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I ECEMBER '1, 1992. . _ -.-----.-. 401 Main St.. Vancouver. V6A 2T7 (604)665-2289 THERE'S GOING TO BE SOMETHING NEW to the meeting & l e t t h e NPA, family & Concord Pacific that we're tired of having Vancouvers & powerful e l i t e impose whatever it on t h i s neighbourhood. you get to the meeting you'll hear city 6 corporate bureaucrats say another hockey arena is just what needs. They' 11 say that this new have little or no effect on I%: .. @-a nn -2 - - 2 , &.lL;r L L L ~ ~ L ~ W I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ i . e ~ bt: ~011st- 'the "vwntwwn Easiside. 'i"11e main probiems ructed next to BC place, between the Duns- will be technical ones like traffic GparkL 1 muir & Georgia viaducts. It's now in the ing, which can be worked out with a little so-called fast track planning process, at negotiation. Don~tbelKevethemforaminute 1 public expense. As part of this process The stadium is part of a larger restruc- the city has organised a turing of the downtown area thatisdesign- ed to make Vancouver a city for the elites "Public Disinformation Meeting" L 6 to get rid of those if us with moderate on December 10 a t 7p.m. o r low incomes. It'll eventually overtake in the the entire Downtown Eastside if nothing is Chinese Cultural Centre done to stop it. at 50 East Pender St. One thing about .the Downtown Eastside is As usual, the city wants very few people that the people here never take things 'y- to attend these meetings. why they ing down. When it's time for a fight wehe are rarely advertised enough to draw a I always ready. major crowd. I NEXT: Megaprojects & residential devel- We need to make the Dee. 10 meeting diff- opment in the Downtown Eastside. erent. We need to get as big a crowd as By JEFF SOMMERS ,, C - -- - - - ----
28

December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

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Page 1: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

I ECEMBER '1, 1992. . _ -.-----.-.

401 Main St.. Vancouver. V6A 2T7 (604)665-2289

THERE'S GOING TO BE SOMETHING NEW t o t h e meeting & l e t t h e NPA, family & Concord P a c i f i c

t h a t we're t i r e d of having Vancouvers & powerful e l i t e impose whatever it on t h i s neighbourhood.

you g e t t o t h e meeting y o u ' l l hear c i t y 6 corporate bureaucrats say another hockey arena i s j u s t what needs. They' 11 say t h a t t h i s new

have l i t t l e o r no e f f e c t on I%: .. @ - a nn - 2 - - 2 , &.lL;r L L L ~ ~ L ~ W I ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ i . e ~ bt: ~011st- 'the "vwntwwn Easiside. 'i"11e main probiems

ructed next t o BC p lace , between t h e Duns- w i l l be t echn ica l ones l i k e t r a f f i c GparkL 1 muir & Georgia viaducts . I t ' s now i n t h e ing, which can be worked out with a l i t t l e

so-cal led f a s t t r a c k planning process, a t negot ia t ion. D o n ~ t b e l K e v e t h e m f o r a m i n u t e 1 publ ic expense. A s p a r t o f t h i s process The stadium i s p a r t of a l a r g e r res t ruc - t h e c i t y has organised a tu r ing of t h e downtown a rea t h a t i s d e s i g n -

ed t o make Vancouver a c i t y f o r t h e e l i t e s "Public Disinformation Meeting"

L 6 t o g e t r i d of those i f us with moderate on December 10 a t 7p.m. o r low incomes. I t ' l l eventual ly overtake

i n t h e the e n t i r e Downtown Eastside i f nothing i s Chinese Cul tu ra l Centre done t o s top it.

a t 50 East Pender S t . One th ing about . t h e Downtown Easts ide i s A s usual , t h e c i t y wants very few people t h a t the people here never take things 'y-

to attend these meetings. why they ing down. When i t ' s time f o r a f i g h t w e h e

a r e r a r e l y adver t ised enough t o draw a I always ready. major crowd. I NEXT: Megaprojects & r e s i d e n t i a l devel-

We need t o make t h e Dee. 10 meeting d i f f - opment i n t h e Downtown Eastside.

erent . We need t o g e t a s b i g a crowd as By JEFF SOMMERS , , C - - - - - - ----

Page 2: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

When I saw t h cof f in my pain broke wide o t h man I touched i s i n t h a t box ALAIN MANSOOR MEMORIAL

2 p.m., F r i d a y , Dec.4 Carnegie T h e a t r e

A l a i n Mansoor d i e d i n a h i k i n g a c c i d e n t a few weeks a g o . H e l d b e e n m i s s i n g f o r some t i m e & p e o p l e were s t a r t i n g t o worry. He was w e l l known & l i k e d throughout t h e Carn- e g i e Community C e n t r e w h e r e h e v o l - u n t e e r e d as a t u t o r i n t h e L e a r n i n g C e n t r e , and H a s t i n g s B i l l i a r d s and Video Cent re where h e worked.

I p e r s o n a l l y remember Ala in a s an out-going hayoy-gu-lucky gay. 1 2

used t o hatre many good-natured ar- guments avou t r e l i g i o n , l i t e r a t u r e , freedom of ,speech&many o t h e r v e r y i n t e r e s t i n g t o p i c s . H e v i g o r o u s l y wished t o l e a r n about d i f f e r e n t c u l t u r e s & l anguages . . the most re- c e n t b e i n g Japanese .

A most v a r i e d and i n t e r e s t i n g person ; h e ' l l b e s o r e l y missed.

Claude Mortimer

AUTUMN COLOURS I N FLIGHT

I heaved with sobs ti1 I f e l t I would burs t pushed t h pain away by g e t t i n r i g i d & angry so I t e l l s t o r i e s mining 4 answers

why'd he do i t ? take control with answer make it mine he d i d n ' t be l i eve he was loved God'll luv ya when U g e t 2 heaven

t h e r e w i i k l B no f i r e excape &n iHell God-Th-Father f i r e & brimstone

d r ipp in d e i t y on a cross dry a s d u s t j u s t words i n h i s mouth why did he c r e a t e an i n v i s i b l e wall? & give h i s power over 2 somethin e l se? ' g ive h i s power over 2 an un-gentle drum? el+---n R el , r i ,n ~ ~ t i ~ i r i i n wh~p b z ~ a he:^ gnna "'*rr". w ---..-.. --------- 0 - - - I wish with a l l my ba t t e red defenses t h a t b i t s of him were s t i l l i n my senses ins tedda m u t i l i a t e d memories h i s voice h i s f a c e h i s funny t u f f t a l k h i s grey h a i r & bad t e e t h & jeans & Daytons he c o u l d n ~ t make it o r fake it saw no f u t u r e a f t e r 40

he packed it i n thought he 'd never win i t ' s too l a t e 2 say "don't do it Lou" U l e f t us holdin t h bag wondlrin was t h e r e somethin we coulda s a i d holdin onto each o t h e r 4 dear l i f e 4 precious l i f e 4 f r a g i l e l i f e

Diane Wood - When autumn leaves t u r n f i e r y red and sunny yellow a pumpkin orange, chocolate brown, cinnamon and r u s t Then i t ' s time again f o r t h e year ly t r a n s i t i o n *en a l l leaves r e t u r n t o n a t u r e ' s dust .

The leaves always cQme prepared f o r f a l l And it makes no d i f fe rence t h e i r s i z e a s these p r e t t y multi-shapes and colours WANTED always f l u t t e r around t o br ighten d u l l sk ies .

PIANO FOR RESIDENTS OF Whenever mother na tu re keeps c a l l i n g The leaves j u s t keep f a l l i n g THE PORTLAND HOTEL, A DOWNTOWN and they form love ly patch-work designs t o ca rpe t many miles of grgund. EASTSIDE RESIDENTS' ASSOCI

Soge leaves renlain half green HOUSING PROJECT.

w i l e o t h e r s crumble t o b i t s Ring Brenda on 683-0073 ~ u t t h e r e ' l l always be new shoots Which a r e l inked t o l i f e r s deepened roots . .

Verna Johnston

L

Page 3: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

Community Supported Farms Farm Supported Communities

Did you know Carnegie ha s a farm? The farm is Ceeds. Carnegie Community Centre Assoc ia t ion is a s u s t a i n i n g member of CEEDS. That 'means people from Carnegie have acces s t o t h e l a n d , a d i r e c t l i n k t o your food, your l i f e ; something ve ry very few people have.

There we ren ' t many weeks go by t h i s p a s t yea r when someone from Carnegie was n o t he lp ing o u t h e r e on t h e farm.

Carnegie & Ceeds have a unique r e l a t i o n - sh ip . We a r e f o r g i n g a l i n k between town & country by suppor t i ng each o t h e r . Carn- e g i e suppor t s u s i n many ways: th rough t h e n e w s l e t t e r w i t h a r t i c l e s & p i c t u r e s , d i sp l ay ing o u r p o s t e r s ... and we r e a l l y a p p r e c i a t e t h e i n t e r e s t shown by Carnegie people a t our f i l m p r e s e n t a t i 0 n s . U ~ farm- e r s f e e l a t home whenever we v i s i t Carne- g i e . The food we've s e n t down s o a r e has been on a s m a l l s c a l e . We should g e t t o -

g e t h e r & f i g u r e ou t a way f o r us t o send more food t o t h e Carnegie k i t chen . It p l e a s e s u s t o know t h a t our good food i s reaching t h e r i g h t people . Could t h e k i t - chen s t a f f l e t u s know how many pounds of po t a toe s t hey go through i n a y e a r ? !

People a s k what s e c u r i t y we have l i v i n g on t h e commune. When t a l k i n g about secur - i t y , maybe we should s t a r t wi th t h e bas- i c s - food, s h e l t e r & f u e l . J e r ry Belang- e r of Count rys ide magazine s a i d he f e l t a l o t more s e c u r e p u t t i n g a s a c k o f po t a toe s i n t h e r o o t c e l l a r t han he eve rd idmak ing a cash d e p o s i t i n t h e bank. We know what he means. During our f i r s t y e a r s a t t h e Borland Meadows, we'd o f t e n t a l k a b o u t t h e good f e e l i n g we'd g e t when eve ry th ing on our d inne r p l a t e was homegrown. .now we somewhat t a k e i t f o r g r an t ed , perhaps no t such a good t h i n g .

A l o t of o u r w i n t e r ' s food i s now s t o r e d i n our r o o t c e l l a r - t h a t ' s our foodbank. Our deep f r e e z e r s a r e ano the r foodbank; they s t o r e o u r meat. We'vegot f r e e acces s t o firewood. We sometimes use our ho r se s t o p u l l t h e d ry t r e e s o u t of t h e b u ~ h . We a l l have adequate s h e l t e r & more s h e l t e r ,

Page 4: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

can be a r ranged i f needed. The b a s i c nec- e s s i t i e s of s u s t a i n i n g one ' s l i f e a r e p r e t t y w e l l t aken c a r e of f o r u s . Th i s is a p a r t of our s e c u r i t y .

Our animals a r e p a r t of our s e c u r i t y . . no t j u s t f o r meat, bu t i t g ive s u s an op- p o r t u n i t y t o l i v e w i t h & s h a r e t h e l and w i th them. T h i s i n c l u d e s . the w i ld animals a s w e l l . We need each o t h e r ; t h e beaver t o c o n t r o l ou r w a t e r , t h e badger t o cont- r o l t h e groundhog, t h e coyote t o t ake c a r e of t h e gophers . They need u s t o a c t i v e l y come t o t h e i r d e f e n s e . We're beginning t o f r e e ou r se lve s from t h e sy s t em,& we ' re t a k i n g our domest ic an imals wi th u s .

Another p a r t o f o u r s e c u r i t y ii based on ou r t r u s t of n a t u r e & t r u s t of our comrades i n t h e commune.

We have always main ta ined t h a t s e l f - s u f f i c i e n t , r u r a l a g r i c u l t u r a l communes a r e t h e a l t e r n a t i v e t o present-day meth- ods of a g r i c u l t u r e . The pot-growers i n B C have proven t h a t s e l f - s u f f i c i e n c y can be achieved. Twenty-five y e a r s ago t h e on ly pot a v a i l a b l e was from Mexico. Then, a number of yea r s l a t e r , Columbian came on t h e scene. When i s t h e l a s t t ime you've seen any Columbian p o t ? I t ' s a l l BC-home- grown now. The s logan "This bud 's f o r you" r e a l l y has a l o t of meaning today. I f i t can be done f o r p o t , s u r e l y i t can be done f o r meat & p o t a t o e s .

Well , w i n t e r is underway. We have some snow on t h e ground & a s always a l o t of t h i n g s t o do y e t , such a s c u t t i n g firewood and g e t t i n g t h e an imals i n p l a c e f o r t h e w in t e r season. A t t h e beginning of Decem- b e r we're making a t r i p t o Carnegie w i th some p o t a t o e s , c a r r o t s & cabbage. A t r i p down means a r i d e back. Anyone i n t e r e s t e d p l ea se g e t i n touch w i t h Bob o r Muggs.

C o l l e c t i v e l y w r i t t e n a t CEEDS

Recently, with the purchase of severa l ieces of equipment, t h e on-again-off- gain photography program has found it- e l f on again. ~ h i r p ~ o g r a m o f f e r s b e n e f i t s t o the

s e r s of Carnegie & can ( i f p a r t i c i p a n t s i sh ) develop i n t o a money-making adven- .ure by advancing the s k i l l s you learn .

The program o f f e r s t h e following - .) You w i l l gain access t o our darkroom; ') You w i l l l ea rn t o t ake & develop 35mm

black & white p ic tu res ; ;) You w i l l be ab le t o p a r t i c i p a t e i n the

photography showing i n the Art Gallery; ) The time you use l ea rn ing 35mm photo-

graphy w i l l enable you t o meet new f r i e n d s & share time with o l d ones;

) Field t r i p s a r e o f fe red t o p a r t i c i p - an t s . . a chance t o g e t away from the downtown a rea f o r awhile.

Paper is ava i l ab le in 2 s i z e s . This can le purchased from e i t h e r Cleo Reese o r ,avid Lenzi f o r t h e following p ~ i c e s -

5x7 - 30 cents ! 8x10 - 80 cents

B ~ t h Cleo and Dave i n v i t e you t o come L xplore the fasc ina t ing world of Black & ' h i t e photography.

Page 5: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter
Page 6: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

' CITYPLAN CONIES TO

CITYPLAN is a program which has been devised by t h e C i t y of Vancouver P lanning Dept. t o o b t a i n i d e a s about t h e people of t h e c i t y want t o s e e Vancouver develop .

Everyone h a s hea rd by now t h a t Vancouver is t h e d e s t i n a t i o n o f choice f o r peop le moving w i t h i n Canada, & a l s o f o r t h o s e who a r e immigrat ing t o Canada from o t h e r c o u n t r i e s . Our c i t y w i l l b e growing by l eaps & bounds i n t h e nea r f u t u r e & i f w e a r e smart w e ' l l t r y t o channel t h e expec- t e d growth s o ou r c i t y remains l i v e a b l e .

Unfor tuna te ly t h e r e ' s another s i d e t o t h i s s t o r y . Many l o c a l neighbourhood r e s - i d e n t s & agenc ie s ( i n c l u d i n g DERA) have been a sk ing t h e P l ann ing Dept. f o r a Down- town E a s t s i d e Local Area P lan f o r a numb- e r of y e a r s . T h i s h a s been c o n s i s t e n t l y denied t o t h e neighbourhood.

Many o t h e r a r e a s o f Vancouver have f e l t t h e b e n e f i c i e n t , a t t e n t i o n of C i ty H a l l & rece ived t h e i r own p l a n n e r , pa id f o r by t h e C i t y , t o si t down & consu l t w i t h n e i - ghbourhoods about f u t u r e developments.

Shaughnessy, when tu rned down f o r a Local Area P l a n , de lved i n t o t h e i r own brimming pockets t o h i r e t h e i r own plann- e r . The r e s u l t i n g p l an was forwarded t o C i ty H a l l & h a s formed t h e b a s i s f o r t h e development by-law changes f o r t h e bene- f i t of r e s i d e n t s of., t h a t neighbourhood.

Unfo r tuna t e ly t h e Downtown E a s t s i d e ds not s o wel l -hee led o r p r i v i l e g e d , & h a s no t been a b l e t o a f f o r d t o buy a v o i c e i n t h e f u t u r e of t h e neighbourhood.

U n t i l now we've been fo rced t o s i t . s n a r l i n g on t h e s i d e l i n e s wh i l e Mega Cap- i t a l h a s foraged on t h e edges of t h e a r e a

w a i t i n g f o r t h e o p p o r t u p i t y t o feed on t h e l e f t o v e r s of Concord . P a c i f i c , Bosa Bros. & Marathon Rea l ty f i n a n c i a l engorgement.

On Thursday, December 3 a t 2 pm a t Car- n e g i e t h e r e w i l l b e a ' p r e s e n t a t i o n by r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s of t h e Vancouver P lanning Dept. T h i s w i l l b e a golden oppor tun i ty t o l e t them know j u s t how impor tan t t h e people i n t h i s community f e e l about a Local Area P lanning p roces s & o u r l a c k of acces s .

We need t o know how CITYPLAN w i l l g ive us access t o t h e p lanning p roces s , & t o vo i ce concerns about t h e f u t u r e ' o f t h i s neighbourhood. I t ' s now t ime t h a t t h e Downtown E a s t s i d e had a cho ice i n d i r e c t - i n g i t s f u t u r e , & DERA urges a l l members of . t h e community t o come ou t & d i s c u s s t h e i s s u e s .& t o have ou r concerns heard a t C i ty H a l l .

3 pm - 2nd .Floor Lounge

Page 7: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

Has the NDP made a difference to people on 7.

welfare? The NDP government has been i n power

f o r about a y e a r now. What has been t h e r e s u l t f o r peop le on w e l f a r e ? I n g e n e r a l t h e b i g changes t h a t people on w e l f a r e need haven ' t been made. Unemployment is s t i l l h igh . Minimum wages a r e s t i l l way t o o low. And w e l f a r e r a t e s a r e s t i l l a t on ly about h a l f t h e poverty l i n e . =' Unemployment i n BC i s over 11% .Thi: means t h a t peop le who want j obs have a hard t ime f i n d i n g them. There a r e n ' t enough j o b s f o r a l l who want them. The gov ' t h a s n ' t done any th ing n o t i c e a b l e t o c r e a t e j obs .

MIN1MUM WAGE* The NDP r a i s e d t h i s from $I an hour t o $5.50. Moe S i h o t a , t h e Minis te l i n charge of minimum wage t o l d End Legis- l a t e d Pover ty (ELP) t h a t he ' d l i k e t o r a i s e i t t o 125% of t h e pover ty l i n e w i t h i n 4 y e a r s . That would b e ove r $9 an hour. But i f he wants t o r a i s e i t t h a t h igh , we need a n o t h e r i n c r e a s e of at l e a s t 50 c e n t s now! !

RATES' The i n c r e a s e l a s t January was t e r r i b l e . S i n g l e people a c t u a l l y f e l l behind i n f l a t i o n s i n c e t h e i r i n c r e a s e was only 4.2%.

On some smaller t h i n g s , t h e NDP h a s been q u i t e good.

A Province newspaper art- i c l e r e p o r t e d t h a t p o l i c e were upse t ab- out people on we l f a r e . The p o l i c e s a i d t h a t people on w e l f a r e were ca sh ing t h e i r cheques, r e p o r t i n g t h e money l o s t o r s t o - l e n & g e t t i n g w e l f a r e t o r e p l a c e t h e mon- ey. There was no real evidence i n t h e a r t i c l e t h a t peop le on w e l f a r e were chea-

t i n g . The p o l i c e j u s t implied t h a t they were. What d id t h e Min i s t ry of S o c i a l S e r v i c e s do? According t o t h e a r t i c l e t hey t o l d t h e p o l i c e t o s t o p h a r r a s s i n g t h e i r c l i e n t s . I t ' s good t o have t h e Min- ist r y coming out on o u r s i d e f o r a change ! FORCED EMPLOYMENT OF SINGLE PARENTS oNY WELFARE'

The NDP passed t h e b e s t law i n t h e count ry on t h i s i s s u e . S i n g l e p a r e n t s on we l f a r e can choose t o s t a y homeblook a f t e r t h e i r c h i l d r e n o r l ook f o r work. Th i s change came a f t e r a long s t r u g g l e by ELP & l o t s of women on we l f a r e .

