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NEWSLETTER

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"A public hearing on increasing density in the Woodward's proposal in exchange for maintaining the heritage aspect of the premises' that's close enough. The Carnegie Community Action Project, closely involved and monitoring every twist & turn of the fbture of Woodward's, had met previous to the July 18th hearing. "You have to address heritage and density or you'll be told to sit down ... "If you start to speak on the proposal of Farna Holdings to build exclusively for well-to-do yuppies you'll be cut off... "What should we do?" It was clear that people wanted to go and say what had to be said, regardless of being cut off or shut down, to speak of & the concerns: that Woodward's is the flagship of development, that it could be a model of community involvement with mixed market and social housing with community services and amenities for all, not just for those who can pay the high price of admission; that the exclusive proposal of Kassem Aghtai will instigate other property owners to hike rents (e.g. from $350/month to $40/night), to change the nature of their business to cater to wealthy clients (e.g. residential hotels changing to bedlkbreakfast for backpackers and hostel situations with four people to a room), ending in hornelessness for thousands of people now living in low-cost housing in the Downtown Eastside; that this encroachment of condos and mega-developments will not 'revitalise' the area but just force the street scene a few blocks further east until people start living and dying on the streets - as already shown by scores of stark examples in the USA. John Shayler spoke eloquently on these points, rehting attempts by Owen and Puil to spout their

memorised numbers. It's sad when the Mayor of a major city continues to quote the wrong statistics. Owen, beaming with his "My conscience is clear" stare, talked again of "13,000 units of social housing in Vancouver" or even in the Downtown Eastside. SRO hotels are not social housing, Phil. When you pay $350/month for a 10'x 12' room.., John was also clear that it would be better to let Woodward's sit empty for a while longer and do it right, in the only way that is good for the whole community, rather than letting Fama Holdings and Aghtai do their project and create a few thousand homeless people. Alison Cameron made a presentation: "We live in and around Gastown. We don't all have the security of a home. We are the people you look at as harder aspects of this area, and now you want us off the streets. You don't want us to rob you of your security. "There isn't enough money to pay for more police, more legal action. Changes to health care (unfair taxes-lower revenue-budget cuts-social programs slashed) have added to the problem of homelessness, disease and addictions.. dulling emotional pain and thinking processes. Canada's poorest postal code (V6A- Downtown Eastside) has many people who are stereotyped as interfering with Gastown becoming a viable and valuable commodity in Vancouver. '"Escape' is used to stigmatise low income residents, but there's more to the whole picture: some Vancouver residents escape by visiting the people (in the D.E.) who supply the beer, Liquor, marijuana, pharmaceutical synthetics, cocaine and heroin; some escape by never stopping in the neighbourhood, some escape by leaving the

problem to ineff~ectivemethods of 'control'; and others just lock themselves away from the problem by calling the many residents of the area parasites, scuz, scum, freaks, deranged, etc. "Prevention of illness means a societal will to stop denying a group of people basic needs. This Council states it is "committed to all of the residents of the east downtown and hopes to work with them to create a vibrant, secure and affordable community." I ask that you work with us, with the whole community, and not with this exclusive proposal ." Dayle Mosely, from DERA, also addressed the myth that low-income people were the cause of boarded up buildings in the area. He's been working with safety and police liaison, as well as having a good understanding of the history and forces at play in the neighbourhood. "The closing of Woodward's caused the closure of other businesses. You can't blame people for being poor or unemployed. It's the property owners sitting on real estate, waiting for the market to change, that are keeping much of the retail aspect empty. DERA and the community support development,

but it has to include housing and facilities for local residents." 3. The refrain of the Gastown crowd was much the same, bubbling over with how much condo-izing Woodward's would 'revitalise the area' and how it would restore 'balance'. No mention is made of people already living & struggling to survive in the area, not a whiff of the total lack of balance in neighbourhoods iike Shaughnessy and Point Grey (a few SRO hotels there!...) no mention of how this 'revitalisation' will clean everything up, no hint of what a few thousand long-term residents will do iflwhen they are evicted to make way for this new 'gentry'. That's someone else's problem.

Liar. liar. pants on f i r e

corporate empire. He got the old Expo lands practically asa gift fiom old soakhead rubes Bill Vanderzalm and Grace McCarthy. Li promised to donate parks and schools for the community and allot land for social housing, if the City would allow him to build 8,500 housing units. Over the objections of the community, he got the go-ahead. But no sooner was the ink dry on the agreement than he's back with a new demand to add thousands more housing units, at Pender and Abbott, than the market will bear. No suggestion of what's good for the city or the community, no asking the community what it wants, no providing the extra parks or community facilities -just create an anthill to make the highest profit. And as for the social housing -just move it

Bv PAULR TAYLOR

Everybody knows what a politician's promises are worth. But what about a developer's promises? Let's look at the track records of some of the developers who are making promises to the people of the Downtown Eastside and its environs. Their projects will have a big impact on our neighbourhood, so it's more than just idle curiosity to ask how true they are to their word. With the help of city councillors and city planners, these developers have dragged citizens through an exhausting series of hearings and meetings on the pretext of public consultation. But when the dust has settled and they have gotten the City's approval for their plans, they have walked away from those promises. * Li Ka-shing is the billionaire owner of a vast

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Downtown Eastsider who has found steady construction work in those highly-touted Canucks and Ford Theatre projects. And have you seen the high-tones dress and "grooming" requirements for

somewhere else. * David Cyr is a Bellingham developer who bought up the old Burlington Northern Railway lands in back of the CN station on Main. He promised residents he would build low-cost housing for artists, block a freeway on his property and preserve industrial lands which creates blue-collar jobs. So what did he do? He sold most of his land right back to the city, so that now it has the rightof-way for a fieeway through the flats (the Malkin Bypass). And he has concocted a grand scheme to build 900 units of high-priced condos on the rest of his land, on the pretext that these phony loft units are the industrial work-sites of the 2 1st century. * Kassem Aghtai is a West Vancouver developer who is making all sorts of promises about the old Woodward's site if only he can build condos for yuppies in our neighbourhood. He promises to clean up Hastings Street, he promises to create jobs for the community, to donate land for social housing, and he makes soothing noises about all sorts of community amenities, from a new food-floor to a place for binners to bring their treasures. These are promises calculated to win the support of sincere and hopefd Downtown Eastside people. But what will he actually deliver? Let's start with the street problem. Condos in Gastown won't solve it; it'll just move east, on and across Main. The yuppies actually oppose social programs that would deal with the problem. Their solution is to push the street scene into the area where the zoning won't allow condos anyway, like in h n t of the Ford building and Princess Place housing projects. Jobs? Hands up, anybody who actually knows a

