Santa Claus "RATHER THAN WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS EVE, EVICTION NOTICES ARE HEREBY SERVED

on: Dec . l 9

myor Gordon Campbell responded to the people of Vancouver in his usual charming way - by practicing being stupid. The course of events leading to this latest display started a while ago and reached crisis propor- tions over a year ago. The issue is housing. Demolitions, closure of secondary

suites, huge rent increases and the buying and selling of land holding once-affordable housing ... all inspired by the greed and social unconscious- ness of "developers" - have produced a situation unparelled in the history of Vancouver. On Tuesday, Dec. 19th, hundreds of

people from every neighbourhood in our city went to City Council. It was standing room only in council chambers with the gallery full and people un- able to squeeze in filling committee rooms to watch events unfold on video screens. Rev. Art Griffin, formerly of First

United Church, spoke for the citizens of Vancouver. He began by asking all present to observe two minutes silence for all people in Van who had lost their homes in 1989. It was deafening.

Few words of polite introduction were wasted. Very early, he said, "There is nothing that the majority (NPA) on this council can do to lower our opinion of you." Griffin covered the appalling insensitivity of the eight NPA members when listing what they have refused to do to meet the needs of thousands of residents. He then asked, like an elementary school teacher, that they each take a pencil and write down what is demanded, so they can't say they've forgotten ... 1. An immediate halt to demolitions

until a program of Housing Pro- tection is implemented. This program must ensure sufficient quantities of rental, affordable and co-op housing in the same neighbourhoods.

2. A moratorium on the closure of secondary suites and discontin- uence of the present closure process. This "suite deal" must not be confined to single neigh- bourhoods but be part of an over- all housing review covering all areas of the city.

3. The office of the Rentalsman must be re-established at once. Until this provincial post is filled, the City of Vancouver must form a Rent Review Board with sweeping powers to roll back unacceptable, unjustifiable rent increases.

4. The City'must instigate a move to leasing land for the construction of affordable, low-cost and co-op housing and discourage the buying and selling of lands so desig- nated by the profit-motivated.

The recommendations of Rev. G r i f f i n met wi th thunderous applause, except of course from Campbell and h i s p a r t of Council . Campbell kept f i nd ing p laces t o look where no one was and working h i s jaw behind a c losed mouth.

As t h e s ta tement of t h e r a l l y ended and people l e f t , Alderman P u i l was heard t o say, "Can we g e t on with bus- i n e s s now?!" -

Campbell had a p r e s s conference t o respond. H e a c t u a l l y s a i d t h a t every- t h ing t h a t could be done was being done. H e s a i d t h a t he was a g a i n s t a h a l t t o demol i t ions because l and lo rds would only l e t bu i ld ings worsen u n t i l they " f e l l down". H e then had t h e g a l l t o c i t e t h e megaprojects going up - Concorde P a c i f i c (Expo l a n d s ) , Marathon (Coal Harbour), Bosa Brothers (Main & Terminal) - a s t h e C i t y ' s b e s t e f f o r t s . H e even brought up t h e VLC scam wi th h i s buddy Poole and t a lked i n glowing t e r m s of t h e thousands of u n i t s i n a l l t h i s . !

A real scream

Back t o t h e po in t of p r ac t i ced s tu - p i d i t y . Campbell doesn ' t have t o be reminded t h a t t h e people l o s i n g t h e i r housing t o prof i t - seek ing developers cannot a f f o r d even the cheapest s u i t e i n any of h i s dream p r o j e c t s . H e does- n ' t have t o be shown, aga in & again, t h a t sound bu i ld ings a r e being to rn down o r t h a t , where formerly 75 people were housed, t h e new cons t ruc t ion ( s ) a r e f o r a q u a r t e r t h e number a t four t o t en t imes t h e p r i c e . H e doesn ' t have t o "plead" with h i s socred count- e r p a r t s i n V ic to r i a t o r e s t o r e t h e Rentalsman, and he doesn ' t have t o make c i t i z e n s of Vancouver puke when he t a l k s of t h e g r e a t job he and the o the r NPA members a r e doing.

Campbell has t o s epa ra t e f a c t from fan tasy . H i s execut ive c i t y i s a ghost. The developer men ta l i t y makes s o c i a l consequences someone e l s e ' s problem, bu t make-up and s m i l e s won't s t op b a l l o t s . . o r b u l l e t s . .

By PAULR TAYLOR

NOW .IT'S

PARTY TIME

Editor :

I n t he Dec.15/89 i s s u e of t h e Newsletter I was s t i l l amazed t h a t M r . Tora s t i l l blames DERA f o r Ci ty by-laws t h a t only Ci ty Council can append.

In 1985-86 the Hotel owners were given good sums of money f o r r e p a i r and upgrading (an Expo joke) . A few h o t e l owners did f i x rooms and charged $65.00 a n ight and up. While t he books showed good p r o f i t s t he owners so ld out t o Asian and European buyers. Some owners put new doors, windows and f r e s h pa in t a t t he en t rances only ( f o r f a l s e s t r e e t f r o n t views) t o draw t o u r i s t s (suckers) i n .

Out went t h e s teady monthly ten- a n t s , but a s soon a s Expo was f i n - ished the owners/managers begged the Welfare people back by p u t t i n g pos te rs and ads i n a l l t he wel fare of f i c e s .

The bottom l i n e i s where and what have the Ci ty Inspec tors been in- spect ing on t h e i r v i s i t s ? T o i l e t s broke f o r severa l months, doors held by one hinge, paper s t u f f e d i n broken windows, no hot water so the re fo re no steam heat . . .and t h e l ist goes on.

A g rea t number of t he so-cal led ho te l s down i n t h e East s i d e have no bars and lounges but have Hotel s t a t u s f o r b i g t a x dodges.

I f a tenant complained they were tossed out on t h e s t r e e t u n t i l DERA fought f o r and got t h e proper r i g h t s f o r t enan t s on e v i c t i o n s and o the r s e rv i ces .

I f Tora ' s t o i l e t was broken f o r s i x months, i f he had a door wi th no locks o r t he c e i l i n g was f a l l i n g down from f loods above, would t h e r e not be a complaint t o h i s landlord o r manager? . .or i f , a s i n many p laces , t h e mice and cockroaches a r e so bad t h a t t h e l i g h t s have t o be l e f t on a l l n i g h t ?

For years t h e Ci ty Heal th, Build- ings , Permits & Licences Inspec to r s have l e t t h e Hotel owners have f r e e con t ro l , and now t h a t they must br ing t h e i r money makers up t o s tan- dard, they c ry fou l !

To f r e e z e renovat ions a s Tora sug- g e s t s would only f r e e z e t h e t enan t s .

James F ischer

BLOOD ON THE SIDEWALK

The g r e a t e s t f e a r is not knowing what t he g r e a t e s t f e a r is . It 's a l l induced paranoia i n t h e search t o f i n d the l e s s e r of e v i l s . Tomorrow's tombstone wa i t s f o r one of us , but f o r most tomorrow w i l l be j u s t an- o the r today, s o l e t ' s g e t trendy and dec l a re t h e Downtown Eas ts ide a s a I I ~ i s t i n c t i v e " community.

