Category Archives: Issues

Substance Use Workshop – recommended by the writer.

Addiction Realities Workshop – Attendance Highly Recommended by the writer.

If you want knowledge on – What is EFFECTIVE support for substances users?

If you want knowledge on – how to be effective even in difficult or crisis situations.

If you seek to be informed on the underlying realities of the public policy issue of substance use.

If your life is touched by substance use.

You want to be at Seven Oaks Alliance Church (2575 Gladwin Road Abbotsford) on Wednesday night (May 5, 2010) for the Workshop presented by the Abbotsford Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Committee on Substance Use and Users.

I personally am looking forward to this workshop and would highly recommend it to anyone seeking to become informed on the harsh reality of substance use.

I picked Mr, Ron Prasad’s (Fraser East Concurrent Disorders Coordinator) brain when developing a training curriculum on concurrent disorders (substance use + mental health issues) because of his knowledge of substance use and its affect on mental health and mental health issues. I have also heard him speak to these issues.

I would urge anyone interested in gaining understanding of these issues who has the opportunity to learn from him, even as a single speaker, to do so.

Wednesday’s opportunity to not only hear from Ron Prasad but also from Mark Goheen is too strong a ‘double-bill’ to be missed.

I have attended workshops presented by Mark Goheen (Clinical Specialist, Maple Ridge Treatment Centre) and can attest to not only his knowledge and understanding but about his ability to communicate with his audience. Indeed I have a workshop (part 2) by Mr. Goheen on my schedule and am looking forward to gaining new insight, ideas and understanding.

I do not mean to slight Abbotsford’s Chief Constable Bob Rich with my enthusiastic recommendations of the other speakers at this workshop. I have heard Chief Rich speak and appreciated his reflection of the issues, problems and realities of trying to address what is a social and medical issue through the legal and criminal systems.

If you are looking to hear the myths, what ‘everybody knows’, the political line etc this is not the place to look.

But if you are looking to gain a realistic view and knowledge of the issues associated with substance use you want to be at Seven Oaks Alliance at 6 PM Wednesday May 5, 2010.

Gordon Campbell or Rich Coleman?

I cannot say how long I was sitting there in the silence with the letter from the Ministry of Housing and Social Development in my hand but when time resumed its passing I found myself contemplating the question of whether it would be best to kill Rich Coleman or Gordon Campbell in order to obtain maximum efficacy in creating change in mental health, housing and social assistance.

Some will undoubtedly wonder why Health Minister Kevin Falcon and/or Finance Minister Colin Hansen were not part of my internal debate on whom to dispatch, as both these politicians are as deserving of being shot as Coleman or Campbell.

All I can say is to please remember that I was not in the most rational state of mind at the time and it was Minister Coleman’s Housing and Social Development Ministry that had triggered my descent into a less than well state of mind.

Rich Coleman because shooing Gordon Campbell would cause too much disruption; Mr. Coleman would be replaced and politicians emphatically reminded their actions have consequences

Having to deal with Social Development remains a major trigger for me; with the power to take me right back into the very unwell head space that I was in at the time circumstances forced me to first deal with the then Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance.

I was extremely mentally unwell at the point I found myself beginning the challenge of jumping through the Housing and Social Development Ministry’s hoops and climbing over Ministry imposed barriers.

Indeed if I had not been fortunate enough to be part of a group at Triangle Resources at the time I would never have been able to cope with the stress, panic and depression brought on by the Ministry, a Ministry that in theory was suppose to help ,not hinder or worsen my situation.

I would undoubtedly have been among the many in desperate need of assistance whose personal challenges, in my case mental illness, are a barrier that prevents them from being able to navigate the labyrinth of demands the Ministry imposes on those seeking or needing assistance.

Within the mental trauma of that first onerously oppressive experience undoubtedly lays the explanation of the Ministry’s ability to trigger anxiety, depression and panic.

I do wonder why, given the Ministry’s files contain the information that anxiety, panic and depression (along with a few other challenges) are what resulted in my needing income assistance, it is that the Ministry feels the need to include a threat of a reduction in the assistance level in the letter?

Just in case the threat to housing etc was not enough to induce anxiety and panic the letter included a request to complete and submit the attached SSC form – which was not attached

Dealing with the repercussions that the threat of homelessness had upon me has made it far more of a challenge to gather and submit the demanded information and avoid sliding back into homelessness or into hospitalization.

It had been a long struggle back to balance and wellness from the effects the unusually high heat of last summer had on the effectiveness of my medication; the sweltering heat then proceeding to mess with my mind and mental health.

In our portion of Fraser Mental Health access to psychiatric help is a very limited resource. A referral by your doctor gets you onto the waiting list and means you will get to see a psychiatrist – in 9 months if you are fortunate.

So when my mental health went off a cliff and plunged downward, the reality was that if I was to avoid a major mental health crisis/breakdown the tools and plans I had gained working on my mental health would have to suffice to permit me to attain balance and wellness. Unless I turned suicidal or homicidal; whereupon I would attain access to psychiatric services at Abbotsford’s shiny new hospital.

My mental state was not helped by a visit to the doctor’s office in the fall. The doctor I had begun my quest for mental health with had left the practice to work at the hospital. In light of how difficult it is to find a family doctor in Abbotsford, I was relieved to be able to see another doctor in the practice that could renew my prescriptions.

Needing to have my prescriptions renewed I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to also ask the doctor to fill out the physician portion of the disability application and for a referral to a psychiatrist.

I had resisted filing out the paperwork for disability because it felt akin to conceding defeat on the employment front. However the hard economic reality in my life is that the rising costs of living mean I can no longer afford to worry about whether disability is an admission of defeat. In order to avoid becoming homeless once more I need to increase the amount of cash that is flowing in. Under the rules of the Housing and Social Development game, applying for disability is the option open to me to increase income to cover the increased (and increasing) costs of living.

Having secured the renewed prescription I enquired about getting the physician portion of the disability application completed.

Whereupon I was informed that mental illness was not a disability; that a disability would be if I was missing a few limbs, confined to a wheelchair or had the mental acuity of a cumquat and needed someone to change my diapers or dress me.

Considering the havoc that mental illness had inflicted on my Life over the past decade and the toll it has extracted over the course of my life it came as quite a surprise to be informed that mental illness was not a disability.

When I moved on to the matter of a referral to a psychiatrist I was not impressed to be told to go to mental health to get referred to a psychiatrist.

Needless to say this visit to the doctor did nothing to improve my deteriorated mental health.

Indeed other health and mental health professionals I spoke to about what occurred during my visit with the doctor suggested that the best thing I could do for my mental health was to find a new doctor.

I deferred seeking a new doctor to focus on working my way back to balance, wellness and serenity. Late summer, fall and the first months of winter were a struggle to move towards mental health and not slid into crisis and the hospital.

Having an array of wellness tools, plans on what to do to when being in an unhealthy headspace, good mental hygiene practices and a good support system allowed me to find mental balance.

Looming deadlines for a training curriculum I was part of developing – no sweat. Getting modules of the curriculum for editing late in the evening when they had to be in for printing for class by 8AM – no problem. Pulling out of the Husky station on Trethewey and the large steel plate the contractor for the City of Abbotsford put down take out my exhaust system – chill and patch it until I can bill the city to have the needed repairs done. Two hours in a dentist’s chair watching the instruments of destruction go into my mouth and emerge bloody as a wisdom tooth is broken up and removed – sigh. Dropping into a medical clinic to have my neck sliced open and drained because the wisdom tooth has caused an old infections site to flare up, a reoccurring problem that was the result of less than adequate medical treatment at new hospital emergency room – annoying.

I had reached a place of mental balance and wellness where all these were issues to be handled.

But opening and reading the letter from Housing and Social Development severed me from the normal flow of time and space; totally upsetting my mental balance.

So it is that I find myself facing the need to find a doctor to fill out the required medical report; to obtain and complete the SSC form (whatever that may be); to deal with the questions and issues arising from the summer/fall/winter mental health challenges; the need to attain disability and the extra money that represents before ending up homeless again …

A somewhat daunting set of tasks to achieve except …. shoot a politician and one gets immediate access to psychiatric treatment and help; you have case managers and other resources to deal with or help you deal with Housing and Social Development and applying for disability. Indeed shooting a politician opens doors and produces numerous benefits.

Is this not a situation replete with ironic justice and black humour?

Politicians have created Housing, Social Development and Mental Health systems where the quickest, most effective way to get the mental health help one needs …… is to shoot a politician.

Now if that is the system that works for the politicians … … I can work with that.

Abbotsford 2010 Homeless Winter Games Daily Reports

February 16, 2010 Day -1

Fortune (or whatever is in charge of the weather) blessed the opening of Abbotsford 2010 Homeless Winter Games with sun.

Fortune continued to shower favour upon Abbotsford 2010 in providing a fine Shrove Tuesday lunch that included the traditional pancakes and an excellent barbeque repast for dinner.

That the first medalist was awarded on the first day was unusual, especially since it was awarded in the “to dumb to come in from the rain” event.

It should have taken several days to examine and judge all the entries. However with a competitor who fell asleep on the rails and got hit by a train; who, having survived what would be a life changing event for others, kept doing the same old same old – while complaining he was getting the same old same old; and who will not be able to accept his medal because he is incarcerated as a result of behaviour that turned release into months (if he doesn’t turn that into years) of lockup ….

No other competitor was even close to challenging.

Congratulations Mr. T.

Congratulations are also in order for Mr. Harper and Mr. Campbell for medalling (a tie) in the non-homeless “to dumb to come in from the rain”.

There had been no plans to award medals to any non-homeless but when the “to dumb to come in from the rain” award was made numerous competitors and spectators protested that politicians should have been eligible because of the major impact they have on homelessness and poverty levels.

ABHOC 2010 held a meeting ad libitum to hear arguments and rule on this point. The committee felt that given their effect on homelessness and poverty Mr. Harper and Mr. Campbell should be considered but that a) it would be separate from the event that Mr. T had won and that b) given the scope of their duties they could not be judged solely on their exhaustive maladministration of homelessness and poverty.

After considering the state of the province and country, the behaviours of both men and the consequences on not only current but future generations it was impossible not to conclude that both men deserved to be acknowledged many times over for being “to dumb to come in from the rain”.

It was decided to declare a dead heat and award medals to both men when it was decided that because of differences in scale between the federal and provincial government it was not possible to decide who was dumb and who was dumber.

Congratulations to both Mr. Harper and Mr. Campbell!

*************

February 17, 2010 Day – 2

A glorious sunny day with a forecast of continued sunny and unseasonably warm temperatures, the type of weather that smiles upon the homeless and not just upon the Homeless Games.

It certainly looks as if whatever higher power is in charge of weather, that higher power is sending an unmistakably clear message as to what Canadians should be focused on and what self gratifying amusements they should not be funding by taking funds from the most vulnerable and in need of help citizens.

The weather was perfect for the buggy load out event.

The medal in the cart load out was awarded to a transient person of No Fixed Address who demonstrated an attention to detail, an appreciation for the proper distribution of weight, the center of gravity and who ended up with a visually aesthetic loaded buggy.

The Marathon, Steeplechase and Health Care Obstacle Course events got under way to ensure they are completed by the closing ceremonies. After all they are deal with government bureaucracies.

We received a request from an editor-in-chief not to keep them informed as to the progress of the homeless games and, in the context of the homeless games, informed on the issues of homelessness, mental illness, addiction and poverty.

It was a little disconcerting but it certainly goes to explain why newspapers find themselves struggling.

*************

February 18, 2010 Day – 3

Final judgment of the camp relocation event was extended overnight from
Wednesday until Thursday to give the judges an opportunity to gather over coffee.

This was necessary as none of the competitors impressed the judges to the point they felt one of the competitors deserved to medal.

It was decided to award the medal to a local homeless person who had shown the tenacity of a dandelion when it came to removal by the City of Abbotsford and its armed troops.

Leaving behind material for the city minions to vent their destructive urges on and appearing to have been defeated and forced to relocate the winner would shortly return to the site to dig up and/or retrieve the buried/cached camp materials and, like a dandelion, take root once again.