the sewice jobs obviously aimed to screen out most people from around here? As for community amenities - more promises, easily brushed aside when the time comes. And social housing? It's the public that would pay for it, not the developer. The community would have to deduct it from housing allocations in other parts of the neighbourhood. City Council has done the expected and approved Aghtai's scheme on paper. Councillors seem to be an especially trusting lot when it comes to developers' promises. But no harm done yet. The real stopper for the developer is getting his financing together a tough job in a soft condo market. That's why Aghtai has asked for a delay until March, 1996, in processing his application. Time enough for a more suitable plan to come together, using money and resources fiom the provincial government and the city, private sources, trade unions and pension funds. It would be an INCLUSIVE project, a vision for the community that includes room for people fiom all walks of life, something we could all be proud of And that's a promise. By NIGEL WATSON

P.S. If you want to tell Aghtai what he can do with his promises, just write him C/OFama Holdings 800-100 Park Royal South West Vancouver, B.C. V7T 1A2 or call him directly at 922-5128 (fax 922-1528).

OLYMPICS

TOURNAMENT

bpening ceremonies a t 12:00

- Dizzy Relay

- Wheelbarrow Race

Water Balloons

- Pinata

IIII Saturday, Aug.

12 10-5

A t Oppenheimer Park rhursday, August 10 12:OO-4:00

$1.00 Entry Fee Sign up a t info desk with Carnegie membership card

Tllc former C o r n e g i e F r e e L i b r a r y ( 1 9 0 3 ) a L Main alrd llas t i r q s is IIOW a conlmrtn i l y ccti11-e Cot. ~lowriLowr~-casts i de re.sidents.

Carnegie Association Re: Carnegie Newsletter

A fiend of mine gave me a copy of your newsletter. I not only enjoyed reading it but I think it will be useful to our group. I belong to the Kamloops Active Support Against Poverty Society, which is a non-profit society working on raising awareness in our community on poverty and social justice issues. We recently received a grant from the BC Housing Management Commission (BCHMC) to do advocacy on tenancy matters, so, for the first time since our inception four years ago, we have an office to work out of! We would like to receive a copy of your newsletter and I am enclosing a cheque in the amount of $20 to cover the cost. It was confbsing trying to figure out what to pay. The front page says it's fiee but an article on the 3rd page mentioned the amount of $16. I would appreciate it if you would forward our letter to the committee within your group that works on affordable housing issues. We want to link up with more experienced groups to learn how to deal effectively with City Hall and how to lobby for affordable housing for low income people. We're looking forward to hearing from you! In solidarity, Darlene McBain Tenants' Action Centre #4 - 375 Fourth Avenue Kamloops, B.C. V2C 3P1

Darlene, Thanks for the support. Your letter has gone on to DERA and TRAC, both of whom you may have heard. The Carnegie Newsletter free;postage costs like hell. It's about $16 a year, but that changed with the increases this week. When your $20 is gone, you'll get a wee note in the post.

Be " gentle to those you teach You hold their literacies in your hand So repeat and repeat a sound or word For as long as it takes a learner to learn Is how long you must teach. Sheila Baxle

Dear Downtown Eastside Pope, I have heard you are our local pope so I wonder if you know what's shaking with the sidewalks on Powell & Columbia? The Sity, in it's wisdom, is fixing up the walks for the summer but has neglected, again, the needs of the people who use them most. I'm speaking of handicapped people. On the NW corner of Columbia and Cordova there is a curb that is dangerously high. There is no ramp at all. I recently helped an old man in a wheelchair over that curb (it's almost a foot high). It is a shame that the Sitv doesn't care. By the way, what do your colours look like? Trashhopper

Vocational Aptitude Testing I have spent many tumultuous years in the education system, mostly because I was told it would be good for me. I persisted tbrough many courses and much frustration to eventually complete a Bachelor's degree fiom university. Afterwards I was somewhat 'ejected' from the educational system into the real world.. the world of unemployment. Never during my years in school was I given any vocational aptitude testing or career assessment. Never was any personal or social skills development course offered. As I see if the educational system teaches false hope. It misleads students who may have learning disabilities to strive for a higher education than they can realistically use. For these people it is a no-win situation. They are led to believe they failed, when in reality it was the educational system that failed them. Does the Vancouver School Board consider dyslexia to be a taboo word? Will they begin to offer Vocational Aptitude Testing and career counselling to our young people or will they cruelly maintain the status quo in our school system? I think truth and justice will prevail if we continue to demand both.

A Whale of a Thanks to Carnegie As we walked down the stairs to catch the bus that read Stanlev Park, all pulses and breaths pumped faster. Eyes smiled. excitement was in the air. This was the reaction to approximately 125 adult learners & volunteer tutors going to the Vancouver Aquarium.. for most, the fust time. On behalf off myself, learners and volunteer tutors Thank you so very much for the use of the Aquarium pass. It brought educational value and excitement to all participants,

Ernie, Learning Centre staff. You are still spinning yourself in the same web Forgiveness is a hard thing to do And many people never gather the heart to W i s e it. No matter what the sin, there is still pardon. Weakness is the fear, the fear worthy of fighting for? PLO versus Jews. Britain against Ireland. Tainted by stains of blood-soaked earth. Just look to Bosnia and our rational dream disssipates in mid-air. Struggles to gurgle out from the throat of a hollow man, gun in hand. All kings, All gracious and mighty gods, Leaders of the earth, Lay down your arms and set men free Leaders of thhe world: You are still treading water like the rest of us.

