View From the Homeless Streets

What is this?

2010-11-26T18:41:00.000-08:00

Hint: these pictures were taken today (Friday).

Evidence of the varied group of people who come together year round on Thursday evening to donate, prepare and serve a meal to those who hunger – outside in sun, rain or snow.

Culture.

2010-02-09T01:27:00.000-08:00

With the Japanese speed skating and the Russian figure skating teams using ARC as their practice venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games someone in administration for the City of Abbotsford apparently felt that some indoor greenery was what ARC needed to impress visitors

The sudden appearance of this greenery did not begat much surprise as city council and city management have demonstrated a repeated and profound need to engage in behaviours and actions that leave those with common sense shaking their heads and asking “What were they thinking?”

Beholding this greenery leaves one wondering why whoever created this assault on grace and style wants to create in visitors an impression of Abbotsford as a city of clodhoppers. I mean, shake head sadly, “What were they thinking?”

Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that is the reaction of those who give the greenery only a cursory examination.

Invest time contemplating the design and one is rewarded by seeing beyond the artful dissembling guise to appreciate the subtle and subversive commentary on reality’s inevitable ascendancy over ideology.

The discerning mind perceives the resourceful and masterly dexterous tribute to the capitalist reality of geoponics that has grown into a vital component of the British Columbia economy; an imaginative, covert salute to the key economic component that protected BC residents from the worst of the worldwide economic meltdown; an economic component denied on ideological grounds by those who see the world through the lenses of their ideology.

Even if our international visitors fail to appreciate the ingenuity, they should enjoy seeing the greenery and being able to return home and say that BC’s and Abbotsford’s international reputation is deserved - growops are so prevalent in Abbotsford there are even growops in public buildings.

Abbotsford Reach gallery - 'Surplus'?

2009-12-02T02:06:00.000-08:00

Mr. Bob Peters problem with the Reach ‘surplus’ lies in his mistaken attempt to apply rational and/or logical thought processes to the financial dealings of Abbotsford city council and staff.

When dealing with financial matters of the City of Abbotsford one must toss out logical and rational thought and use ‘Abbotsford council and staff think’.

Yes, in the real financial world that exists outside of Abbotsford City Hall if you invested $637,500 in the operations of the Reach and only got back $23,952 you would have had a loss of $613,648.

However in Abbotsford City Hall how much it costs to have any monies left or fees collected is of no interest to mayor, council or staff. Such money is given a label such as surplus or earnings etc. and is cause for council to boast of its financial prowess.

In Abbotsford City Hall, particularly with financial matters, reality or the true nature of something has no place in decision making or (mis)informing the taxpayers. All that matters is what council and staff chooses to call it; or at least that is all matters to council or staff.

In future Mr Peters needs to remember that logic, rationality, good financial practices, reality, something’s true nature and common sense have nothing to do with the manner in which the City of Abbotsford is run or taxpayer dollars are squandered.

Aside to council: I want to help council and staff increase the ‘surplus’ for the City of Abbotsford. Make the cheque payable to James W. Breckenridge, in the amount of $637,500, and as soon as the cheque clears (Sorry, but with the financial position council and staff have put the city in one must be careful) I will cut a cheque to the City in the amount $23,952, thereby doubling the ‘surplus.

Re: “No deficit for the Reach”

How is it possible for the Reach to have surplus of $23,952 when they require $637,500 from the taxpayer in 2010? Is that not a deficit of $637,500?

When the Abbotsford Entertainment & Sports Centre is subsidized from the City of Abbotsford it is considered a deficit to the taxpayer.

Will the Reach actually have a profit? What part of this equation do I not understand?

Bob Peters

Original article

Abbotsford Police Assault Video

2009-10-24T06:21:00.000-07:00

It was not really surprising to view the video of the Abbotsford Police Department officers using excessive physical force in arresting two suspects.

When you have been homeless and/or advocate for the homeless one becomes familiar with the less that professional behaviour exhibited by some APD officers.

Given the treatment of the homeless and others perceived as powerless, seeing the video of the offices walking on, kicking, standing on the neck of and driving the face into the ground was not surprising at all.

Moreover, it was not the physical assault that was the most disturbing aspect of this incident.

No, what was most disturbing was the APD spokesperson’s repeatedly uttering of the reminder that the suspects were arrested on drug dealing charges – as if this fact made the use of excessive force acceptable.

