o r General Russ Fraser took 2 quest- ions on no t ice from Transportation C r i - t i c Dale Lovick. Despite a number of l e t t e r s back and f o r t h , a s of today we have yet t o receive the answers t o the questions posed on Ju ly 18th.

Our enquir ies regarding these e l u s i v e " f a c t s & s t a t i s t i c s " have been numerous & d e t a i l e d & pointed. However, r e p l i e s have been tardy and confined t o general statements about sa fe ty and enforcement methods and object ives . A s tock reply t o those of our members who have sen t i n p e t i t i o n cards appeal1;i.g f o r factu- a l j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r t h i s Program, has

been a p r e s e n t a t i o n of e s t i m a t e s of t h e budget of t h e department t h a t oversees , among o t h e r t h i n g s , t h e Commercial Veh- i c l e In spec t ion Program.

What is becoming e v i d e n t is Lhat t h e S o l i c i t o r General and t h e Motor Vehicle Branch a r e well-versed i n enforcement cons ide ra t i ons and methods, bu t a r e un- informed about t h e a c t u a l m a t t e r s of v e h i c l e movement . s a f e ty . I r r e s p e c t i v e of t h i s d e f i c i e n c y , they have a v a i l e d themselves of t h e d i s c r e t i o n a r y l e g a l p r e s c r i p t i o n s of t h e Motor Vehicle Act t o c o n s t r u c t a massive and expensive program, o s t e n s i b l y t o add re s s t h e iss- ue of v e h i c l e movement s a f e t y .

A prime example of t h i s c a p r i c i o u s & d i s c r e t i o n a r y adopt ion of t h e c r i t e r i a of t h e PVIP was played o x t i n c o u r t r ecen t ly . The new PVIP c r i t e r i a d i s a l l - ows t i n t e d windows, if t i n t e d a f t e r manufacture. However, windows t i n t e d by t h e manufacturer a r e permi t ted . A Vict- o r i a man s u c c e s s f u l l y cha l lenged a t i c - k e t cha rg ing v i o l a t i o n of t h e Motor Vehicle Act , and a cor responding o rde r t o remove the t i n t i n g o r have h i s vehi- c l e removed from t h e road. The Govern- ment was unable t o prove t o t h e c o u r t t h a t t h i s was a v a l i d c r i t e r i a t h a t would improve t h e s a f e movement of veh- i c l e s on t h e road. Yet , t h e enforcement a u t h o r i t i e s a r e s o i n d i f f e r e n t t o some- t h i n g a s d e f i n i t i v e as a c o u r t judge- ment, t h a t they con t inue t o en fo rce - - t h i s c r i t e r i a !

To make c l e a r t h e po in t which is fun- damental t o ou r o b j e c t i o n t o t h e PVIP, n e i t h e r t h e S o l i c i t o r Genera l ' s Minis- t r y no r t h e M.V.B. have been a b l e t o demonstrate t h a t t i n t e d windows have con t r ibu t ed t o an a c c i d e n t o r dangerou? o p e r a t i o n of 2 motor v e h i c l e . We s t rong- l y suspec t they c a n ' t , because t h i s cond i t i on doesn ' t ! L ike most of t h e c r i t e r i a , t h i s p r o h i b i t i o n was s imply dreamed up, a s being something t h a t should n o t be al lowed.

We a r e concerned! A s i t s t a n d s , w e have a s a f e t y program t h a t , i n t h e words of t h e former m i n i s t e r ". . .was de- v i s e d i n c o n s u l t a t i o n w i t h , and a t t h e u rg ing of t h e pub l i c , and t h e automot-

i v e industry"'. ' However, du r ing 15 months of i n q u i r i e s , r e f e r e n c e s t o s t a t i s t i c i a n s and eng inee r s , and the jnowledge they would impart t o an i n i t i a t i v e of t h i s type, a r e conspicuous by t h e i r absence. To s t a t e t h e obvious, we want s a f e t y e f f - o r t s t o be e f f e c t i v e i n improving v e h i c l e movement s a f e t y , whi le a t t h e same time n o t be ing unduly burdening o r abus ive of t h e pub l i c .

