Thursday 26 January 2012

DNC Board Meeting Minutes - January 26, 2012

DNC Board meeting minutes
January 26 2012

Agenda
  1. Opening and introductions
  2. DISCUSSION: DTES gentrification weather report
  3. Committee reports
    1. LAPP
    2. Shelters and homelessness
    3. Street market
    4. Tenant union strategy and Wolsey report
    5. Treasurer and funding update
  1. General meeting
    1. Theme
    2. Poster
    3. Location and time
    4. Outreach
    5. Agenda

Present: Herb, Louie, Roland, Jada, Tami, Ivan, Paul, Jamie, Harold, Jen, Kelvin, Dave H.
Guests: Jacek
Chair: Herb
Minutes: Ivan

1) Opening
Chair: Herb
Clean-up: Harold, Jada, Ivan
Acknowledgement: Herb
Constitution: Read by Tami
Meeting end time: 7pm
Agenda amendments (moved Paul). (Passed unanimous)
  • Table the point on the DTES Neighbourhood House
  • Discussion instead on gentrification and what's happening in the neighbourhood

2) Discussion: Weather report on gentrification in the DTES
Ivan
- Economic and land based gentrification
- Cultural and ideological justification
Paul
  • We should start naming the officers that are harassing us
Dave M
  • Can we get the 'other side' of the story out? When they did the last series on City TV about BET cops there was no response from the community.
  • Can we talk to the people making those shows and ask for a chance to respond?
Harold
  • We need to figure out how to get a theme out publicly
  • We are going to be launching our DT East at the end of February and we can deal with this problem there
  • And because some of these projects are not in the DTES we need to make alliances with people near the Friendship centre where the eastern projects are coming
  • And we should not deal with this one-at-a time but need ways to deal with it as a package
  • Can we go after city policies instead of one project at a time?
  • And we have other problems emerging, like the “Inner City Coalition” that is taking an aggressive pro-developer angle.
Paul
  • Can we take take on our own media projects that shadow the cops when they go around with their camera crew?
  • We can put it up on youtube and facebook and get the other perspectives out
Jacek
  • I have tried to speak with the camera crew following cops a couple times and they just run off, they're not interested in getting neighbourhood perspectives
Jada
  • I've noticed posters announcing “Notices of Filming” for most TV shows and movies that are filming in the DTES but never for the BET filming. Can we write something opposing this and asking for notice?
  • Can we contact the city and get details for each of these development applications?
MOTION (Moved by Jada): To contact Tom Wanklin, senior planner for CoV, for details of the development permit applications for the coming projects, and write letters to council analyzing and opposing them. (Second: Harold. Passed, 1 abstention)
MOTION (Moved by Harold): To make “Weather report on gentrification in the DTES” the theme of the next general meeting. (Deferred to later in the meeting)

2) Committee reports

a) DTES Local Area Planning Process
Herb (reading Wendy's report)
  • Meeting weekly with BCS and CoV
  • Need to move towards moratorium on development during the course of the LAPP, BCS is so far agreeing to support us on holding off on rezonings.
  • The only empty seats are SRA and Alive but they might come on board
  • CCAP has received funding for a 10-workshop series to engage groups of low-income people divided by communities
Harold
  • It seems to be a problem that the city is pushing things through too fast, we need space and time to get a process that works for us.
  • They are producing a workplan that has no relationship with the Terms of Reference, and have buried the TOR in the appendix... while the workplan currently tends to remove the low-income community from the centre of the LAPP.
  • The LAPP committee has basically formed and the first meeting will be the second week of February in the Chinese cultural centre.
Herb
  • It's only a draft workplan and we can edit it, but it's going to be a fight with the city... again.
Ivan
  • We are in critical time and we need to consider on what terms we should continue to participate in the LAPP: Stop rezonings, stop incentives, or full moratorium
Tami
  • We should drop our gloves and really go after city hall
Harold
  • We should not pull out on our own, but we can sharpen our language
Ivan
  • I think we should negotiate so that we have as strong a bloc as possible willing to walkout from the LAPP process
Paul
  • We should stop taking a soft approach and take a hard stance, people will follow us if we take a hard line and walk out.
MOTION (Moved by Ivan): To negotiate for the strongest uniting position possible with our allies to push for a strong interim zoning policy that slows, or optimally stops market development for the course of the LAPP to protect the LIC assets and tenure. (Seconded by Tami. Passed, Paul abstained)
NOTE: That after checking in with our LIC allies we seek to develop a bottom line about what the DNC needs in order to continue with the LAPP.

b) Shelters and homelessness committee Roland
  • Our committee meets every Monday, 6pm at Jacob's Well. All welcome
  • Good news: The Aboriginal shelter is not closing March 31 any longer. It's funding has been secured
  • But FUC shelter is still on the chopping block and there is no plan to replace the shelter beds there with others
  • We met with Harsha from the DTES Womens' Centre to find out whether they would oppose or support a campaign to save the shelter beds at FUC. She was not specific about it but it seemed that the Womens' Centre would not come out in opposition to the shelter. It also seemed that they would prefer the maintenance of the Rain City HEAT shelters to FUC beds
  • At the “length of stay” shelter committee meeting of BC Housing yesterday they confirmed that the Aboriginal shelter funding is no longer threatened
MOTION: To organize two discussion group meetings a week

c) Street market
Wendy (by written report)
*
insert Wendy's report
MOTION (Motion by Paul): To apply for $10,500 for the street market core funding and $20,000 for community development for the Pigeon Park site. (Seconded by Roland. Passed unanimous)
MOTION (Moved by Ivan): To only set up a second day at Pigeon Bank on the following conditions:
  • That vendors call for it
  • Guarantee from Parks and Engineering that we can stay permanently at Pigeon Park
  • That it is funded by the city separately
  • That it is last priority for funding and operations. (TABLED)
MOTION: That Roland is the keymaster for the 50/50 draw lockbox. (Passed unanimous)
MOTION: To write a letter to the city and PHS demanding they do not set up a competing street market operation. (TABLED for more information)

d) Treasurer report
MOTION (Moved by Herb Varley): For Roland Clarke, as DNC treasurer, to be empowered to access the DTES Neighbourhood Council banking account to receive all account information. (Seconded by Paul Martin. Passed unanimously)

MOTION (Moved by Ivan Drury): To move the DTES Neighbourhood Council bank account from CCEC Credit Union to the VanCity Credit Union. (Seconded by Paul Martin. Passed unanimously)

3) General meeting
MOTION (Moved by Harold): To make the theme of the February general meeting “Weather Report on  gentrification in the DTES”. (Seconded by Paul. Passed unanimously)

Closing.

Moment of silence dedicated to Ricky Lavallie.

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