401 Main Street Vancouver Canada V6A 2T7
(604) 665-2289
CARNEGIE COMMUNITY CENTRE ASSOCIATION 401 Main Street,Vancouver BC, V6A 2T7
February 12,2021 Dear Chair and Commissioners of the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation: In our December 6, 2019, letter to you we concluded with the cry we most heard from Downtown Eastside residents was, "We want our park back." Because the park and field house remain closed we continue to miss the loss of green and recreational space for over 10,000 local residents, the loss of critical creative, social, cultural and educational programming, the loss of volunteer opportunities, loss of the sacred garden, and the loss of the only public outdoor children's play space. People relied on the Oppenheimer field house for many basic needs including food, reminders to take their medicine, and help with keeping medical appointments. Personal connections between volunteers, area residents, and staff were a vital component for enhancing people's health. We insist that the park be reopened such that it doesn't immediately become a new tent city. Neighbours are asking that the fence be kept up, with access during the day, and that the park be shut down at night. We call on Mayor and Council to continue showing leadership in finding housing for Vancouver's homeless population and we strongly recommend that housing staff be at the park on an ongoing basis to quickly help solve citizen's housing issues. We don't want to just throw people back out into the cold. We expect that bylaws in place re overnight park occupancy will be strictly enforced and that field house recreational staff can not be expected to function as bylaw officers. The park must operate as a park, not just as a campground and a stage for social protest. As we work toward reopening Oppenheimer Park the CCCA remains committed to working with Parks and the City to re-establish the park and field house as essential services for our community. "We want our park bade." Thank you, Gilles Cyrenne, President, CCCA
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Vancouver Mayor and ~itxCouncil _ Donnie Rosa, General Manager, Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation Sandra Singh, General Manager, Arts, Culture, and Community Services Susie Sanders, Managing Director, Non Market Housing and Social Operations.
Oppenheimer Park has long been a cherished gree~ Ideas offered up to reopen this community green space in this community. Its use for cultural, recreational, space include leaving the fence up for a yea~ or two volunteer and interpersonal activities, as a place for with gates to enter and leave; to have clear signs spending time with enjoyable pursuits for local residents from diverse backgrounds, is upheld by thousands oflocal with Ground Rules for those using the park and include open/closed hours and No Camping; more individuals and dozens of groups/ service organisations/ benches for individuals to sit and relax; more mofestivals and more. bile toilets for events; perhaps an elder-in-residence At the most recent meeting of the Carnegie Community for the park; peer support for referring people to Centre Association's Oppenheimer Park Committee, we services and a community clearing forum for prohad an interesting interaction with Jordan, who works in the Planning Department of the Vancouver Board of Park posed park uses. This last would help coordi~ate events like BBQs by organisations, commumty and Recreation. Reopening the park was the main focus meals by film companies and festivals. . and those present raised concerns and offered suggestions At this point the reopening will be a phased-m on a range of issues. thing, with a step-by-step process. The fieldh~use . The primary concern is to have Oppenheimer Park be was broken into near the end of2020 and the intenopen and available to all. Its use, some would saytakeover, as an encampment for people experiencing ~omeless- or was left in sad shape. Much was stolen, including musical instruments and equipment used in ness for over a year had negative consequences m many programming. Windows were painted over and areas. Local residents were intimidated and fearful of entering, the programming by staff grew increasingly prob~ much was destroyed. It is this kind of wanton disregard for the community reliance on this resource lematic due to aggression and disregard for the commumthat makes for polarisation . ..tY.Jl¥.campers, the entrenchment of activities like dealing This is an update, and everyone's opinion is helpZUijd <time and the media reporting (some would say sen- ful in determining the way forward. tsjiationalizing) of weapons, assaults, rape and murder. ByPAULR TAYLOR 'There was little positive coverage of the encampment, (Chair, Oppenheimer Park Committee) yet the work done to house the homeless and alleviate the dire circumstances of those