Unless i t is shown hat t h e c r i t e r i a up- on which t h i s Program is based a r e t h e re - s u l t of de f ined and dem01:strated evidence, then i t i s obvious t h a t t h e c r i t e r i a a r e based on assumptions of mechanical condi- t i o n s c o n t r i b u t i n g t o acc iden t s .

A s i t s t a n d s now, i t has been assumed t h a t each c r i t e r i a is a mechanical t h r e a t t o s a f e v e h i c l e movement. It has been as- sumed t h a t t h e c o r r e c t i o n of each c r i t e r i a w i l l improve v e h i c l e movement s a f e t y . I t has been assumed t h a t c o s t and impact a r e . i r r e l e v a n t i n l i g h t of t h i s i l l u s o r y goal . The argument has been made t h a t " . . . i f we save j u s t one l i f e 1 ' i t w i l l be worth i t . It is appa ren t ly l o s t on t h e S o l i c i t o r General and h i s execu t ives t h a t conscien- t ous , r e spons ib l e management of ou r s a f e t y monies and e f f o r t s might enab le many l i v e s t o be saved. Fu r the r , i t has been assumed t h a t , i n l a b e l l i n g t h i s i n i t i a t i v e ' s a f e - t y ' , i t s shortcomings and abuses w i l l be u n a s s a i l a b l e .

Our o rgan iza t ion , and a growing percent- age of t h e p u b l i c t h a t a r e becoming aware of t h i s s i t u a t i o n , a r e upse t and r e a c t i v e t o t h i s ' ~ u b e Goldberg' approach t o law- making and v e h i c l e movement s a f e t y . I n t h e i n t e r e s t of everyone ' s s a f e t y , v e h i c l e movement s a f e t y r e q u i r e s competent and r e s p o n s i b l e a t t e n t i o n .

We, and p a r t i c u l a r l y our members i n E your a r e a , a r e concerned about t h e posi- i t i o n you a s a pub l i c r e p r e s e n t a t i v e a r e 1 prepared t o t a k e , t o develop and implement ; a v e h i c l e movement s a f e t y program based on r

well-reasoned and. r e spons ib l e aims and ! c r i t e r i a . f

S t u a r t Meade, Assoc ia t ion f o r Vehicle Movement Sa fe ty

t h i n k Nowhere cou ld be t h e p l a c e t h a t you i t should be.

can ' t g e t - i t - t o g e t h e r ; i n your pocke t , Nowhere i s a p l a c e we t h i n k we t re your head, o r your g e n e r a l was te pro- g e t t i n g t o when we t r y t o measure our

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from t h e E a r t h and t r a v e l l i n g i n a ' our miss ion i n l i f e i s j u s t t o do what , s t r a i g h t l i n e through t h e Universe. we a r e do ing and absorb whatever w i s -

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Yachtsman, oarsmen, s c u l l e r s , and s a i l o r s . Tankers, l i n e r s , Here I s a t , broken h e a r t e d ;

d r i f t n e t s and whalers . Tr ied t o w r i t e b u t c o u l d n ' t g e t s t a r t e d . ( I f i t d o e s n ' t come e a s y , i t won't come t o me)

Captain i n d u s t r y . SO, I s ighed s a d l y " ' twas n o t meant t o be ." General c o r p o r a t i o n . Lieutenant c a p i t a l . But w r i t i n g ' s an i t c h t h a t c r i e s t o be s c r a t c h e d ,

Pr ivate e x p l o i t a t i o n . It b r i n g s a r e l i e f t h a t ' s hard t o be matched.