The spokesperson’s statements suggest that the APD has a cultural attitude that it is acceptable behaviour to abuse people who belong to certain groups.

It is not. The APD needs to be told by city council and citizens that everyone officers deal with must be treated in a professional matter.

2009-09-11T06:46:00.000-07:00

Mike de Jong's Gas Tax

Mike de Jong is right when he speaks of Abbotsford being in a "unique position."

Unfortunately the "unique position" Abbotsford is in is that City Council has clearly demonstrated it is incapable of acting in a financially responsible manner, proper budgeting or planning for the City's future.

All good reasons not to give them a new avenue to plunder citizens wallets or a new source to raise even more funds they can fritter away wastefully.

If City Council wants more money let it go about it the proper way - through a proper, honest and accurate budget process as they should have been doing all along.

Until such time as Abbotsford's City Council demonstrates financial responsibility and proper budgeting the provincial government should be protecting the citizens of Abbotsford from Council's spendthrift ways NOT encouraging Abbotsford Council to seek additional ways to fund their reckless squandering of taxpayer's hard-earned dollars.

Forgot your economic Boom Mr. Premier?

2009-08-31T07:19:00.001-07:00

And you Gordon Campbell had 7 years of unprecedented worldwide economic boom.

That was the thought that crossed my mind as I watched Gordon Campbell as he sought to misdirect attention from his governments glaring economic errors and mismanagement by calling up the ghost of NDP governments past.

Of course, given the performance of the Liberal government during its two terms in office, it is hardly surprising that Mr. Campbell does not want voters to examine this record of ineffectiveness; preferring to run against an insubstantial bogeyman conjured out of shadowy memories of NDP governments past.

Seven years of worldwide economic boom during which Mr Campbell and his Liberals managed to increased the numbers of homeless; increased the numbers of those living in poverty; maintained BC’s damning distinction of having more children living in poverty six years in a row; increased the numbers of full time working poor who cannot afford to live in the city’s they work in.

When the Liberals became the government BC had the highest minimum wage; BC now has the lowest minimum wage in Canada and the highest cost of living.

The wealthy however made out like bandits thanks to Mr. Campbell whose government oversaw a transfer of wealth to the wealthy from all other British Columbians as Mr. Campbell decreased progressive taxes and replaced them with regressive taxes.

Mr. Campbell and his merry band of Liberals: Robbing from the poor to give to the rich.

Mr. Campbell has overseen the continued deterioration, begun under the NDP, of the public school system. Universities in BC are forced to test incoming high school graduates to see what level of remedial classes are required to bring students up to an acceptable level of competency.

And in an apparent attempt to ensure the continuation of the Liberal government the Liberals have acted to maximize the number of BC voters who lack the literacy skills to read and understand the government’s actions and the actual state the province is in by attacking Public Libraries by withholding funding.

In keeping with their less government ideology the Liberals have turned the BC medical system into a bureaucratic quagmire into which billions of dollars, along with a growing list of medical services, have disappear. Mr. Campbell’s “leadership” has resulted in a medical delivery system that is unsustainable and that, without raising billions in new tax dollars to feed its voracious appetite, will be forced to continue to shed programs and services to balance its budgets.

Massive cost overruns (the convention centre); going with the flashy and most expensive options rather than the most cost effective (Sky Train rather than light rail); decisions made on ideology rather than the best long term interests of the province (sale of BC Rail); salary levels in government and government corporations that are overly generous and out of line with results achieved by those receiving these extravagant wages – at the same time the government strives to hold down wage levels for working BC citizens.

Given the lack of integrity and judgement repeatedly demonstrated by Mr. Campbell’s Liberal government it is hardly surprising that the government is focused on serving the needs of those who have, will or could contribute to their winning re-election, rather than the needs of those British Columbians who truly need help just to survive.

If they cannot contribute to the Liberals continuing in power, why should the Liberal Party make any effort to understand the reality of life in BC, not only for the addicted, mentally ill, homeless and poor BC citizens, but for the increasing numbers of citizens who are scrambling to avoid joining the ranks of homeless and poor?

Be very clear – when Mr. Campbell says we do not have the funds or cannot afford to address the social issues and ills in BC what he is truly saying is that these are not a priority for him; unlike his own salary and gold-plated retirement plan.

Ironically, despite Mr. Campbell’s finger pointing, the NDP government left the province’s finances in better shape heading into the last economic downturn than the Liberal government left the province’s finances heading into the current economic downturn.

The true irony and insult to integrity is that Mr. Campbell and the Liberals began their government complaining about the NDP withholding information and misleading voters about the true state of affairs in BC. The outpouring of bad news since the recent provincial election shows that when it comes to withholding information and misleading voters the difference between Mr. Campbell’s government and the NDP is that the Liberals covered-up well enough to get re-elected.

And isn’t that the hallmark of a successful politician theses days?

Politicians Lie? Shocking!

2009-08-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

Why is anyone surprised that politicians would lie, withhold information or release information when it is most favourable to the politicians?

After all that is how the voting public has trained them to behave.

When you punish those of integrity - who tell the truth, want to address important issues, are solution oriented acknowledging that solutions are not going to be neat, tidy or free, are interested in the wellbeing of all Canadians and in bringing change; then have the audacity to insist on talking about these things when Canadians want to hear everything is wonderful and it is easy, simple and inexpensive to fix problems – by refusing to listen or think about what they are saying and refusing to vote for those of integrity because they insist on telling the voting public the truth, is it any wonder that people of integrity cease seeking office?

When you reward those who tell the public what it wants to hear no matter what the reality of the situation is; listen to their fear-mongering tales of boogeyman; accept unquestioningly financial statements and claims that if applied to your personal finances would have you homeless and on the street; accept unquestioningly statements that cannot stand up to event the most elementary logic or reason; insist that problems have easy, neat, tidy and fast answers; claim that everything is wonderful and there is not need for change; pit citizen against citizen for personal and political advantage – voting for them simply because they tell the voting public what it wants to hear, is it any wonder that politicians lie, withhold information or release it when it is to their advantage?

“What is the primary purpose of a political leader? To build a majority. If voters care about parking lots, then talk about parking lots.” Newt Gingrich

When the public votes only for those who tell them what they want to hear and about parking lots, refusing to listen to, consider or vote for those who insist on addressing issues, how can they be surprised that they end up without people of integrity in government and with a legislature populated with those who will lie and tell them whatever they want to hear in order to win?

If citizens want people of integrity in government then they have to convince people of integrity that they are ready to listen, to think about and to engage in discussion of important issues – even if they would rather not hear about issues, about making choices and change.

Then they have to be willing to vote for them.

There is a joke that goes: Stop repeat offenders. Don’t re-elect them.

If citizens want honour and integrity in those in elected office they have to vote for people of honour and integrity.

Understand that if you elect people of honour and integrity they are not going to lie to you and tell you what you want to hear, they are going to tell you what is and what you need to hear about, think about and decide about.

Homelessness can kill you.

2009-08-18T06:20:00.000-07:00

The death of an ex-member of homeless community while riding his bike to work reminds us how fragile life is. He had been hit by cars while riding his bike many times and if he could not walk away from all of them, he at least survived these earlier encounters with Abbotsford drivers.

Cycling in Abbotsford you almost feel that there must be some kind of secret contest being held by drivers where they score points hitting cyclists (or pedestrians).

The tally of scrapes, bruises, torn muscles, concussions, broken arms, legs and collarbones would fill volumes. Since bicycles are the major form of transportation for the homeless, marginalized and poor this group suffers most from Abbotsford drivers.

When the immutable laws of probability catch up with the cyclists and a cyclist dies it is usually a member of the homeless, marginalized and poor who is sacrificed to chance.

People think about winter weather killing members of the homeless community but the truth is that it is the summer, especially hot summer, weather that is a greater threat to life. It was luck that some homeless I know told me about someone needing help during the last day of the oppressive hot spell. I was able to get him onto his unsteady feet and into the cool conditioned air. After keeping his water glass filled for over three hours his colour improved, his temperature cooled down and he perked up enough to eat some salted crackers, have some more water and get some sleep.

This experience is made more sobering by the news reports of Curtis Brick’s death from heat in Vancouver.

But it is health care that kills the most. Not strictly as a result of medical personnel’s attitudes (although attitude does kill some) but from the reality that being homeless makes it hard to take good care of your health. Currently someone I know lies in a coma as a result of infection.

Infection nearly killed me while homeless. If it had not been for the kindness of a fellow Alanon member giving me a bed to stay in and a good supper every day so I could make the three weeks of twice daily, 3 hour intravenous antibiotic treatments I would have been another homeless victim, dead of unnatural ‘natural causes’.