The NDP has provided $11 m i l l i o n f o r u n i v e r s a l s choo l lunch programs throughout t h e province. This t o o came a f t e r a l ong f i g h t by ELP &many s i n - g l e pa ren t s . The program i s s t i l l no t p e r f e c t . Many schoo l s t h a t need t h e prog- ram don ' t have i t . The people who run t h e schools haven ' t recognized t h e need and haven ' t a p p l i e d f o r t h e money.

The amount of money t h a t you can ea rn & keep was i nc reased from $50 t o $100 f o r s i n g l e s & $100 t o $200 f o r f a m i l i e s & people w i th d i s a b i l i - t i e s . Th i s is f o r people who can work. But Cec i l e Guay of Dawson Creek p o i n t s out : i f you c a n ' t work, i t doesn ' t he lp . ASSET The amount of money you can have i n t h e bank & s t i l l apply f o r we l f a r e was i nc reased q u i t e a b i t . S i n g l e s can have $2500, up from a s low a s $5 f o r some people. Fami l ies can have $5000.

There used t o b e a 3-year l i m i t on t h e number of y e a r s t h a t a pers - on could go t o Col lege o r Un ive r s i t y and s t i l l b e on w e l f a r e . That l i m i t was t aken o f f f o r s i n g l e p a r e n t s & people w i th d i s - a b i l i t i e s . Th i s means t h a t t h e s e people now have a b e t t e r chance of f i n i s h i n g c o l l e g e o r u n i v e r s i t y . Unfor tuna te ly t h e l i m i t w a s n o t t aken o f f f o r s i n g l e s and couples .

The Family Mainten-

Page 8: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

ance Enforcement Program is now o p t i o n a l f o r women on w e l f a r e . It used t o b e re- qu i r ed o r you could g e t c u t o f f we l f a r e . Th i s change came because of a long s t r u - g g l e l e d by Federa ted Anti-Poverty Group of BC. SERVICES CAN BE APPEALED. The Ministry

changed w e l f a r e r e g u l a t i o n s on c h i l d c a r e & t r a i n i n g & homemaker s e r v i c e s s o t h a t t hey can now be appea led . T h i s means i f you ask your worker f o r c h i l d c a r e , t r a i n - i n g , o r homemaker s e r v i c e s , & t h e worker s ays "no", you can a p p e a l t h e dec i s ion .

?he Min i s t ry added $ 1 7 m i l l i o n t o i t s budget f o r t r a i n i n g & a d j u s t e d some p o l i c i e s t o i n c r e a s e wages. For ex- ample, employers i n t h e Employment P l u s program now have t o pay t h e minimum wage of $5.50 i n s t e a d of $3.50 t o workers.The Min i s t ry t o p s t h i s up t o $9 an hour .

The Min i s t ry h a s done some good t h i n g s w i th t h e Community Volunteer Program. It pays v o l u n t e e r s on w e l f a r e $100 a month t o work w i th community groups. The Mini- s t r y s a i d people on ly have t o work 10h r . a month, i n s t e a d of t h e o l d 20 hou r s . There is no l onge r a l i m i t on t h e amount of t ime you. can b e on t h i s program.

But , t h e Min i s t ry s a i d t h a t a l l t h e non-prof i t groups t h a t u s e v o l u n t e e r s have t o have a c r i m i n a l r eco rd check on t h e i r s t a f f & o t h e r v o l u n t e e r s . Many groups f e e l t h i s i s an i nvas ion of t h e i r r i g h t s & won't do i t . A s a r e s u l t , few w i l l b e a b l e t o u se t h e community volun- t e e r program. However, ELP h a s complain- ed t o t h e Min i s t ry & t h e r e is a chance t h a t t h i s r e g u l a t i o n about c r i m i n a l rec- ord checks w i l l b e changed. FUNDS FOR ADVOCACY GROUPS. The Ministry

has announced t h a t it w i l l g i v e $1 m i l l - ion t o advocacy & an t i -pove r ty groups.

How h a s t h e NDP done i n t h e f i r s t yea r? On t h e b i g t h i n g s , t hey haven ' t done n e a r l y enough. On t h e l i t t l e t h i n g s t hey have made p o s i t i v e changes.

( f rom t h e ELP News le t t e r )

m a YOUR RognmbIndependence

I INCOME I TAX I RETURN

R evenue Canada Taxation requires that the Province of British Columbia provide a

T5007 tax slip to all persons who received $500 or more in Income Assistance benefits or Seniors Supplement during 1992. Day care providers will not receive a T5007 tax slip.

The T5007 tax slip provides information needed to calculate certain tax credits that you may be eligible to receive.

T5007 tax slips will be provided in February 1993. The T5007 tax slip should be filed with your income tax return.

Special telephone lines will begin operation February 8, 1993, to answer your questions. Further details will be included with your T5007 tax slip.

For additional information about the T5007 slip, please contact your nearest Revenue Canada tax office listed in the "Government of Canada" section of your telephone directory.

Page 9: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

YOU TOO Can ~e Successful

WELCOME !

The s t a f f & v o l u n t e e r t u t o r s o f t h e Learning Cent re a r e here t o a s s i s t you, We teach everyth ing from b a s i c READING, WRITING & ARITHMETIC t o High School Grad- ua t ion work. We a l s o o f f e r c l a s s e s i n learn ing t o speak 4 w r i t e English (ESL).

You can work wi th an ind iv idua l t u t o r o r i n a small group o r both, whatever s u i t s you. You can choose your own t imes and your own way o f learn ing . Cope and s e e f o r your se l f .

One of o u r t e a c h e r s i s R I K A UTO, who s t a r t e d o u t a s a t u t o r i n January 1992 & became a s t a f f member i n June. She he lps coordina te t h e "drop-in" program i n t h e mornings & does ind iv idua l & group teach- ing a s well .

Rika was born i n Japan & befo re doming t o Vancouver she had l i v e d i n A u s t r a l i a & t h e USA. Her first languace is Japanese but she can speak English wi th an Austra- l i a n , American o r Canadian accent l

In t h e p a s t Rika has a t tended un ive r s i - t y i n Los Angeles & has a l s o worked as a t u t o r i n a Learning Centre t h e r e .

Rika i s i n t e r e s t e d i n doing community work i n downtown Vancouver, e s p e c i a l l y a t Carnegie Centre. She says she loves being a t Carnegie - " I t ' s such a comfortable place. ' ' She says she has met many wonder- f u l people & has learned much from them about Vancouver & i t s people. Thanks t o Carnegie, she now feels l i k e a t r u e Van- couver i te .

Come t o t h e Learning Centre & meet Rika and a l l t h e r e s t o f us .

Joan Doree

- I

This is an example of bus iness acum 1 sense) t h a t was but-&-out r e j ected. This

& t h i s w r i t e r a r e not prone t o bus iness t r a n s a c t i o n s being p e r f e c t l y c a r r i e d o u t , but M. Bottom Line s a i d NO. Only a bona f i d e - a "rea l" - invoice would make t h e o l d cash f l n w - I

I This i s an invoice . . .I t h i n k we w z

I .

through t h i s l a s t yea r , which was number- ed "1" 'cause i t ' d never happened before ; t h i s one i s No. 2.

"I, PAUL TAYLOR, BEING OF REASONABLY SOUNl MIND WITHIN BOUNDLESS LIMITATIONS THAT AT LEAST LETS ME OPERATE A TYPEWRITER, HERE- BY & FORTHWITH DECLARE THAT THE PURCHASE 'ORDER # 19474 RECEIVED TODAY FROM SCHOOL :DISTRICT NO. 54 IN THE NAME OF THE SMITH- ~ERS SECONDARY SCHOOL LOOKS OKAY WITH A NIFTY GRAPHIC AND THIS I S THEREFORE AD IN- FINITUM A BILL FOR THE ADVANCE PAYMENT OF 1$43.70 FOR THE MAILING COSTS OF YE OLDE ! (p r i ce l e s s ) CARNEGIE NEWSLETTER UNTIL ,l JULY 1993 WHEN THE LAST OF A SERIES OF WEE NOTES STRAPPED TO THE BEAK OF A IFLIGHTLESS PENGUIN WILL HAVE COME STUCK !

I N WITH THE 7 ISSUES I N THE MAIL THAT NO . ONE HAS YET RESPONDED TO AND ANOTHER PUR- CHASE ORDER WILL MIRACULOUSLY APPEAR IN THE MAIL AT WHICH TIME ANOTHER INVOICE (numbered 3) WILL BE SENT BEARING THE FOLLOWING INSCRIPTION : I, PAUL TAYLOR. . .

okay? ... s o r a t h e r than a simple "okay1' & f i l e t h e sucker , 2 more envelopes & 2 &ore stamps ( 1 of each each way) f i n a l l y passed 'go' .............................. I

Page 10: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

Mult ina t ional Drug Dealing

Have you no t i ced? P resc r ip t ion drug c o s t s i n Canada a r e going up f a s t e r than ever , & t h e reason i s simple. The Mulron- ey g o v l t i n Ottawa has given i n t o t h e ds- mands of t h e brand name, foreign-owned, drug corpora t ions by r e s t r i c t i n g competi- t i on from Canadian-owned companies t h a t make gener ic (no name brand) drugs.

In 1987 t h e Mulroney gov ' t passed B i l l C-22. This b i l l allowed mul t ina t iona l drug companies t o use t h e i r p a t e n t s t o s top Canadian drug companies from making competi t ive ve r s ions of drugs f o r 7-10 years . Before t h i s happened, Canadian drug companies had been a b l e t o market a gener ic (no name) p r e s c r i p t i o n drug be- fo re the p a t e n t expi red , provided t h a t a roya l ty was pa id t o t h e o r i g i n a t o r of t h e drug.

- - -

In June, 1992, t h e Mulroney gov ' t ann- ounced l e g i s l a t i o n ( B i l l C-91) t h a t would g ive t h e mul t ina t iona l drug companies 20-year p a t e n t p ro t ec t ion .

I t is probable t h a t B i l l C-91 w i l l be introduced t o t h e f e d e r a l parlbament thks December, 1992. If it passes , i t ' l l g ive t h e foreign-owned, brand name, drug comp a n i e s a monopoly on new drugs, & w i l l mean much h igher p r e s c r i p t i o n p r i c e s .

B i l l C-91 is a g r e a t t h r e a t t o t h e C m adian gener ic drug indus t ry . This indust- ry employs 2,300 Canadians, does its own research & development, keeps i t s prof it i n Canada & keeps p r e s c r i p t i o n drug p r i - ce s down by providing competi t ion t o brand name drugs.

Rising drug p r i c e s a r e p u t t i n g a g r e a t s t r a i n on Pharmacare, & people l i k e you and me a r e going t o f e e l t h e pinch. For example, t h e p r e s c r i p t i o n d r u g d e d u c t i b l e (what you pay) f o r Universal Pharmacare is now $400 p e r year . This deduc t ib l e has increased s t e a d i l y ove r t h e p a s t few years . Senio ts with a gold card have a deduc t ib l e of $125 p e r year f o r prescr ip- t i o n drugs. I t i s l i k e l y t h a t t h e s e ded- u c t i b l e ~ w i l l i n c r e a s e a s drug p r i c e s increase .

In B.C. , drug c o s t s pa id through Phar- macare went up by 19% i n 1991 over t h e previous year , E l i zabe th Cu l l , t h e Minis- t e r of Health f o r BC, has s a i d t h a t i n - c reas ing drug c o s t s a r e making it more d i f f i c u l t f o r h e r t o f i n d more money f o r h o s p i t a l s .

Because Canadian gene r i c drugs can compete with t h e brand name drugs, t h e Canadian drugs save Canadians over f i v e hundred mi l l i on d o l l a r s a year i n lower drug p r i c e s . We c a n ' t l e t Mulroney des t - roy t h i s Canadian i n d u s t r y with h i s B i l l .

B i l l C-91 must be s topped. Every Seni- o r s group, t r a d e union, community group, church o rgan i sa t ion & small bus iness group i n t h e count ry should send l e t t e r s t o t h e i r Member of Parl iament , t e l l i n g them t o s t o p t h i s drug l e g i s l a t i o n t h a t i s aimed aga ins t t h e Canadian people.

And when t h e next f e d e r a l electlion comes... we l l , you can f i n i s h t h i s sent: ence f o r your se l f .

By SANDY CAMERON

Page 11: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

THIS WHOLE TRIP TM TAMNG ABOUT IS PRAlKiW

@sP 5?@

THE MOST EXWISITE Pr\lWDO)i AS SOON AS I O U GIVE IT .ALL \iP

IOU CAN H4VE IT ALL

AS WG AS YOU HAYE WURE ON A LlMlTED RIP

need change To the Editor,

I 've r e a d y o u r recent coverage of the West End hustlers' problem, and ihe complaint by shopkeepers that

' the beggars are harming their trade. It's been my direct daily observation that people freely do their banking, buy their gro- ceries, go in the liquor store or anywhere else they want to go, seemingly in most cases, oblivious to the sight of some- one else's illness or lack.

There are many different types of panhandlers, many of which are former mental pa- tients discharged from River- view without any adequate community support services in place for them. It's been my own personal experience over

quite a period of time that there are very v e j few intimidating panhandlers.- It is clearly up to our present government to ad- dress the underlying problems of poverty.

In regard for the Change For The Better boxes to be installed in some stores along Robson Street for people to drop their spare change in, instead of giv- ing it to the person sitting out- side, this program won't assist with the real needs of these people, but will help people with their frustration at being harassed and give them the op- tion to help out the social agen- cies that help the street people.

However, one important point has been overlooked. There is still a real need for these street people to have some change in their pockets. As we do, maybe they'd like to have enough bus fare to get where they need to go, buy some ciga- rette papers, or a candy bar or a hot coffee at Mac's or 7-1 1 (because they're not allowed in anywhere else).

As a suggeston to those who are open to it, what I do when I have a bit of change to spare is to also give the person a pam- phlet put out by Carnegie Cen- tre listing all free and nearly free services available to them. What many of these deprived people are also hungering for is just a touch of common hu- manity. Man does not live by bread alone.

Barbara Templeman

Page 12: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

the poor. The middleman o r woman is usual- l y from the middle c l a s s where they l i v e s a f e l y i n t h e i r suburban homes. They g e t t h e i r c r e d i t s & whatever they can cheat t h e poor out of . A good example is char i - t i e s who get donations of c lo th ing & app- l i ances f o r nothing then charge t h e poor high p r i ces i n t h e i r I f t h r i f t f f s t o r e s . The big business of deal ing i n human misery makes many people money while t h e poor a r e l e f t i n t h e i r misery. The Robson S t . red- necks a r e another good example of t h e "haves" - the middlemen of poverty - mak- ing more money f o r themselves.

Brian Wagget

ALCOHOL & DRUG

TREATMENT

community u s e of f a c i l i t i e s

b e t t e r ways t o u s e what we have

DEC. 9 , 10 - 2 pm

520 E . H a s t i n g s S t .

EVERYONE WELCOME !

New log f l o a t i n g i n r id ing t h e high t i d e looks l i k e a sub with a f i n o r maybe a whale on i ts s i d e .

Seagull paddles over curious a s can be lands on it, pecks a t it . . .g loat ing happ.ily

A black crow lands on t h e f i n two more a r r i v e with him pecking a t i t they discover the food t h a t l i e s within

Clams and oys te r s , mussels encased onto t h e log a v e f i t a b l e f l o a t i n g f e a s t of food f o r those o f beak and claw

The crows a r e joined u n t i l the re ilsi~spaee No Room f o r t h e seagu l l

# he jumps i n I can f l o a t he seems t o say with a g r i n a s t h e crows begin t o d ine

A new a r r i v a l f l o a t i n g i n it happens every year t o jo in t h e jam a t Crab Beach p i e r t e l l t h e rocks we're here t o s t ay .

S a l t y Sam's f r i e n d

Page 13: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

andy alexander

This l e t t e r is regarding t h e c los ing of the Woodward s t o r e (downtown).

I know t h a t whatever I say o r do won't change your company's mind. However, I do have one request. I would l i k e t o see your s to re play a big r o l e when t h e s t o r e has s e t a day f o r Big Sales . Please keep in mind our senior c i t i z e n s & t h e disabled people. I t would be n i c e t o have a day s e t aside. . I- t

A s you know the IGA closed down. They had a 50%-off day; s e n i o r s couldn ' t s t a y two hours i n the l i n e up G the re fore gave up. Most disabled people in wheelchairs were turned away a t t h e gate , because t h e s t o r e was wall-to-wall people.

Now you're probably thinking, why not send a healthy person o r another person t o do the shopping? To me t h i s i s taking away our independence.

Thanks f o r your consideration.

t r i e d t o do my best but they wouldn't l e t me be a.d. B.C. What i s it t o you?

won't base l i f e on something so fl imsy goosestepping vipers animal evolution maybe we should have stayed in the sea

a l i f e giving solut ion survival of the vic ious

does not t i c k l e my whimsy

we know by now f igh t ing doesn' t solve anything

t a i s h i would work on hobgoblins t h a t lurk same old same old p o l i t i c a l order Anne Frank guides me through

t h e s i m i l a r i t i e s Don't shoot! I ' m only a rusted singer

I don' t th ink, therefore I am.

Elizabeth Thorpe

Margaret Prevost

Page 14: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

*The fol lowing sounds i r r e l e v a n t t o l i f e i n t h e Downtown Eas ts ide . The '!free" t r a d e agreement, Vietnam, Ygoslavia, t h e North American Free Trade Agreement, des t ruc t ion of t h e Braz i l i an r a i n f o r e s t s , t h e Gulf War ,... a l i s t of o t h e r t f i r r e l evan t " s t u f f .

EAST TIMOR: INDONESIA'S

CANADA'S

KI LLI NG F I ELDS ':Survivors from t h e o b l i t e r a t e d count rys ide

helping t o bankro l l i t s a t r o c i t i e s . "Thus, as I have said, if something similar to the

12 November [massacre] were to happen under my leadership, the number of victims would be higher."

Amnesty I n t e r n a t i o n a l & o t h e r human r i g h t s groups r e p o r t over 250,000 dea ths i n East Timor - over one t h i r d of t h e pop- ~ l a t i 0 n - s ince i t s invasion by Indonesia. The campaign of genocide cont inues t o t h i s day. Canada i s an important member of a c o a l i t i o n o f Western powers who have been p ro tec t ing the Indonesian d i c t a t o r s h i p from i n t e r n a t i o n a l censure, ignor ing i t s contempt f o r i n t e r n a t i o n a l law & a c t u a l l y

Canada Quietly Supports the Massacre

have long been in t e rned & s t a rved i n work camps. The Red Cross has repor ted t e n s of thousands of dea ths . * That same year , Canada h o s t s an arms

bazaar. for Canadian weapons rnanuf ac tu r - e r s i n t h e Indonesian c a p i t a l .

* AS t h e dea th t o l l r i s e s above 200,000, former Externa l Af fa i r s Min i s t e r Joe Clark says he i s s a t i s f i e d t h a t human r i g h t s abuses have ended i n East Timor. -

Dec.7, 1975, t e n days a f t e r East Timor dec l a re s i t s independence from Portugual , Indonesia invades i t s neighbour. An es t im- a ted 100,000 Timorese a r e s laughtered i n the next 6 weeks. seven foreign journalist^ including an Aus t r a l i an TV crew a r e k i l l e d These events a r e v i r t u a l l y unreported. * The UN General Assembly demands a with-

drawal o f Indonesian t roops . - Canada a b s t a i n s from t h e vo te .

* Six months l a t e r , Canada inc reases a i d t o Indonesia by $200 mi l l i on .