who are homeless gets repeatedly underreported as the social injustices that have long February 12thwds the beginning of Lunar New underpinned the situation remain. While activists called Year. The start of Lunar New Year begins with the for solutions, there seemed to be an agenda that would date of the new moon in Asia. Lunar New Year is keep such from ever being realised. There was an ongoing traditionally celebrated in China, Thailand, Malayle thrust to make the encampment permanent, which would sia and the Philippines, and in Chinatowns all over have made the loss of the Park as a public park permanent the world. as well. Dialogue is the only way to begin to resolve any This year is the "Year of the Ox". The start of distress, but compromise was not sought. Lunar New Year is determined by the lunisolar The uses to which Oppenheimer Park has been put by Chinese calendar so its start, according to the Grethe Downtown Eastside community are many. Opengorian calendar, varies year-to-year. The years on Ground and later Homeground were festivals over a few the Chinese calendar are divided into 12-year cydays where services from haircuts to pet treatment to cles so the "Year of the Ox", as well as any other health checks to housing options to music and more were yea;, occurs once every 12 years. The ox is thought enjoyed. The Powell Street Festival has long been a cele- by some to represent hard work and reliability bebration of the Japanese community with many food stalls, cause of its role in agriculture. martial arts and taiko demonstrations. The Art Show, in During Lunar New Year you will notice a lot of collaboration with Gallery Gachet, is on ongoing annual red, which is believed to bring good fortune. Often, affair, with artists of both material media and spoken children will be given "luck money" red envelopes . word come together. Oppenheimer Has Talent is a newer . We have" set up "alittle Lunar New Year display in festival wherein talented musicians and dancers perform. the branch, with Lunar New Year bookmarks and National Indigenous Peoples Day is a great celebration fo small envelopes with treats. Come in and check First Nations. The Sacred Medicine Garden was a project them out! that local elders and knowledge keepers put energy into. I Happy Reading was destroyed during the last encampment. Daniel
From the Library
Tackling Vaccine Hesitancy: A Nursing Approach Lori Campbell, NNPBC Board Vice-Chair, RN Council Vice-President Sherri Kensall, NNPBC Board Chair, RN Council President Sally Thome, RN Councilor at Large Angela Wignall, RN Island Councilor January 2021
Many will have seen the case of an Ontario nurse who was fired for speaking at a rally just prior to the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. This nurse was fired for expressing views that were not in alignment with her employer. While some defended her, pointing to.the right of any individual to their own opinions as long as they do not impede the provision of her work as a Registered Nurse (and have started an online petition on the matter), others applauded this decision, recognizing that the opinions expressed in the public domain by someone claiming professional status hold much greater sway in terms of potential untoward influence to the detriment of the health of others. Our colleagues at the Canadian Nurses Association posted a news release on January 18, 2021 underscoring the need for nurses to be "arbiters of truth" and pointing to professional standards and the nursing Code of Ethics as a basis for ensuring nurses understand their professional obligation to the public including grounding our practice in science and evidence. Those of us in BC have seen and heard discussion around the COVID-19 vaccine. Questions about when the vaccine will be available to each of us, how effective it will be, if there will be delays between doses and other concerns are part of our conversations around this important tool for fighting COVID-19. In addition, the online discussion reveals considerable controversy and criticism about who receives it first, and who will be lower priority in the sequence. Some nurses will be frantically eager to get the vaccine as soon as possible, while others say they have no intention of taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Reasons for not getting the vaccine are generally focused around a fear of side-effects and a concern over its 'newness', and while the science has been clear about both the safety and efficacy of the CO VID-19 vaccines approved for use illCanada, there are myths and unsubstantiated evidence that masquerade as fact that make the rounds online well. Added to this is the reality thatBC is a vast and multicultural province and it can be difficult to disseminate factual, scientific evidence about the COVID-19 vaccine to every person in a manner that they can easily understand.
