Category Archives: Thoughts

Consider

Brought thoughts of the Food Bank to mind

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The television news report about Santa in July to raise awareness and donations for the Vancouver Food Bank set me to wondering how our local Abbotsford Food Bank was faring. So I asked the Food Bank Coordinator what the situation is.

The number of people accessing the Food Bank have stabilized somewhat. They are however averaging a couple of new people per day and while a few of those are homeless most aren’t.

I am not surprised that most were not homeless. With the cost of housing in Abbotsford and the increases in what it costs to live (especially gas), more and more families are faced with having less, little, or no money to buy food with.

I would be interested in knowing at what point the addition of a couple of new people every day ceases to be “stable” and becomes a worrisome increase.

The Food Bank is already buying pasta and by Thanksgiving, two short months away, it will be slim pickings. The coordinator is planning to put the word out to his sources this week about the need for funds and/or food donations.

I know it is a busy time of year for many, but by remembering those in our community who need the communities help to have food to eat, we can make sure that come Thanksgiving the Food Bank shelves are stocked – giving all something to be thankful for.

With school looming a food drive would be an auspicious and philanthropic manner to start the school year with, don’t you think?

Please take the time to share and help feed the hungry by supporting our Food Bank.

Consider, Homeless

Lamentation for the Post of Abbotsford/Mission BC

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Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for public debate, discussion and an informed electorate in Abbotsford.

For the year of its independent existence The Post was, as stated by one reader, “A newspaper that takes a stand on behalf of a community; a newspaper that articulates its position through editorials; a newspaper that is not afraid to speak out!”

Readers were treated to political columns penned by three local columnists; an editorial page that was wide open to any subject of interest and importance to the community; an editorial page that granted letter writers words enough to develop arguments and ideas; stories and editorial comment on important community issues such as Plan A.

Readers wrote to express their gratitude for a newspaper that was “… and being ‘different!’ We need another voice for the public…” and the fact that all in all the Post was a “…must read publication.”

Catastrophe, as is so often the case, struck without any warning several weeks ago when CanwestGlobal’s purchased The Post making it part of the Abbotsford Times.

Quietly and without fanfare THE VOICE of public debate, discussion and an informed electorate in Abbotsford was silenced. Bound by the banal, spiritless and don’t rock boat editorial polices of the Times, Post readers have lost political commentary by local columnists and the only free, wide ranging editorial page in Abbotsford.

The timing for the citizens of Abbotsford could scarcely have been worse with this November’s municipal election looming and of such importance to the direction and future of Abbotsford.

When I was growing up community newspapers were a vital part of the community. Were, past tense. Today newspapers are part of chains, often chains with cross-media ownership, no longer rooted in the community but bound to head office and far away ownership.

Ideally Canwest Global would be required to divest itself of either its Vancouver television station, Vancouver Sun, The Province or Abbotsford Times. This does not seem any more of a realistic expectation than hoping for a return to the days of independent owned, community based newspapers.

The problem with CanwestGlobal’s purchase of The Post is that management of the Abbotsford Times quickly proceeded to remove the independent and wide open editorial content from the Post, without changing its (the Times) own editorial policies to be more open and reflective of the entire community not just “the old boys club/network”.

I am not sure how one goes about ensuring wide ranging and open editorial independence that responses to and reflects the needs of the community in which a newspaper resides.

I do know that individual communities and Canada as a whole have lost something vital in losing these independent voices to conglomeration. Given a world and issues of ever increasing complexity, we need to promote and develop independent voices in order to provide citizens with the information required to make the informed decisions needed in order to prosper.

Consider, Municipal

Hamdicapped Access – a lot to think about.

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The Access Abbotsford community forum left me considering whether awareness is a necessary and important part of the foundation on which you build a community. Leaving me mulling over the idea that part of being a good citizen is becoming aware, truly aware – not just thinking one is aware.

I used to see a curb cut at an intersection and assume that makes it accessible to wheelchairs etc. It turns out that is not necessarily true. Is the cut wide enough, positioned in the right place, flush with the street?

It was pointed out that that it does not matter how accessible the city is if you cannot get out of your home. The gentleman making this point lives on a bus route but unfortunately it is a bus route that not all the buses used for that route are wheelchair usable.

Thinking about this it occurs to me that partial accessibility is not really a viable or acceptable concept in making a community accessible to the disabled. The business or location destination being accessible and living on a bus route with wheelchair access does no good if it is not possible to get from the bus stop to you destination.

The City of Abbotsford needs to make accessibility a priority, in fact the priority in any situation that affects accessibility.

An example or three: Any development or redevelopment should be evaluated with respect to accessibility and be approved only when accessibility is maximized. Work such as that currently along South Fraser Way between Bourquin and Gladwin (a major area) needs to be evaluated and designed so that improving accessibility is part of the work to be performed. With something as simple as road repaving, what standards do we need to set for the work to ensure accessibility is maintained and enhanced?

A small difference between the new road surface and the concrete curb cut-out is a small step for me but a major barrier to a wheelchair. I heard today that John Van Dongen found out that these types of little discrepancies can dump you out of a wheelchair.

The City of Abbotsford needs to make accessibility and inclusion a priority not just in words but in deeds.

I believe that a major part of this requires consulting the disabled, seeking their advice and judgment, and then acting on that input. It is clear our focus and evaluation cannot be based upon what the standards or current practices are but upon what actually works. It was made obvious to me today that to achieve accessibility we cannot use standards set by people who do not have the expertise you only get by living with and experiencing the challenges the disabled face every day.

As citizens we need to increase our awareness (www.accessabbotsford.ca) and to instruct our Council and City Staff that accessibility takes precedence in their planning and decisions on any matter that will have, or if properly thought out can have, an effect on accessibility. That their actions must increase accessibility.