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udders f o r w i t s ; I n s e a r c h of t h e buzz t o s t i r & i n s p i r e me.

they j u s t t u r n t h e screw I f n o t f o r the Ego, i f n o t f o r t h e t r i c k w i t s , u n t i l i t f i t s . Then a t l e a s t f o r the worth of c o f f e e t i c k e t s .

DEside J o e I ~ E s i d e Joe

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I t~un;; i t oil a wa l l hook, up high where Lhe words on the cresL can be seen. I t hangs t h e r e a s a symbol of a bes~owed Honor frome one a r t i s a n t o a n o t h e r . ' l h a n k s L O one of 919.

F r a t e r n a l l y ,

DEside Joe

" Couvelier's departure

reveals fiscal failure"

The r e s i g n a t i o n of B . C . ' s f i n a n c e m i n i s t e r may s t r i k e many a s j u s t one more a c t i n t h e 3-r ing c i r c u s t h a t i s t h e socred government.

But Me1 C o u v e l i e r ' s e t h i c a l problem w i t h h i s premier i s n ' t t h e only s t o r y . What he had t o say about S o c i a l Cred- i t ' s hand l ing of B C ' s f i n a n c e s r e v e a l s a t h r e a t t o your f a m i l y ' s wel l -being.

Me1 Couve l i e r admi t t ed BC f a c e s a t l e a s t a $700 m i l l i o n d e f i c i t f o r t h e l a sL 1 2 months, and i t cou ld be much more. He was i n an imposs ib le s i t u a - t i o n . A t Lhe same t ime h i s government is p reach ing r e s t r a i n t , he had t o ad- m i n i s t e r an enormous soc red p r e - e l e c t - ion spending s p r e e l e d by Bud Smith and o t h e r s . (One reason we ' re u n l i k e l y t o s e e a p r o v i n c i a l budget b e f o r e an e l e c t i o n is because i t would expose the s o c r e d s ' p r e - e l e c t i o n overspending)

C o u v e i l i e r f o t caught i n t h e s o c r e d s ' double s t a n d a r d : an u n f a i r p o l i c y of f r e e spending, whi le t e l l i n g n u r s e s , t e a c h e r s and o t h e r working people t h a t they must c u t back. Ordinary women 6 men a r e expected t o t i g h t e n t h e i r be1 ts, bu t n o t t h i s government .

The f i n a n c e m i n i s t e r ' s r e s i g n a t i o n

i s a major blow t o t h e s o c r e d s ' f i s c a l c r e d i b i l i t y . With i t , t h e f a l l a c y of the BS (budget s t a b i l i z a t i o n ) fund has been exposed.

Having confessed t h a t BC f a c e s a budget d e f i c i t b i g g e r than p r o j e c t e d , the s o c r e d s a r e d r a i n i n g t h e i r so- c a l l e d BS fund. Yet t h e f a c t i s t h e r e ' s no r a i n y day cash i n t h e BS fund i n t h e f i r s t p l a c e . I t ' s a s i f over a p e r i o d of t ime, you and your family s p e n t more than you made. Suddenly you g e t a r a i s e , and choose t o pay o f f some of what you owe. I n t u r n , t h e bank g i v e s you a n o t h e r c re - d i t ca rd . The p rov ince i s now draw- i n g on t h a t c r e d i t c a r d , n o t cash. It i s government by c r e d i t c a r d - any money taken from t h e BS fund s imply adds t o t h e government d e b t .

And t h e s o c r e d s a r e n ' t j u s t shovel- l i n g money o f f t h e b a c j o f t h e t r u c k , t h e y ' r e d r i v i n g down t h e highway w i t h t h e t a i l g a t e open: 20% pay h i k e s f o r soc red p o l i t i c a l a i d e s i n t h e l a s t s i x months a l o n e ; 59% pay h i k e s f o r deputy m i n i s t e r s o v e r t h e Vanderzalm term of government, and hundreds o f m i l l i o n s i n a pork b a r r e l f o r f r i e n d l y busi - n e s s e s .