As a modern society we have forgotten the death toll infections of various types inflicted on the human race in times past.

Fire, pneumonia … the list of ways that homelessness can kill you goes on and on and ….

So the next time you hear some loudmouth talking about the easy life the homeless have and how everyone should have that wonderful an easy life, know they are only demonstrating their ignorance of the harsh reality of a life of homelessness.

Homelessness can kill you and is a curse I would wish on none … well except politicians and loudmouths who could greatly use just such a reality check.

Mr. Nickel, Abbotsford is a disaster zone.

2009-08-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

Abbotsford is short of water, our roads are falling apart, the city’s cup runneth over with sewage …

People are leaving for cities with lower municipal taxes, politicians have begun to speak of people losing their homes because of high property taxes but still want to pile $millions$ of new taxes on the beleaguered taxpayers …

The city built a Colosseum to entertain the masses while the City (figuratively speaking) burned around them …

Mr. Nickel, Abbotsford is a disaster zone.

It became a disaster zone because so many citizens didn’t want to be bothered by being involved in their city.

When even your fellow ‘everything is rosy’ city politicians finally see that the city is in, as Councillor Ross put it, “a desperate situation” Abbotsford is a disaster zone verging on catastrophe.

If you choose not to be involved in your city or its future that is your choice. If you do not like what you read on the opinion pages stop reading those pages. But please don’t whine about citizens who choose to be involved in their City and in the discussion of how we avoid becoming a catastrophe, cease to be a disaster zone and become a well managed city.

******************************

Enough of the whining

Published: August 11, 2009 2:00 AM

To the various contributors to the Abbotsford News letters page:

I’m just tired of the whining.

I know this is a forum to express personal views, but I think we need a little perspective.

We live in a fantastic city, in one of the richest provinces, in what is repeatedly voted the best country in the entire world, and yet to read these letters pages you would think Abbotsford was a disaster zone.

Wahh! My taxes are too high! Boo hoo! They’re building a condo in my quaint neighbourhood! Bike lanes are stupid! That big building will block the sun on my backyard! I can’t take a nap because the cannons are too loud!

I’m trying to imagine how embarrassing it would be if some of these letters somehow made it into the hands of refugees in the Gaza Strip or the terrorized citizens of the Eastern Congo.

We have better food, water, security, health care, freedom, than almost everybody else on the planet and yet all we do is write letters to complain.

Let’s sooner count our blessings than keep up this incessant record of wrongs.

Graham Nickel

Death of a Thousand Nicks.

2009-08-05T04:24:00.000-07:00

The nickel-and-diming to death of citizens by Abbotsford’s city council has moved from finding as many new ways (new fees, increased fees, zealous bylaw ticketing, etc.) to shake citizens down for as much of their cash as possible - to trying to save money by applying the same principles of nickel-and-diming to expense reduction.

This expansion of city council’s nickel-and-dime behaviour was predictable given the financial bind council has put the City in and their refusal or inability to make prudent spending and spending reduction decisions.

Instead of council making sound, financially responsible decisions, council has chosen the nickel-and-dime the public to death approach.

As if closing the Abbotsford Recreation Center pool four hours early on BC Day to save four hours of staff wages was not penny-ante enough, the City compounded this conduct by failing to adequately warn people that ARC would be closing at 6 PM.

I have been swimming at the pools in Abbotsford for nigh on 20 years and the pools have always opened late on long-weekend Mondays and stayed open to their regular closing time.

Sometime between Saturday 10 PM and Monday 4 PM a small notice, hard to notice because it was tucked out of the way, appeared setting out the change in hours. I know that this notice was not there Saturday at 10 PM because several of the regulars I had warned about this change scoured the admission desk and could find no notice.

I could warn them only because staff had asked me if I was aware they were closing at six on Monday.

This lack of notice leaves those returning from long weekend travel (and Monday evenings on long weekends travellers fill the pool) or who attended agri-fair and who want to go to the pool to cool off and relax - to arrive at ARC to find the doors locked and the pool closed. Let us not forget (as the City did) the regulars who, not having been warned, will arrive and find the doors closed.