Since t h e invas ion , Amnesty In t e rna t ion - a l & o t h e r s document massive human r i g h t s v i o l a t i o n s - rape , forced abor t ions , mass executions 6 t o r t u r e . Timorese a r e ru th - l e s s l y bombed i n t h e count rys ide wi th nap- alm and white phosphorus. * In both 1980 G '82 Canada vo te s a g a i n s t

UN General Assembly r e s o l u t i o n s c a l l i n g Indonesian withdrawal from East Timor.

In 1984, Indonesia begins i t s b r u t a l Op- e ra t ion Clean Sweep i n East Timor pledg- ing t o "crush oppos i t ion without mercy."

Voice of Change? General Theo Syafei, military commander in East Timor appointed after the Santa Cruz massacre.

Nov 12,1991: The Mask Slips Nov.12, 1991, Zndonesian t roops massacre

over 200 unarmed mourners i n an Eas t Timor cemetery i n f u l l view of s eve ra l fo re ign correspondents . One New Z e a l a n d e r i s k i l l e d two m e r i c a n s a r e badly bea ten by t h e Ind- ones ians &, c r u c i a l l y , a B r i t i s h camerman escapes with footage o f t h e i n c i d e n t . The massacre is widely condemned. Canada f r e e - zes $30 m i l l i o n i n a id . * In response t o worldwide c r i t i c i s m Ind-

anes i a r e p l a c e s two gene ra l s & j a i l s t e n s o l d i e r s f o r 'disobeying o rde r s . '

Along nLth much of t h e western world, Canada buys t h e Indones ianpubl ic r e l a t i o n s exe rc i se . Santa Cruz i s a mistaka.The New Zealand g o v l t agrees t h a t Indonesia has shown "s incere remorset1 over t h e inc iden t . With remarkable d i s p l a y s of cynicism, o f f - i c i a l s ta tements everywhere omit t h e f a c t t h a t t h e only 'mistake1 about t h e massacre was t h a t it was captured on f i l m . * In a j o i n t p r e s s conference wi th t h e

Indonesian fo re ign m i n i s t e r , External

Page 15: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

A f f a i r s Min i s t e r Barbara McDougall p r a i s e s "the commitment of t h e Indones- i a n gov ' t t o ensure t h e p e r p e t r a t o r s among t h e m i l i t a r y 6 c i v i l i a n s w i l l be brought t o j u s t i c e . "

* Note t h a t t h e on ly c i v i l i a n s involved i n t h e massacre were i t s unarmed Timor- e se v i c t ims . Eight su rv ivo r s were s e n t - enced t o terms ranging from 5 yea r s t o l i f e f o r "expressing h o s t i l i t y " . Eighty o t h e r wi tnesses were q u i e t l y rounded up and executed.

Now t h a t t h e p u b l i c r e l a t i o n s e x e r c i s e i s over , ~ a n a d a - p l a n s t o g ive an a d d i t i o n a l $46 mi l l i on t o Indonesia i n a i d t h i s year .

Who is Indonesia?

I Timor is s i t u a t e d bes ide one of t h e only deep water channels t h rough which American nuc l ea r submarines can pas s d i r e c t l y from t h e P a c i f i c t o t h e Indian Ocean. In 1975, t h e American g o v l t decided an independent

lTimor posed a s e c u r i t y t h r e a t t o i t s s t r a t - e g i c i n t e r e s t s .

Indonesia i s one of t h e w o r s t humanr ights v i o l a t o r s worldwide. I t ' s a rapac ious co l - o n i a l power bent on dominating t h e i s l a n d s of i t s a rch ipe l ago , wiping ou t t h e i r ind ig- enous c u l t u r e s E s t r i p p i n g t h e m o f r e s o u r c e s - - ~

Indonesia i s a l s o ve ry popular among mul t i - n a t i o n a l s E western governments. Labour c o s t s ( i e t h e s t anda rd of l i v i n g ) a r e among t h e lowest i n Southeas t Asia 6 domestic ' s t a b i l i t y ' is maintained b y m i l i t a r y c o n t r l . With a huge popula t ion (180 m i l l i o n ) Econs- i d e r a b l e n a t u r a l r e sou rces , Indonesia i s perceived t o be a growing r eg iona l super- power: a P a c i f i c R i m t r a d i n g p a r t n e r t o cou r t a t a l l c o s t s . S i g n i f i c a n t l y , Canada i s t h e t h i r d - l a r g e s t i n v e s t o r i n t h e Indon- e s i a n economy. More than 300 Canadian comp- a n i e s a r e p r e s e n t i n Indonesia .

"What seems to be an obvious factor is the hundreds of Canadian businesses [involved in Indonesia].

... It just goes against their economic interests." Ed Broadbent. president of the International Centre

for Human Rights and Democratic Development

Why East Timor?

East Timor posses se s v a l u a b l e o f f sho re o i l r e se rves . These a r e c u r r e n t l y being d iv ided by Indonesia & A u s t r a l i a ( A u s t r a l i a i s t h e on ly count ry i n t h e world t o l e g a l l y accept t h e i nco rpo ra t ion o f East Timor i n t o Indonesia) . Chevron, B r i t i s h Petroleum and S h e l l a r e a l l beginning p r o j e c t s t h i s year .

Our tax money has been used to bomb this child's villages',

massacre thousands like her2, intern and starve thousands more3,

eradicate her culture4, and actively prevent international bodies from challenging these

atrocities5. 1. Incendiary bombs & napalm were used t o

ob l i t e r a t e the countryside t ha t she l t e r s FRETILIN, the East Timorese resis tance. 2 . An estimated 250,000 Timorese have been

k i l led since the invasion. 3 . Hundreds of thousands of Timorese were

rout inely forced in to detention camps where the Red Cross reported tens of thous- ands starved t o death. 4. Destruction of t r ad i t i ona l v i l l age s t r - uctures, forced relocation, a forced s t e r i - l i z a t i on program, mass immigration of Indo- nesians, cu l tu ra l indoctrination disguised a s education. 5. Canada has not only voted against UN re - solut ions ca l l ing f o r Indonesian withdrawal but has ac t ive ly lobbied to have the i ssue removed from the agenda.

Page 16: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

East Timer, a smal island mntr of Austndia, was home to one of $8 few mmaning tn'bal cultures wtrich exist outs& the global economy

Who is Responsible? *WE ARE. Canadahas beenan important a l l y t o t h e I n d o n e s i a n d i c t a t o r s . Ourgov ' thas o f f e red both i n t e r n a t i o n a l legi t imacy & con- s i d e r a b l e economic support. We've even so ld a r m s t o t h e I n d o n e s i a n m i l i t a r y . Most imp- o r t a n t l y , Canadalias conspired toma in ta in t h e s i l e n c e on t h e continuing genocide i n E . Timor . I t ' s i n t h i s vacuum of information t h a t Canada can maintain i t s se l f - imagr as peacekeeper. *THE UNITED STATES. US cold war p o l i c i e s have s e t t h e s t a g e throughout East Timor's t ragedy. In 1965 the US suppor t ed thecoup t h a t brought Indones ia ' s cu r r en t r u l e r s t c power. In '75 t h e t h r e a t of an independent 3 unpredic table Timor neighbouring two i m - po r t an t deep water submarine channels d i s - turbed American nuclear planners . A t t h e reques t of t he American adminis t ra t ion the d a t e of the invasion was delayed one day t o a!low Pres ident Ford & Henry Kissinger t o complete t h e i r scheduled v i s i t t o Indo- n e s i a before t roops landed i n East Timor. Twelve hours a f t eE h i s depar ture , when t h e a s s a u l t had begun on D i l i , Kissinger rep- l i e d t o r e p o r t e r s i n Hawaii Ifthe US under- s tands Indones ia ' s p o s i t i o n o n t h i s . " *AUSTRALIA, JAPAN, t h e U . K . , HOLLAND.Along with o the r western coun t r i e s & t h e World Bank, these coun t r i e s have acted t o pro- t e c t s i g h i f i c a n t investments i n Indonesia. This consortium (Canada & US ;are members) donates nea r ly $5 b i l l i o n a year t o Indon- e s i a . Indones ia ' s m i l i t a r y gov ' t keeps the f a c t n r i e s open & t h e people down. his ex- ample i s o f t e n c i t e d a s an i n s t r u c t i v e model f o r t h e t h i r d world.

Who is Opposed? *THE EAST TIMORESE. The people o f t h e t i n y i s l a n d o f East Timor have been r e s i s t i n g t h e occupation f o r 17 years . Forced in t eg - r a t i o n remains a f a i l u r e G u e r i l l a s under t h e char i smat ic l e a d e r Xanana Gusmao cont- inue t o s t r u g g l e a g a i n s t t h e Indonesian army. Over 30,000 s o l d i e r s , po l i ce , para- m i l i t a r y & i n t e l l i g e n c e o f f i c e r s a r e requ- i r e d t o enforce Indonesian r u l ~ U n d e r t h e most oppressive cond i t ions Timorese have r e s i s t e d & r i sked t h e i r l i v e s t o e s t a b l i s h . a conduit t o smuggle information ou t of East Timor. Faced wi th world ind i f f e rence t h e Timorese have endured massive s u f f e r - ing under t h e Indonesian g i a n t . Thei r s tEuggle remains un re l en t ing . *PARLIAMENTARIANS FOR EAST TIMOR i s an i n - t e r n a t i o n a l group made up o f roughly 250 - - members o f Parliament f r o m over i 0 count- r i e s , inc luding Canada, t h e UK, A u s t r a l i a & Japan. Twenty-one Canadian MPs a r e memb- e r s . This is a growing movement designed t o lobby aga ins t c u r r e n t p o l i c y towards Indonesia & East Timor i n t h e i r r e spec t ive coun t r i e s a s well a s i n t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l community. Lobby your MP t o jo in! *THE EAST TIMOR ALERT NETWORK. ETAN is a g ra s s - roo t s network ded ica t ed t o i nc reas - i ng pub l i c awareness & changing gov ' t pol- icy . In cooperat ion wi th Amnesty In t e rna t - i ona l 4 o t h e r human r i g h t s organiza t ions , ETAN organises events & pub l i shes ma te r i a l across t h e country. The ETAN n e w s l e t t e r provides news on t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l scene & t h e l a t e s t information t o be smuggled out of East Timor.

Write t o External A f f a i r s Minis te r ----------------------------------. BARBAR4 McDOUGALL House of Conunons, Ottawa. K I A 0A6

Send copies t o Externa l Af fa i r s c r i t i c s f o r t h e opposi t ion p a r t i e s : Lloyd Axewor- t h y (.Liberals) & Svend Robinson (NDP) . Postage i s f r e e .

Spread t h e word. The b a t t l e f o r East Timor ---- ---------- Kas been s i l enced f o r n e a r l y 17 years . Let 3 thers know what Externa l A f f a i r s i s d e t e r - nined t o keep qu ie t .

Page 17: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

fence of privacy by t h e pr iv i leged was q t h a n they w i l l admit. A ce r t a in kind of pr imar i ly meant t o d e t e r detect ion of ?"surrender is a beginning s t ep i n tile r: t h e i r perverseness? (Privacy may be more ': r i g h t d i rec t ion . I dreamed a t a l l s t rong than a s t a t e of mind, but some of us ' .a: woman held me peacefully from behind. have been hur t . )

Once one r e a l i z e s t h a t a l l sex is a i v i o l a t i o n of some s o r t o r another, var i - 1.

ous themes o r s t y l e s previously closed t o I one seem obvious, no longer dangerous.

(They may remain k i t s c h , however.) Since every quanta of event has a par t -

i san alignment, i s i t not b e t t e r t o be conscious of t h a t alignment? Why, then, am I h e s i t a t i n g ?

Editor,

What could you buy a s a Christmas presz ent f o r $20 mi l l ion t h i s year?

The f e d e r a l gov ' t spent $20 mi l l ion on a "Prosperi ty I n i t i a t i v e w t a s k fo rce which repor ted t h i s month E made 55 recommenda- t ions , most of whichareekfiherrepdtit ive, vague o r too cos t ly .

Action 3, f o r example, urges t h e gov ' t t o reduce spending G def ick t s .

Action 4 wants a f u l l review of t h e per- v e r s i t i e s o f t h e t a x system.

Action 7 c a l l s on gov ' t t o remove i n t e r - provincia l t r a d e b a r r i e r s .

Action 55 recommends a commission be s t ruck t o " inves t iga te t h e impact of mult- i d i s c i p l i n e cross-sector t a s k f o r c e s on cogni t ive funct ioningw (whew!).

Action 17 recommends a commission be s t ruck c a l l e d t h e "Internat ional Trade Ad- v i so ry CommitteeH t o double t h e number of ~ a n a d i a n companies exporting within 3 y r s .

The hardness & sharpness of myself has ' betrayed me. Such s t rength is p o i n t l e & s , , I have recent ly discovered.

Photography is always p a r a l l e l t o t h e world, f i x i n g an event, the taking mom- en t , t o an event f i e l d , thereby c rea t ing a category of f ixed gazes. To look a t a photograph is t o conspire a s t a t u e of a•’ f ec t .

The s t a t u e of our c e r t a i n t y , i t ' s pr iv- acy, i t 's non-partisan non-existence.

By DAN TEENEY

The Kiss

I t came upon a springtime day l i k e dew upon t h e p e t a l s of a s o f t and velvet flower I picked you from a scentedalfiled The f i r s t one I could love l i k e a ch i ld when I came out of my scented t r a n c e a crowd had gathered near t o witness us entwined i n love made from our deepest wants and first i n s t i n c t s Our p e t a l s brushed each o the r s o f t l y , we drank from one anothers mothering dew Our flowers of love grown from s t ray ing seeds of the wandering source We w i l l never lose one another What a wasie of $ 2 d m i l l i & . No speci f -

i c s , j u s t p l a t i t u d e s . No wonder t h e 1992 11 share our deepest ti1 the re is no time u n t i l e is the ru l ing passion

Elizabeth Thome

Page 18: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

DOWTOWN STD C l i n i c - Monday th rough F r i d a y , 9 a k - 5pm. EASTSIDE FREE NEDICAL CLINIC - Mon, Wed, F r i d a y : 5:30-7:30pm

YOUTH NEEDLE EXCHANGE - 221 Main; e v e r y day 9am-5pm. ACTIVITY Need le Exchange van - on t h e s t r e e t Mon-Sat e v e n i n g s . SERVICES N . A . mee t s e v e r y Monday n i g h t a t 2.23 Main.

Out-to-Lunch Bunch meets d a i l y a t 101 W . Cordova, 10-2:20.

1992 I)ONATlONS: Cement Masons-$100 KciLh C . 4 2 0 Paula H.-$20 Nancy W.-$IOo Co1 leen E.-$25 1.11l)n F . -$ I O S t u a r t M.-$10 I{ol)crt -$ I0 ceel)s - $50 It~,lary Club of Chinatown -$767.15 I,'our S i s t e r s Co-op -$500 Joyce H.-$10 'I'on~ S . - S 5 IKRA -$SO0 - . - llazel M.-$25 Legal S e r v i c e s -$200 'I'lte Old S a i l o r -$40 Ktlenne 5--$50 PLUM -$800 Ccc i l e C.-$20 Forest Lawn -$25 ill T.-$20 Jean F.-$15 Yvonne .C. -$ lo E r i c E.-$10 A~~onymorrs -$I8 Ken - S 5 Wm.B .-$20

Smithers S . S .-$45 A.L.C--$30 Mary C.-$25 Joy T. -$20

N 11:l~;l) I I ll:l,l' *!

1 .1 I: w 5 I- I: I I 1: 1 1 ,'3, . . . . . . . . I, ....* . .. ....... .. *..... I a".

The Downtown E a s t s i d e R e s i d e n t s ' A s s o c i a t i o n c a n h e l p you w i t h :

any w e l f a r e problem i n f o r m a t i o n on l e g a l r i g h t s d i s p u t e s w i t h l a n d l o r d s u n s a f e l i v i n g c o n d i t i o n s income t a x UIC problems f i n d i n g h o u s i n g open ing a bank account

Come i n t o t h e DERA o f f i c e a t 9 E a s t H a s t i n g s S t o r phone u s a t 682-0931.

DERAts G e n e r a l Membership m e e t i n g is on t h e l a s t ~ r i d G o f e v e r y month i n C a r n e g i e T h e a t r e , s t a r t i n g a t 10:30am. -

DERA I I A S BEEN SERVING THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE FOR 19 YEARS

Page 19: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

DERA The Vancouver Sun, Wednesday. Nov. 25, 1992 -- - - - -- -- - - - - ROBERT SARTl

Staff mulls switch to smaller union local Some unionized s taf r a t B.C.'s

most high-profile community group a re wondering whether it's time lo switch unions.

Employees a t t h e Downtown Eastside Residents Association h a w voted by a narrow majority to mow from a large local of the Canadian Union of Public Gmployces lo a small CUPE local that specializes in non-profil cominunity groups.

Union member Laura Stannartl said Tuesday DERA has a reputir- Lion iEi a militant organization, b u l its low-income members don't h a w the resources to deal with sophisti- cated labor relations disputes and conlmunity issues at the same time,

"We want to stay in CUPE, but \vc need to recognize that you have Lo approach a small non-profit group differently than you do a big. strong employer, which can hire 1awye1.s and other professional help, and Lhal the stafl'owes something . . lo 111c

Dear Ole DERA

community," Stannard sald. The 40 unionized DERA staff cur-

rently earn a minimum of $14.29 all hour for jobs such as col;irnunity brorker and welfare advocate - at least four times more than the wci- fare-level income of most D E L I members who employ them.

They are now represented by tht: 2,500-member CUPE local 1004. which is used to dealing with such powerhouse public employers as Vancouver city council, the Pacific National Exhibition and the Van- couver park board.

The move to Local 3495, whic!l represents 500 employees a t groups such as the Canadian Mental Health .4ssociation and the B.C. Human Righ t s Coali t ion, must s t i l l hc approved by two-thirds of the 1004 membership. Local 3495 mcmber- ship has already voted unanimousfy to accept DERA employees.

CUPE 1004 shop steward Dalc Moseley, who works a t DERA and

The downtown e a s t s i d e r e s i d e n t s associa- t i o n is supposed t o be agra5.s roo t s group, represent ing the i n t e r e s t s of t h e people of Canada's lowest income urban community. Recently, however, a l o t of i t s energy has been drained o f f toward deal ing with i n t - ernal mat ters , e spec ia l ly r e l a t i o n s with t h e paid s t a f f . In f a c t , DERA now has t o h i r e a fu l l - t ime personnel d i r e c t o r t o deal with s t a f f , dra ining money &(k.esources from community i s sues .

The i s sue cHme up a t t h e most recent DERA membership meeting, where a motion passed unanimously by the members t o ad- here t o the o rgan iza t ion ' s o r i g i n a l pr inc- i p l e s when bargaining with t h e union.

Barry Morris, who made t h e motion, sa id l a t e r he f e e l s i t ' s important t h a t DERA remain a g r a s s roo t s organizat ion, d i r e c t - ed by the community. "DEW is not j u s t a

opposes the move, denied that 1004 is insensitive to DERA's needs.

"CUPE 1004 is sympathetic to tlir unique nature of non-profits, espe- cially DERA, and we know it's not a normal labor-management relatlon- ship," Moseley said.

He said 1004 has enough stafl'to deliver better contracts and benetis to ils members than can a smaller local.

S t a n n a r d s a i d t h e h is tory of DERA is founded on volunteer labor in thk community - a ticklish issue for unions.

"Thcre wouldn't be any bargain- ing unil jobs if there were no volun- teers to go out and create them and get the funding," Stannard said.

Local 3495 president Marty NO& gren said workers in non-prof8 groups earn an average ofS3 an hoQ less than their counterparts in the public sector, and they shoulcl ban! together to get more respect.

He said 3495 is Ilexible in allowing community volunteers.

DEW is going through a t r a n s i t i o n p h a s e now, with t h e search on f o r a replacement f o r J i m Green. Right now, the re a r e two separa te spheres of a c t i v i t y - the commun- i t y ac t iv ism s ide , and t h e building serv- i c e s ide .