Good f i s c a l management of your t a x d o l l a r s ? Th i s is t h e same government whose Expo l a n d s ' s e l l - o f f was r e c e n t - l y l a b e l l e d by b u s i n e s s l e a d e r s a s " the dumbest d e a l of t h e century" . By t e l l i n g t h e t r u t h about t h e d e f i c i t and soc red over-spending, Me1 Couve l i e r has g iven many BC t axpayers good rea- son t o conclude they c a n ' t a f f o r d f o u r more y e a r s of S o c i a l C r e d i t .

The c u r r e n t government is i n a pol- i t i c a l c r i s i s of i t s own making. Me1 C o u v e l i e r ' s d e p a r t u r e is a n o t h e r s i g - n a l t h a t i t ' s t ime f o r a change and a r e t u r n t o honesty about o u r p r o v i n c e ' s f i n a n c e s - a r e t u r n t o open government w i t h o u t doub le s t a n d a r d s .

By MIKE HARCOURT

Editor

My l e t t e r r e f e r s t o t h e shameful decis ion of Chief J u s t i c e Al lan Mc- Eachern of t h e BC Supreme Court , which denied t h e a b o r i g i n a l r i g h t s of the G i t k ' s a n and Wet 'suwet 'en peop le i n nor th-western B r i t i s h Columbia.

Abor ig ina l t i t l e t o t h e l and i n B r i - t i s h Columbia w a s recognized by t h e Imper ia l Government, t h e Hudson's Bay Company, and t h e c o l o n i a l government from t h e beginning of s e t t l e m e n t on the west c o a s t of B.C.

I n 1860 t h e l o c a l Assembly i n Vic- t o r i a p e t i t i o n e d t h e I m p e r i a l Govern- ment f o r funds t o e x t i n g u i s h Nat ive t i t l e on Vancouver I s l a n d . The p e t i - t ion s a i d i n p a r t : "As t h e Na t ive Pop- u l a t i o n of Vancouver I s l a n d have d i s - t i n c t i d e a s of p roper ty i n l and . . . t h e y would n o t f a i l t o regard t h e occupa- t i o n of ( t h e i r l a n d s ) by w h i t e sett l- e r s , u n l e s s w i t h t h e f u l l consen t o f the p r o p r i e t a r y t r i b e s , as n a t i o n a l wrongs.. . . ." (1) The C o l o n i a l S e c r e t a r y r e f u s e d t h e

request f o r money, s a y i n g t h a t t h e colony shou ld p rov ide t h e funds , b u t he s t a t e d t h a t h e was ! ' fu l ly s e n s i b l e of t h e g r e a t importance of purchas ing ... t h e Na t ive t i t l e t o t h e s o i l of Vancouver I s l a n d . " (2)

I n 1864 James Douglas r e t i r e d a s Governor of t h e colony, and t h e new Chief Commissioner o f - Lands and Works, Joseph Tru tch , r e f u s e d t o r e c o g n i z e ab- o r i g i n a l t i t l e t o t h e l and of B.C.

When t h e colony o f B r i t i s h Columbia jo ined Canada i n 1871, t h e admin i s t ra - t i o n of I n d i a n A f f a i r s became a feder - a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y , and t h e Government of Canada, i n accordance w i t h t h e Pro- c lamat ion of 1763, b e l i e v e d t h a t Na t ive peoples had r i g h t s t o t h e l and which must be e x t i n g u i s h e d b e f o r e European s e t t l e m e n t cou ld move forward.

