Email from the editor of http://www.somethingcool.ca/

“Thanks for the email, as always. Do you have examples of this >treatment you are talking about or this just more of a general >feeling? If you have seen or heard of some things the powers that be >are doing that demonstrate these “inappropriate” behaviours, let me >know. I would like to bring attention to them and perhaps even get a >comment or two from Casey Vinet.”

Fred:

Hello. No it is not a “general feeling”. I had one of the homeless I know who was upset about it tell me about being awoken 10 time in one night to move along. Several others have volunteered stories to me of the police once again repeatedly moving them along, not to anywhere specific just “Not Here”. I went back and spoke to the worker I mentioned who looked me up to say someone needed to say something about this. Since the closing of the Park numerous clients have been complaining of once again being woken up and told to move while they are sleeping. As the worker said to me, and I have asked in letters to the editor at the local paper and to “officials” in meetings, what is the point in waking them and telling them to move when they have nowhere to go – except further down the street, to be awoken and moved repeatedly. The thing is these stories/complaints were not being told during the time the Park was open. In fact while the Park was open the police just sent people there if they found them sleeping somewhere. I need to note that some of those complaining were at Compassion Park when it was open – makes one wonder just how the /city and Mr Guthrie (city manager) define successful since they claimed their actions vis-à-vis the Park and its residents were “successful”.

One of the other things that I am hearing more of now is the homeless being stopped and searched or asked about stolen items. Actually I have witnessed this myself. One of the advantages I (and other homeless) derive from keeping our clothes and ourselves clean (and what a struggle that can be) is that we blend in, appearing to be “regular citizens”. Thus I have been walking down the street past a police officer who ignores me but accosts a homeless person (whose appearance is more in keeping with the police and public’s idea of what a homeless person appears like) behind me. Clearly they are making judgments based on appearance of homelessness. I have no doubt that some of the homeless may well be involved in some of the thefts. But the police take that as a reason/excuse to stop any of the homeless and accuse – or as they probably claim ask – about the stolen property. Again, while the Park was open and media, City government and politicians attention was focused on the homeless situation this type of harassment was greatly reduced. While some of the thefts are being committed by the “regular citizens” the police do not walk up to “regular citizens” on the street and in effect accuse them of being thieves, wanting the stolen items back. Hmmm?? I wonder what you would need to file a human rights complain against the Abbotsford Police for this clear prejudice and stereotyping?

The one thing that is clear is that in none of these cases where a social or outreach worker contacted by the police – as per the stated/claimed City policy.
Clearly one of the benefits of the Park that was lost when it was closed down by the City was a place to direct the homeless to that was “open for business” 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Now it appears it is easier to just return to old behaviours than it is to work out and implement new procedures for interfacing with the homeless residents/population of the City.

Clearly the big disadvantage for the homeless in the City that came from the closing of “Compassion Park” was the removal of all the media attention. It appears that without the threat of wide exposure of bad behaviour posed by the media, the City does not feel the same need to behave in a rational, intelligent, humane or compassionate way.

Myself? Well I am continuing to try to keep the citizens of Abbotsford thinking about ways they can help those members of the community in need. I am hoping that the charities and other local groups who have become aware of the homeless and poverty issues will be able to come together to accomplish some of the things that need to be done. Although I must admit it is a little frustration to read about Victoria breaking ground for the type of facility this community could use for the homeless while in Abbotsford they are just about to have the first meeting to plan for the wet/cold weather shelter (and I ask what about food?) for this coming, looming winter.

I am also experimenting/exploring the difficulties involved in moving on and transitioning off the streets. I am in one of the only 14 “supported independent living” (aka 2nd stage housing) units in the City priced at the shelter rate of $325.
I am upstairs at the Salvation Army in one of their rooms. I continue to work on my mental health and on job searching – although I hope to avoid accounting and find something that contributes to improving the plight of those in need. I have had several people tell me I should write a book so that is a project I am getting an outline/start on. Right now cash flow is a real problem although I do work part time in the Salvation Army emergency shelter. I have applied for PPMB since on that I can earn and keep $500 a month before the government takes dollar for dollar away (and where is the incentive to work in that idea?). The timing is such that I will either have to get around to meetings for a few days by bus and begging rides OR driving without insurance until the money hits the bank and I have the cash to buy it. Oh well, I should write about the problems in trying to transition off the streets – the public thinks of it as sooo easy , when in fact it is a real pain and a difficult journey.

With the advertising misinformation campaign Abbotsford is using to sell the foolish Plan A to its citizens the City has reached a new low in its behaviour. Egotism, uncaring of what the needs or thoughts of the citizens are, fiscal waste, over-spending and irresponsibility are what the aware and thoughtful citizen has come to expect from City Staff and Council. But in holding the Clearbrook Library basement hostage and using this hostage to blackmail the librarians into actively handing out pins and literature to support this Plan A(bsolute Idiocy) the staff and council have stooped so low as to be “able to walk under a snakes belly”.