A COWARDLY RODUEI<

Dud

Ma,

The Tea Hoorn

. { "

,D""C anen n l tonmrror "88'

Marmalade glistens in the sun's pure light And tea in Royal Albert, Alabaster White Crumpets and butter arranged on a plate Come to breakfast; you shan't be late Mother was scolding a servant for wrong she had done But the girl swears she never had none Poor English has that girl, mother did say While lifting the teapot off the tray Grandmother was planning her day step by step While I told dad about a man I had met He was tall and dark and said he was cold And his face looked so terribly old He told me stories of France and of Spain Of all k i d s of heroes, but h e forgotten their names Mother said quiet now and drink up your tea You pay attention and listen to me She took me from my father's lap And beside her on a chair I was sat Many years have gone by since that breakfast with my Dad And I can still remember what all that we had

POW WOW

On July 7,1995, I attended a Pow Wow in Mission, B.C., along with thirty-five other people from Carnegie Centre. Tony, our bus driver, moved us slowly through freeway trafftc and into the country. At the campsite area we unloaded our gear into teepees. The selection was as follows: families in the largest teepees, women and men elders in each of the smaller white teepees. The Pow Wow is a dance and drumming competition and there were more than 450 participants performing, ranging in age from three years to senior. There were nine drumming groups with up to ten members each. The competition went on for the entire weekend, with participants marked on their presentation of dance steps, rhythm and if they stopped at the last drum beat. At 6:30 p.m. the opening ceremonies began. Leading the procession were men in regalia carrying American, Canadian and Band flags. The majority of the participants filed in their groups: men in traditional and fancy regalia; women in jingle-bell, traditional and scarf regalia. Most of the regalia are handmade - the art and beading was very detailed and traditional to where their band originated. When all the groups were out on the dance floor, it made a wonderful display of colour and pomp.

The commentator kept the groups informed about when it was time for them to dance. He also told some great jokes during change-overs. On Saturday I helped with food preparation: sandwiches and salad at lunch for more than fifty people. I danced when the no-native group was called. We danced a wonderkl circle dance in the middle of the dance floor and the native dancers danced around us going in the opposite direction. We were then instructed to shake hands as we danced - a great way to meet new people. 1 learned - that costumes are for Halloween; regalia is for dancing - teepees are very warm and comfortable sleeping quarters caribou stew on rice is a taste I look forward to enjoying again Pow Wows are real fim get-togethers for relatives and friends. On Sunday it rained most of the day and the Pow Wow was put off until it stopped. We had lunch in the large teepee, which held about thirty people sitting down on chairs. I went home early with ten others in a Mini Van. I was wet, tired, and wiser for the experience.

Bv LORRAINE LALONDE

Words on Wood, Woods to See, Sea of dred; Clearcut newspapers, Homes and beds.

Rusty Nail

Deeper poverty issues should be a concern (RolfAuer wrote this letter to the Vancouver Province to respond to K ~ t h yTait 's arlicle alleging massive welfare fraud The Province didn 'tprint the letter) Many estimates of welfare fraud peg it nationally at between two to three per cent, which is lower than the rate of white collar crime. While this newspaper's concern for "untold millions" is commendable, perhaps the deeper issues of poverty should be of greater concern. For example, it is known that it is virtually impossible to subsist on the welfare amounts granted in BC, according to an article once published in The Globe & Mail. Is The Province going to take up the case of the many people forced to subsist on sub-poverty line incomes in BC, or is it going to continue its hate propaganda against the poor?

What's wrong with poor bashing? Poor bashing hurts people who are poor in their daily life. Adults and children are shunned, despised, pitied, patronized, humiliated and ignored. doesn't respect human beings who happen to be poor encourages people to think in stereotypes and to discriminate against people who are poor

undermines support for social programs that benefit all Canadians and our communities brings out the worst in people justifies policies like workfare which ultimately undermine wages and working conditions of people who have jobs blames individuals for being poor, not the poor economy is still legal, even though it shouldn't be justifies policies like finger-printing people who need welfare, as if they were criminals

A theory to explain poor bashing Author Chatles Derber says that poor people in the US are being sacrificed and abandoned. l'hey are considered to be "cast-offs, non-persons. stripped of economic prospects and social status." Derber says there are three kinds of attacks on poor people. The economic attack is "the withdrawal of viable employment or livable wages..., creating surplus populations with no economic prospects." The cultural attack happens when ideologies justifjr abandoning or eliminating surplus populations (like poor bashing does). The political attack comes from government decisions to stop helping abandoned groups with money, housing and services. (Does any of this sound fmniliar?) Thanks to Tikhtn, voi 10, #3

Help stop poor bashing If you hear a politician or see a story in the media where generalizations are made about poor people, where poor people are discriminated against, or hatred against poor people is promoted, you must challenge it, just as you would challenge racism or sexism. You can Speak to the poor basher, in person or by phone. Tell them what's wrong with poor bashing. Tell them they should stop. Write letters to the editors of poor bashing PWrS. Get together with your tiiends, union, church, women's goup, and ask for a meeting with the poor basher. Write to companies that advertise in poor bashing media Work with groups to boycott advertisers in poor bashing media Plan demonstrations of media or politicians that bash poor people. Need to help or ideas? Give ELY a call at 604-879-1209. (These articles were taken from The Long Haul, the newspaper of End Legislated Poverty.) Letter to the Editor (The Province)

in Ms. [[Kathy] Tait's articles regarding those on Welfare, 1 find and hear that they are very hurtful and demeaning. The one appearing in today's paper (July 17) had no direction or meaning., It has always been reporters such as Ms. Tait who seem to pick on those less fortunate than others. Every time welfare recipients get slammed in the face by reporters only interested in telling one side of the story. There is absolutely no balance in these stories... Why not report the many successes of people who have worked themselves off of welfare? Sincerely. M. Prevost

To the media What is Canada's Number One Game? Just like the 30's, it's still the same. What is the attraction for irresponsible media action? The unemployed deserve much more, But they never h o w what's in store From television and the printed word, Hatell remarks are often heard. Reporters take away the unemployed citizen's self-esteem Instead of giving them a positive dream. If you do not respect the poor, They could be hocking on your door.