The community is s t a r t i n g t o g e t more involved i n deciding the f u t u r e of i t s organizat ion. More on t h i s a s developments unfold.

I fac tory , i t ' s t h e community," s a i d Barry.

Page 20: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

"Message . ;

coming acrossyy

For a while I ' d thought Carnegie had supernaturally reappeared a t 609 Helmken. That s where Diane MacKenzie Haa thks n i f t y space with new f u r n i t u r e . .not f u l l (yet ) of p i l e s of p i l e s of s t u f f t h a t no one i n the world has a c lue about. That was the view from outs ide anyway.

Diane was on the phone with Donald Mac- Pherson when I got t o he r desk & he'd jus t t r i e d the Newsletter o f f i c e on the 2nd f l o o r (of Carnegie), then c a l l e d D i ( l i k e l y t o complain about something) and she asked i f he wanted t o t a l k t o me. A l l t h i s is a normal occurence a t Carnegie but t o j u s t walk i n t o a place you've never been and have the person on the phone be t ry ing t o f ind you.. . E the world s tops f o r about a second. The ghost of Carnegie again when Diane & I hadn' t spoken f o r more than a minute when Kathy c a l l e d from the Programmer1 s o f f i c e ( i n Carnegie) a s though Diane was s t i l l down the h a l l calmly t rading c r i s e s i n the middle of the perpetual unehding meeting.

OKAY ! Now t h a t you've waded through t h i s meta-

physical crud, what's happening downtown i s t h e people who've l ived the re f o r a while & i n old h o t e l s & werelare i n danger of being displaced by the massive redevel- opment don ' t want t o be shunted out t o

the boondocks - l i k e some low-cost housing project i n a f i e l d ou t s ide Surrey o r some- where. The model of Carnegie, which people here fought f o r , has become a unique succ- ess . People come from a l l over the Lower Mainland, from a l l over t h e world, j u s t t o see Carnegie & t ake a t o u r 4 , hopefully s t a r t a place l i k e t h i s where they l i v e .

Good plan. Diane got t h i s job from the Ci ty - go

t o the d~wntown south, f ind out what they want there , f i g u r e out every d e t a i l , wrap it up in a neat package with a bow on top & give it t o us ( the Ci ty Council) & we w i l l do it. So Diane goes the re and, 16 Fr behold, "finding out what they wantw is something t h a t t akes a l i t t l e longer than a day o r two 6 needs t r u s t from the r e s i - dents - t r u s t t h a t i t rs not Mmmore of t h e same crap .I '

Small things need a place to grow too,

We were on t h e s t r e e t l e v e l of the New Continental , which i s a low-cost housing p ro jec t f o r sen io r s & people with d i s a b i l - i t i e s . Planners had put the common a r e a f o r r e s iden t s on t h e 3rd f l o o r , which in- cludes a l a r g e c a f e t e r i a , a TV room, read- ing room, a pool t a b l e , t a b l e s f o r games & ea t ing & s i t t i n g a t over coffee 6 so on. Everything i s a l l so new t h a t some of the people a r e a l i t t l e leery , being used t o p laces t h a t have age marks (and sca r s ) .

Diane introduced me t o Beth, who i s a *programmer1, f o r want of a more f r i e n d l y t i t l e . Beth knows what Diane knows - you don' t 'program' people t o death with imp- o r t ed a c t i v i t i e s , but j u s t add your ideas t o those of t h e u s e r s of a place. . t o s e t up what s a i d u s e r s want 6 not what you th ink they want. The next i n t r o yas with Jane, whom Diane r e s p e c t f u l l y c i t e d a s "the b e s t c leaning person i n the world". (Behind he r back, Jane was a l s o c a l l e d indispensible t o the l i f e of the e n t i r e place but you can ' t say t h a t t o h e r f ace without embarassing he r o r having it sounc l i k e so much bushwa so i t was whispered ins tead!) . ((And, while into1:givin pra ise Diane sa id Kathy Thomson d id a1 t e work t o ge t he r o f f i c e Up 6 m n l n g . 3

Page 21: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

TROLL ( f o r andy a . )

ex t raord ina i re , who is a c t u a l Planner i n d i sgu i se , has kept c i n - and t h e amount of wind a bent f i g - Plan t o make t h i s a p lace t h a t e l i k e t h a t is capable of conjur ing and using it can c a l l home, r a t h e r s t a i n i n g j u s t by h i s j acke t 6 discolour- showpiece f o r o t h e r p lanners t o over.

One s i g n i f i c a n t change was making t h e 3rd f l o o r of t h e bu i ld ing a co t r e f o r t h e s e n i o r s o f t h e a r e than j u s t f o r those l i v i n g i n embankment t o t h e s u n r i s e & t h e s ide- u p s t a i r s . I t ' s c a l l e d t h e Cont l k & t h e beginnings of t r a f f i c , ascend- i o r s ' Centre, s t ra ightforward1 g from f o l k l o r e i n t o semi -v i s ib i l i ty , is open from 7 a m d a i l y . The 1 imbing t o v i s i b l e per iphery from invis- space has a few l i v i n g th ings , l e periphery, removing himself i n t o t h e & pigeons, & is g r e a t f o r barb bound l egac ies from t h e swe l l of h i s e t e r n a l Vancouver sunshine. ep - i f t h i s windy charac te r perhaps

What e l s e . . . t h e ADDRESS! - 1 s e s midway up the embankment t o look You walk i n t h e lobby, g e t t h e e leva to r pon t h e waste & extravagance of t h e t o t h e 3rd f l o o r & you're t h e r rlwind t h a t has him dead i n i t s s i g h t , t e r i a has good food for-Carneg t h e c e n t r e of i t s dead eye around * 604 f o r a bowl of soup, 754 d inners f o r $2. 50 . . .

Anyway, a l l you people r e a d i - -

a r e wi thin 50 miles o r s o of downtown can w

now rush r i g h t over t h e r e t o s e e i f i t ' s a s inc red ib le a s i t sounds. I f you have nothing e l s e t o do today ...

Diane may o r may not s t i l l be a t 609 Helmken..shels having a gather ing with a mess of s t r e e t k ids ton igh t with a hundred and f i f t y bucks worth of p i z z a being d e l i - vered a s they do it. This is what's r e a l l y d i f f e r e n t from what goes on a t Carnegie. Also, AIDS Vancouver & People With AIDS have t h e i r *spaces ac ross t h e s t r e e t ; edu- ca t ion , meeting one another , g e t t i n g pas t s tereotypes , o ld- t imers & t r a n s i e n t s , ex & cur ren t a l coho l i cs & drug u s e r s ... a l l p a r t of a community. Sure sounds 1ike.here.

By PAULR TAYLOR

Dan Feeney

Page 22: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

Applie Pie s p e l l s motherland, o r it i s required than j u s t s laving o r going used to . Now i t ' s not even considered nu- ' robot ' while t h e one whose work you a r e t r i t o u s . . a l l t h a t sugar & l a r d . But what doing o r those YOU work with a r e insu l t ed ,

1 is motherland today? I s it one competi t ive unhappy, hur t . Work i s p o l i t i c a l . ~t i s an s t y l i s h woman i n t h e marketplace? Then e d r c i s e , not j u s t onphys ica l &mental dex- where a r e the chi ldren. t e r i t , ~ , $ k i l l ; i t ' s an e f f o r t of pub l i c

W h a t i s l h a v i n g i t m a d e l ? A t h r e e - c a r r e l a t i o n s - s i n c e r e p u b l i c r e l a t i o n s - n o t

, family, nanny, vacat ioning mother? What BS, n a ~ h i a v e l l i a n , ~ g i v e them what they #does a mother of adu l t ch i ld ren do with I want' pub l i c r e l a t i o n s .

he r time? Take jobs from f a t h e r s , o r moth- So YOU have problems every day. Your co- e r s i n need? Wealth i s a moral t r a p . B i r th worker is Korean o r Jamaican. .you might con t ro l i s a one-way t i c k e t t o imbalance. have ca'nmunication problems. Problems with

If you a r e married bu t don ' t conceive r a c i a l p re jud ice o r expecta t ions of r a c i a l chi ldren what r i g h t do you have t o t ake a pre judice . You have t o work & dea l with f a t h e r ' s o r mother's p o t e n t i a l job? Sure, those because no one needs enemies.. no you want t o survive but what i s your purp- one needs a community with r a c i a l t ens ion ose i n surviving? The work i t s e l f . And o r hat red . Your co-worker might be alcoho- when you come home t i r e d a t t h e end of t h e l i c - you have t o dea l with t h a t . He o r day, where is your l i f e ? she might be a war v e t e r a n o r a n e x - c o n v i c t .

People, we need people. We need an end Your employer may be los ing money. How is t o greed. We need fami l i e s , b i g happy fam- your family going t o f e e l ? How a r e you & I i l i e s where a f a t h e r can earn f o r h i s your co-workers going t o f e e l ? ch i ld ren & a mother can work f o r he r c h i l - I hope f o r a day when workers know where1

idren. On t h e job, who a r e you working f o r ? 1

Financia l e x p l o i t a t i o n - people i n deb t

Page 23: December 1, 1992, carnegie newsletter

Cen t r a l ~ i t i Mission i s vaca t ing t h e i r premises a t 233 Abbott S t r e e t . A p r o p o s a 1 was put forward t o u se t h i s space t o house approximately 100 s t r e e t k i d s from a l l over Vancouver. Both t h e Min i s t ry of S o c i a l S e r v i c e s (MSS) & t h e BC Housing & Mortgage Corpora t ion (BCHMC) , who were approached f o r funding f o r t h e p r o j e c t , s a i d t h a t i t must have t h e s u p p o r t o f t h e Downtown E a s t s i d e / S t r a t h c o n a C o a l i t i o n be fo re t hey would even cons ide r i t .

The s u b j e c t was r a i s e d a t t h e Coa l i t - i o n ' s November 17 meeting. A number of t eens from t h e youth p r o j e c t a t Ray-Cam Co-operative Cen t r e made a p r e s e n t a t i o n opposing t h e p roposa l - fo r a v a r i e t y of reasons . They f e l t t h a t t hey w o u l d b e i n - t im ida t ed by t e e n s from o u t s i d e t h e a r e a & concen t r a t i ng a l a r g e number i n one f a c i l i t y was a r e c i p e f o r d f s a s t e r .

