DNC Board Meeting minutes, February 13^th, 2015. Location: Ray Cam, 2^nd floor.

Agenda

Funding

Legal Committee

Movie Business

Ray Cam

Street Market

Business Cards

Survey

Adrianne Carr

Housing

Funding:

Group discusses that political work does not result in funding.  Discussion that DNC could provide tours of neighborhood.  Group discusses that UGM does tours. Matt: We could talk to Tourism Vancouver and get an approved vendors list.

Group discusses proposal to do a bottle drive. 

Jamie: The bottle drive will come and pick up from #62. We can’t store bottles at #62.

Aaron: We could ask restaurants to donate, and other places that have empties.

Amanda: Who would be willing to take charge of the project?

Leo: We ran that program in the ‘60’s and ‘80’s. We’d buy them 80 cents on the dollar. People in the liquor stores loved that. We’d make $500 in two hours. But we don’t have a van now.

Roland nominates X to be in charge of the bottle drive.

Jamie: We should pay whoever does it.

Roland: Discuss at next meeting.

Legal Committee

Aaron is going through Privacy Guidelines. Will report back.

Movie Business

Matt:  At meeting at Creative BC staff person started off by saying: “I don’t know why you’re here. Go find a producer to use your services”. Staff person said government cannot refer services.  The person I met knew DERA and Ed. It’s up to us to call each producer listed on the website. They don’t need street cleaners. They just need ‘special liaison’.

Matt:  Announcement that CBC wants a one page document on what’s going on. The Stamps, Movie Business, Housing, etc.

Amanda: Proposes that each person or committee working on issue put a paragraph together based on the issue we know the most about. Bring to next meeting to be condensed into one page document. 

Amanda: Legal Committee/Stamps

Aaron: Supportive Housing

Roland: Street Market  “The Truth.”

Jamie: Atira

Ray Cam

Meet at Ray Cam while space available. It’s not definite that we can meet here over long term.

Business Cards

Matt says he’s waiting for template.

Adrianne Carr

Email sent re tour.

Street Market

Street Market is starting to apply for grant. The city wants to create a plan around street disorder. DNC could participate and possibly gain some funding.

Also the Street Market is applying for a grant for wifi with other organizations in a coalition. DNC could be part of this. Requires DNC to participate in surveys.

Suggestion Box:

Group discusses ways to encourage people to submit to suggestion box.

Housing

President of Stamp’s Tenant’s Council was to attend but is not here. Group hears that the Stamp Tenant’s Council continues to meet.  Last meeting there was a discussion of plans for concert or other benefit event. Stamp’s Tenant’s Council  meets on Mondays at Ray Cam at 3:00 pm and Thursday 6:00 pm.

Moment of Silence.

Adjourn. 

DNC Board Meeting minutes, February 6^th, 2015, Location: Area #62, Hastings Street.

Agenda

Meeting Space

Legal Committee

Housing Committee

Suggestion Box

Extra Cost re: Methadone

Street Market

Meeting Space

Group will meet at Ray Cam next week, Friday @ 5:pm. Group will continue to search for more central place to meet.

Legal Committee

Group discusses creating database of issues.  Ann and Amanda will work together after 18^th.

Housing Committee

President of Stamp’s Tenant Council will attend next DNC meeting @ Ray Cam.

Group discusses that Jamie’s case is adjourned until April.

Suggestion Box

Roland will allow Shawn to use Street Market Printer.  Ann:  If people want an answer they should leave their email and phone number.

Roland proposes that DNC provide money for the online survey. Street Market will pay half the cost of $120 per year. Roland motioned.  Ann: 2nded.  Motion passed.

Extra Cost re: Methadone.

The clinic now charges $40 dispensing fee. There are no alternative meds so people are forced to pay a large amount (unaffordable) from their disability cheque. Ann: If coastal health does the dispensing the fee is not applied.

Group discusses that there are two large treatment programs for men in dtes. There are no treatment programs for women.