When you attempt to collect UIC, An applicant is given the third degree They are hounded by their worst fears, And leave the office in bitter tears. Many welfare recipients give a great deal back to the community, And most of them wish to see immunity from the daily round of attacks. And wish the reporters would obtain the facts. A new Human Rights Act should be in place So low income people would not lose face. There should be a Code of Ethics course, given by those they bash, And if they proceeded with slandering, they would pay plenty of cash. Irene Schmidt

Guerrilla Media takes on deMurderen again For the 3rd time in 12 months, Guerrilla Media (GM) has blown the smokescreen away from the tobacco industry's public relations campaign. On the second day of the Vancouver duMaurier Jazz Festival, GM direct-action media critics countered this marketing juggernaut with duMurderer posters, brochures and billboards that gave the facts behind cigarette-brand "sponsorship". A 3-poster series, "As Seen by duMurderern, satirically skewers the tobacco multinational's inhouse promotional campaign. One poster, "Children As Seen by duMurderer Ltd.," depicts a youngster targeted in the crosshairs of a rifle scope. It's explained that, based on market share, the duMaurier brand is responsible for addicting more than 28,000 kids under the age of sixteen to tobacco each year. Of those unable to quit smoking, 50% will die of smoking-related illnesses. In addition, GM monkey-wenchers altered some of Vancouver's ubiquitous "Jazz As Seen by duMaurier Ltd." cigarette-advertising billboards to read "Cancer As Seen by duMurderer Ltd." Gh4 also produced a poster and program for the "deMurderer Ltd Multinational Death and all that Jazz Festival."These detail how the tobacco industry's sponsorship of jazz and other cultural

events is part of an eflcient and lethal campaign to addict Canadian children to tobacco. Their success is chilling: duMaurier brand's share of the Canadian Cigarette killing fields EVERY YEAR amounts to 9,400 deaths, 28,000 kids addicted, and more than $1 billion in net health costs (over and above tobacco taxes collected) borne by Canadian taxpayers. In July 1994, GM butted into the duMaurier Ltd. Vancouver International Jazz Festival events to wrap programs and cover up f posters with those for the "duMourir Multinational DeatbFest." Them last August GM altered banners and posters at the Benson & Hedges Symphony of Fire to read "Blacklung & Hemorrhages Symphony of Cancer." Guerrilla Media is a group of direct-action media critics who, in addition to subverting tobacco advertising "sponsorship." have taken on the mainstream media over issues of social program slashing (The Vancouver Smug), "free" trade (The Glib & Stale), welfare bashing (The Providence) and environmental greenwashing (~'ancouverStump).

AN ADDRESS FOR THE VANCOUVER CITY COUNCIL & THE DEVELOPERS OF THE WOODWARD'S BUILDING

my name is bud osborn I am a member of the board of directors of the camegie community centre I am also a poet and while my intent is to address heritage in respect to woodward's today I have taken it upon myself to speak for those 1know best the most powerless and vulnerable of residents in the downtown eastside those most vulnerable to development in a skid row area those who are most oAen identified as our least desirable citizens those of us who are too poor too sick too crazy too addicted too lost too old to receive consideration when plans are made and initiated for development those who are the lowest the least the last among us those scarcely aware there is a plan for the development of woodward's into high-priced condominiums I speak for those who make the downtown eastside I the lowest per capita income area in canada and in speaking for them as one of them I bring here from them a gift these undesirables rather than representing a geological curse or economic blight are a gifl a gift compromising a tremendous opportunity a gift of an opportunity to achieve something utterly new unique in respect to any other city in north america an opportunity to respond with vision compassion and courage to those most undesirable those most vulnerable and develop the downtown eastside into a spiritual cornerstone for our city by making woodward's and the downtown eastside not exclusively but essentially for the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable there is an opportunity to strengthen this community of the poor and it is a real community but upscale development of woodward's would be a death-blow when what is needed according to recommendations of the city's own health department I is a dramatic increase in living accommodations and social services the downtown eastside has been known both within and outside the area as a dumping ground a dumping ground for very troubled human beings

who are not wanted elsewhere in neighbourhoods in vancouver and the lower maidand this dumping ground characteristic has been regarded as a liability but to be a durnping ground reflects an ability a strength and this is the real strength and the nature of a gift to the rest of us the capacity of the downtown eastside to be not a dumping ground but a community for those unwanted elsewhere for instance the Vancouver health department has noted that with de-institutionalization the mentally ill are drawn to the downtown eastside primarily because it is an area which will quote "tolerate their sometimes unusual behaviors" the downtown eastside is a necessary dumping ground ; because it is a community which welcomes accepts tolerates has a place for not only the mentally ill but those most troubled and most vulnerable and this is an exceptional quality a conscious decision to strengthen rather than further weaken this comnunity would indeed make the downtown eastside a spiritual cornerstone in a materially prosperous city and something to be pointed to with civic pride as a significant aspect of our heritage a heritage which here is a response to a cry for help from those most vulnerable and most undesirable a response such as can be found nowhere else in north america and a vita. first sign of our city's willingness to make this commitment would be for fama holdings limited to either assist this cornerstone project or step aside in which case woodward's must remain empty until we agree to develop woodward's for the needs of those who are poor in almost every way there is to be poor but to make a civic commitment a covenant like this is what would really designate woodward's as a heritage site a heritage worth passing on what I am asking for I ask not because these unwanted are deserving of consideration not because they have earned a commitment like this atld not because they are likable what I ask is neither foolishness nor lunacy nor an impossibility but it is a scandal

an offense to our usual ways ot thmklng about thrs situatron and I ask for this scandal because well because god says so the god who is a scandal an offense to our usual ways of thinking the god who says ''truly, I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. .." consequently developing the lowest and the least fiom our midst is equivalent literally to doing the same to god for those of us who are christians this is what is at stake in woodward's and the downtown eastside and for those of us who have no faith in god may you then reflect on that which you most personally fear coming true and if through unforeseeable circumstances you became sick old poor alone vulnerable how would you if your life depended upon me have me respond?

A B.C. Voter Registration Card is a good ID card.

To get one, call 660-6848 & an application will be mailed. All they need to know is your name, address, date-of-birth and how long you've been in B.C. That's 660-6848

IQ@@@@@@@B@@@@@@O@@IUUG@

(If you're already registered & lost your card, they'll mail a replacement for free!)