Congratulations to Mr. C

The first round of the round table discussion/debate was held.

Given: Canada boycotted the Russian Olympics in Moscow because the Soviets had invaded Afghanistan and that Russia is attending the Canadian Olympics in Vancouver even though Canada is currently part of an Afghanistan invasion.

Discuss the irony and geopolitical change inherent in:

1980 – Russian government warmongers, increasing numbers of citizens live in poverty and substandard housing while the elite lives in wealth and luxury.

2010 – Canadian government warmongers, increasing numbers of citizens live in poverty and substandard housing while the elite lives in ever increasing wealth and luxury.

*************

February 21, 2010 Day – 4

Pop can Collecting

I wonder how many citizens ever consider just how littered their cityscapes would be if it wasn’t for the homeless (and others) who collect all the cans and bottles citizens litter their cities with?

As noted in the event description special care was taken to ensure all contestants were competing in unfamiliar territory.

Contestants were assigned an area and all had the same time limit of 6 hours.

Judging was provided by the bottle depots as all bottles and cans were cashed in with the winner being determined by who received the most cash.

Congratulations to Mr. J – who not only medaled but had a most profitable competition.

Marathon/Steeplechase update

The games adjudicator received an unexpected and intensive refresher on the Marathon/Steeplechase portion of the Games when mischance placed the adjudicator in the cross hairs of the Ministry of Housing and Social Development.

The adjudicator struggles to live with mental health issues which have resulted in being on disability (PPMB). Fortunately this means the adjudicator can work part time to earn up $500 a month. Any amount over $500 is clawed back by the Ministry of Housing and Social Development.

The $500 is vital to the adjudicator as it augments the unrealistic rent allowance provided by the Ministry and permits rental of the private housing required by the adjudicator’s mental health.

26 pay periods over 12 months means that twice a year the adjudicator has 3 pay periods in a single month and will have $225 clawed back. Discipline and frugality are required to, over the course of six months, set aside funds to cover the claw back. It is a hardship but with sufficient self-control is doable.

December 2009’s cheque had the $225 clawed back as a result of declaring 3 pay periods. Salary is to be declared in the month it is received, not when it is earned. Which is to unfortunate because the extra pay period is earned over the six months and declaring it on an accrual basis would result in significantly less claw back..

This month rather than a notice of deposit the adjudicator received the dreaded “If you are still in need of Assistance, (despite having filing ‘the stub’ with yes ticked to the question: are you still in need of assistance?) please come to the office to speak with a worker. Your cheque has been held & you may be asked to submit further information.” A notice which does wonders for those dealing with anxiety, stress and panic disorders.

The adjudicator was told the adjudicator needed to file a third pay period in January because the pay periods (which end on a Saturday) were the 2, 16, 30th. When the adjudicator stated that that was not the date payment was received and that December’s cheque had been reduced as a result of declaring 3 pay periods the adjudicator was told that the adjudicator had not claimed three pay periods in December.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) OCD – obsessive compulsive disorder is among the issues the adjudicator deals/lives/struggles with and so the adjudicator retains copies of all documents. So when the adjudicator returned with the requested pay slip for the pay period ending January 30th (paid February 5th) the adjudicator had documentation that showed December 2009’s cheque had been reduced by $225 as the result of declaring three pay periods.

Presenting evidence that 3 pay periods have been declared and that December’s cheque was reduced by the $225 claw back – resulted in a demand for a bank statement.

To get monthly bank statements cost money, money anyone on assistance does not have to spare – the adjudicator cannot afford to waste limited funds on bank statements.

Because of the discipline and financial management required to survive, occasionally a printout of ‘the last ten transactions’ is printed off the bank machine to ensure the accuracy of the adjudicator’s personal accounting records of the bank balance. The last such audit printout showed that payment for the first two January 2010 pay period was received on the following Fridays.

There was a note put on file to prevent this from happening again. A note that joins the previous notes put into the file in order to “prevent this from happening again”.

The assistance levels in BC are so out of line with the actual costs of living that any unexpected, untimely reduction in cash flow starts the fast downward spiral to homelessness.

The threat to being unable to pay March’s rent and insurance is where the stress, anxiety and panic is rooted – the threat of a return to homelessness and becoming ensnared in a downward spiral of mental health.

Thankfully there is an ability to print off cheques on a timely basis so the adjudicator was able to have the security of having March’s rent safely in the bank.

*************

February 20, 2010 Day – 5

The buggy distance event was held today with each buggy loaded with 100 litres of water. While the midpoint check in location was set the routes competitors took to and from the midpoint was left to them to choose. This freedom of choice is because the shortest route is not necessarily the fastest when pushing a loaded cart.

Tampered water seals result in disqualification. An attempt to ‘Rosie Ruiz’ results in disqualification for the competitor and the driver has their vehicle impounded for 48 hours to encourage them to see the error of their ways.

Congratulations on his medal to Mr. B

The buggy sprints were also held today. The medal was awarded by the judges on the basis of time and entertainment value.

Congratulations to Ms S on her medal

Advantage was taken of the excellent ‘in favour the homeless’ weather to hold a round table outside to soak up the sun.

One homeless gentleman opened the discussion by speaking of a mindset that is focused on oneself, all about ME, the pursuit of exhilaration, the pursuit of what feels good, of getting high and that ignores the cost in its pursuit of that high.

The mindset of an addict.

How society and government, while pointing fingers at those with drug addictions lives in total denial of its own addictions and addictive behaviours such as the Olympics.

Focused on self gratification by holding the Olympics, telling itself lies – “it is about tourism, business …” to justify pursuing its self gratification. Stealing from its own children by increasing the deficit they will inherit and reducing the level of government services they will inherit/be able to fund, Ignoring the cost cuts in services to the most vulnerable in society – the elderly, the handicapped, women, children, the mentally ill, the mentally challenged, those suffering the scourge of addiction ….

We have become a society were the operating value of “greed is good” has led to a mentality of deserving and instant gratification, the mentality of an addict that ignores cost and consequences.