Ann:  Simon Fraser Series.  Awesome speakers.  Evening courses. Suggestion that a series of speakers could speak on dtes issues and would be good to include rights based discourse. Suggests Amanda could speak. Talk about how we’re trying to make our own case.

Street Market

Roland: We’re getting traction on the free wi-fi project. Many groups part of the proposal including Ray Cam, Strathcona, Carnegie. Street Market will be part of proposal. We need equipment money. Vancouver Community Network is going to advise. VCN said they’ve been trying to install for years. Michael Green and an architectural firm is donating innovative wooden structure to Street Market, as their gift to community.

We need to contact councilors to go on a tour. Agreement that member will send email.

Decision to table the discussion of funding. First order of business next meeting.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn

DNC board meeting minutes, January 27^th, 2015. Location: #62 East Hastings.

Agenda

Housing

Meeting with the Liberal Candidate.

Legal Committee

Meeting Space

Other business

Housing

Discussion that non profits that claim to provide supportive housing coerce tenants with 6 month fixed term rental agreements to accept illegal rules that violate people’s rights and the Rental Tenancy Act. Rules such as no guests, not even family members as visitors are illegal. Files are kept on residents by staff. People feel coerced to accept this treatment in a time of 0.5.vacancy rate. Fipa Act says it is illegal for companies to keep files on people. Facilities are not licenced and residents are monitored by staff and notes are kept on them. The only other place this occurs is a jail, or a hospital.

Meeting with Liberal Candidate

Discussion that Amanda and Marla will go to the event to meet the Liberal candidate for Vancouver East Joanne Griffith.

Legal Committee

Discussion that HR complaint is almost completed. There is another opportunity to take it to another advisor for more feedback.

Meeting Space

Shawn: will check out First United.

Other business

Rob:  A new political party is forming, looking for reps throughout BC.

Roland: We should have a meeting with Vandu.

Ann: The most important thing is to do a Saturday meeting.

Amanda: We should consider the budget, we can’t afford stipends.

Rob: Tuesday group. Vandu can put in their funds for stipends.

Roland:  There are systemic issues such as poverty. You don’t get to engage the poorest people without stipends.  $3 is what needs to be done.

Leo: $2 plus coffee and a sandwich.

Amanda: The reality is we have to watch the budget.

Shawn: We can make a big bowl of chili.

Roland: It’s important for us to hear new stories of abuses. We need to have people come so we can hear. Most vulnerable should be encouraged to come.

Shawn:  I will create a DNC suggestion box. Will report back.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn

DNC Board Meeting Minutes, January 19^th, 2015. Location: #62 East Hastings

Agenda

Constitution

Meeting Place

Film Liaison

Housing  (Stamps)

Street Market

Meeting Place

Aaron went to Jacob’s Ladder. Possible meeting space, waiting to hear back. Jacek will call to try to book First United.  Amanda will call to see if space available at Resource Center.

Film Liaison

Meeting with Penny and Matt on February 5^th.

Housing Stamps

Discussion about external transfer policies.  Roland will write DNC position on it with Amanda for press release.

Street  Market

Market helps to regulate sales of items. If there is no regulation through a market then there is more opportunity that stolen items will be sold. We need due process when police take items from vendors.

 

Survey

Agreement to share cost of survey with Street Market.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn

DNC Board minutes, January 13^th, 2015, Location: #62 East Hastings Street.

Agenda

Stamps Place

Aboriginal Committee

Film Liaison

Meeting Space

Legal Committee

Survey

Other Business

Chair: Amanda

Stamps Place

Group discusses that non-profits are placing bid on Stamp’s Place. Stamp's Tenant's Council has no input. The non-profits have lower standards than BC Housing.  Group discusses that the non profits have issues related to insecure housing, illegal rental agreements, lack of maintenance, and violations of tenant’s privacy, as well as discriminatory policies. Group discusses that we should circulate the list of rules and policies that most people would find unacceptable. Non profit's rules found to be a violation of RTB twice and they’re still appealing.

