Monday 25 July 2011

DNC Board meeting. - July 25, 2011

DNC Board meeting.
July 25, 2011
Present: Al, Nathan, Wendy, Ann, Paul, Angela, Jen, Tami, Fraser, Dave M, Harold, Dave H, Richard and Anne Marie.
(community member guests)
Regrets: Sid & Ivan.
No regrets:  Ping, Ron, Earl
Chair:  Paul; Minutes:  Tami

Protocols:
1)    Acknowledgment Paul
2)    DNC Constitution read by Fraser
3)    Motion to accept agenda. Moved by Tami and seconded by Fraser.  Carried
Guest:
4)    Alive:  Scott from Aboriginal Life in Vancouver Enhancement Society talked about this group.  Not a service agency. Very low budget.  Keeping it small and grassroots.  Located in Raycam.  400 members and looking for 1000 more members. AGM on July 26, 2011 at 4:30 at Raycam.  Child Welfare Forum at W2 from 7-9 pm on Thursday, July 28, 2011.   Goal is to partner with mainstream societies to bring forward Aboriginal voice.  Policies that help organizations expand to welcome and incorporate aboriginal involvement because aboriginal people want to be involved.  Paul: does this include harm reduction? Somewhat of a problem with some elders that are anti harm reduction.   Scott: no charge and they are open to anyone 100%.
Active Campaigns:
5)    Pantages:  Add Solidarity Notes Choir and Lifeskills Political Action Group to the list of endorsers.  Consider trying to get Provincial government to appropriate the project because Worthington properties in arrears.  Protest at architect office was good but they said they have no power to do anything.  Police showed up and we offered them date squares.   44 groups endorse the community statement.  Next step go to the site of owner and demand he sell for only 200% instead of 700% profit!  City has attempted to buy the property before and could do it again if the price came down.   The city’s housing strategy coming up on Thursday.  Only promise 100 SRO replacement a year which means it will take 50 years to housing units proposed by the recent city housing strategy.   Speaking at City Hall Thursday, July 28, 2011 9:30am.  Al, Fraser, Richard and Harold, and Wendy want to speak to this at council. 
6)    Pedestrian campaign:  VANDU did one of the best statistical projects in the world.  Can only be accessed on the city website and apparently the city is taking credit for it.  It has short, medium and long term objectives.  VPD is not supporting the 30 KM zone and blames pedestrian deaths on pedestrians.  Here is the link to the report:

Crosswalks for tourists, for tinseltown, for police but none for poor, drug users etc.  Action in the works to do an art project to draw a crosswalk across 100 block of Hastings.  Likely to create body outlines and other creative endeavors.   VANDU to keep us posted so we can be involved as a partner.  Dave H. We need to push for more pedestrian signs and reduce the speed limit.
Active Committees
7)    LAPP Committee:  The city accepted us as partners and we still need to push them on market development.  We’ve had some other victories in this like the city agreed that the focus will be to protect the assets and tenure of the LIC plus to put LI people in the centre, to have 50% women and 50% people of colour on the committee.  We had our first meeting to start a low income caucus.  It was rocky with some of the Power of Women.  One thing we learned was to have coast salish representatives.  Groups invited to be in this caucus are:  DNC, Carnegie, VANDU, DEWC/Power, AFD, Gallery Gachet, WHARS.  We could consider reaching out to the PAC at STrathcona school (or crabtree parents?)  Need an easy terms of reference for this group.  Next steps:  meet at 11:30 LAPP committee.  Sometime the week after we’ll plan the second coalition meeting. Things are moving quickly with Terms of Reference and city and they asked us to set up the city committee.  Wendy to send Scott/Alive some stuff about the LAPP.
8)    DNC Street Market & Fair – Applied for Vancouver Foundation funding.  Costs $70,000 to run the street market the way it is run right now at 1 day a week.  If we want to expand it will cost more.  Discussion about whether PHS or the city are in control of Pigeon bank site (the site that the city wants us to expand or “move” to).  DNC Street Market & Fair Suggestion to expand at our own pace, not worry about PHS and city and to expand to a location that we really want.  Suggestion to open street market & fair open at 9 a.m. as stated in the permit.  Get Lyn to check permit in park and use that to stop ticketing in the mornings before market opens.  Angela will help get Lyn in touch with new district 2 police force to talk about ticketing.  Inspector: Macie Flammand & Ian Upton.   Tami:  This Sunday, July 31, 2011 the DNC Street Market & Fair will hold it’s own LGBT2IQ extravaganza!   Dave and Ann to get Lyn to write thank you letters to BCPWA and CCF.  Tami and Wendy to coordinate to get more membership forms and honorarium evaluations to the market for next Sunday.  Tami there with LGBTI2Q festival!  
DNC operations:
9)    New Board members: 
a.      Welcome Angela McDougall (market) and Jen Allen (at Large)!
b.     Motion:  Remove Eilleen Pigeon (homeless) from the board because she has been inactive.  Moved:  Paul; Second:  Nathan.  Carried. 
c.      Motion:  Al Fowler to fill the homeless seat.  Moved:  Nathan.  Dave H Seconds.  Carried.
d.     Lorna Bird and Raquel Daniels will be encouraged to come to the next meeting and fill the other 2 empty homeless seats.
e.      Stacey, Tracey, Rose and DJ will be encouraged to come in case other board seats become available.
f.       Motion:  To send Ron Kuelke and Ping Chan a letter requesting they step down and free up a space.  Moved:  Paul.  Tami Seconds.  Carried.  Ann to write letter and Paul to send.
g.      TABLED:  Sending notice to Victoria about new board members
10)TABLED:   Honorarium evaluation
11)Beattie letter:  decision to hold discussion to 10 minutes.  2 minutes for Beattie, 2 minutes for DNC board and 5 minutes of discussion before asking general membership to vote.  Harold, Ivan and Fraser on this short terms task group to organize our response.
12)Theme for next general meeting – Decision to do 2 themes:  1) pedestrian safety and 2) closing of First United (Angela and Ric or Stephen Gray to be speakers – with discussion)
Discussion about FUC: 
-        Angela: first united is losing funding from BC housing due to their lack of willingness to change how they operate and the ongoing violence to women.  Sanctuary to stay open but problematic because unstructured, no names, no assigned beds and staff are not well trained.  BC Housing will not fund it anymore.  So 200 people will be relocated to other shelters, hotels, rent sups and maybe social housing.
-        Women’s groups got women’s only shelter extended hours.  Lifeskills relocating.  A woman was sexually assaulted last week at FUC.  WISH may get funding to be open 24 hours.  We need to promote our goals at this meeting – maybe a big sign with our constitution on it.
-        Ann, Tami and Ivan to work on organizing the next GM agenda
13)TABLED:  DNC staff person and funding
14)FUC closure – dealt with it above
15)Endorsement of Curtis Action.  Motion:  Wendy; Second Paul;  Carried. Tami against.
16)LGBT12Q committee:  Tami wants to start this and will come next week with a proposal for who will be on the committee, the purpose and who will be the liaison to the board.
17)TABLED:  Next GM preparations
18)TABLED:  10 sites strategy meeting
19)TABLED:  MLA welfare campaign
20)TABLED:   Need to send thank you letter to Jacob’s Well for use of space.
21)TABLED:  Treasurer report
22)Motion to close the meeting.  Dave H moved; Richard second.  Unanimous!

