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

DNC Board Meeting minutes, December 16^th, 2014, Area #62, East Hastings Street.

Agenda

Housing

Survey

Legal Committee

Business Cards

Christmas Party

Chair:  Amanda

Housing

Group discusses that the issue of sales of Stamps probably requires legal representation rather than just a protest. A political protest would smother the rights based issues.  There is agreement that members will commit to attending Stamps Tenant’s Council meetings.  Roland: Circulate date of next meetings.

Motion for a BC Housing subcommittee: Motion passed.  Subcommittee members are: Amanda (chair), Jamie, Marla, Chris, Roland, Jezz, Rob, and Aaron.

Rob: I will not be available from 23^rd to January 6^th.

Shawn: Proposal that we should state name of chair in minutes. Group agrees.

Survey

Decision to have a meeting focused on survey questions on Saturday, 9:30 a.m. at Vandu.

Legal Committee

Next meeting at UBC Learning Exchange is December 19^th. Committee will report back.

Aaron: I will send email to Vancity and will CC Matt.

Business Cards

Matt will order cards, no gloss. Motion for Matt to give Jamie $25 to get cards printed. Motion passed.

Christmas Party

Matt proposes we forgo stipends and have pizza. Motion passed.

Adjourn

Moment of Silence

DNC board meeting minutes for December 9^th, 2014 Woodward’s Building, 2^nd floor conference room.

Agenda

Minutes

Housing

Legal Committee

Survey

Funding

Women's March

Christmas Party

Housing

Discussion that there are legal arguments to be made for residents who might become evicted or lose their housing as a result of the sale of BC Housing.

Legal Committee

Amanda: we have a meeting at UBC Learning Exchange on the 12^th at 8:35 a.m.

Survey

Motion to decide on design. Tabled.

Funding

Aaron has contacted Vancity.  Vancity clerk searched for contact information for Kathryn Ludgate and could find none.

Discussion that next meeting is at 62. Amanda will ask Matt if they can both go and see if there is a room available at Woodwards. 

Women’s March, February 14^th, 2015.

Discussion of getting buses to divert.

Christmas Party

Tabled.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn

DNC Board Meeting minutes, December 2^nd, 2014. Location: Woodward’s Building, 2^nd floor, conference room.

Agenda

Reading and Adoption of Minutes

New Member

Survey

Women’s March

Stamp’s Place

St. Market Report

Mental Health and Addictions

Other Business

New Member

Motion for Marla to join board as a new member.  Motion passed unanimously.

Survey

Discussion that a survey in a way to find out more about the opinions and desires that residents have for the neighborhood. Discussion about what questions should be included on survey. Each member suggests several questions that might be included. Matt makes a list of questions.

Women’s March

Discussion about how DNC can participate. Amanda: Ask for something tangible.

Stamp’s Place

Discussion of what has happened. Group agreement that we need more information, list of buildings that will be sold off in dtes and communicate with resident’s groups at those buildings. We need to make a list of people we can meet with.

St. Market Report

Roland: Statements over funding are encouraging. We’re meeting with Howard Chow over issue of street disorder. We want to work as allies.

Mental Health and Addictions

Ann: I wrote a letter to the Bloom Group (formerly St. Vincent’s Society). Their objective is to coordinate the funders of mental health/addiction. Interagency (oversight) does exist but Oldman said it’s hard to get overview. We have a clear set of measures to inform us. Section 28 interventions are common. The DNC should demand accountability. Watari is heavily involved. These huge organizations do not answer to emails. We get no info on them. The other thing is we need an ombudsman who has enough power to advocate, more power than an advocate though. In terms of a group if Bloom Group says they’re going to speak on behalf of everyone they own everything and now unattached from the Church.

Other Business:

Discussion of conflict. Matt: If you have a beef put it on the table. Do not speak for others if you overhear. No facebook posts.

Moment of Silence

Adjourn