Aboriginal Committee

Group discusses that DTES has highest demographic of Aboriginal people, and it seems is the only resident’s association that city does not help to facilitate funding from film industry for.  Issue tabled until Matt has meeting at city hall.

Meeting Space

Amanda will try to book room at Carnegie.

Legal Committee

Tabled.

Survey

Tabled.

Other Business

Jules:  Explains that table is required at Street Market to provide information on methadone program. Roland:  Table is available.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn

DNC Board Meeting Minutes, January 06, 2015, Location: #62 East Hastings, Vancouver.

Agenda

Constitution

Stamps Place

Legal Committee

Survey

Film Liaison

Other Business

Chair: Matt

Stamps Place

BC Housing is selling off all BC housing throughout the province to non-profits and P3 agreements. Group discusses concern about transfer policies and how this impacts on tenants. Group is concerned about how transfer policies relate to family status for tenants.  Group discusses concern about non-profits and illegal rental agreements, general lack of proper maintenance and accountability. Stamps Tenant’s Council meets every Monday at 6 p.m. at Ray Cam Senior’s lounge.

Motion by Matt for Chris to join the board. Seconded:  Aaron.  Passed.

Legal Committee:

Amanda: Meeting with academic person was useful. We learned valid objections. We can find a way to use the valid objections to strengthen the argument.  We learned from criticism what was possible in terms of how to go forward with a complaint.

Shawn motions to note in the minutes that Solstice Celebration meeting of December 23^rd was cancelled.  Seconded:  Aaron. Passed.

Survey

Matt: Survey will include 20 questions.  2 questions in each category. Everyone picks their top two. We wittle in down through a vote. Roland: Need to find right program. Survey Monkey requires money at some point. He will check costs.

Group discusses a report that there is a lack of doctors in neighborhood available to update methadone prescriptions. Ann will bring information.

Film Liaison

Matt: It is now January and we still have no meeting with city on our proposal. We met last October with the city. Time to bring the issue back. I’ll print up the emails with promises from city. We’re the only residents group that doesn’t receive funding from film industry.  We submitted a proposal.  We can’t even get a place to meet. Roland: They say we’re doing it the wrong way. They won’t tell us what they want. They initially said we could submit a bid. Now they deny the power to give it. Matt: I will prepare a file, members can add to it.

Group discusses DNC board meeting time. Group prefers 5 p.m. Matt motions to change time of meeting as of Friday, February 6^th. Seconded: Aaron. Passed.

Shawn: We need to do a review the 1^st of every month.

Moment of silence

Adjourn

DNC board meeting minutes, December 30^th, 2014, Area #62, East Hastings street.

Agenda

Reading of Constitution

Minutes
Legal Committee

Survey

Bannock Competition

2 Year Planning Committee

Area #62

Methadone Issue

Housing

Chair: Amanda

Legal Committee

Possible constitutional argument. Amanda will report back. 

Survey

Group agrees survey committee to meet at Vandu on Saturday morning at 9:45 a.m.

Bannock Competition

Discussion that bannock competition should be held on July 1st and this can run similarly to the chili competition held each year in Gastown. Group discusses that question could be added to survey regarding this matter.

Jamie will report back in 1 month.

2 Year Planning Committee

Jamie proposes event re Bannock Competition be held for Canada's birthday. Jamie will report back on possible sources of funding. 

Area #62

Discussion that use of Area #62 is limited to hours extending to 5 p.m.

Methadone Issue

Jamie: There is an issue that when prescriptions expire there is no doctor available to renew. This is possibly a human rights violation. Ann: We could write a policy position paper. Jamie: I will speak to local expert on methadone dispensaries and report back.  Amanda: I will talk to legal advisor and report back.

Housing

Next meeting re Stamps is January 5th at 6 p.m. at Ray Cam. General discussion that group members commit to being at meeting. 

Other Business

Charitable Status – May not fit with goals of non-profit. We may have to start separately.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn