DNC Board
Nov 14 2011
** next meeting we need to find out who is not getting these emails and help them get on the listserve.
Attending as board members: Irene, Harold, Louie, Anne Marie, Jamie, Dave H, Roland, Jada, Paul, Wendy, Richard, Joe, Dave M and Ivan.
John, Herb, Charles, Gord, Jen as members
Regrets: DJ, Tami and Ann
Ivan handed out new constitution and bylaws.
1) Opening Protocols: Louie did acknowledgement. Dave H read the new constitution out-loud.
Discussion about constitution: Jen: sex trade worker in the constitution – it should say survival sex worker. Maybe this can’t wait until next year’s AGM to edit. Harold is fine with the change it as special resolution as long as Jen explains it at the meeting. Need to put the motion on the poster as a special resolution at the GM. Ivan: how about editing it to just say “sex worker”. Jen: “survival sex and sex work” or “Sex industry workers” is better. Dave H: better to keep it short and use “industry” if it includes everyone. Gord: It’s not really an industry. Paul: Industry doesn’t mean a company.
Jen’s motion: to make a special resolution at the next general meeting to edit the DNC’s constitution from “sex worker” to “sex industry worker and especially survival sex worker.” Paul seconds. Carried unanimously.
Ivan’s motion: To accept the agenda. Paul seconds. Carried Unanimously.
2) Welcome to board
a) Board roles and responsibilities – We had a board orientation meeting last year. We decided to organize our board differently than most boards. We have co-Presidents and more treasurers and secretaries (membership secretary). What are the board responsibilities? Dave H: attend weekly meetings; Harold: Make decisions about campaigns etc. Do a lot of organizational tasks. Paul: actively participate, provide inspired leadership and actively listen to get others involved and incorporate them within the guidelines of our own constitution; Irene: do what is best for all; Jada: how are tasks delegated and communicated? Dave M: email list; Wendy: we had a board development and mapped out all the things to do to keep the DNC going and then took on tasks. We could do this again. In the meantime please talk to Wendy and Ivan about taking on tasks. We need to distribute the tasks so there is not an imbalance of power; Dave H: maybe we have board development again once we get the at large members elected; Gord: we need alternates at the street market. Dave M: bring that to the committee on Friday at 4 pm. Ivan: we didn’t do well mentoring last year to do tasks mostly because too busy, this year we could do shadowing or internships for people who want to do more.
Agreement: To do Board development meeting: Sat, Dec 10th from 3-7 pm at Four Sisters. Needed roles in the interim: Keep Tami and Paul as co-presidents until Board development meeting; Roland can do minutes occasionally.
3) 2012 visioning AGM brainstorming review and next steps – Agree to read Ivan’s package of notes typed up from the DNC AGM and come back prepared to discuss it next board meeting. Thanks to all the people who took these notes and typed them up. We need to bring recommendations to the next general membership meeting.
4) New business
a) At large board members: Six are appointed based on who was not elected with the goal of making the DNC board more representative of the neighbourhood. We looked at Ivan’s summary of demographics on the board. We need more queer, seniors, youth, Chinese and Latino. Paul: should we do another call out for at large members? Ivan: we’ve done it already. Jen, Gord and Herb interested to be on the board in this category. Ivan: need a Chinese community rep –
Agreement: We’ll approach Harrison Ha (journalist most progressive Chinese language reporter in the city); Ivan Chui from Chinatown historic area; Kim and Lily Tang to share a seat and would require translation -in that order; Latina/Latino: Andrea who lives in LK project – she is organizing with a Latin American collective; Richard Marquez; we should approve Andrea first before approaching Richard; Karen Ward at Gallery Gachet as a mental health advocate. We will approach Kelvin from AFD to be in the board.
We could approach Wade Compton to be on the board. He is a rep of the Hogan’s Alley Memorial Committee. If the city keeps the name at the viaduct while gentrifying the area it is a slap in the face and try to rebuild the community. We could also build an Elder’s advisory committee. We can discuss this next meeting. The board can bring recommendations to the General meeting.
3 potential at large members came to our meeting tonight and they introduced themselves: Herb is Nisga’a and Nuu-chah-nulth on the board of UNYA and has lived in the DTES for 2 years and lived in East Van for 21 years. He is an actor in Headlines Theatre. He is qualified to teach basic self defence. He spoke at the press conference at York where he lives. He got invited to the AGM. His mother lives in Dave H’s building. Gord: Been in DNC since the council started the street market. I’m involved because binners like me try to make a few dollars without being ticketed. I love the street market idea, go there on Sunday, like that we don’t get ticketed. I stand for everything that the DTES stands for and will fight for the cause. Jen: I’m a former at large board member of DNC, founder of Jen’s Kitchen for 7 years. I’ve done lots of outreach in DTES. I’ve been involved in DTES for 5 years and in the lifestyle here for 9 years. I’m an advocate for survival sex worker human rights. My goal is to get a report to United Nations about this.
Agreement: To invite prospective new board members to come to the next board meeting and hear from others who are interested. We’ll have an in camera agenda item to make a decision.
b) Dec GM, date, theme – 1st Sat of the month. Main theme is vision for 2012 and the special resolution for the constitution. Wendy to see if Carnegie can revisit their decision to have regularly booked meetings there.
c) DNC board roles and orientation – done above
d) Rhizome – they want us to meet with them to find out how to make it useful to us potentially to be located in the area.
Agreement: To go to their meeting tomorrow at 7 pm. Joe, Roland, Jamie, Richard, Ivan, Irene to meet at Carnegie at 6:30 to go on bus and go check it out.
e) Active members – Jamie: These members do a lot of the phoning about monthly meetings. Need most recent contact info available from general members. We could bring a list to edit at the next GM. Ivan: We could also have an active DNC member list. Dave M: Free wireless project could be considered for a future DNC project again – Wendy: add this to the visioning list for 2012. Jamie for membership secretary!
Agreement: To bring the newest member list to the next GM on a computer and ask members to give their most recent contact info.
f) Ping – The nominations committee (Paul, Ann and Wendy) met with Tami, Harold, and Ivan the night before the AGM and Richard and made a decision to not allow Ping to run for election. Wendy told Ping at the start of the meeting during the set up and he got really angry. Wendy wrote a draft letter from the board to Ping and read it out. Richard: It was handled in a tacky way. He should have been informed before the meeting. He wanted to do the street market all on his own which was really difficult so he shouldn’t be asked to volunteer with the street market. We’re all part of the neighbourhood, not just Ping. Paul: He was at meetings when he wanted to be. Jada: likes the approach of the letter. Paul: he missed 90% of the issues. We found it difficult to work together. He could raise hell. Dave H: nominations committee made the right decision based on participation. Do we want to get into the part about not working well with groups? He likes to help people with their legal problems. Harold: tone of letter is OK.
Agreement: to suggest some “tasks” and not projects to take on with DNC and to remove the second reference to “diplomacy” and Ivan to be his contact person.
g) New board meeting time – DJ cannot come to meetings on Mondays. Dave H will try to get switched off his Friday shifts – Eventually board meetings will be on Fridays from 4:30 to 6:30 pm.
Agreement: Ivan to check out the marijuana shop between the sex shop and the ministry of propaganda since we can’t meet at Jacob’s Well. Vandu as a back up space. Meet next Monday at Jacob’s Well as usual and have proposal for moving to Fridays then. Need a kitchen so Jen can cook!
5) Committee reports
a) Street Market
- Proposal for expansion to be discussed next Friday at 2:30 at VANDU.
- Ann and Wendy are recommending that we lay off Lyn. Could the financials be handled in the same way, says Dave H? Wendy says yes. Richard: since Lyn took over there has been less DNC involvement. Paul: VANDU is the agency of reckoning for now and we didn’t have the capacity to raise money. In the end the street market is still under the jurisdiction of DNC. If we take on management then Maggie should take it on. Lyn did a lot of good things like the website, the draw etc. Harold: we need a full report and the board needs to make a decision. ??: Maybe it’s better to have a committee to coordinate and not one coordinator.
Agreement: Wendy, Gord, Irene, Dave M, Dave H, Richard and Ann to meet on Wednesday to discuss what to do about Lyn and will add it to the report on expansion and bring the full report to next Monday’s board meeting. Are many vendors taking advantages of the volunteer positions? Ivan: It would be good to know if Lyn kept track of how many volunteer spots were rotated between how many different people.
6) Treasurer Committee (Wendy)
Motion by Wendy; Seconded by Dave M: to open up a bank account Vancity in Chinatown and transfer funds from CCEC. Carried unanimously.
Motion by Dave M; Seconded by Irene: to make Harold Lavender, Ivan Drury, Tami Starlight and Jamie Richardson the signers on this account. Carried unanimously
Phones – existing practice was the DNC was subsidizing the cheapest available plan. $28 a month per person and we may have enough money to do this for 2 people. Problem is that we have no money. Decision to table this until the board development meeting. Jada: Maybe define it by role like co-presidents and membership secretary.
7) Pantages Coalition – discussed outside.
Meeting adjourned
Wendy
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