~ e t ' s ge t i d e a l and persuade the governments t o experi- ment wi th buying every h o t e l i n t h e DEside, and t u r n them i n t o Soc ia l Housing with every ba r and tavern becoming sober community c e n t r e s . Smacks of soc ia l i sm, you say? No. 1t's j u s t a glimpse i n t o the f u t u r e .

Garry Gust

To the Editor,

Tora is either playing devil's advocate or is very short-sighted when he blames DERA for the squeeze on rents now occurring in the Down- town Eastside (Carnegie Newsletter, Nov.15/89, 'Worse than Catch-22'). Is he suggesting that tenants

don't have the right to live in better than the flea-bag hotel standards of the past? And if they do, is it DERA's fault for advoca- ting those better standards? Let ' s paint Ltheif inger where it

belongs - at a city council and provincial government that refuses to intervene on behalf of low and fixed income tenants because "that's just the way capitalism works." How long does it take before we

all get sick of that excuse?

Grant Richards Vancouver.

During the last few months I had to get out and help my nephews secure rental accommodation. They wanted West Side, perhaps Kerrisdale or Marine Drtve, Cambie, Dunbar, Point Grey or UBC areas.

- What eneraliy happened was that I

would d k to a real estate agent over the phone. We'd discuss location, price and set an appointment time. We would meet and they wrould see we were Nisga'a native lndian and their attltude towards renting wwld change.

The vast majority of real estate a ents were of Oriental descent. Who taug f t them to discriminate against native peoples? The same attitude was shown us by the white real estate agents.

M a W. Alexander VANCOWER

THE POOR OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Atmosphere is so important. The higher you are the more energy you have. As you get into the lower planes of energy the atmosphere is different. The people at the bottom interact differently. The rich like to keep only a few people at the top while the middle class is feeling the strain of the poor. The gravity of the poor is pulling

down the middle class. The have-nots pull on each other, They penetrate each other, feed off each other, take energy like a suction. Pulling oth- ers down is the game that is played at all economic levels; rich people are very adept at hiding their crud- ity, using words like "business" and '1 progress" instead of "thievery" and "sl ime" . Society has to make ways of lift-

ing people up. Society has neglected the attitudes of the poor as the open book on people in general. More edu- cation, more resources might improve social development. The poor are not being emotionally

built up but rather are deteriorating with the continuous idea that "rich is better". Society makes being poor a criminal offense and the treatment is that of a professional dealing with an illiterate only on the basis of academic credentials. While society places such a bias on letters/money, the reality of life's education is discounted as unmeasurable, therefore unworthy.

"When I am under your authority I ask for your sympathy because that is according to your principles. When you are under my authority I suppress you because that is according to my principles."

This is the attitude of the haves.

(From an idea of BJR)

1 FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

This is a d i f f i c u l t i s s u e t o add- ress, but f e e l i n g s on both s i d e s have been expressed c a l l i n g f o r t h e same th ing and n e i t h e r s i d e g ives much c r e d i t t o t h e o t h e r f o r t h e I I ways & ~ e a n s " of ach iev ing t h e

des i red goa ls . On t h e one hand i s c r i t i c i s m of

t he Downtown Eas t s ide Residents ' Associat ion (DERA) . Tora, i n two let ters p r in t ed i n r ecen t i s s u e s of t h i s Newsletter, sees DERA a s having played i n t o t h e hands of greedy land- l o r d s and absentee owners by follow- ing up on complaints brought t o them about bas i c l i v i n g cond i t i ons i n h o t e l s , rooming houses, e t c . H e ' s s t a t e d t h a t DERA i s t o blame f o r t h e neighbourhood c r i s i s . Implied i s t h a t community work over t h e pas t 15 o r 16 years has led d i r e c t l y t o t h e pre- s en t s i t u a t i o n of l and lo rds c i t i n g "by-law enforced renovat ions" a s t h e main reason f o r r a i s i n g r e n t s . Tora s t a t e s t h a t a renovat ion f r e e z e i s t h e answer t o keeping r e n t s s t a b l e and s topping t h e c l o s u r e and/or demo- l i t i o n of low-cost housing.

On t h e o t h e r hand is t h e ongoing s t r u g g l e of members and workers of DERA t o make t h e l i v i n g cond i t i ons of r e s i d e n t s worth t h e p r i c e charged by these same l and lo rds and owners. Sixteen yea r s ago was no t t h e t i m e when a l l t h e h o t e l s and rooming houses began t o go downhil l i n terms of what they provided t o t e n a n t s ; t he founding of a r e s i d e n t s ' assoc i - a t i o n was t h e only t o s top t h e rapa- c ious e x p l o i t a t i o n of low-income people i n t h e i r r o l e a s t e n a n t s . On the doors tep of p r a c t i c a l l y everyone l i v i n g around he re w e r e t h r e a t s of e v i c t i o n , g ros s ly substandard accom- oda t ion and pe rpe tua l l a c k i n adequ- a t e s a f e t y systems - be they f i r e , s e c u r i t y o r simply p e s t c o n t r o l . By u n i t i n g , r e s i d e n t s w e r e and a r e a b l e t o make landlords/managers comply wi th t h e e x i s t i n g by-laws: t o i l e t s t h a t work, windows t h a t open and doors t h a t c l o s e & l ock , spr ink- ler systems and f i r e precaut ions t h a t meet a cons t an t ly updat ing code of Vancouver's F i r e Department, s t a i r s t h a t a r e n ' t dangerously r o t t e n and e l e v a t o r s t h a t func t ion , b a s i c c l e a n l i n e s s & garbage removal, ...

These a r e b a s i c but t h e same land- l o r d s who have t o be l e g a l l y t h r e a t - ened t o provide them wouldn't even b l ink a t c a l l i n g them renovat ions i f such a t h i n g a s a "renovat ion f reeze" happened.

In s p i t e of t h e by-laws, h o t e l own- ers and l and lo rds ( then a s now) s h i r k r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o provide adequate housing and t r y t o c a s t themselves i n a ha lo of l i g h t - say ing t h a t t h e q u a l i t y of housing i s determined by t h e people who l i v e t h e r e , t h a t they should be given c i t i z e n s h i p awards f o r accomodating people whom no one else w i l l - by p lay ing t o a l l of t h e myths and misconceptions t h a t keep t h e term 'Skid Road' i n use .

. A h i s t o r y of DERA is long and won't be attempted here , bu t t h e b a s i c con- s i s t e n c y and coherence of t h e work i s apparent - DERA f i g h t s back.

To "blame" DERA f o r g iv ing l and lo rds an excuse t o r a i s e r e n t s , e v i c t , shu t down and/or s e l l ou t is p u e r i l e and shor t - s igh ted . Without DERA and o t h e r t e n a n t s l r e s i d e n t s o rgan iza t ions t h e Downtown Eas t s ide would now be compar- a b l e t o t h e worst slums and ghe t toes found i n most American ci t ies.

It r e a l l y h i t s home when someone you know, someone whose home/apartment/ room you've been t o , g e t s added t o t he lengthening l ist of those being des- troyed by t h i s anc i en t scam.