I have a friend who is an avid reader and is afraid he will be forced to hold his nose and join other patrons and staff in the repulsive need to vote for the ill-conceived museum/art gallery complex in order to ransom the Clearbrook library basement back from its kidnapper – the City of Abbotsford. Patrons, Friends and staff are denied the right to protest that, rather than the thoughtless Plan A, what the community truly desperately needs is a replacement or refurbishment of the MSA library.

While launching a flashy advertising campaign to sell the fool’s gold of Plan A to the public merely borders on improper behaviour, using such underhanded means to coerce support and deny free speech is criminal conduct. The most appropriate reaction involves tar, feathers and a rail to ride the perpetrators of this outrage out of town. Failing that, this major a decision effecting as it will the future of our City – OUR City, not council’s, not City staff’s – should be postponed until the next municipal election. Where the true facility needs of Abbotsford can be debated and decided in open public forums as opposed to behind closed doors. And the public can also express their opinion on what is acceptable behaviour for staff and council to engage in.

Chris O’Neill

With apologies to Ms Gwynne Hunt I did not realize we had a Fringe Festival in Abbotsford. But then, when we did not have the Post to provide a forum for different voices within the twin communities, we ended up far to often without any reporting of out of the ordinary happenings and so you end up with “…the greatest kept theatre secret in Abbotsford”. For some reason the idea of a Fringe Festival has a great deal of interest to those of us whom inhabit the fringe. Even more appealing is the concept of participation in the Fringe by the fringe. I envision the homelessinabbotsford.com Players presenting a new and original one act play: our story opens on a council chamber where a council meeting is in progress…. With the current setting for the fringe there seems a certain synergy, not to mention justice and biting wit, in such a play presentation.

Our play opens. Standing at the supplicant’s podium before council a young woman laments “… the theatre arts have been set aside with vague promises. We were not asked…” Council members roar with laughter “ASK? You want us to ASK?” One councillor laughs so hard he falls out of his chair to the floor. “Why would we ask the actual users of facilities in the City what the City NEEDS? Next you would expect us to listen to the citizens. What then? Build the projects that are needed and would be well used by groups and people within the city? HA! Business as usual? Old boy’s network? Vested interests? You obviously do not understand, how we do things the Abbotsford Way and pay no attention to common sense. I suppose you think planning is a good idea. What then? Stop chasing the homeless around, show some leadership and address the problems associated with homelessness?”

“That young lady would start us down the slippery slope to rational action and abandoning our old unsuccessful, inadequate and feeble ways of thinking and running Abbotsford. Start doing that and people will come to expect you to act and solve challenges. We couldn’t have that.”

I have often wondered why the City does not ask the current users of facilities in the city, and any projected end users, what they think the City’s needs are vis-à-vis current and future facilities. I have concluded that if they do not ask they do not get answers they do not want. Thus the City can proceed willy-nilly in whatever manner they feel like, without being burdened by any common sense or planning.

With Ms Hunt having brought it to my attention I must admit that upon consideration I have a lot of questions about the decision to build a fancy museum slash art gallery as a single $10 million dissipation of money for the Arts in Abbotsford. If the City wishes to truly become the city it likes to believe it is then it needs to consider the importance of a lively performing arts scene to a city’s cultural life. I for one would really like to hear an explanation of why there was no public discussion or debate about building venues for live performances by a wide range of groups in Abbotsford?

Better yet, why was it that city staff and city council were the ones to get to decide, behind closed doors, without wide public input and discussion? Does it not seem sensible to ask those who use the facilities or to get ideas from the broadest possible spectrum of the various sub-communities such as the Arts? What was I thinking? We are speaking of Abbotsford, I should know better than to expect them to ask anything of those who pay the bills, much less make thoughtful, careful, rational and at least semi-intelligent decisions – about anything.

Upon hearing of the decision to waste $55 million on the (hopefully soon to be resoundingly NOed!) proposed boondoggle my first thought was I had not known the Canucks were moving out of Vancouver and relocating to Abbotsford. What else could explain building such an extravagant palace? Otherwise, ignoring the pie-in-the-sky maybes, you are building a white elephant with burdensome operating and upkeep costs that is at this time and in the foreseeable future not what is needed on the recreation front to serve the needs of the users of the facilities. I say “the needs of the users” because that is how we should be deciding what we need to design and build – NOT the egos or wishes of councillors and city staff.