To save four hours of salaries. Well, four hours of salaries less the admission fees forgone; which on the last night of a hot summer long weekend are likely to exceed the salaries saved. Resulting in it having cost the City money (income) to “save” paying wages. A rather pyrrhic victory on the “saving money” front; but then pyrrhic victories on saving money are all too often business as usual for Abbotsford’s city council.

Council’s inadequacies have placed Abbotsford in a financial bind at a time when it is facing the need to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure to maintain the city’s liveability.

Citizens are not asking for brilliance, merely for competency.

Because unless we can manage to create a culture of competence at City Hall and on City Council we are in real danger of having Abbotsford become unliveable and/or the first Canadian city to go bankrupt.

Cavalier's Saga rolls on.

2009-07-27T03:17:00.001-07:00

The Saga continues ……

Recapping: four trips to the insurance brokers to get the paperwork done; multiple jumpstarts to get it home; battery won’t hold charge; reconditioned battery not properly conditioned, strain burns out alternator leaving me stranded on Lakeview Terrace with a car that is not going anywhere under its own power without an alternator and a battery that will destroy any new (to the car) alternator; trade the VW I lived in while homeless for a used alternator and its installation, loaned a battery to get home, hooked up re-conditioned battery to trickle charger to charge and condition it, left 5 days because I was to nervous/wary/scared to drive car before that …

… and on the fifth day started the engine and drove to sign over ownership of the VW. Before stepping into the Insurance Brokers the battery was tested and proved to be fully charged, staying cool when charging and the alternator/battery was charging fine.

Driving away … the engine started overheating. The following day it overheated on the way to lunch. Discussing this state of affairs with my things mechanical advisory board over lunch I was advised to purchase and install a new thermostat. Returning home and switching to the dependable Duster, I drove to get the new thermostat for the Cavalier.

The next day I drove down to meet with the person who offered to install the thermostat if I bought and brought a thermostat to lunch Saturday. Unfortunately they were unable to be there to change the thermostat. Fortune did provide someone who could install the thermostat – after they finished work. Patience … Patience … Patience … and the old thermostat comes out in two pieces to be replaced with a shiny new thermostat.

With the new thermostat installed I drive away filled with trepidation, Which proved unfounded as the engine heated up properly and remained cool.

With the engine running at the proper temperature and my attention no longer focused so singularly on the engine temperature my senses were open to notice that there was hesitancy in the engine and its response, like a runner short of energy or oxygen.

Consulting with my advisors I secured new sparkplugs but when we went to install them it developed that my sparkplug tool lacked the depth of reach to change the Cavaliers sparkplugs. Once I had followed the advice on where to obtain appropriate tools to do the job, at an good (affordable to me price), we pulled the first plug. When that plug, and a subsequent sparkplug checked just to be sure, proved in very good shape I was off to return the plugs and secure air and fuel filters.

When we went to install the air filter it proved to be the wrong size. A return trip to Lordco revealed that the computer showed that air filter as the correct air filter for the Cavalier. Stymied, the person helping me was forced to resort to desperate measures – the actual paper catalogue. The printed catalogue showed the same air filter as in the computer … and a second air filter that proved to be the correct size. Books are such useful and entertaining friends to have around – you should take a book out for a read today.

The new air filter was installed, replacing the completely black old filter.

Then it was on to the fuel filter which is located under the car between the fuel tank and the rear axle. Fortunately I had looked up the location on the internet; unfortunately it was where it was.

With the location and design it is impossible not to have a volume of gasoline spill out when changing the filter. Indeed the gentleman who shimmied under the car to change the filter had to take a fresh air break before finishing the installation.

When we drained the remaining fuel out of the old filter the gas was dirty; suggesting that it might be a good idea at some future point to drop the gas tank and drain/clean it.

Driving away, the engine was running better. So much better that it blew the (rusted?) baffles in the muffler; leaving a muffler that looks fine to an exterior inspection but that, when shaken, rattles to reveal its lack of interior soundness.

Primal Scream; hang and slowly shake head. Take a very deep breath hold it and slowly release it – repeat as needed to reach a state of calmness.

I found myself reluctant to replace the muffler, wondering once the muffler was fixed what next? Hey - it’s not paranoia if the Universe is really out to get you.

However one of the things they do not warn you about when they encourage you to seek mental health recovery and wellness is that it severely compromises your ability to procrastinate. I use to be able to procrastinate with the best of procrastinators. But now healthy ways of thinking do not permit me to procrastinate until something simple turns into a crisis of mountainous proportions.