As f a r a s making a compromise wi th greed-driven people, beware: Making compromises wi th greedy people on ly gives them time t o t h i n k of how t o g e t back t o squeezing every th ing they can ge t whi le g iv ing a s l i t t l e a s pos s ib l e ; how t o g e t around t h e 'dea l ' and back i n t o s ee ing everybody a s suckers and scum. The only way t o dea l wi th such greedy i n d i v i d u a l s -(and corpora t ions) is t o h i t them wi th a hammer. I f t h a t doesn ' t work, h i t them with a sledgehammer.

By PAULR TAYLOR

FOUND POEM

During t h e 19601s, s tanding a lone In t he middle of a weedstrewn f i e l d I n t h i s c i t y , There was a weathered s i g n t h a t read: "$25 reward f o r information l ead ing t o The a r r e s t and convic t ion of anyone Removing t h i s s i gn . " For whatever i t ' s worth, The s i g n has long s i n c e disappeared. And so , f o r t h a t matter, has t h e f i e l d .

THE MAZE

L i f e is but a game Where wicked reach the top ; Nice guys go down t h e d r a i n But t h a t don ' t make me s top For a good-time man l i k e n, Can always p l a i n l y s ee ; That no matter which road y?u take You always g e t l o s t i n t h e maze.

The cocoon of madness Swir l s above t h e manse ; For those who have confessed To t ake t h e upper hand - A r e enthroned i n rub i e s On mother ~ a r e y ' s knees; Everything is always a t s t a k e A t t h e top of t h e maze.

Paupers f i l l e d with l ove A t t h e bottom of t h e heap; Encircled by shiny doves Are defea ted i n t h e i r s l e e p - They l i v e ou t i n t h e street I n t h e midst of t h e c i t y hea t ; 'Twas a l l done f o r C h r i s t ' s sake A t t he bottom of t h e maze.

While walking i n t h e r a i n My h e a r t h i t t h e mud; I was l o s i n g my b ra in s Out i n t h e b laz ing sun - Even though I was bleedin ' My ego kept m e hanging on; Bad blood had f a i l e d t o break M e a t t h e bottom of t h e maze.

Joe Ringer

Q*?. & & S u AND WARM WISHES FOR THE YEAR AHEAD

R A D I O a n d L I T E R A C Y f o r t h e Downtown Eas t s ide

The Radio Access f o r L i t e r acy Pro- j e c t is underway !

I f you want t o g e t involved, t h e r e is a b ig meeting Friday, January 12 a t 2 pm i n Classroom Two on t h e t h i r d f l o o r . It w i l l be a chance f o r every- one who's i n t e r e s t e d i n t he r ad io pro- j e c t t o g e t t oge the r and d i s c u s s i t over c o f f e e and cookies .

The genera l aim of t h e p r o j e c t is t o make r a d i o f o r our p a r t of t h e c i t y and t o g ive people involved i n t h e p r o j e c t a chance t o improve t h e i r read- ing and w r i t i n g s k i l l s . The p r o j e c t w i l l run f o r s ix months, and r a d i o programs made dur ing t h i s t i m e w i l l be broadcast on Vancouver's Co-op Radio.

There a r e twa fu l l - t ime s t a f f work- ing on t h e p r o j e c t . Brenda Pr ince i s the l i t e r a c y worker. She has worked a s a t u t o r a t t h e Learning Front and t h e Native Tutor ing Centre and a l s o worked a t t h e Ind ian Centre. Helene Littmann is t h e r ad io worker. She ' s been a vo lunteer a t Co-op Radio f o r a number of years .

We have an o f f i c e a t Co-op Radio -

(337 C a r r a l l S t r e e t ) and w i l l a l s o work a t Carnegie.

I f you'd l i k e t o t a l k t o u s about t h e p r o j e c t come by t h e o f f i c e o r c a l l 684-8494.

(The Radio Access f o r L i t e r acy Pro- j e c t i s funded by g r a n t s from Secret- a r y of S t a t e and t h e B.C. Min is t ry of Advanced Education.)

Sacred C i r c l e Group

The sacred c i r c l e was a tremendous success and everyone was happy. I ' m pleased t o s ee s o many of our people tak ing p a r t i n an event which i s s o g r e a t and s t r o n g i n u n i f i c a t i o n wi th a l l . With Christmas a t i ts peak sea- son r i g h t now, r e a l i z i n g t h a t i t ' s q u i t e f o r our Native people t o re- a d j u s t t o being away from home and f o r those whom a r e s i c k and i n t h e h o s p i t a l s and o t h e r i n s t i t u t i o n s .

But t o those who a r e i n t he c i t y and a r e t r y i n g t o contac t t h e i r homes and f a m i l i e s t o extend t h e i r season ' s g r ee t ings t o r e l a t i v e s and f r i e n d s , I pray t h a t each and every one of you w i l l have a good and b lessed shar ing , e s p e c i a l l y those i n t h e Sacred C i r c l e I wish 1990 w i l l be a b e t t e r year f o r everyone. This is from t h e h e a r t of an Elder of t h e Earth.

Joseph A Paul

Elder Nanoose Bay Band

BIRD TRACKS I N THE SNOW

I want t o g e t ou t but t h e r e ' s no p lace t o go. There 's f r o s t on t he g a t e s r i s i n g from t h e deep snow.

To venture ou t now would s p o i l t h e f a t e of Nature 's good plan t o be s t e a d f a s t and wai t .

Though f e e l i n g s of win te r , so f a t a l and black, must s u f f e r my s t r e n g t h no ma t t e r t h e l ack .

It always occurs t h i s t i m e of yea r ; t h e lowest of s p i r i t s from too much f a l s e f e a r .

But s p r i n g t i m e w i l l g r e e t me and m e l t t h i s ice-glow; f e e l i n g f r a g i l e and small l i k e b i r d t f a c k s i n t h e snow.

Carry Gust

10 THE GOLDEN PRAYER

Out west where s t e e l l imestone s t a n d s Touching the coo l m i s t of t h e sky; The f a i r e s t p lace i n t h i s l and Where t h e clime i s sweet a l p i n e - I saw a p r e t t y damsel queen With r ibbons of wisdom i n he r h a i r ; I f e l t l i k e I was i n a dream A l l i n t h e land of t h e Golden Prayer .

I ' v e been t o l d t h a t Kashopowi winds Hold t h e s e c r e t of wondrous God; ' n t h a t a l l of t h i s queen 's s i n s Are a s q u i e t a s a sacred mirage - This queen's t h i n mir ror sh ines Like t h e radiance of a sunglare ; A l l t h e b lessed scenes of mine Lay i n t h e land of t h e Golden Prayer .

Atop t h e bar ren landscape A s jagged a s a p i p e r ' s scrawl; Lay t h e ice-cold f l e e c y f l a k e s Perched high above the ho t w a t e r f a l l - Its mid- r i f t hue mounts t h e s lopes Like a l l t h e s t a r t l i n g s t a r s t h a t glow; This woman g l i t t e r s i n t h e s lopes A l l i n t h e land of t h e prayer t h a t ' s gold.

Joe Ringer

Months of planning, weeks of hard work, days of never-ending t h i n g s t o d o . . . i t made Carnegie 's celebra- 1

t i o n s of t h e season unique. I

The Kid ' s Pa r ty saw t h e Theatre overflowing with r u g r a t s , ba l loons

i and pa in ted f a c e s and b r e a k f a s t s a l l through t h e bu i ld ing . A down-

I town c h i l d r e n ' s program worker s a i d with a laugh t h a t t h e r e seemed t o be about 300 k i d s t he re !