Dear Lucy, Thanks for your inquiry about the current trouble in the Downtown Eastside. For years longtime members of this downtown core residential community have been fighting tooth and nail to improve the area's living conditions by creating affordable and decent housing for the many hundreds of people subsisting in single-room accommodations. Unfortunately, the federal government has decided that some canadians are not worthy of decent safe homes with affordable rents, and have cut off funding for any further social housing projects. Thus, single-room tenants have no hope but to stay put. However, developers, who have direct connections to the NPA dominated city council, have been steadily surrounding the area with high-priced condominiums, and are now attempting to steamroll their projects into the heart of the Downtown Eastside core, with special dispensations from the NPA council members. In anticipation of this developing boom, some local hotels have already started to convert from monthly rental units to bed 6 breakfast accommodations aimed at the well-heeled; making a lot of long-term,single-room tenants in the area very nervous about the future

Things came to a head recently over a large abandoned department store that has been in the neighborhood since the early nineteenhundreds. A developer wants to turn the building into 354 condominiums. Local groups like the Downtown Eastside Residents Association ( D E R A ] and the Carnegie (knowing that such a megaproject would force more hotels to convert to a higher scale clientele] have put their foot down, and insist that some social housing be included in the project,to counterbalance the inevitable displacement of single room occupants who want to stay in their own neighborhood. As it now stands, the NPA city council is bending over backwards to accommodate this latest development proposal, and are scornful o f any inclusion of social housing in the project.

So, in a nutshell, there it is. We can't just roll over and ignore the hundreds of elderly single tenanhs who would lose what little they have in the way of housing (homes] without one hell of a fight. Any support your people could give us would be much appreciated by many, many people. In solidarity,

>h,, &J--

In The Dumpster

GARBAGE

During the past couple of months, the lanes and alleys in the Downtown Eastside had gotten to the point where they were very awful smelling and messy. One of our TV stations wanted to do a report on the situation, so we set up a time for them to come and show these lanes to people viewing their station. Well - a miracle occurred in our community: there was no garbage to be found! Okay, who tipped off City officials? It is always a habit for people to go by the Cheque-Cashing place on Hastings with their noses covered and holding their breath; we didn't have to do that today (July 27). So me and the camera crew went on a walkabout for garbage... we finally found an alley, beside the Powell Lane store in Gastown. I know for a fact that this alley has always been a problem with garbage and the gruesome smell of urine, coffee gounds and other smelly waste. We sat there and did an interview amid this stench and mess the one question from the reporter, Graham, was, "Whose responsibility is it to clean our alleys?" I replied that it's the City's job.. . I do see City workers making an effort to clean our sidewalks, but some are intimidated by the huge crowds hanging around on the 100-block of E.Hastings in fiont of the bars there never gets done after 8:30 in the morning.

By MARGARET PREVOST

Greetings fellow binners and binnerettes. I was having a dumpster flashback the other day, recalling one of my adventures last Spring. My friend and I were doing the PNE area and I came upon an old pair of boots, a VCR and other goodies. I put them in the front carrier of my newest 2nd-hand bike, which 1had just bought, and away we went. Soon we came to the train tracks at Commissioner & Victoria. Bang! Slip! Boom! "X#$%$*%$!!,"I said, as I arched forward into orbit, flying about 100 feet or 30 meters (whichever comes first). The VCR was in 3 pieces, I was in one (I think) and the f g bike was broken in two. It was real sad. The frame had snapped; I guessed that the last guy who owned it had stuck a cork in the frame, taped it and painted over it. DUH I didn't blame the store I bought the bike from, as the man is a fi.iend and has always been good to me (and everyone else in the community), but I was ticked and took it back. After nearly shitting with laughter and making sure I was okay, he gave me another bike fiee (thanks Choy). I did real good at the Folk Fest about $1 50 in cans. I fell asleep there on Saturday night and woke up about lpm on Sunday with a badly burned back. By the way, Mr. McBinner could use the assistance of someone of the female persuasion to rub sunscreen on his back ... ...any volunteers? At this writing, City Hall is having a Show Cause hearing for both the Columbia & Balmord hotels, so stay tuned. May the bins be with you; Seek and you'll find! See you at United We Can. Mr. McBinner

The S t o p y t e l l e r A famous storyteller cams to me last night for advice. "How can I get the rain's gaunt desire out of my tales?" I told him to speak to you. I saw him again this morning. He told me he'd had his first sleepless night in years. I wished him a safe t i p home but he seemed confused. "You are going home, aren't you?" I asked.

Your Insownfa Shit you're boring. An escarpment turns its back on you. Clouds snore, lakes become comatose, sidewalks slumber beneath your feet, storefronts catch Zs when you pass by. Their sleepy doors remain shut. The wires snooze above you in lines stretching to rhetorical distances as you move unrhythmic & unrhymed through the city like bad poetry, a walking anesthetic. Your narcotic pace hypnotizes even me. You, of course, are immune to yourself, being an insomniac, as you have frequently noted.

PAN-MEN, BZNNERS;HOOKERS &

SCNOOKS

Now I give this verity Straight from the heart Carl's and his fiiend "Patch" (for his eye) Are stems at a BC Liquor Mart (Patch being the faithful hound)

Eu idence Rain again, the silver external, which is like an ocean of mirror, reflecting visual echoes of what we do, a metallic reverberation throughout action, carried on waves of affect ubiquitously to all possible points of reference, a living history swirling to the corners & to the centre, big omnidirectional water. Perhaps too often we find evidence of ourselves everywhere, the world we encounter homogeneously determined or categorized; preconceived & patterned by expectation, a process by which all one encounters receives the stdmp of ourselves. Certainly I have desired to be taken from this active, extensive conceptual ownership of what is encountered. What's left of our encounters with domesticated events but a truant dream of explication, faith in final musicks, belief in one dance, over there, & everything named?

Dan Feeney

It seems so odd That the man may come down On beggars - binners Those who are down

Now Security told him That he could Stem (with a few polite ahems) "You may panhandle a coin or two, but your dog is not allowed to panhandle too."

Now we'll legalise hooking So our children can win 'tis a noble profession We find them in; but a dog cannot sit by his master's side Now in the years that I've seen these two The dog has never spoken even one word, not two. [not even a critical aside] So let's take a petition to City Hall and legalise stemming for dogs, et al.

