All posts by James W. Breckenridge

Banned and Forbidden in Abbotsford.

Free Speech, citizen’s right to access information in city records and the right to hear or express dissenting views seem to have been added to the long list of things, such as fun, forbidden in Abbotsford.

Apparently City Hall and Council are continuing their assault on these rights. It looks as though the Post’s behaving like a newspaper rather than a cheering section for the City has upset city hall and city politicos. Once upon a time not long ago those unfortunate souls who did not receive the Post delivered to their homes could drop by some of Abbotsford’s city facilities and pickup their copy of the Post. Nevermore.

The Post it seems has become publication non grata on city property. Their crimes: not unquestioningly accepting decrees for city hall or council as from on high; daring to ask questions about city claims; to present both sides of questions and the argument; to – GASP! – disagree in print with city positions. These crimes may also serve to explain the appearance and long stay of a stop work order on the new home of the Post.

It was objectionable enough when the city trampled on the free speech rights of those who disagreed with them during their plan A high pressure sales campaign. It was and is worse that the city continues to deny citizens access to information contained within city records. But city behaviour towards the Post is behaviour well beyond acceptable.

It is time city staff and council respect citizen’s rights: of speech and access to all information concerning the way the city conducts business. They need either to begin respecting the citizens of Abbotsford and their rights or resign.

Re: Hope they paid own way – Regina Dalton

Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. Regina, why would you be surprised by Abbotsford City Hall happily squandering a few thousand dollars on a pointless trip to enjoy the ECHL all-star festivities? Having demonstrated their willingness and ability to cost taxpayers millions, a few thousand more is just chump change – with taxpayers as the chumps paying the bills.

Your time might better be spent putting together a primer on how to use that new-fangled, ultramodern communications device the telephone. It seems that nobody at Abbotsford City Hall knows how to use a telephone. Otherwise they could have called the ECHL offices and gotten all the information about local ownership and the one month timeframe at the cost of a few dollars on the long distance phone bill.

Admittedly, while an efficient method of finding out the needed information, a phone call isn’t nearly as much fun as a boondoggle … I mean fact-finding trip on the taxpayer’s tab. Which brings up the question of exactly how many trips were made and at what cost for other fact-finding taxpayer funded vacations on or for Plan A?

No doubt the ECHL management was suitably impressed by representatives of Abbotsford City Hall arriving unprepared, having failed to have done their homework on the ECHL management, ownership and franchise requirements/structure. They were undoubtedly as impressed with Abbotsford City Hall as I and a growing number of other taxpayers are.

This is a vent – reader discretion advised – proceed at own risk

Primal Scream!! Smash*Demolish*Destroy;
Primal Scream!!! Sunder*Disassemble*Disjunction; Primal Stream!!! Stomp*Trample*Crush;
Primal Scream
– Exterminate! Exterminate! Exterminate! –
Primal Scream!!

Aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

That feels much better. I use to keep things bottled up but that renowned teacher, Experience, has taught me that letting frustration build up is to invite Mr Depression for a most unwanted, unpleasant visit. So I make it a point to “let go” of what is frustrating me – ASAP.

This matter has proved to be a recurring frustration. Rather than repeating over and over what has not worked hoping for a different outcome, insane behaviour, I thought I would try a different, perhaps very different approach.

The roots of the matter draw their nourishment from stereotyping, a beloved tradition in human society. The depth and breadth of this behaviour and the myriad of problems that it causes is reflected in the choices made in planning the Supported Independent Living spaces. The landlord had once had a negative experience (PORN) in providing access to the internet to the homeless.

So it was, having the desire not to repeat this experience, they judged that none of those needing help to transition from homelessness to being domiciled would have a legitimate (non porn/dating sites) need to access the internet. This judgment was likely influenced by the fact that, at least at this location, the organization is somewhat computer challenged.

Thus it was that I quickly found the joy of once again having access to my old computer, once I was no longer living in the car but a room with … electricity, giving rise to frustration over the lack of internet access. Yes I could now write articles even when community free access computer sites were closed and without time limits but then I had to hunt for somewhere to upload to the internet what had been written. Not to mention all the documents and material I have to find someplace to download. For so much than I am involved in and pursuing internet access is vital.

Even an organization with wide contact with homelessness fell prey to stereotypes of the homeless, thus denying access to the internet to those of us (yes more than one, not just me) to whom the internet is a vital tool in getting connected to others in the community and back into the community. Bringing focus on just how daunting the task of trying to get people to look beyond what they “know” and the stereotypes this “knowledge” gives rise to. Because if we truly want to begin to address the crises of poverty, homelessness and affordable housing we must get people to look beyond stereotypes and see the reality of the situation.

I have jokingly (a kind of laughing past the grave) said that before I end up homeless again I want to make sure I have a station wagon for more sleeping room and a laptop computer for computer and internet (via hot spots) access. Having a laptop in a city with many “hot spots” would be almost as good as having an actual internet connection.

Compounding this desire for a new, high-powered, loaded to the gills with software laptop is my old computer. Now it is not that I have been remiss in upgrading this computer I have, even recently scraping together the cash to take advantage of a great sale to install a 100G hard drive. The main problem lies with my software most of which is 4+ years old – a lifetime for software. Further complicating this whle mess is the effect SP2 has had on the XP operating system, resulting in many of my programs either running agonisingly slow, not fully working and for several most important pieces of software not functioning at all.

One fortunate aspect of my recovering mental health is friends so I was able to scavenge a carcass together with enough bits and pieces to get a second computer up and running the 2000 operating system and thus able to run the XP unusable software. Not an elegant solution but a workable solution, especially with my extremely limited resources. And one that would be much easier, much less frustrating to live with if it were not for my lack of internet access.

So it is that dreams of a high-powered, software loaded internet accessible laptop have me drooling over sales flyers containing laptops and suffering the pangs of frustration, up to being very, very frustrated – particularly when having to wait several days to download documents so that I can open them at all. Not to mention the extra frustration of being limited to effectively no internet research time or abilities.

I have tried to deal with this frustration in more, shall we say traditional methods. To no avail. Since I am just over a really black and nasty visit from Mr Depression, I want to take no chance of this increasing frustration inviting Mr Depression back soon for another visit.

When traditional, accepted methods failed to help me let go – it was time to get creative, very creative. I have some small, soft clay figurines that you carry around and then put under your pillow at night. You let one soak up the negative energy and then put it outside and the wind, rain and sun slowly dissolve it and your troubles. There is also the practice of writing down what troubles you, setting the piece(s) of paper on fire and letting the problems drift away the winds with the smoke.

It felt/feels right that since my frustration is so connected to cyberspace (or a lack of connection to cyberspace) a more creative, modern approach was necessary. Thus it is that I come imbue these words with my frustration by uploading them to the web, posting them to the web and into cyberspace, setting them sail, upon the electron winds of cyberspace.

Re: Abbotsford News: Our View: Premier has no plans to fund Abby projects

During the referendum we at stopplana.com asked repeatedly at public meetings, on the websites and in the written word why senior levels of government would contribute funds to a project after the City’s taxpayers were on the hook for the full amount. Why when senior staff and council blithely blew off this question did the News fail to pursue this point on behalf of City taxpayers/readers?

It is pretty easy to say “it appears, then, that Abbotsford City Hall should have approached the province for financial support prior to the $85 million Plan A referendum” after the premier says no. It is easy to not pursue questions that Abbotsford City Hall does not want asked, much less to answer. It is pretty hard to stand up for the taxpayers by demanding answers to those “unwanted” questions. It is harder to explain not pursuing answers to such obvious financing questions with their high cost to taxpayers/readers.

While on the subject of obvious questions: Why would anyone contribute funds to building the arena when the city is committed to building the arena and assuming all the costs and massive debt? In fact, with the City’s desperate need for a tenant of some kind for this white elephant, anyone with common sense would recognize an opportunity to squeeze lots of goodies, freebies, bonuses and low, low fees out of Abbotsford City Hall. A little financing help with the franchise fee? Covering start-up/relocations costs? A guarantee of minimum attendance and revenue levels?

Rather than stating the obvious in hindsight or hoping for divine intervention it would better serve taxpayers if the News were to promise to practice diligence in holding Abbotsford City Hall to standards of good financial practices and fiscal responsibility in future. At the very least and in particular with reference to any “success” they have in securing a tenant. Taxpayers cannot afford any more of what Abbotsford City Hall calls “success”.

Well DUH!

Penticton $9.7 million provincial grant secured BEFORE project presented to public; Langley $15 million provincial grant secured BEFORE project presented to public, project modified to maximize grant; Abbotsford $0.00 provincial grant secured BEFORE project presented to public.

In the Friday Abbotsford Times much gnashing of teeth and cries of “we was robbed” by Abbotsford City Hall. Common sense dictates, for those possessing common sense (which evidence suggests is nonexistent at Abbotsford City Hall) that your maximum leverage on a senior level of government for grants is before you fund the project when they (province; federal) can be blamed for the project not proceeding. This was the case in the recent extortion of $2 million each from both the federal and provincial governments for Stanley Park restoration making Vancouver’s contribution $ZERO$.

When asked during the referendum campaign why they had not and if they should not have gotten grants BEFORE coming to the taxpayers for approval, as any rational, fiscally responsible City (i.e. Langley, Penticton) would do, Abbotsford City Hall blew off those posing the questions as “naysayers” and “negative people”.

It turns out that it is Abbotsford City Hall which was/is negative, or is that negligent, to the tune of $millions$ of taxpayer dollars. This may have taxpayers justifiably wanting to say Nay to Abbotsford City Hall and its cavalier and careless attitude to taxpayer’s money.

{shake head} – I am left contemplating how much good could have been accomplished in addressing affordable housing, poverty reduction and homelessness with the $$$ millions Abbotsford City Hall’s carelessness is costing the City. Abbotsford City Hall could have satisfied their hasty drive to saddle taxpayers with $85 million in debt and had a major impact on these growing social problems by diverting borrowings in an amount matching any government grants into investments in meeting the social needs of our community.

But then the one thing the behaviour of Abbotsford City Hall has made very clear during this entire process is that it is not about dealing with the needs for facilities or social issues of the citizens of Abbotsford, but about satisfying the wants of Abbotsford City Hall.

It is also very, very clear Abbotsford taxpayers simply cannot afford to continue to fund Abbotsford City Hall’s record of failure and co$tly mistakes.