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Nurses and nursing practice are guided by nursing science and scientific evidence. All nurses have a professional obligation to be part of health promotion and disease prevention public health strategy that will undoubtedly save future lives. Through decades of scientific research and evidence, we know that vaccines are an effective, safe, and transformative life-saving intervention. Quite simply, vaccines work. Thus, nurses have a professional responsibility to uphold their practice standards by speaking from the science supporting vaccines and not speaking from a place of personal opinion. So, what can we do as a profession to make the strongest possible contribution to the behavioral responses that will ultimately save the most lives during this pandemic? And how do we as individual nurses and nurse practitioners help members of the public (and in some cases our colleagues) understand that the COVID-19 vaccine is both safe and effective? What nurses can do to support evidence-based conversations on vaccines and immunization: Understand your audience: Talking to another health care provider may not be the same as talking to an elderly client for example. Tailor your conversation to meet the needs ofthe person to whom you're speaking. Use multi-modal forms of communication: Some people like words and like to read long articles, others like visual representation and others still are auditory learners. Again, know your audience and adjust accordingly.
Understand the trusted role nurses play in the system: Nurses consistently rank as one of the most trusted professions, why? It is because nurses understand how to take complex information and distill it into what makes sense to people. Nursing is based on evidence and science and when combined with a patient and family centred care approach, there is a huge opportunity to inform and provide clarity. When clarity and facts on immunization are presented by those in trusted positions, uptake increases. Don't focus on absolutes: There is no need to have an either/or conversation. Instead, use the opportunity to continue ongoing discussions and don't dismiss anyone because they have expressed that they are not planning on getting a vaccine. Ensure that there is nothing in your approach that pushes the other person into an entrenched defensiveness that creates an added barrier to constructive action. Create a dialogue: Each discussion is an ongoing opportunity to create a dialogue and potentially plant the seeds that may facilitate future decision making. Immunization is always a personal health decision and nurses can provide clear, evidence based and factual information about the vaccine to support evidence-informed decisions making in a therapeutic and supportive conversation. And remember how many opinions about how many aspects of the challenge have evolved aver the course of this pandemic - perhaps yours included. We recognize that tills pandemic brings to fore our fears and uncertainties. Many nurses are operating under conditions of exhaustion, grieffor losses in their personal life as well as their professional life, and in many instances moral distress due to knowing what excellent care would look like and feeling unable to deliver it due to the overload. While the nursing role is emotionally and intellectually complex, our public duty and professional responsibility remains, calling on us to stay the course and ground our practice in the strong nursing science knowledge that makes nurses the country's most trusted health profession.
ResourceslReferences: WHO Framework for Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy Government of Canada 5 Best Practices for Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy Government of British Columbia Immunization Communication Tool Correcting Health Misinformation on Social Media Tips for Promoting COVID-19 Vaccination • I grew up thinking I was going to change the world. but not because I was treated like a special snowflake. It's a silly label. People are starving. We need to feed them. That's the end of the conversation .• - Rupi Kaur
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Spirit Forest Park (Oppenheimer Park} Oppenheimer Park is essential for the DTES. It's the only park that's really accessible to all area residents. While we understand the dire need for decent housing for all, the park must operate as a park, not just a campground and a stage for social protest. Residents are not really helped by denying them one more thing that could enhance their quality of life. The park has been doing so for years. The occupation of the park did not just happen spontaneously but was actively encouraged by social organizations working in the area. It will not truly become a park again unless active steps are taken to help that happen. A good place to start would be to leave the fence around it in place for at least a couple of years, until everyone again realizes that it is a park, which is something the community needs. The park could be open during the day and closed at night. This has been the case for other parks in Vancouver. There could be three or four gates left open during the day so that there is still an open feeling and relaxed access. They could be closed and locked at night. People of the DTES sorely need to get their park back, and to keep it. If keeping the fence up for a time is not the answer, what is? What would be an effective alternative that would ensure that the people of the DTES have a pleasant backyard to work and play in? . Submitted by Priscillia Tait
Carnegie Learning Centre in the Theatre for February : Participants are being asked to sign in for each program. The Carnegie Learning Centre Instructors, Lucy, Be Emily and Danielle, will be there to assist you on these topics: Upgrading - Feeling Rusty? Want to get back into learning? Start now with an individual learning plan to improve your writing, reading, math or computer skills. Getting StufIDone - Need help with a form? Making a difficult phorie call? Wondering where to find information? Come in at the beginning of the session and sign up for assistance. ESL Improvement - conversation and written English, maximum 10 people including Zoom participants. Digital Skills - computer skills, understanding your phone, using a tablet, expanding your skills beyond Googl Onllne Learning for Beginners - a five-week course to help you get comfortable with video conferencing and joining an online program Art & Learning Series: We will read about artists and their work: We will also do an art project each time inspired by a particular technique or outlook. Beginners Expected! Limited to 10 participants and 2 by Zoom
•• SCHEDULE
MONDAY & TUESDAY-;; ONE TO·ONE TUTORING/ASSISTANCE
12:30pm to 3:00pm - Upgrading; Getting Stuff Done; ESLImprovement;
Digital Skills: Computer, Phone,
THURSDAY-CLASSES 9am to 10:45am - Digital Skills Course - On line Learning for Beginners 5 week course
12:30pm to 1:45pm - Art & Learning Series 2pm to 3:30pm - Thursdays Writing Collective
Contact Information: Lucy Alderson cell: 778-288-6648 or email: lalderso@capilanou.ca
My good friend is lames Pau, whom I volunteered with for a number of years in Vancouver's DTES. He is a caring person and a polite good friend to everyone he meets. He is my good friend that I have volunteered with on the HIV IIDU Consumer Board and the North American Buddhist Friendship Order. lames just cannot stop himselffrom helping those in need, whether they are clients addicted to drugs, caught in a deadly illness, or part of any ethnic community. He is the most selfless humble person I know. Being in his senior age of 73 and at a time where he should be enjoying his retirement, h ise still out there whenever he hears of someone who needs help. He is the first person to lend a hand or find a-way to help them. I believe he will be there to the very end, assisting those in need. Years ago, lames was the recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award ofSimon Fraser and Athabasca University. I was a guest of honour at his award ceremonies. lames, you are definitely deserving of such a distinguished honour. He also was nominated for a Canadian Citizenship Award. He is the Social Spiritual chair ofthe Vancouver Downtown Eastside HIV/IDU Consumer's Board which is under the auspices of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. The people he deals with comes from all religious denominations. He acts as the go between to prevent infighting about religious issues . and . promote harmony. He is one of the unsung heroes who volunteers his time and his effort and a great deal of his life to helping others asking for nothing in return. His kindness and generosity cannot be overstated. Dr. Pau is a healthcare professional, trained in nursing, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. As a healthcare practitioner, he has provided free alternative medicine since the early nineteen eighties to the disadvantaged patients including those with chemical addictions, mental health problems, and HIV I Aids infections As President of the North American Buddhist Order, he advocates for the poor by asking for minimum wage and social income rates be raised to an acceptable level so that the disadvantage can have enough money for adequate food and daily necessities. He worked to promote democracy in Burma to give power back to the people through legitimate election campaigns. On October 2nd, 2007 he has received the Ghandi Peace Award for his efforts from the Institute for the Humanities of Simon Fraser University in Vancouver BC. Dr. Pau is very active in the Annual AIDS Walk now called Walk for Life. He participates actively on World AIDS Day activities that promote awareness of AIDS and educates the general public. Dr. Pau continues to work in the above fields helping the poorest community in Canada to promote peace, harm ny and justice while encouraging social interaction in positive ways to effectively reduce violence, anti-social behaviors and social injustice. Isidore Lahache
Generation
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