Walking through t h e Centre , you j u s t f e e l amazement over t h e decor- a t i o n s and Al Wilson's banners (on t h e f i r s t , second & t h i r d f l o o r s & ou t s ide ) gree ted everyone. Al even found time t o make an i n c r e d i b l e 3-foot h igh Christmas Card.

Throughout a l l t h e f e s t i v i t i e s t h e s t a f f j u s t kept going, g e t t i n g a l l t h e t h i n g s done t h a t people a l - ways n o t i c e i f they a r e n ' t done. The food s e r v i c e f o r a l l t h e events and d inne r s was g r e a t , thanks t o everybody who worked and worked i n t h e k i tchen . I

It 's no t r i g h t t o s i n g l e ou t any one ind iv idua l , any one s t a f f per- son and applaud them f o r t h e i r e f f - o r t s because someone e l s e w i l l have done a s much o r more and not asked f o r any recogni t ion . The S p i r i t of t h e season was sh in ing on t h e f a c e s of many, many people a s they made it enjoyable f o r hundreds of o t h e r s .

This c a n ' t be ended without one s p e c i a l no t e of p r a i s e f o r M r . & Mrs Santa Claus. They had more fun than a l l t h e r e s t of u s pu t t oge the r !

PACIFIC SURF MEDITATION

Last n i g h t t h e storm. Incessan t su r f Pounding on t h e beach Like t h e r o a r of end le s s t r a f f i c To a c i t y boy's ears - And t h e wind slamming t h e cab in Like t h e thunder of e t e r n a l l y pass ing t r u c k s And t h e d i s t a n t foghorn Like some fabulous f r e i g h t - t r a i n And t h e sound of s i r e n s and w h i s t l e s On t h e wild wind - Oh, p i t y t h e poor s a i l o r

out on a n igh t l i k e t h i s !

Oh, p i t y t h e poor drunkard passed out homeless

on a n igh t l i k e t h i s ! On any n i g h t ---

Oh, p i t y t h e poor l u n a t i c f o r whom t h i s storm rages

n i g h t and morning a l l t h e c razy days

of h i s mad l i f e .

!We are a l l holy f o o l s , one way o r another . I t ' s j u s t t h a t some of u s Wear t h e cap and b e l l s More d a i n t i l y than o t h e r s .

David Bouvier Momma's Mad

Earth Mother's one p i s sed o f f p l ane t . s h e ' s never f e l t t h i s way before . We b e t t e r s t o p r i g h t now, t h i s i n s t a n t O r s h e ' s gonna be awful sore!

We've ruined t h i s p l ane t completely We men made a h e l l of a m e s s . What s h e ' s go t i n s t o r e f o r a l l humans Q u i t e f r ank ly is anyone's guess.

So p l ea se , when you speak of our Mother B e c a r e f u l . J u s t watch what you say. Lest she send us he r grim daughter Pe l e Whose b l a s t w i l l j u s t blow us away.

O r maybe s h e ' l l raise up more mountains Create a new ocean o r two. No mat te r how poten t our missiles There wouldn't be much w e could do.

ENMASS THE RABBLE ( I HERD)

Seasons G . , w i l l - t h e New Years' S t a rva t ion and Disease those o l d s o c i a l i l l s not e r ad i ca t ed S T I L L

Tou jou r l 'amour Torch t o a motor b ike

(There i s ) a l i t t l e world up t h e r e Mangers on t h e a l t a r Native pa th ( s )

H e l l "0" See A sons g ree t ings on h i s b i r thday J C t o God t h e Father & f o r Christmas t h i s year How about? I t ?

Taum DanYCreag

H i ! To our Carnegie Family

George & I would j u s t l i k e t o t a k e a moment t o thank s e n i o r s t a f f , Band & Secur i t y & Kitchen and a l l those who helped t o make our anniversary so b e a u t i f u l .

The day we go t marr ied, w e thought 'What a b e a u t i f u l wed- ding!' . . 1st anniversary . . ' This is j u s t g r e a t ! ' . . 2nd anniversary 'Wow, t h i s is b e t t e r t han l a s t t i m e ! ! '

We would a l s o l i k e t o say thanks t o everyone f o r t h e g i f t s - no t expected but plea- s a n t s u r p r i s e s .

And t o everyone, our wish f o r you i s t h a t a l l your dreams f o r 1990 come t r u e !

Lillian & George

Fly little bird, fly By Matthew Cross

MONTREAL - Only blocks from the city's most prestigious hotels, one of my best friends, Kenny, is on his way to register for his night's lodging and meal at the men's mission. I decide to join him and get reacquainted.

The last t h e I saw him in early May, he was in a semi-comatose state after having stopped a fast moving vehicle with his, then already frail body. Now, nine months dler the accident, his gait, like a baby is, un- steady and shaky, and his mind questions many things.

The one-storey brick building which houses the Montreal men's mission is non- descript and like many of the persons who frequent it, soulless. There's already a lineup although it's only 6 p.m. and registration doesn't start until 6:30 p.m. We wait, then make the necessary moves toguarantce there's a place to sleep for the night. There's another half hour of waiting before the doors finally open, so we make another trip to the front yard to share a cigarette.

About 10 feet from the door stands a huge maple tree that has to be at least 30 feet tall. As we pass under the tree, we hear a sound from above. Looking up, we are startled to see a bird fall to the ground where we are standing.

Its vertical descent is remarkable! Realizing the clamor came from a falling bird, falling as if it had never been in the air at all, and by all appearances did not seem worse for its drop, the men who were wait- mg for dinner started to laugh as if they were one. Pre-dinner entertainment was qature's gift to man this evening.

Kenny and I went over to a couple of

dcsunding steps from the yard, took a seat and started to joke about our poor feathercd friend. The other guys stood around laughing, looking at the seemingly self-conscious bud, and everyone's mood was lightcned from the incident.

A tall man in his early 20s, dressed in denim, and wearing work boots, bends down to check the bird. He gently cups the bud in his hands, surveys its wings and feet, sort of bounces it on his hands, and sees that it is none the worse for its embarrass- ing entrance into our disenchanted world. He perches it on his shoulder to show us how well this little creature adjusts to rapid changes.

Our humane friend seemed a study in contrasts. His appearance suggested the tough street-smart character, and his as- sured movements among the others showed that he was able to back his stance if need be. However, as he gently grasped the pigeon in his hands, I knew there was

another side of him. He now stood out from the crowd of street personalities; his humane gesture allowed us to see another aspect of him.

Next, he brought the bud now sitting in his palms, into a clearing in the yard. As if offering the bird to the skies where it belonged, he threw his grasped hands up, releasing the bud.

The bird flapped its wings, flew in a circle above us, and crashed into the trunk of another smaller tree. This method of landing seemed anything but easy.

Another check to see how the little fel- low was doing and then another send-off. Thissecond launch took him over the high- way nearby, ending in another hard fall. One more catapult into space brought dis- astrous consequences.

The bird flew in a long cir'cular swoop, passing low over the highway, passed over the yard, then crash-landed on the road. Cars, trucks and buses swerved uh'til a fast- moving taxi drove over the bird. We sat there stunned, hoping he was not hurt.

The man responsible for sending him into ihe air, went running over to take a look. The bird when picked up, shook his head and flapped its wings, and seemed none the worse for its abuses. Next, the bird was taken into a neighboring field, of- fered into the air again and with a burst of speed took off toward an abandoned build- ing nearby. It seemed to be heading for the branches of a tree, but endcd up at the base.

We assumed this was the end of the sad affair and now the bird could make his way onward. However, we were to receive a surprise. The birdman went to the area where the bird had landed and proceeded to search for it. When he found it, things g d ugly.

He placed the bird on the ground in front of him and started to use his boots on

it. From Lickhg it, he proceeded to step j on it and crush the life out of it.' Next, he

grabbed a stick and started to beat it. We were more horrified with what was going on than when the bud had been hit by the car.

The birdman next brought the bird into a clearing in the field and laid it next to some.cement blocks where he threw stfOnes at it. Having done all this in front of those watching and, I guess, finishing his gruesome task, he returned to take his place among the crowd. Kenny and I had an uncomfortable feeling as he re-entered the group. I still had not finished the cigarette that I had lit when we came out- side ...

Then things got real hairy! Our birdman returned to the spot where he left the bud, took some broken glass, covered the bird with it, and started to throw rocks

on the glass. He also used his boots again on the lifeless bird, as if damming it for some of the misery in the air. He made a final return into the crowd milling around the mission doorway.

Someone took it upon himself to utter something to this birdman and then a push- ing and shoving match ensued. One of the so-called mission guards came out and also got involved. A fight then broke out be- tween the birdman and another two men.

From a laughing crowd to a crowd full of hostility.

I didn't understand what was going onj and still don't. I only know that totally dif- ferent and contradictory human feelings stand side-by-side and within the time that it took (about 15 minutes), we saw a whole range of human emotions.

What lies below the surface of the image of man is anyone's guess. I believe that tie whole incident s tar ted out as a humanitarian gesture and perverted into something which only one person can answer: our birdman.

what you see To begin, i t ' s no longer allowed

t o speak a s a de l ega t ion a t Council proper, when TV cameras and t h e major i ty of media a r e presen t . The sc ru t iny t h a t t h i s had permit ted is now d i f fu sed and the pub l i c screwed with people having t o make a l l kinds of ex t raord inary changes i n t h e i r schedules t o f i nd a way t o g e t t o t h e r i g h t committee. Before adding t h i s red t ape t o t h e pub l i c process , i t was pos s ib l e t o speak t o Council on Tuesday n igh t s . Work would be f i n i shed f o r t h e day, supper could be made and ea t en , c h i l d c a r e could be taken c a r e of w i th a baby s i t t e r , having t o wai t 2 o r 3 hours t o speak could be t o l e r a t e d when no p re s s ing committments would f o r c e people t o forego speaking t o t h e i r concerns.

Now, with committee meetings a t 9:30am and never knowing when you w i l l ge t your t i m e , people wanting t o speak t o Council formally have t o leave work (or j u s t no t go, meaning l o s s of pay e i t h e r way), be unable t o give c o r r e c t t imes f o r when they a r e a v a i l a b l e o r can r e t u r n t o work, have t o Lrrange daytime c h i l d c a r e when most b a b y s i t t e r s a r e i n school , when a l l t h e pressures of l i f e and work are g r e a t e s t t h e people are supposed t o have no t roub le changing

Compare t h i s , which may sound mun- dane u n t i l it happens t o you, t o what t he NPA ma jo r i t y seems t o be say ing t o those from whom i t wants t o hear : 'We welcome your submissions, r e p o r t s and research . You've been paid t o do i t o r w i l l be paid f o r t h e t ime you spend on it. Committee meetings are of course du r ing t h e day, allow- ing your evenings t o be f r e e f o r t h e much more important s o c i a l f unc t ions and persona l t i m e t h a t is r i g h t f u l l y yours ... when: t h e workday ends a t 5 pml'

People who would n a t u r a l l y count themselves among those s o considered are members of t h e "execut ive class". The NPA major i ty , l e d by Gordon Camp- b e l l p lay ing t h e Mayor, is s e t t i n g t h e s t a g e f o r t h e i r execut ive c i t y , where t h e concerns, complaints and p r o t e s t s of t he e l d e r l y , t h e s i c k o r d i s ab l ed , community groups, neigh- bourhood a s s o c i a t i o n s , vo lun tee r s i n ecology, urban planning, women's and c h i l d r e n ' s i s s u e s , ... a r e au tomat ica l ly rendered second-rate o r i r r e l e v a n t by simply making i t inc red ib ly d i f f i c u l t t o be heard.

everything t o go and s i t i n Ci ty Ha l l l o r from 1 t o 3 hours wi th l i t t l e t o do but worry about a l l t h e t h i n g s you've changed t o be t h e r e i n t h e - f i r s t place.

on

I is what you'll get. The bottom l i n e is t h a t un l e s s you

a r e speaking from a p o s i t i o n of high income, high-powered p r o f i t motivated economic o r i e n t a t i o n , what you have t o say i s n ' t worth t h e t ime o r consi- de ra t i on o r a Ci ty Council where t h e major i ty of members have t h e i d e n t i c a l

.narrow-minded 'va lue system' a s those from whom they want t o hear .

The o t h e r run-off of t h i s bureau- c r a t i c muselage i s t h e NPA ma jo r i t y ' s idea of "publ ic hearings". A democra- t i c way involves 1 ) t h e i s s u e ; 2) in- put from a l l those concerned i n an open, pub l i c hear ing ; 3) debate t o an- s w e r concerns; 4) r e s o l u t i o n s s a t i s f y - ing t o t h e major i ty of those p re sen t and concerned. What happens now is t h e NPA major i ty - Gordon Campbell, P h i l l i p Owen, George P u i l , Johnathon Baker, Sandra Wilking, Gordon P r i c e , Don Bellamy and Carole Taylor - make t h e i r dec i s ion before t h e hear ings , ' pass a motion s t a t i n g t h e dec i s ion be- f o r e t h e hear ings , then s u f f e r through t h e tedium of speaker a f t e r speaker g iv ing now i r r e l e v a n t a l t e r n a t i v e s (almost always based on r e sea rch and ideas no t done o r considered v a l i d by t h i s same ma jo r i t y ) . "hearings" a r e now l i t t l e more than information meet- i ngs where c i t y s t a f f o r sometimes counc i l l o r s come t o exp la in what 's go- i ng t o happen, l i k e i t o r no t .

What happens next i s a l s o planned: p o l i t i c i a n s say, "If you don ' t l i k e what w e do o r t h e way w e do i t then vote u s out ." Come e l e c t i o n t i m e , an i nc red ib l e t h i n g happens. P r o m i s ~ s of change, s ta tements of ''not knowing you d i d n ' t l i k e t h i s o r t h a t and 'we w i l l change that" ' i g n i t e s hope i n many people t h a t maybe they 've seen what's wrong ...may be they should be . given a chance...

rP

It' s 'maybe's' t h a t have permit ted adve r t i s i ng expe r t s t o make a sc ience of brainwashing. Maybe a law w i l l be passed r equ i r ing a l l p o l i t i c i a n s t o d i s c l o s e t h e amounts of t h e i r campaign con t r ibu t ions and from whoa they g e t "donations". (The NPA has promised t o obey such a law i n t h e l a s t two e l e c t i o n s and r i g h t r f t e r g e t t i n g i n t o o f f i c e has voted i t down each t ime.) Maybe pub l i c input w i l l be a primary cons idera t ion be- f o r e any dec i s ions a r e made. (The NPA now makes t h e i r dec i s ions , then has "public hear ings" t h a t make a l l in- put , a s ou t l i ned above, i r r e l e v a n t . )

Maybe an execut ive c i t y i s a p lace where only execut ive dec i s ions a r e allowed.