The consequence of the cuts to services and services unfunded is going to be deaths by neglect. Like any addict the government and society will deny these deaths, telling themselves whatever lie is needed – as any addict does.

Denial does not, will not, change the Reality of those deaths, of the consequences of this behaviour.

*************

February 21, 2010 Day – 6

No competitive events were held today. This day had been for ice events using city facilities. However, Abbotsford City Council has made Abbotsford city facilities the most expensive in the city. In some cases significantly more expensive that the fees at private facilities.

As a result long time pass holders have switched to the private facilities to save money and many families and citizens simply cannot afford to use the facilities or play sports. This while the city gives those who are well enough off to have $400 to spend on a year pass can save 31%.

There was discussion of fundraising. However, since paying the city’s usury user fees meant subsidizing a professional hockey team (the Heat) and subsidizing ever bum in the seats at the Entertainment and Sports Centre, it was decided not to hold any ice events.

Leaving competitors free to attend the Super Sunday services, listen as Joyful Noise made its joyful racket and partake of the magnificent brunch that followed. Or attend other worship services of their choice.

It also left the afternoon free to attend the Blue Bus collect a bag of foodstuffs to take home and enjoy soup, sandwich and coffee.

Aaahh the Blue Bus. In a city full of churches a church from Aldergrove has to come to Abbotsford to feed the city’s homeless, poor and hungry on Sunday.

*************

February 22, 2010 Day – 7

Travelling between points in the Valley is oft necessitated, for a variety of reasons, while a lack of money can make getting where one needs to go an interesting problem to be solved.

The travelling competition was moved up to today to allow the competitors to benefit from the sunny weather. The adjudicator did opine that it would be more reflective of normal winter conditions to wait until Wednesday as scheduled, since the forecast is for rain.

The urbicolous destinations chosen were Chilliwack and Mission for the different travel problems they present.

The medalist for the Chilliwack competition biked to and from Chilliwack, having the home field advantage of making this interurban journey on a near monthly basis.

Congratulations on your medal Mr. J – nice to see you looking so health as well.

There is regular bus service (the valley connector) between Abbotsford and Mission although roundtrip fare can present a challenge – particularly with the competition being rescheduled 2 days earlier.

The results were protested but the adjudicator ruled that while the winner did have assets that afforded her obvious advantages, this fact was a reflection of the reality of life where some are more equal than others. Otherwise there would not be people working 60 hours a week at three jobs just to keep their heads above water while so called leaders draw large salaries while ignoring the economic hardships increasing numbers of Canadians struggle with.

After all: “How unfair the fate which ordains that those who have the least should be always adding to the treasury of the wealthy.” Terence

So – congratulations Ms. G.

While the protest was being considered another matter came to the attention of members of ABHOC 2010 – an article titled Counterpoint at http://www.matthewgood.org/2010/02/counterpoint/.

That this came to ABHOC 2010’s attention at all attests to fate as the endless chain of causation, whereby things are.

ABHOC 2010 members were present to observe the events related in the commentary, indeed several members of ABHOC 2010 were questioned about the influx of homeless from Vancouver as a result of Olympics and homeless being bussed out of Vancouver.

Answering truthfully that there had been no massive influx, that in fact if anything the arrival of homeless from Vancouver was less than in prior years and that there had been no bus loads of homeless arriving in Abbotsford from Vancouver.

Not a real surprise given the increases in shelter, food and service resources in Vancouver – increases that did not occur in Abbotsford.

We are speaking of homeless, and those who have been homeless, in Abbotsford who have 5 – 10 – 10+ years of experience with homelessness in Abbotsford.

She, the questioner, was clearly not pleased with these replies and insistently repeated her demand for stories about homeless displaced by the Olympics and tales about busloads of homeless being driven out of Vancouver to Abbotsford and other outlying destinations.

When she was again told this was not happening she moved on to other homeless to repeat her questions and when they replied that this movement of homeless had not been happening she moved on to the next cluster and when that again failed to produce the answers she was seeking she moved on out of sight around the building.

Leaving the homeless she had spoken to speculating as to how long it would take her to find someone who would tell her what she so clearly was determined to find someone to tell her – without regard to the truth she clearly did not want to hear.

In about 15 – 20 (30?) minutes she returned around the building with someone, climbed into her car and drove off with that someone who apparently was telling her what she had set out to hear.

While it may make for dramatic storytelling there is not a large flood of displaced homeless, no busloads of homeless pouring into Abbotsford.

Going from homeless person to homeless person until someone tells you what you want to hear is not listening. Searching among the homeless until one finds what one wants to find is no different than the behaviour of politicians and bureaucrats.

If we are to address the issues of homelessness, addiction, mental illness and poverty we need to hear the voices of the homeless, addicted mentally ill and poor – even if those voices are not telling us what we want to hear.

Most notably when those voices are not telling us what we want or expect to hear.

*************

February 23, 2010 Day – 8

The queuing competitions went Tuesday.

Best use of time came down to choice between knitting and self improvement (Step 4, CBT to deal with social anxiety and impatience/anger).

Self improvement was chosen since it needs to be done just as one must queue to get things done.

Congratulations Mr. P.

Most creative use went to the gentleman who used a running monologue and conversation with himself to move to the front of the queue. Nice job, good technique.

Congratulations Mr. L.

On Tuesday night’s news there was Heritage Minister James Moore stating that they needed to keep the funding for “Own the Podium” from ending.

“Own the Podium” is the plan that was drawn up to provide support to athletes so that Canada would win more medals than any other country at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

The federal government supported this plan over the ten years since the 2010 Olympics were awarded Vancouver and funded it with millions of dollars and a Conservative Cabinet Minister endorsed continued funding.

A federal Conservative government that refuses to support and/or fund a national housing plan or address child poverty in Canada.

Spend millions training athletes to win medals – Yes; spend hundreds of millions, even billions, to build venues for the athletes to compete on to win those medals – Yes; Spend money to feed the hungry or house the poor and homeless – NO!

There beside Mr. Moore stating that they needed to keep the funding for “Own the Podium” from ending was Mr Campbell, BC’s dogmatist premier.

Mr. Campbell under whose misgovernance BC has led Canada in child poverty rates six years in a row, has ‘achieved’ the lowest minimum wage coupled with the highest cost of living and has assistance rates that result in people living on incomes well below what the government itself calls the poverty line, despite Mr. Campbell’s boasts about the strength of the BC economy.

Spend millions training athletes to win medals – Yes; spend billions, to build venues for the athletes to compete on to win those medals – Yes; Spend money to feed the hungry or house the poor and homeless or address child poverty in BC – NO!

Interesting – in a catastrophic way – set of priorities.

*************

February 24, 2010 Day – 9

Medals for the ‘Marathon’ and ‘Steeplechase’ were awarded today.

The Marathon:

Was awarded to a 40 year old gentleman whose EI had run out and who found himself facing an unexpected reality – social assistance is not in any way about assistance, about helping people get back onto their feet.

Even if he had managed to plod his way through the forms in a timely manner he would still have lost his apartment as a result of the unrealistic rental and living allowance levels set by Housing and Social Development.

One is torn between sympathy and a sense of justice/karma being served; justice/karma at a taxpayer getting a rude awakening as to the reality of the social safety net in BC.

Should Prime Minister Stephen Harper keep up the economic policies his government is pursuing many more taxpayers are going to have the opportunity to face with this harsh reality.

Congratulations Mr. Average Joe (anonymity having been requested)

The Steeplechase:

The judges acknowledge that the medal was awarded to an old favourite barrier raised by the system; a barrier that some members of ABHOC 2010 have personally had to surmount.

The medalist in this category is another recent victim of the Harper conservative government’s priorities and economic policies who has had the unpleasant experience of gaining personal knowledge as to the inadequacy of BC’s social safety net.

He just had not realized how mind bogglingly bureaucratized, jump-through-the-hoops the system was; having assumed the primary focus of the system was about getting employment

Not having had success in his job search to date, he had decided he needed some help with job hunting skills, resume etc and had started the course at Triangle. This is an excellent course for getting one’s job hunt on track (the course is excellent in many other aspects as well).

When he informed Social Development of what he was doing he was told that he was suppose to be looking for work in order to continue receiving assistance and that attending the course at Triangle was not ‘looking for work’.

This individual had been searching for work with no luck and had, rationally, thought that taking a course to improve his job search skills was a wise course of action to find employment. He had forgotten that he had left the real world and entered another dimension, the dimension and unreality occupied by the Liberal government and Ministry of Housing and Social Development.

In that reality one is not proactive in ones job search, but rather one must spin ones wheels until such time as the system decides you need to attend Triangle in order to improve ones skills and ability to find employment. A barrier of illogic numerous others have encountered.

Congratulations Mr. P – the look on your face was priceless.

*************

February 25, 2010 Day -10

Fate, The Force, Higher Power … whatever appellation one uses for Petaybee (PTB – Powers That Be [in charge]) continued to shower their favour on Abbotsford 2010 Homeless Winter Games.

Normally the Thursday 5PM dinner is hosted at Faith Bible (through the generous spirit of the congregation) but appropriately Petaybee arranged matters such that the congregation of Faith Bible needed to use the Church themselves, returning the Thursday night BBQ to its original outdoor location.

THE appropriate location for the closing ceremony (dinner) of the Abbotsford 2010 Homeless Winter Games.

Petaybee continued to show its favour and support for the Homeless Winter Games through the weather by the absence of rain on the BBQ, even though there were rain showers in the area.

Is it not strange how, when you are walking the right path things seem to fall into place and when someone(s) are walking the wrong path, making wrong choices, their path is strewn with obstacles and headaches?

Homeless Hobble:

The state of ones feet is a major consideration for the homeless and poor who depend on their feet to meet all their transportation needs. Indeed, given the harsh living conditions ones overall health is a concern – and under stress from daily life and living conditions.

The medal in this category goes not to a member of the homeless community but to the Florence Nightingale who, through caring, compassion, generosity of spirit, time and patience has built a relationship with the homeless; nursing not just their feet but tending to their physical health, mental health and spirit.

A relationship in which the homeless tell others that they need to see our medalist when they have medical issues. A relationship such that they will go to a doctor (a task with which our medalist will aid) and even endure the obstacles and attitudes of the Hospital when our medalist stresses the need (insists, nags) for them to go.

The effect of simple caring on the homeless and their health is profound.

Thanks Ms. N.

Health Care Obstacle Course:

dinsdale-on-health-care

Health care is problematic for the homeless as these two typical cases highlight.

Physical: A homeless gentleman had his back go out and was forced to drag himself to the road to flag down help. This is a gentleman who’s last ambulance ride to the hospital was 30 years ago after a car accident, who does not abuse drugs or alcohol or the medical system.

Yet the ambulance attendants did not believe him when he related these facts, one attendant insisting he had taken the homeless gentleman to the hospital just weeks before.

The staff at the hospital did not believe him either, treating him unprofessionally and with disrespect, refusing to believe he was there solely because he was in agony because of his back.

Not surprisingly they found nothing wrong with his back and unprofessionally sent him on his way (when he needed bed rest) without medication – so he had to endure the agony of a bad back. It has been near a month and it is still painful, for others whose backs torment them, to watch him walk.

Mental: Oh, they just left.

Duh! You have someone who is in mental distress and just how reasonable (or professional) is it to expect them to sit for hours in the waiting room to see someone then sit hours more until someone from psych comes down to take them to the ward?

The last time someone from ABHOC 2010 took someone who was clearly in distress to the hospital it was only because the ABHOC 2010 member was willing to spend the hours necessary to keep the person in need calm that the person got the help they needed.

Enlightened medical care uses peer support workers to help those in distress through the system and has systems in place such that it is not a 4+ hour obstacle course to be admitted to psych (or the hospital). But then in civilized and enlightened counties medical care and adequate resources are available – enlightened and civilized nations are not further reducing already inadequate resources.

The medal here goes not to a specific individual but to those (unfortunately) very rare individuals who will invest hours of their time to get someone the care they need.

Afterword:

The problem ABHOC 2010 has with Vancouver 2010 is not about the Olympics (OK we are not supportive of fat cat IOC members and the excess focus on commercialism) and Olympic competition themselves but about the costs and how governments (and thus citizens) have chosen to pay for the costs of hosting the Olympics.

At their root the Olympics are about entertainment, the entertainment of watching the pageantry and competitions.

Extravagant entertainment spectacle is a LUXURY and should come well after NEEDS on the public spending priorities list.

That is not true for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. They have been purchased with credit (deficits) and cutbacks or non-provision of necessary services. Cutbacks and non-provisions that will continue into the future; with the most vulnerable in our society paying the price for a luxury they could not afford to partake of.

It comes down to a question of what kind of society one wants: the dog-eat-dog, greed and mean spiritedness that underlie America OR a society that honours the principles of neighbourliness, caring and helpful spiritedness that I associate with Canada and Canadians before the recent decades of Americanization began?

If it is a return to Canadian values than tell politicians your wishes in this matter and if they do not listen – find someone in your community who is honourable and supports these values, get them to run for office, then support and vote for them.

Canada remains a democracy, despite a Prime Minister, Premiers and local politicians who act as if it was a dictatorship – until they come around to lie to voters so they can return to their dictatorial ways.

Exercise your Rights, Exercise your Voice and help take back Canada from wannabe Americans – returning it to Canadian values and the True North Strong and Free.

Abbotsford 2010 Homeless Winter Games

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ABHOC Press Release – 1

February 14, 2010

Abbotsford Homeless Winter Games

Opening day of the 2010 Abbotsford Homeless Winter Games is February 16, 2010.

This date was set to allow time for the dissemination of the opening day of the 2010 Abbotsford Homeless Winter Games without drawing attention away from the recent opening ceremonies in Vancouver.

The timing of this release is out of consideration for all fellow British Columbians who have worked so hard on their performances in the opening ceremonies.

In light of the provincial government of BC’s decision to not only not increase Mental Health services, an increase that is badly needed, but to decrease Mental Health services in order to fund the Winter Olympics and in light of provincial government cutbacks and/or failure to address: BC leading the nation in child poverty; addictions treatment and recovery; BC having the highest cost of living and the lowest minimum wage; the fact $375 is inadequate to obtain safe secure housing in the province with the highest hosing costs in Canada; the need for more safe, healthy, affordable housing; the crisis in both the Health Care and Education systems; the growing poverty; the growing class system resulting from those who have and those who don’t have –

The Committee wants to stress that the decision on the timing was entirely due to consideration of fellow ordinary British Columbians.

Given the broken promises of social housing, developers and business shamelessly exploiting the Olympics to their own advantage, the impact of the Olympics on poor communities and nearby ecosystems, disrupted lives, the money and service losses it has cost, the invasion of community that accompanies games sites and transportation systems; that while the Olympics are a global phenomenon, the exploitation and marginalization that accompany them are rooted in an intimate local context: global spectacle, local debacle; the

Civil-liberty-threatening security and surveillance measures that the Olympics provide and excuse for, particularly the Charter violating Assistance to Shelter Act – the Committee would gladly use the opening ceremonies to warn communities contemplating holding the games of the unacceptable costs in tax dollars – not just that services provided by governments are forgone because ‘there is no money for them (because it was spent on the Olympics)’ but because of the cuts to services (e.g. health care) provided to citizens that are required as ‘there is not enough money (because it was spent on the Olympics) and we need to make service cuts and limit funding increases (so we will have enough to fund the Olympics – whatever the costs) –

The Committee would have been overjoyed to use the opening ceremonies to draw attention to the harsh realities of hosting the Olympics on ordinary citizens and particularly the poor and impoverished.

However after due consideration and in light of the fact that British Columbians, most notably the poor and those not well off, are facing substantial future burdens in addition to sacrifices already made the Committee affirmed its decision to wait until after the Vancouver opening ceremonies to announce the time, date and location of the opening ceremony for the Abbotsford Homeless Winter Olympics.

Valentines Day was deemed most appropriate as a release date because love, compassion and generosity of spirit are the keys not only to rich interpersonal relationships but to effectively addressing the issues of homelessness, recovery and poverty.

The Opening Ceremony commences at 12:15 PM Tuesday February 14, 2010 and reflects an overriding reality of life for the homeless and poor – hunger. To acknowledge and honour this reality the opening ceremony consists of the sharing of a simple meal, lunch at a local soup kitchen.

The Competition schedule and locations are not being widely distributed publicly as a result of security considerations – to prevent, or at least minimize, interference and disruption by politicians and their administration, imposition and enforcement cadres.

The Closing Ceremony is at 5 PM Thursday February 25, 2010. The Closing Ceremony again reflects hunger as an overriding reality of life for the homeless and poor. It also reflects the importance of those individuals who, seeing the hunger and the lack of leadership, understanding and compassion by politicians and other ‘leaders’ in the community and society have stepped forward to act. It was the unanimous opinion of ABHOC 2010 that the excellent repast served a Faith Bible Church on Thursdays was the apropos concluding location.

Media contact

ABHOC Communications

abhoc2010@gmail.com

***

ABHOC Press Release – 2

February 14, 2010

Abbotsford Homeless Winter Games – the events

The games reflect the realities of life for those living on the streets therefore:

[ There will be no official schedule of events or times publically released to prevent, or at least minimize, interference and disruption by politicians and their administration, imposition and enforcement cadres.

[ Given that being at the mercy and whims of the weather is one of the uncomfortable, on occasion fatal, realities of life for the homeless there will be no extraordinary measures taken (indoor venues, extraordinary snow moving) to force winter conditions or shield competitors or the Games from actual weather conditions.

Homeless Games – an overview.

