DNC Board Meeting Minutes, May 19^th, 2015. Location: Area #62, Hastings Street, Vancouver

Agenda

Street Market

Law Sub-Committee

Stamps Update

Film Industry Update

Other Business

Street Market

Outreach monies have not yet arrived.  Street Market plans on working with Center for Excellence.

Carnegie is promoting idea that the Street Market must stay put.

Law Sub-Committee

Meeting May 21^st with law professor and legal official. It’s a great opportunity with possibility of moving forward on our legal project. Amanda and Aaron will report back.

Stamps Update

Some new tenants are causing problems re disrupting quiet enjoyment for other tenants, an unusual problem in an otherwise quiet neighborhood.  Stamps Tenant’s Council was helpful in advising with this problem.

Film Industry Update

DNC will work with Street Market resources for contracts. Chris/Ann will take lead on this project.

Other Business

Jules is going to Toronto at the end of the month on conference with street workers re new court ruling.

Western Harm Reduction Conference May 28^th, Rob, John and Ann will be attending.  Amanda will write letter to be read at conference re housing complaint.

Housing complaint re tenants’ requested for id; case was won at rtb and in court but the housing provider stated in newspaper that housing provider will continue to impose the policy.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn

DNC Board Meeting Minutes, May 12^th, 2015, Location: Area #62, East Hastings, Vancouver.

Agenda

Aboriginal  Subcommittee

New Board Member

Law Subcommittee

Other Business

Aboriginal Subcommittee

John:  50 people attended rally on West Broadway. We presented the letter to be given to CEO of Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. 30 people went up in the elevator. The janitor ordered security not to let other people onto 2^nd elevator. We told the staff it was a peaceful demonstration. We asked that the CEO respond to letter within two weeks. If the answer to our request is no then we will call a press conference.  VCHA funds Life Skills and Main Street. We want them to fund a non-residential alcohol management program through Eidge. 

Ann:  The same 50 people get picked up all the time so the alcohol management program works. It saves people’s lives.

John:  Eidge is to present at the Alberta Harm Reduction Conference. The presentation is called “In This Together".  Also points out that Ann will be presenting at the conference on working toward supervised consumption sites.

New Board Member

Amanda nominates Richard as new board member. Richard lives outside the dtes and he is a Natural Community Member. Motion passes unanimously.

Law Subcommittee

Discussion of meeting with legal official:  Ann: Ask him about the poor laws where people are ticketed are harassed, and its happening now worldwide. There was a report written called The Calgary Report. That report points out that police are moving people into remand and overseeing conditional release directly. The police will add 3 or 4 more criminal charges to one ticket.

Amanda: OK. We also want to ask if there are any resources available so people can learn legal literacy. I think that’s an important thing because people in this community are told they don’t have any rights when they do.

Group discusses. Amanda will write up a letter for May 28^th harm reduction conference to ask if people are being denied visitors in housing there also.

Ann: Ask lawyer if the law firm can provide weekly meetings for 8 weeks with stipends for attendees if they have a case. Amanda agrees.

Other Business

Narcon kits

Group discusses that DNC should have Narcon kits. Group discusses that Atira is not allowed to administrate Narcon kits because of liability but harm reduction/Good Samaritan law may overrule liability. Ann: the issue is that there should be enough around.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn

DNC Board Meeting Minutes, May 5^th, 2015, Location: Area #62, East Hastings, Vancouver, BC.

Agenda

Minutes (tabled)

Constitution (tabled)

Legal Committee

We have heard from assessment officer. Must provide more information, and also the lawyer is reviewing information.

Amanda and Aaron are excited that they’re meeting with legal official on the 21st. One of the issues we hope to address in this meeting is to gain information that could lead us to resources for public legal education. Ann points out its important for us to try to address the issue of poor people being ticketed disproportionately in dtes and fined money they cannot pay, until they end up in remand for quite a long time over a bus ticket or a vending ticket.

Group has long wide ranging discussion on issues.

St. Market Report

BIA not opposing Street Market. Meeting at 3 pm @ Woodward’s 5^th floor today with people who might want to partner with Street Market on what is now being called an Economic Hub.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn

DNC Board Meeting minutes, April 28th, 2015, Area #62, East Hastings, Vancouver.

Agenda

Street Market Report

Law Subcommittee

Methadone Clinic Issue

Other Business

Street Market Report

Member raises question re Street Market. Group discusses and decides that question is not DNC business and that the question needs to be brought up at Street Market Board 8 a.m., Saturday @ Vandu.

Law Subcommittee

Still waiting for first response from CHRC. Groups discusses that it may be possible to have an information forum in May at Vancouver Drug User Resource Center. Group also discusses plan to ask for resources to have workshops. Members interested in working on this are Ann/Chris/Amanda/Aaron.

Other Business

Announcement that city has a plan or is creating a plan to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries. Group discusses that the principle of proportionate intervention allows for more control. Discussion that DNC drug user policy stance is in that sense aligned with city's plan to regulate people who work in medical marijuana dispensaries.

Also announcement by Jamie that he has been talking to people in pharmacies and has heard from residents that people would like DNC to lend support re issues related to methadone users.

There will be a Street Market related meeting on May 5^th, 3 pm, at Woodward’s 5^th floor, regarding Street Market move to 501 Powell. Bob Rennie will donate a trailer to the market.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn