DNC Board Meeting Minutes - Feb 4, 2014

DNC Board Meeting Minutes - February 4, 2014

Board Attendees: DJ, Roland C., Jezz M., Jacek L., Ludvik L., Leo M., Richard C.,

Other Attendees: Debbie K., Clea M., Ian R., James O., Bill B., Richard Cz., 

Agenda:

LAPP

Homes for the Homeless

Debbie Krull

Health Care Van

AGM

Honoraria

MOTION: Leo motions to accept the agenda. Jacek seconds. Motion passes.

LAPP

Debbie asks that the dates and times for the LAPP sessions be posted in the minutes.

Jacek gives a summary of what is going on at the LAPP. Housing is priority. 4 other chapters determined

Roland stresses that the DNC should get an office in Woodwards.

DJ mentions again that Wendy asked her to resign from the DNC

DJ also mentions that there is an apology letter for her at the Carnegie 

Homes for the Homeless

Ludvik summarizes his work for homeless people that are trying to beat addictions

Working poor to get help

Ludvik has people in France, Germany, and US helping him to make a truly global organization

Working on society paperwork

Sandeep in India, someone in Germany and in US.

Will help people to transition while they start working. Need help cooking, proper diet, provide transitional housing. Housing should be a working building.

Debbie Krull – says that she stepped down before Christmas because of stress. Would like to keep her activities within the Women’s committee. She represents the single parent community and network of moms.

Discussion of all the stressors on board members due to the constant attacks by Wendy and the Carnegie folks. We should make accommodation for this and support each other.

Health Care Van

Discussion of the DNC health care van. Roland presents the magnetic sticker for the side of the van.

Discussion that removing people’s supports can threaten their lives.

Ludvik – objects to the operators being paid less than minimum wage.

Leo – there is a first aid attendant at the van at all times. It is also a great way for the DNC to start talking about health care issues.

Jezz – Jezz offers to help with the van, he has level 2 first aid. He still holds a valid license.

James – have we given any consideration as to what happens if someone dies. Is this something we need to worry about?

Roland – no one has ever died at VANDU in the years that they have run their IR room.

Ludvik – argues that we should take names of the people using the van.

DJ – we have a narcan group at lifeskills every second Tuesday. The most important thing is to know what they are using, then you can care for them.

Ian – Ian worked at Insite for a number of years. Insite does not take names. The thing that they do ask is what drugs they are using because narcan will not work for speed, crack, etc… only for opiates.

James – Insite uses code names but they have lookups associated with their code names so they can access the medical information. It is still better than an alley for the users.

Leo – Here we can develop the protocols, and learn how to help people. Ann has reached out to us for help, we should try and help her.

Roland - it is not the role of the DNC to micromanage the project

Ludvik – Insite is only open from 10am-3pm.

Debbie says that she is doing case work and a badge number that was given was not an officer that was on shift.

Honoraria

Leo – we brought up the issue of $5 honoraria for board members last week. This could get more people to come to our meetings. We could do this as a trial run.

Jacek – coffee is going to run about $0.50 per cup. Honoraria will cover people’s time.

Leo brings up the bins for various purposes. Also that our meeting stops at 5:30pm the latest.

MOTION: Leo motions that we give honoraria for meetings. DJ seconds.

Discussion – Richard argues that we should move the meeting time to 5pm. It also means that low income people will come. DJ says that she is talking to lots of women that may want to come to the board meetings.

motion passes

Motion to adjourn

Moment of Silence 

DNC Board Meeting Minutes - Jan 14, 2014

DNC Board Meeting Minutes - Jan 14, 2014

Attendees:

Board Members: Roland C., Jacek L., Leo M., Jezz M., James O., Jewels C., Jamie R.,

Non-board members: Ian R., April S., Richard Cz., Ann L., Carl, Mark

Agenda

Women’s Committee

Budget/Financial Update

LAPP Update

Translink

Membership/Meetings

Harm Reduction

Agenda adopted by motion

Women’s Committee and Budget

Jewels begins the discussion by describing a budget to be used to buy supplies to make crafts. Dream catchers, bracelets, things branded with the DNC logo. These things can be sold at the Street Market.

Jezz describes preliminary budget (11 months of $909 per month)

Items on budget are phones, roughly $30 for food and coffee for board meetings

Goal is to preserve $3k-$4k as a buffer.

Roland gives general summary of how the $5k was spent

Approx: 63% spent on food at board meetings, 23% spent on phones, and 14% on misc items (printing, Dodson rental, post office box, etc…)

Ann discusses the way that phones work at VANDU – people must answer their phones during certain hours, must keep the phone, etc…

James sets a time for the budget meeting this Thursday 11am WAVES

MOTION: James motions, Leo seconds to approve the budget of $200 for crafts for the Women’s group. motion passes.

LAPP Update

Jacek summarizes the DNC survey responses

Tomorrow there is a co-chair’s meeting to discuss how to run the LAPP meeting on Friday.

This is the last LAPP meeting before the Council meeting on March 12^th.

Discussion of the Swanson email that said that they did not want to participate in the survey.

Discussion that policing is not mentioned in the report

Discussion of the fact that Carnegie Centre gets $20M but Woodwards space gets no support

Harm Reduction

Ann presents the history of what has happened recently with VCH and the injection room closure.

VIDUS has concluded that IV users that needed assistance had the highest rates of aids and HEPC.

Insite said that nurses could not help people inject that are able to inject themselves.

VANDU started the program

Thomas Kerr studied the project “assisted injections”.

In new VANDU office about five years now, two years later started the assisted IR.

No one has ever died in the VANDU injection room

New federal law regarding injection sites will allow police to veto any site

Suspicion is that VPD said that they would permit Insite if VANDU was shut down

50-100 people injecting in VANDU everyday

VCH said that they would “monitor the overdoses” ie. They are expecting a spike in deaths. This is not acceptable to the neighbourhood.

Van will start running tonight

DNC can make a stand on this issue and demand to have a say in responsive health care for the community

Plan is to start at 3pm in the afternoon and operate near Dunlevy

Discussion of liability, and risks

MOTION: James O motions, Jamie R seconds, that this project be backed by DNC and that DNC be the agency of reckoning for the mobile van IR project. Motion passes.

Jewels wants a copy of C2 law

Membership/General Meeting discussion

Decision to meet at Waves at 11am

Translink

Free Loop

Need to follow up with Translink and push at the LAPP

DNC Board Meeting Minutes – January 7th, 2014

DNC Board Meeting Minutes – January 7^th, 2014

Attendees:

Board Members: Roland C., Leo M., Jacek L., Jezz M., Ludvik S., Stephen B., Hendrik B., James O., Bill B.,

General Members/Guests: April S., Richard Cz., Clea, Hala

Agenda
Financial Report

      Women’s Committee

      LAPP Report

      Organizational Discussion – behavior and food

Jezz volunteers to chair

James reads the constitution

Round of introductions

MOTION: Roland moves that the Agenda be adopted. Jacek seconds. Motion passes.

Financial Report

We just received an additional $10,000 from Vancity Foundation.

The CCEC bank account balance is now $10,388.12

James suggests using this money for a general meeting

Jezz, Ludvik, James, Jacek volunteer to meet and come up with a budget for the next year.

Stephen demands that he receive a binder and is really mad that he did not get a binder

Roland volunteers to get 5 binders together for new board members

Jezz volunteers to hold these binders until they are needed

Women’s Committee

DJ, Jewels want to make arts and crafts to raise money for the DNC

Hendrik suggests sponsoring Tina to cook meals for our meetings, and maybe sell the food

MOTION: Jezz motions that we get a plan for arts and crafts spending for women’s committee and present it to the board. Roland seconds. Motion passes.

LAPP Discussion

Jacek shows the 180 page plan. Discussion of the survey.

MOTION:  Roland motions that only membership driven organizations that have a majority of their members that are DTES residents, or business associations representing businesses within the DTES, should be allowed to participate in the post-LAPP implementation process or council. This would specifically exclude non-profits that only employ workers from outside the neighbourhood. Hendrik seconds. Motion passes.

Discussion of getting people to go to the Strathcona meeting tomorrow

Discussion of poster-ing up and inviting people to the next few board meetings and devoting a large block of time to the LAPP discussion and outreach

Organizational Discussion – behavior and food

Jezz discusses ways that we could prioritize our actions

Hendrik – should start cooking food for the board meetings

James – shows the tenants rights card

James reads the letter from VANDU to move him from outside their door

Motion to adjourn

DNC Board Meeting Minutes - December 10, 2013

Attendees:

Board Members: Jacek L, Jim O, Steve B, Leo M, Jezz M, Ludvik S, DJ, Richard C, Roland C, Rob M

10 Board members in attendance

Non-Board Members: Richard, April,

Agenda

1)      Debbie Krull

2)      Christmas Open House

3)      Women’s group

4)      W-space meeting

Richard chairs

Discussion of agenda. Motion to accept the agenda passes.

Clea will not be able to make it until after Christmas

Debbie email – Roland reads her email saying she needs to take a leave from DNC

Christmas Open House

Discussion of our Christmas party on December 17^th, 2013

Richard – should call it Christmas Open House and Get Together

Coffee, Tea, Eggnog, Cider, Dessert Squares, Chips

Invitation to all the non-profits

VANDU, WISH, Lookout, Raincity, PHS, etc… should get invites

Ludvik – mentions about $65 worth of stuff in his fridge purchased for the last aborted general meeting in September. We can have cheese plates with crackers.

MOTION: Richard motions a budget of $150 for the Christmas party on the 17^th. Leo seconds. Motion passes.

W-Space Meeting

Discussion of the meeting on December 14^th at noon on the 10^th floor ballroom. The city has been paying for the space – over $85,000 per year – for almost a year now. Why are they willing to pay for the space if it is empty and not if it is occupied? The city needs to prove that it is willing to support the community.

Women’s Group Sub-Committee

Jewels announces that there was a meeting of a new women’s sub-cmte of the DNC last week.

MOTION: Roland motions to create a women’s sub-committee of the DNC that will deal with issues such as empowerment, education, entrepreneurship, women’s safety, sharing and collaboration.

Ludvik seconds. motion passes

LAPP Meeting

Discussion of meeting at 5:30 today

Why don’t we have a soft copy. Should demand 20 more copies for the board.

We need to have a serious discussion of why the DNC is involved in the LAPP. If we cannot get serious commitments out of the city to support public community space (ie. Forgive the $85k) and support the street market

Discussion that we still have a chance to ask for concessions from the City in order to play nice at the LAPP approval council meeting on March 12^th.

Rob mentions the attack websites on Facebook and Google sites run by Tami and Wendy that do nothing but attack the DNC.

We have information from two board members that they were offered money from Wendy Pedersen to resign from the board of the DNC

Tami Starlight is sending emails slamming the DNC, and runs the anti-DNC websites.

https://www.facebook.com/originaldnc

sites.google.com/site/originaldnc/

MOTION: Rob motions that Wendy Pedersen due to her actions in the past year against the DNC is no longer a member in good standing. Leo seconds. Motion passes unanimously.

MOTION: Jim motions that Tami Starlight due to her actions in the past year against the DNC is no longer a member in good standing. Jezz seconds. Motion passes unanimously.

General agreement that these two former members can come to the board and appeal this decision.

Motion to adjourn

Moment of Silence

DNC Board Meeting Minutes - December 3, 2013

DNC Board Minutes - December 3, 2013

Attendees: 
Board Members: Roland C., Jacek L., Jewels C., Henrik B., Jezz M., Bill B., Jim O., Debbie K., Rob M., Richard C.,
10 board members present
Non-Board Members: April S., Richard Cz, Scott C.,
3 non-board members present

Agenda
---------------------------------
DTES LAPP Meeting
 - Street Market Seat
Metro Vancouver Alliance
W-Space update
Finances
WAHRS march

DTES LAPP meeting tomorrow discussing the situation with the vacated seats.
Should go there with an agenda and not allow BCS to railroad us anymore.

MOTION: Roland motions that we declare the 6 vacated seats at the DTES LAPP empty and that these seats can be filled by under represented groups or groups that wish to regain their seats may also apply to regain their seats. Richard seconds. motion passes.

MOTION: Richard motions that the DNC should support the Street Market in requesting a seat at the DTES LAPP table. Jim seconds. motion passes.

MOTION: Hendrik motions that the DNC request a seat at the DTES LAPP for Village Vancouver. Roland seconds. motion passes.

MOTION: Bill motions to request a seat at the DTES LAPP for AFD. Roland seconds. motion passes.

Some discussion of Kelvin and AFD takes place.

MOTION: Jacek motions that LAPP safety be discussed at tomorrows meeting and that this needs to be a priority at the upcoming LAPP meetings. Roland seconds. motion passes.

Discussion of the fact that Herb shoved Jim O on the same day that the fight occured between Herb and Jim.
Jacek mentions that Herb was abusive and rude at the co-chair meeting and said the f-word several times.
Jacek mentions that he was afraid at one point that he would be hit by Herb. When Michael threatened to call the meeting, Herb continued to be abusive and would not stop.
Richard - this should call into question why he should immediately be offered a seat at the LAPP table given this history of misbehavior.


Metro Vancouver Alliance
-------------------
Non-partisan group operating for many years
They ask questions of the candidates and then hold them to account.
They are planning to be active in the upcoming municipal election
Meeting today at 7pm, Roland and Scott and Hendrik will go.

W-space update
-------------------
The space has been vacant for almost a year now.
Debbie - The woodsquat demanded that the area be community space and we should not have to pay for it
Roland - demand that DNC get this space should be included in the LAPP report
Post LAPP should include a plan for DNC getting an office

Scott - There is a community meeting on December 14th (noon-3pm). Facebook. Invite everyone. There will be food.

Finances
-------------------
Roland reports that we have less than $700 in the bank
Discussion of all board members need to contact Catherine Ludgate demanding continued funding of the DNC
Roland discusses the filming at pigeon park and how $500 was offered to the street market just for moving out of the way. DERA used to receive all of this money, now the DNC should go after it. This is the way the SRA is funded.

MOTION: Jim motions to investigate the finances of DERA and find out about the past funding and the film
contracts. Roland seconds. motion passes.

WAHRS demonstration
-------------------
Rob - DNC should support our aboriginal brothers back east
CCAP was not there, Rob expresses distain for CCAP

Discussion that Wendy Pedersen tried to get DJ Joe and Hendrik to resign from the board. The attacks continue to this day on the DNC from the infamous five

Discussion that we can eventually just declare them not in good standing if they do not submit their complaints by a certain date. This way the conflict will be over since it will no longer be an internal DNC struggle.

MOTION: Rob motions that Scott become a board member of the DNC
motion tabled until next week

MOTION: Debbie motions to be the DNC representative at Stamps housing family group on the parent to parent project talking about bedbug control. Roland seconds. motion passes.

motion to adjourn
moment of silence

DNC Board Meeting Minutes - November 26, 2013

DNC Board Meeting - November 26, 2013

Attendees: 
Board Members: Roland C., Bill B., Jacek L., DJ J., Richard C., Leo M., Jezz M., Hendrik B.,
Non-Board Members: Jak King, Richard, April S., Pete Fry
Debbie K - gave her regrets, Rob M - gives his regrets

Agenda
---------------------
1) Jak King from GWAC
2) Judy McGuire on Stamps place LAPP seat
3) DNC Christmas plans

Notes from initial conversation with JK
DTES, West End, GWAC, Marpole
Citizen's Assembly
10 years ago in BC on voting system
Plan was given $270k
Plan B - is citizen's assembly directed by GWAC parallel process

April reads the constitution
Round of introductions
Roland reads minutes. Bill motions to accept the minutes, Richard seconds, motion passes
Agenda passes

Jak King leads discussion on the GWAC process
DTES LAPP is completely different than all the other processes
GWAC had only one afternoon to discuss the terms of reference
GWAC had no joint management committee of any kind
No plan since 1979 in GW. Quite excited in the beginning, lots of discussion
on arts, etc...
June, emerging directions document came out. Lots of good stuff about arts, but also lots
of land use and zoning that was not discussed at all in the sessions
The changes that they proposed were so big it was easy to get people on the streets
One of the advantages of not having a joint management committee is that if things went
wrong they could go right to the street. They would have been forced

Marpole also went to the streets - 2,000 lawn signs all over the neighbourhood
In GW they got the plan stopped dead in July, and now nothing further has happened.
In Marpole - PB was so pissed at the bad press. Jackson report came out
September 25 - delivered report
GW got 12 extension to process and added a citizens assembly, but city refused a joint management group
There was no definition of this in the jackson report.
definition never came forward. Now, in December no conversation at all about the details of the
citizen's assembly.
got together a group of 60 people or so, adhoc group across the neighbourhood and set out what a
citizen's assembly should look like.

It may have been worse if there was a joint management cmte, since the process would be used to
prevent direct action

Originally asked for 6 month extension
Wanted the project finished by October, but they delayed until after the next election.
Expect maybe 5-6 months of workshops in summer and perhaps make it into an election issue

JK - At the beginning of the year, met with other community groups and built the coalition of neighbourhoods
Every group had a different view of the viaducts, but every group also had a story of being disrespected
by the city

Leo - terrible plan for the viaducts

When the emerging directions came down in GW, MP, and DTES, all four groups had the same experience with City
Group of 21 neighbourhoods signed on to the coalition
Goal is not to deal with specific issues, but to develop a whole new planning

Pete - conversation with Ray Spaxman - Geller had issue with 60/40, Strathcona had issue with the heights increase the heights is just a speculation craze. Behind closed doors the city appointed the two co-chairs, with the old DNC which was mostly CCAP at the time.
Lots of time talking about soft targets like safety, arts, etc... but no discussions on built form
14 stories on Hastings St never came up in the discussion and now it was in the preliminary documents
76 percent of people who reviewed the documents did not like it

Part 3 - the housing section has still not been released

Emerging directions was released
Urban design panel saw the housing document but it has still not been released

Pete - I just asked today what the urban design panel saw and they wont tell him

It is a similar story with all the neighbourhoods that the real stake holders are not being consulted

Richard - process for forming the LAPP, the city got the people that they knew could influence.
Richard was not being told about meetings
When the city presented the emerging directions doc, most people did not know what the city was talking about.
Housing is still the central issue

Pete - CBC doc zone - condo game is discussed.
Concrete form construction (over 6 stories), increases the cost enourmously.
Wood form is so much cheaper and BC has an abundance of wood
land lift - because zoning includes additional heights
It feeds the speculation frenzy if heights are removed
Probably lots of developers that would be interested in wood form modest development

DEOD has the 20% limit (also somewhat outside of the DEOD)

Jezz - the main thing is to prevent displacement because if you

Jak - Nanaimo to Hastings, and First single family homes will be removed and stacked town houses
will replace them
But what will happen is that a $700/mo will be replaced with $1,500/mo apt. this is not 1 for 1 replacement

Bill - where is LAPP on community gardens issue

Pete - not sure, but not fully supported. Sahoda family had the lot next to Astoria and got big tax holiday
for sole foods garden.

DJ - Sahodas are #1 slum landlords of the DTES. DJ did an article on them but got a lot of pressure since
she lives at the Balmoral.

Hendrik - when the garden came in, rats actually left. Sole foods are doing a good thing. Rats were undermining
the ashvault before. Sahodas kept one step ahead of the city by doing the bare minimum. There is very little
attention paid to what was here originally. There should be traditional methods of governance and native.

Richard - City hall needs to act more like city hall instead of developer hall. They are clearly all about the
money. Homelessness now is worse than I've ever seen it now.

Jak - whatever success we've had at GW is because we don't allow things to be hidden, we write continuously.
We say it out loud and we don't hide anything.

Pete - the general sense is that 30% will be at shelter rates. 30% hills - below market
and 30% market rates. Geller bet me a bottle of bourbon that nothing will get built.
It is possibly a mugs game. Let's not rely on the concrete tower construction is incredibly expensive,
very green house gas intensive.

The viaducts may have tons of asbestos from the 1950s in it.

Leo says that we should just shut the viaducts down.

Richard - zoning now, and the construction of these streets it takes 1/2 hour to get from my street to DTES

Hendrik - need to limit the cars anyway. Europe does this quite well.

Pete - the super road is on the map. They will reconfigure Pacific with a 6 lane super road.

Richard - they are digging up Powell and this may join with Prior

Smoke break

Christmas Planning
---------------------
Discussion of holidays

MOTION: Richard motions that we take a break on board meetings on 24th and 31st of December, DJ seconds, motion passes
MOTION: Richard motions that we have an open house party on the 17th of December from 4pm to 6pm, DJ seconds, motion passes
MOTION: Richard motions that we also take off January 7th and have no board meeting, DJ seconds, motion passes
(Bill and Leo vote against, one abstension)

motion to adjourn

DNC Board Meeting Minutes - November 19, 2013

DNC Board Meeting Minutes - November 19, 2013

Attendees: Roland C., Rob M., Richard C., Tina T., Bill B., Jacek L., Debbie K., Stephen B., Jezz M., Leo M., Jim O., Dan B., Ludvik S., Jewels C., Jamie R.,
15 board members,
John SK., April S., Ian R., Horatio G., Scott C., Susan W., Dale C., Jessie M., Mark M., Richard Cz.,
Marty, Bill, Dave, Tom, Todd, Rick, Kirk, Mat, Sam, Rob V., Bob
21 general members
(36 total attendees)

Agenda
---------------------------
Anthony Resignation
Meeting Safety
Board Seats Requirement
Budget
GM Next

Richard announces that filming will take place at tonight's meeting
Some discussion takes place

Scott steps in and speaks to ammending the agenda

MOTION: Just that we go in camera to deal with the Anthony resignation.
Jamie seconds the motion. Discussion ensues.
motion passes

Rob motions to accept the agenda, Jamie seconds, motion passes

Discussion of Anthony G resignation

Anthony sends a threatening text to Roland at 4:43pm during the meeting. Police are called. Report is made.

Four market vendors come to the meeting to give testimony against Anthony

MOTION: Roland motions that the board accept Anthony's resignation email.
Seconded by Rob M. Discussion. Motion passed (James wants to be formally acknowledged as opposed).

MOTION: Ludvik motions that all emails and texts be copied and sent to the Board before the next meeting, so everyone will know what is going when another safety issue like Anthony's occurs.
Seconded Rob M. Discussion. Motion passed.

MOTION: Richard motions that Anthony be allowed to rejoin the Board when he is ready.
Seconded by Ludvik. Motion passed.

MOTION: Richard motion that cell phones must be on silent mode at Board Meetings and if there is a need to use it, you must step out of the room.
Seconded by James O. Motion passed.

LAPP Discussion
--------------------------------------
Two hand outs - LAPP Seat List, LAPP Terms of Reference

Discussion

MOTION: Roland motions that groups that are part of the LAPP that may feel that the process can be improved, and groups that want to be part of the LAPP and feel that they are not represented should come to the DNC board meeting and give a presentation to the DNC board for inclusion or changes to the DTES LAP process.
Rob seconds the motion. motion passes

GM Discussion
--------------------------------------
Discussion that quorum is only 30, and board can call GM whenever it wants according to bylaws

motion to adjourn
moment of silence