Honouring the Lives of BC's Missing, Disappeared & Murdered Women: February 14th DTES March

“We want to know why so many of the missing women cases in Canada remain unsolved,” said McMillan. [native elder Eunice McMillan]

The numbers of missing and murdered women, many of whom are First Nations, across Canada and within BC is hard to determine definitively. There are different estimates but what is clear is that neither the provincial and federal government is willing to do anything to investigate these disappearances. A lot of people want to know who the guilty are and why they are being protected by the authorities and government. Whose interests does this serve?

I would submit that if White women from the Westside of Vancouver, or British Properties were going missing there would be an all out effort to find them and investigate why they went missing, or how their precious lives came to be snuffed out. We have seen the efforts local authorities have put into just such a case on the Westside. Dozens of officers assigned, while poor and marginalized women around BC go missing and are murdered.

Lets face it - race, class and and discrimination have allowed for the disposability of many of girls and women in our society - our so-called "civil society." I call B.S. on the structural inequities that have created these powerful marginalizing and abusive systems which create have's and have-not's. Everyone has value in the Canada I live in. Everyone has the right to dignity, to respect, to safety, to life and to be honoured for what each and every one of us bring to the world and the families and communities we are part of.

Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms

Life, liberty and security of person

7. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.

Equality before and under law and equal protection and benefit of law

15. (1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.

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The 19th annual Women's Memorial March

Their Spirits Live Within Us

People will gather at the Carnegie Community Centre Theatre, 401 Main Street (corner Hastings, Vancouver) @ 12pm, where family members speak in remembrance.

At 1 pm, the march takes to the streets and proceeds through the Downtown Eastside, with stops to commemorate where women were last seen or found; speeches by community activists at the police station; a healing circle at Oppenheimer Park around 3 pm; and finally a community feast at the Japanese Language Hall.

Find the gathering place here.

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Protesters Demand Inquiry into Missing Aboriginal Women

‘We’ve asked . . . but there is no answer,’ activist says

Tiffany Crawford, Vancouver Sun. January 3, 2010

VANCOUVER - More than 100 women rallied in Crab Park in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Sunday to demand the federal government listen to their plea for a public inquiry into the more than 500 missing and murdered aboriginal women cases across Canada.

“We’ve asked and asked again but there is no answer,” said Bernie Williams, a native elder and activist.

There are 520 cases of missing or murdered aboriginal women in Canada, according to the Native Women’s Association of Canada.

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Highway of Tears media reports

Walk 4 Justice demands answers to missing women cases

Tyee.ca

Aboriginal Women's Action Network | Facebook

February 14 Women's Memorial March DTES Vancouver - Facebook

'Their Spirits Live Within Us."

British Columbia All Chiefs’ Task Force Appeals to Steven Harper for Public Inquiry into Murdered an

AFN Supports February 14th Womens Memorial March

The Start of Something Powerful: Strategizing for Safer Communities for BC Aboriginal Women

Report on the two-day forum: Strategizing for Safer Communities for BC Aboriginal Women, bringing together Aboriginal women concerned with violence against women with provincial health and anti-violence organizations, policy makers and funders. Organized by Pacific Association of First Nations Women, BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre and EVA BC.

Download file (pdf)

Pacific Association of First Nations Women (PAFNW)
604-688-1821 Local 2
Fax: 604-688-1823
E-mail: pafnw1@telus.net

Assists Aboriginal women and their families with health, education, and social service issues. The Aboriginal Community Health Liaison Program provides advocacy, referral, and support for Aboriginal individuals and families who have difficulties accessing health and social services in Vancouver and Richmond. The Aboriginal Elders Support Program helps Aboriginal women age 55 and over to access and participate in health care services and other activities; offers liaison, referral, consultation, advocacy, education, and research. Also provides client-focused, culturally appropriate Home Care Services, including respite for foster parents, supervised access, housekeeping, and companionship. Agency hours are 9 am to 2 pm Monday to Friday.

Media Invited to Stand with Missing and Murdered Women

Press asked to be part of the change, not perpetuate the problem

The problem – that the list of murdered and missing women, most of them Indigenous, has reached 3,000 since the 1970s; that the list is growing; and that there has not yet been a public inquiry into any of the cases – is exacerbated, according to Owen, by a media that misrepresents the stories of women beaten, violated, kidnapped and murdered across Canada.

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United Nations Experts on Women's Rights Call for Canadian Action Plan to Stop Violence Against Indigenous Women
Amnesty International.

Ottawa, ON (Nov. 26, 2008) The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has expressed concern that “hundreds of cases involving aboriginal women who have gone missing or been murdered in the past two decades have neither been fully investigated nor attracted priority attention, with the perpetrators remaining unpunished.”

Concluding its latest review of Canadian compliance with the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Committee has urged all levels of government to “give priority attention to combating violence against women” including by establishing a comprehensive national plan of action to address the social and economic factors that lead to increased risk for Indigenous women and women from ethnic minorities.

Red Tent Campaign - End Homelessness in Canada

Pivot Legal and the Citywide Housing Coalition launch Red Tent campaign

Vancouver - January 25, 2010 For Immediate Release

Red Tent, a national campaign that invites the participation of all persons and organizations wishing to end homelessness in Canada, is being launched in Vancouver.

The goal of the Red Tent campaign is to persuade the federal government to enact a funded National Housing Strategy that will end homelessness and ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for all persons living in Canada. Its strategy is to use red tents and like items as symbols on the streets and in the media during the 2010 Olympics to draw attention to Canada’s homelessness crisis, educate the public about the need for a funded national housing strategy and mobilize people across the country to pressure government to take action on homelessness.

Laura Stannard of the Citywide Housing Coalition, a partner in the Red Tent campaign, says “In the 1970s and 1980s we had excellent federal housing programs and there was very little homelessness in Vancouver. The federal government must take responsibility. Permanent programs that build more social housing each year leave a legacy of healthy, affordable communities for future generations.”

The Red Tent campaign follows a BC Court of Appeal decision in December 2009 that gives homeless people the right to erect a shelter on City property if shelter spaces are full. Pivot Legal Society has provided City Council with a legal opinion from Joe Arvay, QC, which sets out some of the implications of the new ruling for enforcement of City bylaws. The broader impact of the decision is profound; homeless people can now sleep at night on public property free of harassment by police, municipal officials and security guards.

Pivot Legal Society has asked the City of Vancouver to address these new legal implications for City by-laws. “The Adams decision means that current enforcement policies which have been used against homeless people taking shelter on public space may now be illegal,” says John Richardson, Executive Director of Pivot Legal Society. “It’s imperative that the City ensure the Charter rights and safety of homeless people are protected as we enter a period of competing demands for public space and an intense security, police and military presence.”

Red Tent is an open-source, grassroots campaign, supported by individuals and organizations who have agreed to a Basis of Unity available here. Supporters can help Red Tent succeed by sponsoring a tent, or by taking an action to end homelessness.

- 30 -

For more information visit www.redtents.org.

Questions and Answers:
Is homelessness a problem in Canada?

Canada's homeless population is somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000. In Vancouver, there are about 2000 homeless people living on the streets.

Isn’t homeless really complicated to solve?

Canada is the only industrialized nation without a national housing plan. The cost of keeping people off the street is significantly cheaper than the medical and other associated costs of leaving them on the streets. Solving homelessness isn’t as complicated as curing cancer – it’s a matter of building homes and putting supports in them so people are successful

What are the implications of the Victoria (City) v. Adams BC Appeal Court decision?

The Court of Appeal decision in Victoria (City) v. Adams requires changes to how the City regulates public space. The Adams decision means that the City now has an obligation to accommodate the right of homeless people to temporary shelters on public property.

Are Pivot and the other partner organizations trying to make the City look bad during the Olympics?

No. Homelessness is a reality of our city – it is important for visitors and the media to see the real Vancouver, which is more nuanced than Olympic branding. Only with media attention, will we be able to push politicians to create a funded national housing plan.

Is it exploitation for the campaign to give tents to homeless people?

Homeless people, as all people involved, have a self-determined role in the campaign. Homeless people involved with the project are aware of the risks and goals associated with the campaign and participate knowingly. Our Basis of Unity states: “the empowerment and genuine participation of people who are homeless, working to ensure their safety and working from a foundation of respect for their experiences, perspectives and needs.”

What if people take tents and participate in civil disobedience?

Red Tent is an open-sourced campaign with a statement of unity that connects many different individuals and organizations working around housing issues. The statement of unity includes a commitment to peaceful protest and resistance and tactics that do not lead to harm to people or destruction of property. See the full Basis of Unity here.

Conference: Brain Development & Learning

BRAIN DEVELOPMENT & LEARNING:

MAKING SENSE OF THE SCIENCE

July 16-20, 2010 Vancouver, BC

Website: http://www.interprofessional.ubc.ca/bdl.html

Hear cutting-edge research in neuroscience, developmental science, and mental health presented in ways that doctors, social workers, educators, and all who work directly with children can understand, see the immediate relevance of, and use.

For all those wishing they had more guidance in what research says are best practices.

"For years I have seen people try to bring educators together with health specialists,

or either with researchers. I have never seen any effort work as well as what you put

together in Vancouver." -- Prof. Michael Meaney, McGill University

Topics include:

* A Revolution in Pediatric Care: Social Pediatrics

* Child and Adolescent Mental Health

* Successful Math Programs with First-Nations Youth

* How Early Experience affects Gene Expression

* Factors Regulating the Bond between Parents and Infants

* How We Learn vs. How We Think We Learn

* Interventions that Work

* Fetal Preprograming and Fetal Origins of Disease

* Interactions between the Brain and Immune System: Implications for Autism and Schizophrenia

* Cultural Diversity

* How Findings on the Cellular & Molecular Bases of Learning & Memory are leading to ways to Reverse Developmental Disorders

* Skin-to-Skin Contact produces Better Outcomes than Incubators

* Mindfulness-based Stress and Pain Reduction

98% approval for previous 2 meetings!

SAVE MONEY: Registration can be as low as $50 a day:

Register before Feb. 1 to get Early Bird Discount

Register before June 1 to avoid late charge

Take advantage of automatic 50%-off scholarships: www.interprofessional.ubc.ca/BDL_subpages/scholarships_2010.htm

Cost is as low as ONLY $250 for a FIVE day conference (only $50 a day plus free breakfasts) -- that scholarship rate applies to any and all whose family incomes are < $100,000 a year who register before Feb.

Beginning in Feb., scholarship rate is $60 a day (which is still amazingly good).

The scholarships of 50% off are AUTOMATIC (NO application process) to all whose family incomes are < $100,000/yr.

brochure: www.interprofessional.ubc.ca/BDL_subpages/pdf/brochure_for_2010.pdf

registration: www.peopleware.net/index.cfm?siteCode=1268&eventDisp=IPE%2EMAR11&subeventdisp=IN9556

Comments from past attendees include:

“The speakers are exceptional, the organization of the conference supreme, the spirit of the whole conference is great; this is the best conference I ever attended.”

“The broad scientific base combined with practical relevance was terrific!”

“I’ve gained knowledge and passion.”

“The calibre of presenters and the quality of their presentations was consistently excellent.”

“It was wonderful having different groups of professionals from different backgrounds and training come together in a truly collaborative way sharing research, knowledge, and experiences."

“Awesome organization! Awesome program! Helpful, friendly people! A wonderful experience!”

Conference Website: http://www.interprofessional.ubc.ca/bdl.html

Adele Diamond, PhD, FRSC

Canada Research Chair Tier 1 Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia (UBC), &

Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver

http://www.devcogneuro.com/index.html

GDP Stories: How People Fall off the Edge of the World

One of 12 GDP Stories and short films from the NFB measuring the human side of the Canadian economic crisis.

My so-called plans

Date published : November 17, 2009

“My mom always had a job - I never had to work,” says 18-year-old Jessica. Then the recession hit, and those difficult teenage years suddenly got a little tougher.

'My so-called plans' is a new, intimate photo essay looking at the economic crisis through the eyes of 18-year-old Jennifer, who has moved out on her own after her mother lost her job and is trying to figure out her next move. You can watch the audio slideshow here:

GDP - Measuring the human side of the Canadian economic crisis | http://gdp.nfb.ca

PIB - L'indice humain de la crise économique canadienne | http://pib.onf.ca

Follow the GDP project on Facebook or Twitter, or via the NFB Newsletter.

Office national du film du Canada | National Film Board of Canada
3155, chemin de la Cote-de-Liesse, Montréal QC H4N 2N4
t.mcsorley@nfb.ca
Téléphone | Telephone: +1 514-561-9919
www.onf.ca | www. nfb.ca

BC Kids - Living in Poverty - Little to Celebrate on the 20the Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

I am surprised that the ministry hasn't adopted more of a poverty strategy that they want to be very public with and say: "We are going to tackle poverty. We're going to tackle it in first nations communities" — where it is often the most deeply felt, and it is intergenerational poverty — "and we're going to tackle it for the working poor. We're going to look at transitional poverty, and we're going to actually make that part of our mandate: to provide the best care for children and families in the province of British Columbia — and that we would actually address that." I haven't heard that from government, and it's too bad. I would hope that they would see that part of their responsibility is to address that.

- M. Karagianis, MCFD NDP Opposition Critic

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BC HAS LITTLE TO CELEBRATE ON THE 20^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UN CONVENTION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD

BC Association of Social Workers, November 23, 2009

On November 20^th 1989 Canada ratified the historic UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) with other State parties of the United Nations. The UNCRC was the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights for young people.

The four core principles of the Convention are: non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. States parties to the Convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and policies in the light of the best interests of the child.

Read the whole release here.

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Article 3 (1) In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.

UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (Ratified November 20th 1989)

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BC Continues Dismal Child Poverty Rate: Report
Lindsay Kines, Canwest News Service. November 23, 2009

B.C. needs to follow the lead of six other provinces and adopt a clear plan for reducing child poverty if it hopes to shed its reputation as the worst performer in the country, says a report due out Tuesday.

First Call B.C.’s Child Poverty Report Card says the province posted the highest rate of child poverty for the sixth straight year in 2007 — even before the current economic recession.

The report, commissioned by the child and youth advocacy coalition First Call, says 156,000 children were living in poverty in B.C., a number “greater than the combined population of Nanaimo and Prince George.”

“We have failed a generation of children affected by poverty by our failure to keep the promise made in 1989,” the B.C. report says. “Now is the time for British Columbia to make the necessary commitment to a provincial poverty reduction plan with clearly defined targets and timelines.”

2008 BC Child Poverty Report Card

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Official report of Debates of the Legislative Assembly

Committee of Supply. Estimates: Ministry of Children and Family Development

Thursday, November 5, 2009.

Hon. M. Polak: I want to emphasize that contrary to some of the statements that have been made both in that report and in other places, the ministry does not ever remove a child as a result of low income. We remove a child when it is felt that they are in unsafe circumstances.

M. Karagianis: I take it from the minister's comments that there's not a poverty plan. There is no specific focus on looking at intergenerational poverty and how we resolve that for aboriginal communities primarily, but not exclusively. Certainly, the minister sees that poverty issues will not affect the number of children in care.

Certainly, in the case of the family that I referenced, the child was removed from those parents because they were in unsafe housing. The reason they were in unsafe housing is because they couldn't access housing and adequate funding in order to live in a safer environment.

So the issues around poverty are certainly complex, and we can't isolate simply the ministry's role in the apprehension of a child to say: "Well, the child was in an unsafe environment, and that's why the child was apprehended." You have to actually look one step broader than that and say: "That family was in an unsafe situation because they were poor, and they couldn't access adequate resources to find safer housing for themselves at that point in time."

I'm just really disappointed that the government hasn't picked up the issue of child poverty as part of the ongoing, multi…. If we want to talk about across all ministries….

We want to talk about how we look at children through the lens of not being siloed, look at all of the ministry responsibilities in the various ways that children in care or families needing assistance at some point touch on the government and make contact with the government and why poverty and the reduction of poverty…. Deep intergenerational poverty is, I think, the most challenging. But, certainly, the issue of poverty and the growing concern about the working poor... When we have a government that actually directs families to food banks as a way to make income assistance stretch from one part of the month to the next, I think we've failed miserably in our ability to come to grips with the reality for families. So it is very disappointing.

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Leaked MCFD Memo Reveals Plans for Cuts

MOMS in the Move. 11/07/09

Leaked MCFD documents obtained today by MOMS describe a process that has been underway since August 2009 to achieve "baseline funding reductions" for contracted agencies that deliver most of the Ministry's front-line services and supports - with a focus on cuts to community-based intervention and early intervention.

The "North Region STOB 80 Reduction Planning Process and Principals" (sic) document refers to a process for "cost recovery" for the current year and outlines planning, roles, principles and provincial direction guiding a second process that is also now underway to determine further reductions for 2010-11 in order to meet Ministry budget targets.

Children's Minister Mary Polak has confirmed that this is a Ministry-wide initiative that affects all regions.

Minister Polak told Public Eye Online today that there were no targets and that this was just a discussion document, which is not consistent with what the Ministry document itself states (the Minister has also repeatedly claimed that there are no cuts, which is not consistent with any grasp of reality).

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After an Exhaustive Search

Public Eye Online. November 17, 2009.

Ministry of children and family development's contractors could be forced to reduce the social service they provide as a result of government budget pressures... reductions will affect "community based intervention and early intervention services" and only happen if "all other opportunities for savings have been exhausted."

Asked for comment, Children and Family Development Minister Mary Polak stated, "This is a discussion document that seeks input from contracted agencies on the 2010/11 regional budget and is part of ongoing consultations with our agencies to find efficiencies and new ways of delivering services."

"Non-residential services continue to be the focus of this process, so areas like child protection and children in care are critical front line services that will continue to be protection [sic]..."

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Children's Advocate Pulls No Punches

Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond says B.C. is weak in addressing the needs of its most vulnerable children

Jonathan Fowlie, Vancouver SunNovember 21, 2009.

"I would say British Columbia, particularly around the child-welfare and the child-serving side, would be in the mid-to-low rank," she said when asked about how well British Columbia protects vulnerable children.

"I'm not even sure it's a system," she added. "I think it's weak. It's still weak."

She was highly complimentary of front-line workers who she said often come to her with concerns and ideas about how to make things better.

But when addressing how well the system deals with children, she consistently returned to the same answer: more needs to be done.

"Government has challenges to speak with confidence about the outcomes it achieves for some of the most vulnerable children," she said, "because in fact they're not graduating. A lot of kids in British Columbia live in poverty.

"I'm not confident we are doing everything we can."

Minister of Children and Family Development Mary Polak said the relationship between Turpel-Lafond and her ministry is an "evolving" one.

Polak acknowledged there were challenges in the early days, especially developing lines of communication between Turpel-Lafond's office and the ministry, but said that has since changed.

"There's been some major progress in terms of the way the ministry interrelates with her office," Polak said.

"I thought I was moving to one of the wealthiest provinces in Canada that had significant investment in kids," she said.

"I was really surprised to learn through the work to date how vulnerable those children are in British Columbia and how the systems do not meet their needs.

"A lot of these kids are in grinding poverty and really, what is there for them is limited."

The High Cost of Not Caring: BCASW Submission to the 2010 BC Budget Consultation

The High Cost of Not Caring:
Submission to the 2010 BC Budget Consultation

Prepared by Tracey Young, MSW, RSW
Chair, Child Welfare & Family Committee
October 2009

BC Association of Social Workers

Investing in children, families and poverty reduction strategies is the underpinning of a civil, progressive society.

We ask the BC government to dedicate the 2010 budget to the interests of dignity, human rights and respect for all
our citizens.

“Bearing in mind that the peoples of the United Nations have, in the Charter, reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person, and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

Recalling that, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations has proclaimed that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance, convinced that the family, as the fundamental group of society and the natural environment for the growth and well-being of all its members and particularly children, should be afforded the necessary protection and assistance so that it can fully assume its responsibilities within the community.”

- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (November 20, 1989)

INTRODUCTION

The BC Association of Social Workers is the professional association for social workers in British Columbia, a membership-driven organization of more than 1200 social workers employed in all areas of the province, in child welfare, health care, community agencies, universities, institutions, private practice and actively retired. We have a wealth of wisdom and experience as a result of our frontline social work with children, youth, families and vulnerable individuals. Our submission is grounded and arises out of our collective expertise and the honour of working with citizens throughout the province of British Columbia.

We have witnessed the rapid erosion and dismantling of the child welfare and child and family serving systems and its toll on our most vulnerable people in BC. These circumstances are preventable and can be remediated by the province. Improving investment in our social infrastructure through sound economic and public policy decision-making, made in consideration of proven best practices in child welfare, anti-poverty strategies and economic development, have all yielded measurable results and improvements in other jurisdictions. We believe that BC can and must do better for our current and future generations of citizens. Our very health, well being and future as a province depend on it.

CREATING A FUNCTIONAL AND ETHICAL RIGHTS-BASED CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM

CUTS TO SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

DEVOLUTION OF CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES

SUPPORT TO ABORIGINAL PEOPLES OF BC

ANTI-POVERTY MEASURES

INVESTMENT IN SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Read our full Submission and Recommendations to the BC government here.

Everyone Needs a Roof over their Head: Homelessness Action Week - October 11 - 17, 2009

Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms

Life, liberty and security of person

7. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.

Treatment or punishment

12. Everyone has the right not to be subjected to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.

United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom...

Article 5.

• No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 22.

• Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.

Article 25.

• (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
• (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

StopHomelessness.ca - Homeless Action week Events

dignity for all:
the campaign for a poverty-free Canada

I believe that freedom from poverty is a human right.
I believe in equality among all people.
I believe we are all entitled to social and economic security.
I believe in dignity for all.
NOW is the time to end poverty in Canada.

Editor's corner: Time for action | Megaphone

Sean Condon. The Megaphone: Vancouver's Street Paper

On any given night in British Columbia, some 10,000 to 15,000 people are without a home. Some sleep in the streets, others in shelters and thousands more on someone’s couch or floor. In Metro Vancouver, the number has doubled to at least 2,500 in just six years. All of which has happened under this government’s watch.

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Call to action in Metro Vancouver's war on homelessness
Lora Grindlay. The Province. October 11, 2009.

Excerpts:

Three Metro Vancouver mayors urged residents to pressure politicians to do something about the homeless in their communities Monday.

Alice Sundberg, co-chair of the Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness said the problem crosses all Metro Vancouver boundaries.

It’s estimated there are more than 2,600 homeless people in Metro Vancouver.

“It’s not just homelessness though, it’s the thousands of people in our community that are at risk of homelessness because the housing market has not worked very well,” said Stewart.

There is simply not enough affordable places to rent, he said.

“It’s single parents, it’s seniors, it’s young people. A broad range of our community is a pay cheque or two away from losing their homes. We need to tackle that,” said Stewart.

(Gregor) Robertson noted that Canada is the only G8 country that doesn’t have a national housing strategy.

“We’re letting people fall through the cracks without homes to go to and no other country at our level is doing that,” he said.

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Poverty, Human Rights and the Global Society
Hosted by Theresa Fay-Bustillos (October 2009).
Social Edge

As we continue to address the problem of global poverty, we will need to determine what standard we apply, at the level of multi-lateral as well as non-governmental organizations, to ensure that the UN Declaration either stands or—if it is deemed irrelevant because outdated—does not obstruct the establishment of a different standard by which to engage in helping the world’s poor.