Tom Lewis

The Fight For The Carnegie Community Centre

Part 17

The New Carnegie Takes Shape In April, 1977. the Vancouver City Council and the federal government of Canada approvcd a Sh5.808 Canadn Works Program to clean the outside of the C'arnegie building. The federal government paid only $26,020 of this amount. It was the only money the federal government put into the renovation of the Carnegie Centre. On May 5, 1977, the City's Community Services Committee approved the proposal for renovations to Carnegie that the architects Down/Archambault had worked out with the help of the Carnegie Planning Advisory Committee. The projected cost of renovations was $1,5 12,000. To put this figure in perspective, the cost of purchasing and renovating the Orpheum Theatre (1974-76) was over $7,000,000; the cost of renovating the Kitsilano Pool was about $2,000,000. Councillor Margeurite Ford was the only person on the Community Services Committee to oppose the proposal, and she abstained from voting on it. Councillor Ford believed that the plans had to be scaled down. "I can't see how the cost can be justified," she said at a meeting. "There is not a shred of evidence that there is a need for a library." Obviously she was not familiar with the Social Planning Department's study of 1976 that found reading to be the most popular form of cultural activity in the Downtown Eastside afier TV. The Architect's Report on Carnegie renovations included a large addition to the building, an

exercise room, public washrooms and showers, classrooms, a small kitchen, daycare centre, elevators, theatre, gymnasium, and library service that was described by Maurice Egan as less than a branch library but more than a reading room. City Council approved the Architect's Report on May 10, 1977, and the citizens of Vancouver began to take a close interest in the Carnegie renovations. This was a major undertaking, as Phil Hanson pointed out in an article in the Vancouver Sun (Sept. 13/77), entitled "City's library of the past going back to the people." Hanson told his readers that an addition to Carnegie would be built on the parking lot to the south of the building, and it would be designed to fit in with the original architecture. An elevator would be installed in the new addition, and provision would be made for people in wheelchairs. Because the Carnegie building had to be brought up to modern building code earthquake standards, the interior was almost completely gutted, and a reinforced concrete shell was affixed to the inside of the original stone walls. New concrete floors were poured on top of the existing levels, and a wood floor laid eight inches above the concrete. New steel beams in the roof were disguised to look like part of the original building. In fact, the new and the old in the Carnegie existed in perfect harmony. On October 22, 1981, the City of Vancouver and architects Down/Archambault received an Award of Honour from the Heritage Canada Foundation for the preservation of the Carnegie Centre. A plaque commemorating the event can be found just inside the front entrance to the building. The Carnegie, above all other buildings, is what makes Vancouver a world class city By SANDY CAMERON (to be continued)

YOGA 1 TANTRA / SOCIAL CHANGE

It was a Global Conference, held in Missouri on a site established for just this purpose. When Ananda Kanan is not hosting week-long conferences it is used for weekend retreats, meetings, as a base of operations and training centre for yogis. Intuitional science - tantra - is the foundation of an organisation called Ananda Marga. "Self-realisation and service to humanity" "Subjective approach with objective adjustment" It's an independent, non-profit, spiritual organisation engaged in social service, and members came from all over to attend this conference, to listen to reports of work, to share their own victories, and to network to solve problems. In North America there are many examples of ongoing work, with schools in the States, in Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Haiti, agricultural co-ops in Mexico and yogatmeditation classes throughout the sector. There were several students present who had been part of a Spring Break program, whereby they would spend the holiday time in an intensive Yoga & Social Change seminar, over a period of 5 or 6 days, rather than the 'usual'

pastime of going to some resort area and getting drunk for a week. They had since started Renaissance Universal Clubs on their campuses and were active among artists and writers. A report from the Dominican Republic told of a wholetime worker digging for a month to get a level spot half-way up a mountain, then erecting walls of thatched bamboo and having 20 local children there for school before the roof was on. Parents couldn't afford 25 cents a month so it remained free. It was the only school for miles, became known for excellence in rapid fashion, and has since been expanded (parents helping to increase the size of the level spot and the school). One month before the conference, parents formed an education co-op, jointly purchased land & some buildings in the nearest town with money raised by the wholetimer, and had a school for 350 kids going in two weeks. The whole premise for walking this spiritual path is the need for holistic change in every aspect of life today. On a global basis the list of massive problems includes racism, acid rain, pollution, unemployment, poverty, suicide, alcoholism .i drugs, prostitution, female infanticide, deforestation, wildlife destruction, war, military oppression, famine, economic shortages, trade deals stifling local economic development, ozone depletion, animal slaughter,... it is the end of an age and the need for a complete change of consciousness is crucial. There is no doubt of the nature of the crisis, yet that is precisely why there is so much to hope for. We are changing, also without doubt, and the direction of personal change determines the direction of social change. People attending this conference came from Canada, the USA, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, England, Brazil, France, Argentina, Germany, Russia, India, China, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia and Fiji. In all these countries the work is to teach systematic physical, mental and spiritual practices for personal transformation

and to establish schools, children's homes, co,perative endeavors, artists & writers clubs, do relief work, engage in changing social conditions and work to eradicate both causelkeffect of the problems listed above. If you are interested in learning more, there will be a time chosen soon to hold regular yoga & meditation classes in Carnegie. They will begin in September, so there is a bit of time to see what interest there is. Call Paul Taylor at 665-2289.

c3a

The Odc To Life m

I would like to meet a lion face to face, I'm not afraid of any of their race. If he roared at me I'd roar right back I'm not afraid of him, big and fat. He may be king of the jungle, He may be fierce and strong Perhaps he isn't so dumb as t h y say, Maybe he can play ping-pong. But if I should see a cub, I would run and hide And if the cub had roared at me I would have cried. I'm afraid of little things but big things I do not fear And if I tangled with a baby lion I would shed a tear.

Paul Taylor (Grade 4, age 9 )

NOBODY'S FRIEND My name is Gossip. I have no respect for justice. I maim without killing. I break hearts and ruin lives.

I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age. The more I am quoted, the more I am believed.

Mv victims are helpless... l%ey cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name or face To track me down is impossible... The harder you try, the more elusive I become.

I am nobody's friend. Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same. I topple governments and wreck marriages. I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartaches and indigestion. I make innocent people cry in their pillows. A Even my name hisses... I am called Gossip. I make headlines and headaches.

Before you repeat a story, ask yourself Is it true?... Is it harmless?... Is it necessary?... If it isn't..don't repeat it!