Opposi t ion w a s a l s o expressed by a l l o t h e r i n t h e meeting. It was f e l t t h a t t h e community d i d n ' t want t o s e e t eens imported t o t h e neighbourhood & f e l t t h a t t h o s e who devised t h e propo- s a l should have c o n s u l t e d w i t h l o c a l ag- e n c i e s & r e s i d e n t s b e f o r e s ea rch ing f o r funding .

A sugges t ion was made t h a t t h e r e is a p r e s s i n g need f o r space f o r a v a r i e t y of agencies & programs i n t h e neighbourhood. A number of i d e a s were put forward & a p u b l i c meeting was h e l d a t Carnegie on Thursday, November 26.

A t t h i s meeting (26/11) people r e a l i z - ed 2 a s p e c t s of making t h e bu i ld ing i n t o a community f a c i l i t y had t o b e explored. The f i r s t was t o develop a joint-use p l an f o r l o c a l groups & people ; t h e second was t o g e t c l e a r & c o r r e c t in format ion about t h e c o s t s involved . The person who made t h e o r i g i n a l p roposa l f o r r e s t r i c t - i n g it t o s t r e e t k i d s seems t o have been us ing wrong numbers, s ay ing t h e r e n t was $16,00O/month when i t ' s $9 ,OOO/month.. . and a l s o r e f u t e d t h e f a c t t h a t he had t o have t h e suppor t of t h e community.

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The 1986 Economic S i t u a t i o n o f Canada's Sen io r s r e p o r t shows t h e average fami ly income i n BC f o r non-e lder ly was $51,191, while f o r f a m i l i e s wi th t h e head aged 65 & o v e r it was $40,657. For s i n g l e s t h e aver- age was $24,183 f o r non-'elderly & $16,884 f o r t h e e l d e r l y .

The r e p o r t shows t h a t s h e l t e r , which i n - c ludes mortgages, r e p a i r s , maintenance, t a x e s & gene ra l c o s t s of running a home t a k e s up 16% of t h e budget o f t h e genera l popula t ion , bu t it i s 24% f o r una t tached men who a r e 65 o r o l d e r & 29% f o r s i n g l e women t h a t age. Couples, where t h e man i s 65 o r o l d e r , spend 18% of t h e i r budget on s h e l t e r .

But s t a t i s t i c s a l s o show t h a t among 64,423 r e n t e r s i n BC, 45% pa id more than 30% of t h e i r g ros s incomes f o r housing. About 80% of t hose l i v e d i n Vancouver and V i c t o r i a . About two-thirds o f t hose were e l d e r l y women.

**Did t h e s e numbers make you wonder? With 278,000 people on wel fare , a lmost 200,000 unemployed.. .numbers e l imina t e a l o t .-of s l e a z y f a c t o i d s . I f you o r I have g r o s s incomes of $7,000 a yea r , 6 Jimmy P a t t i s o n makes $70 mi l l i on , t h e ave ra e number has each of us making over 3-- 23 m i l l i o n a year ! Following a r e some easy p i c t u r e s t h a t show t h e r e a l p i c t u r e o f weal th d i s t r i b u t i o n -

Who Makes Money? Income i s d i s t r i b u t e d unevenly i n Canada.

The personal income of t h e poo res t 20% of Canadians i s 4% of t h e n a t i o n ' s t o t a l i n - come, while t h e r i c h e s t 20% i n t h e popul- a t i o n g e t 43% of t o t a l earned income. (#I

Who Owns the Wealth? Even more extreme inequ i ty e x i s t s i n t h e

ca se of wealth ( land, personal p rope r ty , s tockhold ings , e t c ) . The w e a l t h i e s t 20% of t h e popula t ion holds 69% of a l l Canad- a 's n e t wealth. The poores t 20% have no n e t wealth because t h e i r deb t s a r e l a r g e r t han t h e i r a s s e t s . The second poores t 20% own only 2.4% of a l l weal th

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I Why Is An Alcoholic?

In t h e times when I was i n the habi t of S i t t i n g around i n ba r s , o f t e n meeting s t rangers the re , I learned something ab- out a lcohol ics , something which seems t o have escaped the no t i ce of psychologists . I learned t h a t every male a lcoho l i c ( I d idn ' t quiz any female such) could r e c a l l an episode i n h i s l i f e when by a l l log ic and common sense, he should have died. I w i l l t e l l some of t h e i r s t o r i e s .

L.. . was dr iv ing h i s van i n the mount- a i n s of h i s home s t a t e , Ca l i fo rn ia . He stopped t o pee o f f a c b i f f . When he turned away, the l i p of t h e c l i f f c~umbled 4 L . . . was l e f t hanging by h i s arms from the stems of a shrub. He could not p u l l him- se l f up over the edge, though he t r i e d hard & below him was a sheer drop t o rock. The time came when he could hang on no longer. Suddenly he found himself on h i s hands & knees on t h e paved road beside h i s van. He got i n E drove away.

In Hamilton, Ont., M . . . f ancied himself i n love with a young woman. When she dum- ped him, she t o l d me, he rowed a small boat out i n t o Hamilton Harbor by night , then threw himself i n t o t h e water. He could not s w i m & soon enough found him- s e l f on the lakebottom breathing-water i n t o h i s lungs. Then th ings changed & he found himself standing on t h e bottom, up t o h i s waist i n water. He then waded ash- ore & d i d n ' t t r y t h a t again.

F... was a baby i n a cabin on the p ra i - r i e s . For days he had been su f fe r ing from severe d iarrhea . When h i s mother found him cold & stil l i n h i s c r i b she rea l ized he had died 6 , when t e l l i n g him t h e story l a t e r , s a i d she "went ou t of h e r mind." She was baking bread t h a t day. She took the baby's body, put it i n a bread pan & stuck pan 6 baby i n t o t h e oven. When she came back t o h e r s e l f she pul led it out. Now t h e baby was f i n e , warm & happy and cured of i ts sickness. .As an adu l t he was a problem dr inker from h i s first drink.

T.. . ,as a young man & a t h i e f , was rob- bing a house i n Toronto when po l i ce bu l l - h o r k t o l d him t o come out. . t h a t t h e place was surrounded. He hid f o r awhile

the back of the yard, l eve l l ed a handgun a t T . . . ' s chest & shouted "Stop o r 1'11 shoot!" T.. . d i d n ' t s top . He j u s t veered toward the policeman, s t i l l waving h i s i ron pipe. Suddenly he found himself a l l alone, beating with the p ipe a t an empty paper bag on t h e ground. Laying down the pipe, he exited through the back gate an walked away. And t h e world went on.

As a s o l d i e r i n Korea, D . . . 6 a buddy were s i t t i n g smoking on a h i l l s i d e . For no apparent reason the buddy picked up

b9zl'imG but f i n a l l y ran down the walk toward the back gate waving a piece of i ron pipe . A policeman sprang up from behind t h e garbage cans a t

h i s r i f l e & held it i n f r o n t of D. .. j u s t i n time t o d e f l e c t a s n i p e r ' s b u l l e t t h a t would have k i l l e d D . . . The r icochet t ing b u l l e t s truck the buddy i n the throat and k i l l e d him.

A n o t h e ~ s t o r y t o l d of a young man pu t t - ing 5 gal lons of gas i n t o the tank of h i s car. He drove out t o a country road near Calgary & ran a vacuum cleaner hose fram the exhaust i n t o t h e i n t e r i o r of the car. When he s a t i n t h e c a r G s t a r t e d the mot- Jr, he was unconscious wi thin minutes - -- 1 He awoke a f t e r some hours & found t h a t the i d l i n g engine had burned up the f i v e g a l l - ons of gas.

The men who t o l d me t h e s e s t o r i e s were not exceptional people. They were not cares f u l l y chosen f i c t i o n w r i t e r s o r even pa r t - i c u l a r l y well-educated. Nor were the re rea- sons t o th ink they were l i a r s . Each t o l d lis s t o r y f ree ly , not knowing of t h e s i m i - .

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understood o r had an exp lank ion f o r h i s own experience. J u s t ordinary guys i n bars.

What they did have in common was t h a t each had been compelled by h i s own behavi- bur t o zonclude t h a t he was an a lcohol ic & more than one recognized t h a t h i s drinking problem dated from about the time of what he saw a s a "close brush with death."

I came across a descr ipt ion o f such per- sons i n the Carlos Castaneda books. It spoke of the "wide discrepancies between purpose & action." Any a lcohol ic can t a l l you about t h a t . Anyalcoholic can walk down the s t r e e t , declaring i n a l l s i n c e r i t y t h a t it i s a month s ince he had a drink, he f e e l s g rea t & t h a t it 'll be many months before he has another drink - then 10 min- u t e s l a t e r he can be laying down h i s money i n t h e l iquor s to re .

A s f o r those experiences - I would say t h a t t h e r e is much more t o Real i ty than

TTHEW JOHN CROSS

m complications due t o AIDS, brav

H i s genuine concern & i n t e r e s t i n people, f i l l e d a l l who knew him with love 4 under-

London, Toronto E Montreal who wiill keep s flame a l i v e . A t r u s t fund w i l l be maintained a t Spar

I

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Carnegie Adult Learning Centre Open House and '

9th Anniversary Celebration

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 1992 Noon to 5 p.m.

PROGRAM OF EVENTS-

12:OO Registration and Welcome l2:3O Opening Ceremony

Launch of OFF THE WALL Learners read from their writing

1:15 Lunch is served 2:OO Open Forum ... What are we doing right? What could we be

doing better? Learners, staff, tutors and guests gather in a forum t o share ideas and make suggestions about the Learning Centre.

3:15 Videos, mingle and chat 4:OO Birthday cake, prizes

Please join us t o celebrate 9 years of learner-based adult education in the Downtown East Side! Everyone is welcome ... bring a friend.

The Carnegie Adult Learning Centre is located at:

401 Main Street, 3rd Floor Corner of Main and Hastings

Phone 665-3013 * Fax 684-8442