West End Residents Association

Finally some protection for our community from the courts! Justice Groves acknowledges that hatred is a motivation in Kandola’s vicious attack on Jordan Smith.

“Mr Kandola must know that his actions are not only contrary to the law but are abhorred by Canadian society,” Groves said.

This story was carried by various sources today:

CTV

Xtra West

The Vancouver Sun

The Province

CBC

redtent.org

Olympic Housing Rally – Saturday, February 20, 2010

Hundreds gathered at on the north side of the Vancouver Art Gallery today to rally the call for a national housing program in Canada. The rally was organized by the Impact on Communities Coalition (IOCC).

The Raging Grannies opened it up with a few songs. Speakers included: David Dennis, President-Elect United Native Nations; Rev. Ric Matthews of First United Church; Wendy Pedersen, Carnegie Action Centre; John Richardson, Pivot Legal Society; and Libby Davies, MP Vancouver East.

Video of Libby Davies speech here.

Photos of the rally here.

After months of planning by the City of Vancouver Engineering with Translink to formulate an Olympic transportation plan VPD and VANOC and without notice and consultation shut down Robson to the #5 according to a local bus driver who updated a bus of riders this afternoon.

All though there are other reports that it was the City the closed the street to the #5 bus on recommendation from VANOC and VPD, none of this is confirmed yet.

Community Update: MLA Spencer Herbert Constituency Office

West End #5 Bus southbound / #6 westbound buses are no longer running as of 11:40 am on Tuesday February 16.

A decision was made today by Coast Mountain Bus Company and Translink to stop service on this portion of the route until the end of the Olympic period. Apparently their decision was made due to the fact that the City of Vancouver has extended the pedestrian corridor on Robson, from Thurlow to Bute. Buses that were previously turning off Thurlow onto Robson (southbound) are now unable to do so.

North/eastbound service for the #5/#6 is still in effect on the same route (Davie to Denman-to West Georgia-toPender-to Homer-to Richards-to Davie). Representatives from Translink have stated that the reason for closing the south/westbound route is due to the road closure and that it is unable to reroute the bus southbound down Georgia because the infrastructure for the trolley wires turning south off West Georgia south onto Denman does not exist. They have also stated that they are not able to place a diesel bus (non-trolley) on that route as they have no buses whatsoever to spare.

Our office has raised the question as to why this decision was made on February 16 and not in the months leading up to the Games so that residents could plan their routes and lives accordingly.  West Enders were assured that their bus service would not be disrupted and that they would continue to receive service in both directions along Davie, Denman and West Georgia (parallel to Robson).

Our office met with representatives from VANOC and the City of Vancouver months prior to the Games who made these same assurances. We have also been informed by Brent Granby of WERA that their members met with Engineers from the City of Vancouver who made the same assurances.  In fact one member of WERA raised the concern that the trolley infrastructure at the corner of Denman and Georgia was not in place, but no commitments were made to addressing that problem or closing the route at the beginning of the Games.

We have spoken with residents of the West End who are very upset about this change, in particular because they were promised full service and because today residents, many of them senior and some disabled persons are currently standing at bus stops without any southbound service or any indication that service has been halted.

A representative from Translink have stated that signage indicating this route closure would be up tomorrow. We raised the concern that the signage should have been put in place prior to the closure.

To view the road plan for Robson as of February 2010 consult P. 2 of the City of Vancouver’s pedestrian corridor map which shows that Robson street remains open eastbound from Thurlow to Bute.

WERA director Christine Ackermann, IOCC Chair Am Johal and Wendy Pedersen CCAP

This article first appeared in the West Ender and is reposed here with the permission of the author.

homelessness, Olympics
Posted By: Jackie Wong
11/19/2009 12:00 AM

Housing, homelessness, and the 2010 Olympics will be the focus of a public forum on Monday (November 23) at SFU Harbour Centre’s Fletcher Challenge Theatre. The forum is part of the Right to the City lecture series organized by the Impact on Communities Coalition, an Olympic watchdog group.