Closing with a moment of silence.
8:35pm

Monday 18 July 2011

DNC Board Meeting - July 18, 2011

Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council Board Meeting
July 18, 2011
Jacob’s Well
(I don’t know if I got these minutes right, please check)

Protocols:

  1. Acknowledgement and constitution
  2. Attendance: Harold, Paul, Fraser, Dave M, Richard, Wendy, Ann
  3. Regrets: Sid, Ivan, Tami
  4. No regrets:  Dave H, Earl, Ping, Ron
  5. Chair: Paul, Notes: Wendy
  6. Review of agenda

Admin:

  1. DNC GM
    1. Space is booked for Aug 6 AGM 2 pm this time, not 3 pm!
    2. Next board meeting work out theme
  2. Board vacancies to be ratified at the next GM.  Paul and Wendy to follow up with new board members. 
    1. Motion:  Angela McDougal will take the one market seat.  Paul/Second Harold; carried
    2. Motion:  Jen Allen will take the one At Large seat.  Wendy/Second  Ann; carried
    3. Motion:  Invite Raquel, Lorna and Al to come to the next board meeting and see which 2 can take board seats under the homeless category.  Wendy/Second:  Fraser; carried.
    4. Motion:  Invite Stacey, Tracey and other interested members to attend board meetings and possibly fill future vacancies.  Wendy/Second Ann; carried.
  3. Honorarium Evaluations – Anne Marie to take forms to Power of women to get filled. 
  4. Beattie letter – Deal with this in August GM; set a time limit; nominate Ivan, Harold and Fraser to meet ahead of time to organize for this.
  5. Cel phone minutes for active board members
    1. Motion:  Fraser to get a plan for cel phone and submit receipts up to $30 a month Paul/Second Wendy; carried.

Active Campaigns:

  1. Pantages
    1. action on Thursday at 9 a.m. for breakfast – going to architect’s office.
    2. DNC needs to write a letter to city hall against Pantages before Aug 12.
  2. Ped safety
    1. Meeting with Kerry Jang Tues at 2 at VANDU

Active Committees:
  1. LAPP
    1. First potential coalition meeting on Tuesday night at 6 pm
  2. Street Market
    1. Application to Vancouver Foundation going to pay for ½ the project for 1 day a week in 2012-2014.
    2. Thank you letters needed for Central City Foundation and COV
    3. Letter to city about expansion needed – to say that we want to operate it.

Tabled:
- Future 10 sites strategy meeting
- Newsletter committee elections
- Outreach and agenda for August GM






Wendy
CCAP/604-839-0379