The two events chosen to showcase the local state of affairs for the homeless in Abbotsford reflect the City of Abbotsford’s practice of dismantling the homes of the homeless during winter months, rather than summer months. This is done without regard for weather conditions, leaving a homeless man without shelter on the coldest night of last winter:

[ Obfuscation – the ability to conceal the home site. This event is a judged event with no time element considered. It is not based solely upon how or the degree to which the shelter is screened or masked. Judging criteria also consider the location in terms of likelihood of discovery; the ease of ingress and egress and the likelihood of movement to and from the site drawing attention and leading to the discovery of the site by authorities; access to necessities such as food, water, waste disposal, hygiene, services;

[ Relocation – the ability to tear down, move and set up. This event does encompass a consideration of time. However it also considers: the new site in terms of location and obfuscation; materials chosen in terms of weather, design and portability; the move itself in terms of time and ability to not draw attention to setting up the second site.

There will be the standard tests of homeless survival skills:

[ Can collection. As a major source of revenue the ability to collect and redeem cans is a significant survival tool. In the spirit of fair competition the competitors will be randomly assigned areas of the city to collect cans from. With the proviso that if a local competitor is drawn for an area that encompasses her/his usual collection area there will be a reassignment to ensure no unfair ‘home field’ advantage.

[ Cart events. Note: in order to promote a level playing field all carts will be scavenged on the day of the event, of the same specified type (i.e. Wal-mart, Superstore) and inspected to ensure no modifications or improvements have been made. All carts will be loaded with the same weight and materials.

o Distance. Since a cart often contains all a homeless person’s possessions they are a limiting factor on distance travelled, especially with ice, snow or slush on the ground, Thus the ability to cover distance as quickly as possible is a survival ability.

o Sprints. Because sometimes you just have to able to relocate to another area. If you cannot do it quickly pushing a cart you run the very real risk of having to abandon your belongings.

o Load out. The ability to properly load a cart is critical to the manoeuvrability of a cart. This is a judged event based on integral considerations such as weight distribution and center of gravity.

[ Health Care Obstacle Course

o Obtaining health care for the homeless (and others) although theoretically not a problem due to universal health care, the reality is that obtaining health care, particularly good health care is problematic, requiring guise and salesmanship. This is a judged event that will be run over the course of the entire games period.

[ Homeless Hobble

o Feet are nearly the only transportation mode available to the homeless. The exception being those homeless who are living in their automobiles who must move the vehicles daily or lose them to impound.

o Living homeless is very hard on the feet. Thus preventative foot care, first-aid/medical attention and skills to cope with foot/leg/mobility impairments is a necessary survival skill.

[ Marathon

o This is not a marathon in the traditional 42 km 195 m footrace. For the homeless and the poor marathon reflects the need to fill out form after form after form … ad infinitum. Yet one has no choice but to continue to plod through the pile of forms.

o Judging is based on correctness first, since a mistake must be corrected by the person filling out the forms and no further processing will take place until the error is corrected. Thus each error adds time to the time it takes to process the form(s). Time taken is secondary in judging since it is more important to be accurate than fast.

[ Steeplechase

o This event is related to the marathon but reflects the systems propensity to erect barriers and hoops for clients to have to climb over or jump through ad nauseum. Completeness, correctness and finesse are the important considerations here and time is again a secondary consideration.

[ Queuing. “It’s line up for this, line up for that!” “How’s that going for you?” “It’s orderly.” If you are homeless you must deal with the frequent need to line-up to obtain services, food, clothing etc. so a homeless person must invest significant time in lines.

o Best use of time while queuing. Again a judged event where judging has no pre-established criteria, but judging is spontaneous and reflective of the use time is put to by the competitors.

o Most creative use of time while queuing. A judged event where judging has no pre-established criteria, but judging is spontaneous and reflective of the use time is put to by the competitors.

These are the core events. A primary reality of life for the homeless and poor is unexpected variability. How the day was expected to go may well have nothing with how the day did in fact develop and go.

To reflect the ‘SURPRISE!’ factor in daily life the remaining events will be help on a random (hat draw) and spontaneous (feels like the right time) basis.

Media contact

ABHOC Communications

abhoc2010@gmail.com

***

ABHOC Press Release – 3

February 14, 2010

Abbotsford Homeless Winter Games – the competitors

All events are open to all homeless without regard to sex, ethnicity, colour, creed or any other criteria used to divide into US and THEM. Homelessness plays no favourites nor discriminates, neither do these games.

It is anticipated that competitors from third world and/or developing nations will be extremely limited as poverty denies one the ability to travel.

It is anticipated that competitors from the more enlightened developed countries will be limited as a result of national housing policies and reasonable social safety nets.

It is anticipated that the foreign country with the most competitors will be the United States  as a result of proximity and that its social organizing principle is greed.

With no national housing strategy and federal Conservative policies creating and increasing poverty in Canada, there are tens of thousands of Canadian Homeless to draw up as competitors.

Unfortunately for the homeless, with the nonsensical Housing and Social Development policies of BC’s Liberal government, most notable the unliveable Income Assistance levels and policies there are a plethora of local people who qualify to compete in the Homeless Games.

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For the homeless winter is not about winter sports. It is about:

Scrambling to find shelter on those nights that lack of adequate shelter can be life threatening.

Those interrelated needs of food and bedding/clothing. Food for the calories to burn through the long, cold, wet nights. Bedding/clothing to minimize heat loss and preserve calorie reserves in order to survive the nights.Struggling to jump through the hoops and over the barriers that the nattering nabobs of negativism in the social (un)assistance system of Housing and Social Development delight in raising.

In for the long haul, endurance, striving to put one foot in front of the other and struggling forward when it feels as though you are carrying a 100 Kg load on your back. The advantage the pampered athletes of VANOC have is that they know were the finish line is. The homeless have no idea where the objective (employment, shelter, food, recovery) they struggle to reach lies. Only that it is somewhere in front of them.

An intricate survival dance performed daily, balancing food, shelter, clothing, bedding, weather conditions, police harassment, bathing, drinking water, bureaucratic idiocy, transportation, etc. Not to mention job searching, resume submission, cover letters, coping with the lack of a phone (which the government claims is unneeded for finding employment!), finding computer access for job searching and applications, etc.

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A few words on the subject of all homeless are addicts – that is wrong. The members of ABHOC 2010 who were or are homeless were or are homeless as a result of issues other than addiction. Governments of all levels in Canada are making it increasing easier for citizens with no complicating factors but poverty to end homeless and on the streets of the city in which they had once been housed and ‘respectable’ citizens of.

Consider the number of athletes at the Olympics who are caught using performance enhancing drugs. They are using drugs to win in order to gain victory and avoid dealing with defeat and doing the hard work that dealing healthily and constructively with failing to win.

The homeless are using their choice of drugs to deal with issues they want to avoid dealing with and to avoid doing the hard work that dealing healthily and constructively with their issues.

Now consider the mindset of citizens of BC and their fellow Canadians vis-à-vis the Olympics.

It is a mindset focused only of the short term and thinking only of what feels good right now, ignoring the consequences of actions taken or being taken in its enthusiastic pursuit of that feels good high. It is the mindset of an addict.

In becoming a society seeking instant gratification, a society that takes the easy way out without regard to cost, Canada has become a society whose behaviours grow ever more similar to those individuals in our society who struggle with an addiction to mind altering substances

Media contact

ABHOC Communications

abhoc2010@gmail.com

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Olympic Realities

There is nothing to criticize about people uniting in the pride and joy of their nation.”

Before issuing such a sweeping statement the author may have wanted to ask some WWII veterans whether they felt there was anything to criticize about the Germans and Japanese uniting in pride and joy of their nations to achieve their manifest destiny.

If the goal is simply to generate enthusiasm and attendance just hire the Rolling Stones to perform a free concert.

Of course it would be extremely costly but hey, cost is no object to generating enthusiasm and attendance – at least for those sharing the mindset of the author of the opening quote.

It is a mindset that ignores cost. Cost not simply measured in the dollars spent but including the consequences of using the dollars to have a blowout of a party, rather than to pay the bills.

It is a mindset focused only of the short term and thinking only of what feels good right now, ignoring the consequences of actions taken or being taken in its enthusiastic pursuit of that feels good high. It is the mindset of an addict.

In becoming a society seeking instant gratification, a society that takes the easy way out without regard to cost, we have become a society whose behaviours grow ever more similar to those individuals in our society who struggle with an addiction to mind altering substances.

Perhaps it is seeing the consequences of thoughtlessly enjoying the high and ignoring the consequences on a daily basis that denies me the ability to blindly, thoughtlessly ignore the consequences of spending billions on the Olympics and paying for those billions by making cuts to essential services such as Fraser Mental Health.

As the health region with the fastest growing population Fraser Health’s mental health budget needed to be doubled, especially after responsibility for addictions was shifted to mental health by Fraser Health.

To pay for the multi-billion dollar cost of the Olympics BC chose NOT to raise taxes but to forgo crucially needed increases in areas such as mental health services and budget cuts to already seriously underfunded services. We pay for our fun not responsibly by raising taxes, but by further burdening our children and our children’s children with OUR debts and by cutting services to the most vulnerable in our society.

The first round of these cuts resulted in programs such as the adolescent psych unit at Abbotsford’s new hospital being closed. There are still more programs that will have to be cut to meet this years Fraser Mental Health budget. There will be another round of cuts next year as the cost of paying for the Olympics continues to negatively impact the mental health budget.

These cuts are not just going to reduce the quality of life for those with mental illness and/or mental challenges or deny addicts treatment. They are going to kill people by neglecting them to death. These deaths will not be labelled as ‘Olympic Costs” but as suicide, or death by police officer or accidental etc. But they are ‘Olympic Costs’ because it is the program cuts to pay for the Olympics that will bring about these deaths.

How many deaths are acceptable as the cost of staging the Olympics in BC? How many deaths before there is something to criticize about people uniting in the pride and joy of their nation?

Moreover, how can anyone have pride and joy in a nation, a province, a city or a society that would consider the death of vulnerable Canadians ‘an acceptable cost of doing business’ in regards to the Olympics?

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

The author went on to expound:

“… but let’s also applaud what these athletes represent, and let’s appreciate community spirit at its finest.

These would be the same athletes of who over 30 were disqualified for using performance enhancing drugs the day before the games opening ceremony was even held?

Athletes choosing to take the easy way out, to seek easy and instant gratification by winning without doing the work, so as to reap the financial rewards of winning.

This suggests that these athletes, this competition, are about winning at all costs with drug screening and doping waging a technological war between cheating; a war that attempts to have or create a level playing field.

The attitudes and behaviours of the athletes teach the young that only winning counts; that you employ any means necessary to win; that competing and doing your personal best is meaningless unless you win.

At one time the Olympics were about competition among amateur athletes but today’s athletes are highly paid professionals, working for the business that the Olympic Games have become under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee.

A committee that is noted for such applause deserving behaviours as wretched excess, greed, special interests, scandal, expensive perks for committee members, bribery, exchanges of favours, turf protection, extortion etc.

The Olympics have ceased to be about anything other than politics, money, big business and greed. Or at least that is what they are about for those who are not blinded by the glitz, glamour and the powerful Olympics Media Machine.

community spirit at its finest”.

We are in serious trouble as communities, a country, a world and a species when the wretched excess the Olympics have become is considered as “community spirit at its finest”.

People turning out to donate, support and cheer on Terry Fox; the people who donate to, support and participate in annual Terry Fox runs; neighbours turning out to help their neighbours after tragedy or disaster strikes; the people who serve dinner in Abbotsford on Thursday nights to those who are hungry and homeless; Volunteers; these are community spirit at its finest.

That such drivel as “There is nothing to criticize about people uniting in the pride and joy of their nation” and “… but let’s also applaud what these athletes represent, and let’s appreciate community spirit at its finest” is what passes for journalism and commentary in today’s news media is a sad comment on what the news media has become.

That so many choose not to think about the myths and lies that are told around the Olympics, choosing instead to wallow in the mindset of addiction, of instant gratification, of ME – ME – ME and ignoring the consequences is why we continue to dig ourselves into an ever deepening hole.

It would certainly be more fun to ignore reality, join the party and ‘don’t worry be happy’. But I seem to be constitutionally incapable of ignoring reality and the costs and consequences of societies growing addiction to the high of instant gratification.