-d

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE YOUTH ACTIVITIES SOCIETY

STD CLINIC 219 Main; Monday Friday, 10a.m. 6p.m. NEEDLE EXCHANGE 221 Main; 9a.m. 8p.m. every day Needle Exchange Van on the street every night, 6p.m.-2a.m. (except Mondays, 6p.m.-midnight)

1995 DONATIONS : Paula R.-$20 Diane M.-$25 C e c i l e C.-$12 Libby D . -$25 Wm B.-$20 Nancy 11. 16 L i l l i a n H. -$a0 Lisa E.-$8 Lome T.-$50 Sonya S.-$200 Me1 L.-$12 Etienne S. - $ I 5 S a r a D.-$16 A. Withers -$20 C o l l e e n E.-$16 Rositch - $ I 6 K e t t l e F. S. - $ I 6 Bruce 5.-$30 Anonymous -$6O. 75 Hazel M.-$8 B i l l S.-$2 JOYT.-$20 Bca F.-$30 R a y -$12 D a r l e n e M.-$20 CEEDS - $50

THE NEWSLETTER IS A PUBLICATKINOF THE CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION A~IlcleSrepresenl Ihc vkwt of lndlvidual contlbulors and no1 of Ihc Assoclallon.

Submission Deadline for the next issue: 11 August Friday

NEED HELP? The Downtown Eastside Residents' Association can help you with: i any welfare problem J information on legal rights J disputes with landlords J unsafe living conditions J income tax J UIC problems J finding housing J opening a bank account Come into the Dera office at 9 East Hastings St. or phone us at 682-0931.

DERA HAS BEEN SERVING THE DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE FOR 21 YEARS.

The Downtown Eastside 100 Years Of Struggle

Labour history is part of the identity of the Downtown Eastside. From the early days of Vancouver, many working people lived in the hotels in our neighbourhood, and a majority of them were union. They were the people who built this province, and old-timers who live in the Downtown Eastside now share that labour history. On July 22nd, the Vancouver & District Labour Council (VDLC) and the Pacific Northwest Labour History Society sponsored a Walking Labour History Tour in downtown Vancouver. Thirty people showed up for the tour, which started at Crab Park and ended at the Sinclair Centre. Sheila Roswell of the VDLC was our guide. The Vancouver & District Labour Council, as it is now called, started in 1889. It is one of the oldest labour councils in Canada and its first task was to fight for union recognition. That meant struggle over 100 years of struggle. The Labour Council built Vancouver's original Labour Temple at 4 11 Dunsmuir in 1898, but it lost the property in the 1920's because of hard times. Frank Rogers, a longshoreman, was shot by police at the foot of Gore Street during a railway strike in 1903. In 1911, 5,000 workers, mainly in construction, took "A General Holiday" or a General Strike for higher wages and an eight-hour day. This strike lasted six weeks, and although the workers didn't win their demands, they did learn a lot about organizing on a large scale. After Ginger Goodwin, a labour organizer, was shot by police in August, 191 8, workers on Vancouver Island and in Vancouver took a one-day General Strike. The Winnipeg General Strike began in May, 1919, and when the Winnipeg strikers were fired, the Vancouver Trades and Labour Council called a sympathy strike on June 3rd. Within a few days most of Vancouver's unionized workers were out,

including the Street Railway workers. Ben Swankey, a distinguished Labour historian, told us about the Relief Camp Workers Union in the dirty thirties. He described the time (April, 1935) Mayor Gerry McGeer read the Riot Act in Victory Square, the occupation of the Carnegie Library (May, 1939, the On-To-Ottawa Trek (MayfJune 1935) and the attack on one thousand longshoremen by police on June 18, 1935, at Ballantyne Pier. On May 20, 1938, unemployed men, looking for relief occupied the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Georgia Hotel, and the Post Office at Granville and Hastings (now the Sinclair Centre) - all at the same time. Gradually the occupation shifted to only the Post Office, which the police attacked with clubs and tear gas on June 19th. Over one hundred men were hurt. Thousands of citizens milled around in support, and that night ten thousand people attended a rally in Oppenheimer Park. In September, 1939, the Government of Canada would ask these unemployed, tear-gassed men to fight for their country. In 1995, federal public servants occupied the Sinclair Centre to protest a federal budget that planned to throw 50,000 of these dedicated workers to the wolves. Bill Saundas, president of the VDLC, told us about the bitter strike that started against The Province newspaper in 1946 and lasted for fortyone months. It was when The Province was in that heritage building just east of Victory Square. Walking through the streets of the Downtown Eastside with this committed group of union workers, I realized how right Bertoit Brecht was

must be enough. When I say what things are like Everyone's heart must be tom to shreds. That you'll go down if you don't stand up for yourself By SANDY CAMERON

the passion of the downtown eastside

after the board of directors meeting at the carnegie centre 1went outside the theatre where the m d n C was held to the balcony overlooking an alley to smoke a cigarette in the alley I saw a man methodically going through d l the trash in an overflowing dumpster and he reminded me of people I'd seen panning for gold in rock creek though this man was looking for any amout of dope at all I saw empty syringe packages floating or sunken in dark and duty pools of water and I saw a pink blouse abandoned in a heap and drug addicts scurrying to fix ad I hears shouts and screams and curses and sirens blaring from both ends of the alley and I saw a woman I've noticed down here for years a junkie-hooker wearing a sleeveless white blouse with large purple polka dots and a short white skirt with blue stripes circling it she was barefoot and had a multitude of bruises up and down her legs and black needle marks on the backs of her knees like a s w m of ants feasting on something sweet and there were needle tracks on her arms and on her jugular vein and she had open sores and cuts and scratches and a white gauze bandage around one wrist the bandaging of a kind I've known to cover stitched and slashed wrists for even china white can't quiet flashbacks ignited from a childhood history of tapes and beatings and abandonment so typical down h&e and then I saw this woman grip a shopping cart for balance and dance her body twisting bending writhing crouching and rising as though thrust by a demon into grotesque positions the man sifted through drug addicts walked past with scarcely a glance at this woman doing a drug-driven dance anyone can see frequently on the 100 block of east hastings street "the dance of the damned" I said to a fiiend standing next to me he grunted in acknowledgment she was dancing a dance for the damned of the downtown eastside the damned no one wants