What can be said about the arrogance of acquiring the land before the people even get a chance to express their opinion? This is typical behaviour for council and the City ignoring reality, not addressing pressing issues and needs, failing to consult and LISTEN to the people who use city facilities. Worse they fail to consult and listen to the citizens and groups within the city about what is needed to nurture arts, culture, sports, and recreation in OUR (not the council or city staff’s private kingdom) City.

By the way, is this being built for use by the citizens of Abbotsford or is it a ‘gift’ being built for the fairly exclusive use and benefit of UCFV? If it is for the city why build in that out of the way location? It seems to me that if UCFV is to be a major beneficiary of this structure they should be making a significant capital contribution – at the very least. If UCFV needs this type of facility to further its pursuit of University status and to benefit its sports programs and teams it should be building said structure itself. That way the funds could be directed to building structures to meet the current and future needs of the Citizens, the people paying for them.

The council and staff are touting illusionary uses and benefits. Here is a project, costing considerably less than $55 million, that would have many benefits for the city and citizens – add a 50 meter competition worthy pool to the ARC upgrade. We have two swim clubs in town, one of whom the City owes. The Whalers raised money to upgrade facilities at Centennial outdoor pool on the understanding of upgrades to the pool tank. The Whalers kept their potion of the understanding. A highly successful well established swim club, a new swim club based at MRC (which is OK only as a make-do location) and the city lacks a venue for them to hold swim meets. Did you enjoy the BC summer games a few years ago? Well, you will not be seeing any other competitions of that nature without an adequate swimming competition venue. So say goodbye to all the economic, press and tourist fallout from that or similar competitions. Oh, lest I forget, what about the high school swim teams? Not to mention the advantages for the regular length swimmers in particular and general public access in general of a well thought out, flexible and well designed pool facility. It also seems to me to be sensible to design and build both the pool and recreation additions together to allow you to plan in order to achieve the maximum benefit to other groups within the community, such as meeting rooms.

The original legacy plan was to total $83 million but was ambitious and proposed to meet a wide variety of the City’s capital needs and died in main part because the council and staff made it an all-or-nothing choice. Apparently it would have been to close to consulting the citizens for their opinion on the needs and wants of the community to have allowed the citizens to vote on all the proposed capital projects. The current $85 million dollar proposal continues their abysmal record of failing to ask the citizens and interested groups and parties what the City really NEEDS. We went from $83 million for a wide variety of capital projects to a $2 million more costly $85 million dollar plan for three projects – two unneeded palaces and the useful and user friendly ARC expansion (assuming proper thought and design). More money, less bang for our buck – which seems to be some kind of “law of the universe” about government project spending.

Want a radical but very beneficial idea? Turn the entire city into a WI-FI area network. The City, fire and police get marvellous communications and the citizens all gain access to the internet on a more affordable basis. Internet providers will scream, to the undoubted delight of frustrated customers, but who cares. The best side benefit is to those who cannot afford monthly internet charges in a world where access to the internet is becoming more and more required. We have programs to recycle older computers to those lacking the money because they are a needed tool. For a small capital upgrade we could, under this proposal provide them with access to the World Wide Web.

Finally: the increase in costs, before the large cost over runs one gets with these projects, raises questions of timing. We currently have an over-heated construction market which we know will be adjusting itself when the massive building associated with the Olympics ends. This should begin to occur before the Olympics as the numerous projects are completed, freeing up construction capacity that will be looking for something to build, even at reduced prices. It would seem that instead of wasting even more money on a referendum beating the dead horses of Palaces housing art gallery, museum and arena we could better use the funds to actually consult the Community as to its wants and needs. Depending on the effect this would have on the one good idea proposed in the expansion of ARC.

What is really needed is to get out and really consult the community, citizens and community groups to determine what their needs and wants are. We can then evaluate these wants and needs to determine demand and priorities. With the input of the people who will be using the facilities we could plan and design facilities that meet the end users needs as opposed to the current wing it, start building it and develop plans as you go along building practices of the City. This way Ms Gwynne Hunt and all the other often ignored and frustrated interested parties would have a chance to be heard and to provide input into the decision process. A process that needs to be conducted in an open and transparent manner rather than “business as usual” with decisions made by Staff and Council behind closed doors and the public’s backs. Yes this would cause some delay, which in this case is beneficial as it would move construction out of the stratosphere of the building boom into the bang for the buck region of the post-boom era. Now there is a new concept for council and staff, fiscal responsible behaviour.

Perhaps this time around we can get an open-minded examination of the proposals, contrasted with what would best serve the needs of citizens not the usual vested or hidden interests. I have hope of the possibility of this occurring since there now exists a forum for addressing these issues as opposes to the old “cheering sections” that always supported and avoided opposing views the time and again lame-brained practices and actions of the City. Viva the Post and revolutionary, thoughtful, responsible behaviour by and on behalf of the citizens of Abbotsford.