By PAULR TAYLOR

N E W S L E T T E R - I I I I L NLUhI.LI'ICY I S A YUULICATION OF' Ilk

CAHl4tCl t C O M I I N I I ' I CCNTYP ASSOCIATION

Al('1' B Y 'IOHA

DONATIONS: Yanum Spath-$200 Nancy W.-$300 WSllfs S.-$110 ~ e o r g e $.-$I5 Rich P.-$41 Robert S .-$60 J a n c i s A.-$45 Luis P.-$20 Tom - $4.02 Marg S.-$20 L.B.T.-$100 Ted B.-$5 S h e i l a B.-$2 L i l l i a n H.-$20 James M.-$50 1.MacLeod-$150 K e l l y - $3 j . E a s t - $ 1 Nancy J.-$50 I'IIEI - d n u ~ h i l o ~ t s uccuplu d. Sue H.-$20 S t e v e R.-$5

C l ~ y l ~ r f o s t a f f c a ~ r ' t accept N e i l M.-$2 B.& B.-$8 J ~ m ~ i lo~rti f o r 1l1ln N e u s l e i i e r , so Ian L.-$5 P e t e r E.-$3.32 1f you r - i l ~ ~ I ~ e l p , fl11J Paul 'Kay l o r

~ I I J I ~ e ' l l g l v e you o rece l1 , i . CEEDS - $10 Terry t h e T e r r i b l e -$zoo

I l . f ~ ~ ~ l t s o v o l y i , t ~ t l y . Anonymous - $43.23

* u n s a f e l i v i l l g c o n d i t i o n s i n h o t e l s o r a p a r t m e u t s

* d i s p t ~ t e s w i t h l a n d l o r - t l s * i r lcoale t a x

ONE YEAR AT CARNEGIE

I remember s aun te r ing i n t o Carnegie t h i s t i m e l a s t year no t r e a l l y know- ing what t h i s community was a l l about , but by t h e grace and wisdom of many f r i e n d s , I was encouraged t h a t t h i s was a p l ace where I might want t o be.

I c a n ' t be l i eve t h a t I ' v e been here f o r one year ; somehow t h e t i m e has gone by s o f a s t . A t t h e i n t e r - view wi th A l i c i a , Tom, Larry & Henry I was s o nervous wi th Larry s o q u i e t and Henry f u l l of ques t i ons . .A l i c i a was conf ident a s she knew m e from our o ld human r i g h t s days.

I came t o Carnegie t o teach i n t h e Learning Centre , but what has happ- e n e d i i s t h a t I have learned much from s o many people who come here . I discovered t h a t f r i e n d s h i p s go beyond the classroom and permeate through- ou t t h e bu i ld ing .

The f i r s t s m i l e t h a t I encounter is from Butch, who always a sks m e how I am and informs m e i f someone has c a l l e d . Then t h e r e ' s t h e Securi- t y s t a f f - Paul , Ted, Alex and o t h e r s - who have rescued m e i n my non- a s s e r t i v e moments. Linda and t h e o t h e r s t a f f i n t h e l i b r a r y have been a r e a l boon wi th s t u d e n t s need- ing information and m e needing pho- tocopies " r i g h t now".

Winding up t o t h e second f l o o r , ( i nc iden t ly , I l o s t 15 pounds i n t h e f i r s t 3 months he re climbing those s t a i r s ! ) now-familiar f a c e s and f r i e n d s sha re t h e i r s t o r i e s ; remind me t o e a t , and k i t chen people l i s t e n t o reques t s f o r cups of soup in s t ead of bowls. The pool room has brought back o ld f r i e n d s from Kamloops l i k e Ralph, t h e s t a r of my human r i g h t s video.

One more f l i g h t and a cup of coff- ee i n hand, I head f o r classroom 2 where s tuden t s eager t o l e a r n a r e wai t ing . I ' m thankfu l f o r t h e i r pa t i ence on those days when I am l a t e o r t h e zerox machine breaks down. A l l of t h e c l a s s e s a r e r i c h wi th va r ious p e r s o n a l i t i e s : young & o ld , Spanish, French and Chinese, who at tempt very humbly t o l e a r n Math o r Engl ish, GED o r computer, and c o r r e c t my s p e l l i n g on those bad days when I c a n ' t q u i t e remember what language I ' m w r i t i n g i n . Of course t h e r e ' s t h e wonderful c r e a t i v e w r i t i n g s tuden t s who sha re t h e i r poems and s h o r t s t o r i e s through a s e n s i t i v e process of d i s cus s ion , but always wi th love and l augh te r ... l o t s of l augh te r ! Colin and Ted have g r e a t t each ing a s s i s t a n t s and the s tuden t s r e a l l y app rec i a t e t h e i r e f for t s . .me too!!

Thanks t o Lisa and Kathy who a l s o - come t o t h e rescue when I c a n ' t f i g - u r e ou t how t o f i x t h e machine o r where t o f i n d paper. The o f f i c e s t a f f always comes through i n a crunch.

Henry H e b e ~ t and I team-teach i n t he computer room, and through t h e t imes of ten s t u d e n t s and broken com- pu te r s , o r r a i n coming through t h e roo f , he has always managed t o be i n good humour wi th a joke o r a song t o b a i l u s ou t .

Claude always seems t o know what I don ' t know. H e updates me, t e l l s me where t o f i n d t h ings and i s gene ra l l y j u s t t h e r e when needed. ( I wonder i f he goes home a t n igh t somet-Lmes!) Brian i s g r e a t a t playing male s ec re t - a ry , running a l l over , g iv ing me mess- ages and even g e t t i n g cof fee .

A l i c i a , Don and Diane have been in- c r ed ib ly c a r i n g and suppor t ive . Diane j u s t doesn ' t l i k e when I s i t on t h e 3rd f l o o r f u r n i t u r e . ,

There a r e many names I haven't men- /'

t ioned but i t ' s no t t h a t I f o r g e t you. I thought i t was important t o r e f l e c t

on my year a t Carnegie. T h e r e ' s much more t o l e a r n and new people t o m e e t and eventua l ly I hope t o make i t t o a Volunteer Dinner ... se rv ing of course . I once t r i e d t o sneak a Yorkshire pudding on r o a s t beef n i g h t . but Don aught me! Happy New Year . .Fel iz Nueve Ano..Bonne Annee!!!

By KATHIE LEROUX

On Tuesday, Dec. 19th, Ms. Santa Claus (who, d i sgu i sed a s t h e mild- mannered d i r e c t o r o f Carnegie Centre) took h e r beloved ex tens ion r e p o r t t o c i t y counc i l .

The e x t r a 2 hoyrs were added i n June f o r six months, a s an experiment. Numbers of people i n t h e l a t e r hours , a c t i v i t i e s , changes i n programs and space use , a l l of t h i s information was needed t o determine how w e , a s u se r s of Carnegie, would respond.

Ms. Claus, dressed i n h e r r ed n igh t - gown, was worried about p o t e n t i a l d i s a s t e r , but then an e l f t o l d h e r t h a t i t was Carnegie and everybody a t Ci ty Ha l l l oves Carnegie s o she shouldn ' t worry.

Council approved another s i x months of extended hours and even l e f t i t open f o r u s he re t o .determine whether t h e e x t r a 2 hours should be a t t h e end of t h e day (10pm t o midnight, l i k e now) o r an hour earlier t o an hour l a t e r (9am-llpm).

M s . Claus is still worried about publ ic i ty , , s o h e r s e c r e t i d e n t i t y can not be d ikc losed . . .y e t .

--

Have you f e l t t h e genuine h e a r t of sadness In t h e s w e e t sorrow of t h e v i o l i n ? And have you t r i e d t o thank them, The makers of music, With your poor stammering words, For t h e g i f t t h a t they g ive you?

David Bouvier

DOOMSDAY Offspr ing t i c k e t s soon become r u i n Wri t ing up famous kind of woven.

Come t o m e weapons of r u s t Only one S tory a f a l con need f a l l

h d show m e t h e s c a t t e r of d u s t ; The cyanide l adde r wi th Pope Paul -

b i l l m e f o r on ly t h e t r u s t Come, s t and a t t h e e a r t h ' s bedside

That one b l ind man had i n u s - And watch it s q u i r t i n f e a r ' s p r i d e ;

For h a t e defends f o r a whi le The f o u r t h i s but a whisker Away from doomsday m i s t e r . Hades extends i t ' s s m i l e

Beginning draws t o an end The f i f t h is t h e f i n a l day of l i f e h d doomsday e n t e r s - my f r i e n d . Of McCavity and a l l doomsday's s t r i f e :

When red l eaves f a l l i n h i s s p r i n g Stop showing o t h e r s such f a i t h f u l t r u s t And b lack need le s p i e r c e h i s r i n g - In empty deeds f i l l e d with emptiness; But have no f e a r f o r God is h e r e I For happiness is not whi te

With a l l H i s wondrous cheer ; I But b lack a s ~ a b y l o n ' s b l i g h t -

The f i f t h goes down t h e d r a i n Take up your slums t o r o o t A s doomsday's power r e i g n s . 1 The second moves i n on time ;

1 And doomsday e n t e r s my mind. Come t o m e weapons of r u s t

Blood r i v e r nightmares soon a r e t r u e Tends t o t u r n man - even you and m e ; I n t o Manson, Capone and Hoffa blend In a grey tu rmoi l t h a t cannot end - Jacob ' s l adde r s t a r t s t o c r y Down ~ i t l e r ' s r ed dragon - war ' s e v i l eye; The t h i r d comes on t o look

And show m e t h e s c a t t e r of dus t ; ' n b i l l me f o r on ly t h e t r u s t That one b l i n d man had i n u s -

F o r h a t e has defended f o r a whi le 'Hades has extended i ts s m i l e ; Beginning has drawn t o an end And doomsday's upon u s - my f r i e n d .

I A t t h e Doomsday His tory book. Joe Ringer

\

MOLY CAT

George and L i l l i a n Harr ison w e r e Cat went dancing i n Kalamzoo,

married 2 yea r s ago on t h e s p i r a l Dressed i n gingham faded & blue ,

s ta i rway i n Carnegie. These two won- She s ipped h e r bourbon ti1

d e r f u l people have been p a r t of our h a l f p a s t two,

Centre both before and a f t e r they Then b id h e r f r i e n d s a j o l l y ad ieu .

t i e d t h e knot and have been sponsors Cat k i ck - s t a r t ed he r p e r s i a n rug of many dances and d inne r s . On Dec.20 Yawning, she l a i d down cozy & snug. they had t h e i r 2nd Anniversary Dinner She l i c k e d up t h e cream from and many of t h e i r f r i e n d s w e r e t r e a t e d her Milky Way mug, t o food and music. Then purred t o a c loud, lease

After t he g r e a t meal, both L i l l i a n give m e a hug ." -

and George thanked a l l p r e sen t f o r t h e happiness t h a t Carnegie people Cat got home and meowed a t t h e door,

Tha t ' s what she kept he r master have brought t o them. Danny Korica presented them wi th a g i f t on behalf t h e r e f o r ;

t o l e t h e r i n was h i s t r ea su red of t he Assoc ia t ion and made a hea r t - f e l t speech of app rec i a t i on . chore,

And thus , they l i v e d happi ly ever more.

Garry Gust

- Everything you always wanted to know about.. .

why bother? because quality matters. JUNK HAIL CREATES TOXIC GARBAGE AND COSTS US 100,000 ACRES OF FORESTS ANNUALLY. THAT'S A LOT OF TREES.

IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE! CSUORT)

A SUCCINCT LETTER TO THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS SHOULD REMOVE YOUR NAME PROM THE MAILING LIST FOR OUT-OF-; TOWN J U N K MAIL:

DIRECT MARKETING ASSOCIATION, 607-#1 CONCORD GATE,

LOCAL JUNK MAIL ORIGINATES I N THE COMMUNITY AND MUST BE DEALT WITH AT THAT LEVEL. HERE'S WHAT YOU COULD DO:

1. STUFF I T - p u t I t b a c k I n t h e mall box.

2e WING I T - FREE OF CHARGE t o ENVIRONMENT MINISTER, L u c i e n B o u c h a r d , O t t a w a , K I A 0 ~ 6 . E n c l o s e a b r i e f n o t e . L i m i t t o 8 x 1 0 e n v e l o p e 3/4" t h i c k p e r malllnq. DEMAND ACTION.

3. SOCK I T - r e t l l r n i t t o t h e r e t a i l e r as an i n d i v i d u a l o r a r o u p .

4 . PRINT I T - some l o c a l n e w s p a p e r s i n c l u d e junk mall w i t h t h e news. i r l t e a L e t t e r t o t h e S d i t o r .

5 . DUMP I T - st t h e p o s t o f f i c e o r t h e n e w s p a p e r o f f i ce

6. RECYCLE I T UNTIL WE SOLVE I T .

EXCLUSIVELY RECYCLE T a I 5 POST33 PLEASE.

JUNK HAIL I S A N ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLZM. WE MUST FIND A SOLUTIONe

YOU CAN E L P . YOU

Mrs. L i l l i a n Harr ison Carnegie Community Centre Assoc ia t ion

Dear L i l l i a n ,

hank you f o r your l e t t e r regard- i ng your concerns about t h e Downtown Resource Recovery P lan t .

Ci ty Council received q u i t e a few l e t t e r s on t h i s s u b j e c t , which I th ink r e f l e c t i nc reas ing pub l i c con- cern and oppos i t ion o t t h e Resource Recovery P lan t . Ci ty Council voted t o proceed wi th t h e Downtown RRP i n January of 1989. A t t h e time t h e r e w a s no t much pub l i c awareness about the proposal , a l though some commun- i t y de lega t ions d id appear a t t h a t time t o oppose i t .