"should take them all out in the country" my fiiend said "and make them clean up and if they want to leave they'll have to walk a long way" I didn't tell him I've known junkies who have walked back down here from abbotsford after leaving a drug treatment centre

and still she danced in an alley like the cesspool at the bottom of hell but then she grasped a slender piece of wood from the shopping cart and snapped it she danced a few feet to a wooden hydro pole and lifting the object she made above her head and standing on one leg reached to place it between the metal sheath around the pole and the wood

it was a cross in the centre of the alley of the damned a wooden cross her action was the culmination of her dance she spun away from the pole bent over as though bowing down took 3 quick little steps and was gone sirens screams curses shouts

she danced the passion she raised a cross here redeeming the damned

you made a place for him perhaps the only place left for him though he would be in every place and you you know that you know where christ is YOU

of all people are the one chosen to make this known today before my fiend left he said words similar to those expressed about the one who died on the cross

"why doesn't somebody clean up this alley?"

woman of horror this passion danced for me too I too have used drugs I too have spilled my blood in this forsaken alley

powers are aligning to do so the same powers driving jesus away because here is a cross that cancels distinctions between the damned

in this dirty alley of the damned you made a cross from a useless piece of wood a piece of wood the builders rejected you made a cross here for the one most damned of all the one who stands most of all with the damned the one whose cross is the only sense of your life and mine

between you who dance in an alley and the daughters of power on robson street who buy thin gold crosses to hang around flawless necks and unmarked skin reducing the cross to fashionable jewelry

in this abominable alley you planted the cross the cross cast out by churches of wealth and success the cross denied in society by the powers of success and wealth you placed the truth exactly where it belongs exactly here ', in this filthy alley of the despicable

but here in this alley the cross is dangerous this cross asks "Why have you forsaken me?" here in this alley "why have you forsaken me?" here the cast out christ asks "why have you forsaken me?" the one cursed by the world the object of clean up campaigns the immoral one asks god asks "why have you forsaken me?"

tears spill from my eyes over this epiphany this guarantee of new life for us it's an astonishment an amazement this blessing given here in the most disgusting and depraved alley in the city but what words should I then use to describe the stock exchange on granville street? where there is no cross no truth no blessing

and would with other powers of lies and greed drive god drive christ drive you and me &om this city except here in this alley made holy here in this alley one place at least made holy and you who danced the passion of the downtown eastside in faithfulness surpassing understanding may the peace of our lord jesus christ be with you always Bud Osborn

* Public meeting at Four Corners Community Savings, well attended, with an update on the setup of this soon-to-be-available financial service centre. Jim Green easily went through the opening remarks, then asked for questions. A repetition of a question by this writer seemed to annoy him, perhaps spoiling his mood or something, but reality is a necessary ingredient of any endeavour: "What will happen to this project - Four Comers if there is a change in government?'Reality seems to be twisted daily in all the major media when it comes to deifjring Gord Campbell and vilifying Mike Harcourt and, by extension, the NDP. It's sad to hear people say they don't like the NDP or hate this or that policy, but when asked why or what policy gets them so bent out of shape, there is no answer. There is not a day goes by when the media (Sun, BCTV, CKNW) carries some kind of rant about a minister or issue that, reading between the lines, turns out to be a minor kerfume. Blencoe did something he should have gotten a hard slap for; Sihota didn't do anything that the

'victim' had a problem with... until they were given a healthy sum by the ~iberallsocredknifesharpeners; Harcowt was cleared of any conflictof-interest, yet the story of how he crossed a

particular 't' was faked as news for days (as was the great tax 'revolt'). . The answer given by Jim Green, after dismissing the question as boring or not worth answering in such a positive atmosphere, was necessary for everyone to hear: "If the government changes, we will be in serious trouble. Campbell says he is going to kill this initiative right away." For what it's worth, I'm impressed with the progress made, the possibilities for employment of those training at 425 Carroll, the enthusiasm of the participants. Les and Francesca are doing a fine job and those involved are certainly ready to work. But it's essential that the community be aware of the forces at play, fiom political nightmares (Campbell & his LiberaVSocred hacks) to megaproject dismissal of community concerns to the very real outcomes of gentrification. It's great to have the Downtown Eastside as the birthplace of dynamic people/groupdassociations/ societies, but a dropkick if (when) this dynamism finds itself without a home. * Margaret Prevost brought up a couple of pages received at Carnegie, pages containing the Codes of Appearance for employees at GM Place. There are so many details - length of hair, jewelry that can or can't be worn, tattoos, haircuts, underwear, shoes, stockings... Margaret asked Jim Green for a comment. He asked a First Nations man, who has a short ponytail, to report. He had gone to GM Place to ask if he was hirable, saying that long hair was part of his spiritual practice. He was told it was open for discussion or negotiation - he was not rejected. As for the rest, there was no answer on how this would affect many of the trainees at PRIDE, so it's a 'wait & see' thing. * Donna Morgan, COPE Park commissioner, was present at @issame public meeting speaking on parks and recreation. * Stephen Learey was introduced at the meeting as having returned fiom Ottawa and working with Jim. Welcome back! * There are a number of private security companies now operating in the area. They dress

and look similar to the local constabulary. They are also uninhibited in chasing local people down allies, corralling them with bicycles, screaming at them and generally harassing anyone they please. This may be part of an unwritten mandate: "anyone not meeting standards is to be chased, harassed, intimidated and treated like shit." Does this have any connection with new parks, playgrounds, or amenities connected to Citygate, international Village, Expo Lands, the new arena, or is it just paranoia? * Gastown is trying to cut off input fiom the Community in the set-up for the Gastown Land Use Study. GHAPC, the Council-appointed clique alluded to in previous Newsletters, is now becoming magnanimous. Five of the

formed a sub-committee, then selected five others to 'balance' input. It would just be sad, except that the "Gastown" boundaries include whatever their map says it includes. The article on promises and the mayor's ghostwritten letters allude to working with the whole community, but when it gets down to the nitty-gritty, it becomes a game of squashing all and sundry. Curiouser&curiouser... * Sharon Kravitz is experiencing an incredible response in the Talking With Chalks project. She has had virtually no time to write an article or a report or even send a smoke signal. This sidewalk artwork is created at the foot of Carnegie's front steps on Tuesdays, Thursdays & Sundays.

W.A.N.D. is making an effort in addressing the needs for people with a disability. We meet on Thursday at 12 noon in the Non-smoking lounge on the 2nd floor.

What Is A Disability? Illness, Accident, something you are born with (multiple sclerosis, Downs Syndrome, etc.) WAND: Westcoast Aboriginal Network of Disabilities.