The forum features speakers with a wide range of expertise on Vancouver housing and homelessness, including Martha Lewis of the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre; Wendy Pedersen of the Downtown Eastside’s Carnegie Community Action Project; and Reverend Ric Matthews of First United Church, the site of one of the first homeless shelters to open last winter under Mayor Gregor Robertson’s Homeless Emergency Action Team (HEAT).

While preparations for the 2010 Games have drawn criticism from housing and civil-liberties advocates, attributing all of the city’s housing issues to the Olympics is too simple, says Nathan Edelson, a former senior planner for the City of Vancouver and a speaker at the Right to the City forum. continue reading…

The Right to the City: Housing, Homelessness and the 2010 Olympics

A Public Forum Hosted by the Impact on Communities Coalition

Monday, November 23, 2009

7:00 – 9:00 pm

Fletcher Challenge Theatre, SFU Harbour Centre

Reverend Ric Matthews, First United Church
Christine Ackermann, West End Residents Association
Wendy Pederson, Carnegie Community Action Project
Nathan Edelson, Former Senior Planner, City of Vancouver
Martha Lewis, Tenants Resource Advisory Centre
Am Johal, Impact on Communities Coalition
David Dennis, United Native Nations
Monte Paulson, Investigative Editor, The Tyee
Christine Parnell-Smith, Vancouver Aboriginal Transformative Justice Society

Moderated by Stefanie Ratjen, Board Member, Impact on Communities Coalition

When the Olympic bid process was underway, the Inner City Inclusive Commitment was signed in 2003 and included commitments around a housing legacy and protection from Olympic related evictions. This panel will look at the impacts of the 2010 Olympics on housing and other urbanization processes underway in Vancouver including the crisis of affordability, the proliferation of homelessness and loopholes in tenancy legislation which are resulting in evictions.

You can find out more about this event on Facebook, or on the IOCC website.

At Davie Day this year WERA introduced a new initiative of opening a dialogue about how communities can prevent acts of hate. In particular WERA is attempting to develop a proactive community response to acts of hate and violence base on sexual orientation and race. These are the most pressing issue for the West End, but in each of the different communities of Vancouver there will be a different emphasis base on the particular area. The common theme is around the respect for diversity and developing educational dialogue to promote a “Hate Free Zone” in Vancouver.

Here are some of the comments that WERA received at our table at Davie Day and WERA is still inviting comments of what folks think of the idea. Please fill out a “WERA contact forum” and let us know what you think.

Comments from Davie Day Sept. 12, 2009

How can we educate visitors to the West End about tolerance and respect for our diverse community?
• Build bridges among people
• Start with the students
• Store front educational centre
• Education – our kids in school on No Hate. Love one another
• Website where we can share experiences & ideas \
• Education particularly in suburban schools
• Show a film about the truth of sexuality…If it can occur in nature, then why can’t it occur in mankind
• Post: This is a gay friendly zone. Please refrain from entering if this offends you.

What does it mean to live in a hate free community?
• IT STARTS AT HOME! Raise your kids right – NO prejudice!! Live and let live.
• Right thinking Right speech Right action
• LOVE
• Everybody will be nice to each other (written by 7yr old)
• FREEDOM!
• Acceptance
• I hate hate!
• Legal prostitution
• Friendship safety & care
• Not tolerating acts of hatred and discrimination
• Hot line to report
• More car free activities – People mingling and COMMUNITY
• Free your mind and the rest will follow
• Tougher laws. Enforce laws we have – dogs on leashes – bicycle helmets – jay walkers – etc.
• I like the sign post idea!
• A (nuclear weapons) HATE FREE ZONE (written by Adrianne Carr, GPC)

What would it mean to you if the Mayor & Council declared the West End a Hate Free Zone?
• Listen!
• A victory!
• Why don’t we declare it a hate free zone?
• A united voice against hate violence
• Promote the RAK “random acts of kindness”. RAK day happens every year. Even as a BC Legislature declared event
• People can be nice to each other
someone drew a heart with a smiley face