I n 1876 Lord D u f f e r i n , t h e Gover-

nor General of Canada, made a speech i n V i c t o r i a , two months a f t e r t h e r e t i r e m e n t of Joseph Trutch. I n h i s speech Lord D u f f e r i n suppor ted t h e r e c o g n i t i o n of a b o r i g i n a l t i t l e , and h i s remarks were t aken a s an Imper ia l p r o t e s t a g a i n s t p r o v i n c i a l i n j u s t i c e . I n 1877 t h e s i t u a t i o n concerning Nat ive l and i n B.C. became s o explo- s i v e t h a t D. M i l l s , t h e M i n i s t e r of t h e I n t e r i o r f o r Canada, warned t h e p r o v i n c i a l a u t h o r i t i e s t h a t t h e fed- e r a l government would s i d e wi th t h e I n d i a n s i n c a s e of t r o u b l e . (3 ) I n a l e t t e r t o Sproa t o f t h e Reserve Commission, M i l l s blamed t h e simmer- i n g d i s c o n t e n t on t h e l a n d p o l i c y o f Joseph Tru tch which M i l l s c a l l e d I I n o t on ly unwise and u n j u s t , b u t a l s o

i l l e g a l . " (4) The d e c i s i o n of Chief J u s t i c e Mc-

Eachern is a c o n t i n u a t i o n of t h e p o l i c y o f Joseph Tru tch i n s p i t e of t h e Nishga c a s e t h a t s p l i t t h e Sup- reme Court and t h e Sparrow c a s e t h a t upheld a b o r i g i n a l r i g h t s . It is an example of how t h e l a w can be used as a weapon by those who have g r e a t power. So o f f e n s i v e l y c o l o n i a l is Chief J u s t i c e ~ c E a c h e r n ' s d e c i s i o n t h a t I b e l i e v e t h a t Chief Sau l Terry o f t h e Union o f B r i t i s h Columbia I n d i a n Chie f s i s c o r r e c t when he s a y s "I expec t i t ( t h e d e c i s i o n ) w i l l s t r e n g t h e n s u p p o r t i n t h e g e n e r a l p u b l i c f o r a b o r i g i n a l r i g h t s and a j u s t s e t t l e m e n t of t h e l and quest i ion. " (5)

Sandy Cameron

(1) The S t r u g g l e f o r S u r v i v a l - F.E. L a V i o l e t t e - p.105

(2) L a V i o l e t t e - p.105 (3) The I n d i a n H i s t o r y of B.C.

- Wilson Duff - p.67 (4) Joseph Tru tch & The I n d i a n Land

P o l i c y - R. F i s h e r - BC S t u d i e s #12, Winter 1971-72.

(5) The Vancouver Sun, Mar. 9/91.

DOWNTOWN --- STD CLINIC - Monday t h r u Fr iday , 9am - 5pm. EASTSIDE FREE MEDICAL CLINIC - Mon., Wed. & F r i . 5:30-7:30 YOUTH NEEDLE EXCHANGE - 221 Main , every day, 9am - 5pm. ACTIVITIES Needle exchange van - on t h e s t r e e t Mon - S a t evening. SOCIETY ' N.A. meet ings every Monday evening a t 223 Main S t r e e t .

N a r c o t i c s Anonymous (NA) m e e t s a t Dugout, 57 Powel l , 7:30 F r i .

1991 DONATIONS: Char ley B.-$30 Oly(Sven) -$20 Cement Masons -$I75 ende el R.-$15 Marilyn S.-$36 Heather M.-$15 Darren L.-$50 Herman L.-$10 F o r e s t Lawn -$20 C e c i l l e C.-$10 Et ienne S.-$20 Sandy C.-$20 Nancv W.-$75 Terry T.-$200 A r t VL -$5 Brenda - $5 Vishva A.-$15 11 Apri l . J a n e t B.-$20 E l l e n -$5 L i l l i a n H.-$20

Article. reprreeul the vlwa o f lndlvl4ual conlr lbutore and not 01 the A e ~ o c l ~ t l o n .

C l t y l n f o s t a f f can ' t accept donet 1o11n f o r thin N e w l e t t e r , so I f you con I ~ e l p , f l n d Foul Toylor end I t e ' l l g l ve you a rece lp t .

I l ~ e ~ ~ l t s o v o r y l ~ o t l y .

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