As t h e tender proposa ls are almost ! completed now t o go o u t , t h e r e has

been much more knowledge about t h e proposal. However, t o d a t e t h e r e has never been any pub l i c hear ings o r informations meetings about t he p l an t t o allow r e s i d e n t s i n M t . P leasant , Grandview, Woodlands, S t ra - thcona, t h e Downtown Eas t s ide and

the Westend t o p re sen t t h e i r con- cerns .

The motion t h a t Alderman Eriksen and myself presented t o Council and debated on December 14th c a l l e d f o r a moratorium on t h e Downtown RRP. I r e g r e t t o say t h a t t h i s motion w a s defeated by C i ty Council w i t h only myself, Aldermen Eriksen, Rankin and Baker i n favour of t h e moratorium. Council d id agree t o hold pub l i c hearings on t h e mat te r . But my in- t e r p r e t a t i o n of t h e d e c i s i o n is t h a t

I be l i eve t h a t t h e Resource Re- covery P lan t i s a complete contra- d i c t i o n t o t h e c i t y ' s s t a t e d in ten- t i o n t o begin at-source sepa ra t ion f o r r e s i d e n t i a l dwell ings, a l lowing t h e RRP t o simply p i ck up garbage from t h e Downtown, Westend and n o r t h of 16 th Avenue area completely neg- ates t h e o v e r a l l d e s i r e f o r a t - source sepa ra t ion . The p r i v a t i z a t i o n of t h e p l a n t a l s o means t h a t t h e r e is a ves ted i n t e r e s t i n producing more garbage, no t less.

I r e a l l y a p p r e c i a t e t h e comments i n your letter and completely under- s tand t h e concerns t h a t you have put forward. I can only say a t t h i s t i m e , t h a t a t l e a s t fou r of us on Ci ty Council w i l l cont inue t o oppose t h e Resource Recovery P l a n t on t h e .

grounds t h a t 1) t h e pub l i c does n o t want i t; 2) it does n o t m e e t ou r r ecyc l ing ob jec t ives ; and 3) it w i l l c r e a t e a nega t ive impact f o r t h e fou r communities ad jacent t o i t .

I a m s u r e t h i s i s s u e w i l l r esur - f a c e i n 1990. I only hope t h a t as more o rgan iza t ions and i n d i v i d u a l s c i t i z e n s express t h e i r concern, o t h e r members of counc i l w i l l begin t o s e e t h e w r i t i n g on t h e wa l l and review t h e i r p o s i t i o n and ag ree t o "dump" t h e P lan t i n favour of a t-source separa t ion .

Again, many thanks f o r your l e t t e r .

Yours s i n c e r e l y , Libby Davies Alderman.

b a s i c a l l y Council is proceeding wi th i ts e a r l i e r dec i s ion t o proceed wi th the p l an t .

L i l l i a n Harr i son , Vice-president Carnegie Community Centre Associat ion.

Dear M s . Harr ison:

Thank you f o r your l e t t e r of November 27, 1989 concerning t h e proposed resource recovery p l a n t . Your concerns r e s p e c t i n g t h e process seem w e l l founded and I w i l l do my b e s t t o a s s u r e t h a t t h e thorough pub l i c hear ing process you r eques t t akes p l ace .

I a p p r e c i a t e your t ak ing t h e t i m e t o w r i t e and i f I can be of any a s s i s - t ance p l ea se do no t h e s i t a t e t o c a l l .

S incere ly yours , JOHNATHAN BAKER, Alderman.

ResourcebFf i e t y . The po in t was made over and over t h a t everybody has t o be involv- ed and r e spons ib l e , t h a t no one can

Ald. Libby Davies, supported by'h Alds. Eriksen, Rankin & Baker, made a motion f o r a moratorium, t o put a hold on th ings u n t i l what w e do wi th garbage is sound from s t a r t t o f i n - ' i s h . Mayor Campbell & cohor t s saw - i t a s COPE vs. NPA , ignored every- body and defea ted t h e motion.

Every speaker addressed t h e l a c k of information, pub l i c process and impact s t u d i e s around t h i s i s s u e . A s t r i k i n g example of c i t i z e n u n i t y was ev ident i n t h e r a l l y i n g of neighbour- hood a s soc i a t i ons . Representa t ives from Grandview-Woodlands, M t . Plea- s a n t , S t ra thcona and t h e Downtown Eas t s ide a l l s t a t e d t h e i r suppor t of a moratorium on any cons t ruc t ion o r dec i s ion t o proceed u n t i l Council ho lds app rop r i a t e p u b l i c hear ings i n t h e a r e a s a f f e c t e d and environmental impact s t u d i e s a r e done.

I n February o f 1989, t h e f i r s t de- c i s i o n on t h i s ma t t e r was made a f t e r 25 of 28 speakers spoke a g a i n s t t h e proposed means of dea l ing wi th waste management. The NPA ma jo r i t y chose t o ignore a l l c a l l s f o r information and s t u d i e s and apply a band-aid s o l u t i o n t o t h e eve r i nc reas ing pro- blem of garbage d i sposa l .

The c i t y ' s Engineering Department suggested, i n February and aga in on December 14 th , t h a t t h i s p l a n t ' s con- s t r u c t i o n be delayed pending t h e p u t t i n g i n t o p l ace of a City-wide waste d i s p o s a l system. Every speaker spoke of a l t e r n a t i v e s t h a t would make waste d i s p o s a l a p o s i t i v e s t e p i n dea l ing wi th our "throw-awayw soc-

be exempted. The NPA major i ty chose t o ignore

t h i s . The l o g i c they presented was so convoluted and obscure t h a t i t brought many i n t e r r u p t i o n s and s t a t e - ments of d e r i s i o n from those p re sen t .

Each s a i d "I ag ree wi th you. I know garbage c a n ' t keep being bur ied i n l a n d f i l l sites.

End of l o g i c . Enter s t u p i d i t y . "People won't r ecyc l e i n multi-dwel-

l i n g bu i ld ings (apar tments) ." ( In S e a t t l e , they had over double

t h e p a r t i c i p a t i o n of t h e most opt imis- t i c p r o j e c t i o n of r ecyc l ing involve- ment .)

"We have t o do something now." (The 10-year l i f e s p a n of t h i s p l a n t ,

t h e e c o l o g i c a l and environmental re- s u l t s , t h e known e f f e c t s and procedure used a t o t h e r such p l a n t s , a l t e r n a t i v e and e c o l o g i c a l l y sound proposa ls ... a l l ignored i n favour of a p r i v a t e company whose economic i n t e r e s t s de- mand more, no t less, waste.)

"Burn's Bog ( l a n d f i l l s i t e ) is good f o r another 30 years ."

(And i n 31 yea r s t h e r e w i l l be no garbage a t a l l . )

J u s t a s garbage is p a r t of l i f e , s o is consciousness of i t and ways t o d e a l wi th t h a t a r e good f o r t h e world our c h i l d r e n w i l l i n h e r i t . Everyone concerned, meaning everyone on Ear th , has t o be consc ious ly and conscienc- ous ly involved. L e t ' s t u r n t h e pro- posed ' explana t ion meetings' i n t o t r u e Pub l i c Hearings and demand a working s o l u t i o n f o r our c h i l d r e n ' s c h i l d r e n ' s c h i l d r e n .

By PAULR TAYLOR i

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