Being reluctant to discover what would (will) happen after the muffler was repaired I decided to take care of a small repair that should have no consequences. So I headed off to the auto wreckers to find a replacement licence plate holder since the one on the Cavalier was broken, leaving the front plate held by a single screw and flapping in the wind.

Better to take care of the matter before I paid the procrastination price on this by getting a ticket and fine for driving without a front licence plate.

It developed that the Universe was not about to let me procrastinate on the muffler front. At the wreckers I ran into a friend who, having heard me drive in, said he could get me a new muffler cheap. He made a phone call and I was off and procured a new muffler for $40. How could I say no to a new muffler at that price? I may be crazy, but I’m not stupid.

With the new muffler in the trunk I headed off to the library. All the way to the library the muffler was whispering to me - ‘I’m here in the trunk all shiny and new, anxious to be installed and muffle ….’ It kept up its whispering campaign while I was in the library; reaching the point I was forced, for the sake of my sanity and peace-and-quiet in my head, to e-mail a friend with a floor jack asking whether he would be able to install the muffler.

Shortly after I arrived home I received an e-mail suggesting a time the next morning which I accepted with alacrity.

I arrived at his place the next morning, backed in, blocked the front tire; he jacked up the rear end, set up the support brace and proceeded to remove the old muffler. Using his van I made a quick trip to get two new clamps to attach the muffler and Voila! it was done.

A piece of advice: you want to make sure that among your friends who know their way around cars that at least one of them has a set of tools (air/impact wrenches, SawAll, hand held grinder, sockets and wrenches up the wazoo, etc…) that is the envy of every guy.

After a cold pop and conversation on what is going on with homelessness around Abbotsford it was time to fire up the Cavalier. After which I drove quietly home.

As I finish typing this the Cavalier sits in front while I sit here hoping that repairing the muffler does not cause some other domino to fall; that the Universe is through testing or playing with me vis-à-vis the Cavalier and that this is the end of the Saga of Repairs and Headaches.

Afterword: People tend to give me strange looks when I say that I do not regret my journey through mental illness. But while this journey may have replaced the richness of my bank account with poverty, it has also replaced my poverty of friends with a richness of friends and people in my life who will lend me a helping hand when a ‘Never look a gift horse in the mouth’ gift horse turns out to be a bit of a Trojan horse

Post Script: To those who so generosity lent a hand a sincere Thank You.

Now it is Field User Fees

2009-07-08T02:29:00.000-07:00

In reading Barry Crocker’s statements concerning the imposition of user fees next year I was appalled by his cavalier attitude towards increasing the cost for kids to participate in soccer. Not to mention his total lack of logic or reasoning concerning the new fees.

Mr. Crocker apparently has not met a fee he is not happy to impose, thereby increasing the cost to participate and play soccer. With his attitude that parents have bottomless pockets from which to pay fee increases, he should be on city council.

Fee increases do not occur in a vacuum – they are added on top of what it costs to play soccer already. An additional $10 - $15 is going to deny some kids playing soccer.

"It's not going to affect us at all. It will probably cost kids $10 to $15 a year more". Mr. Crocker: if it puts the cost up $10 to $15 it IS going to have an affect. If it had no affect fees would not go up.

According to Mr. Crocker 20 years ago Abbotsford had the best fields anywhere. It follows that in order for Abbotsford to now be “…near the bottom end of the list in terms of what is spent on sports fields” City Council has chosen to invest and spend less and less on fields and maintenance.

Why would one expect this behaviour to change just because Abbotsford will now be imposing user fees? The City has demonstrated by its behaviour over those 20 years that playing fields and park maintenance are a low priority for the City.

There is no evidence that imposing user fees for use of fields will in any way change the City’s neglect of fields and parks. Whether Mill Lake parking fees or user fees for sports fields these “fees” are about City Hall’s inability to manage their finances in a responsible manner and that has City Hall seeking to hide tax increases by calling them user fees.

"If we get three or four all-weather fields I think it will be worth it because the kids will be with us." I do not recall City Hall making any announcement about building three or four all-weather fields?

If there is an agreement in place that City Hall will be building these all-weather fields and bring playing fields up to par and maintaining the fields as they should, let’s hear all about it. If not …

"The biggest problem will be the administration of it.” There is a simple solution to this. That is to do what Mr. Crocker should be doing: standing up for the soccer players not making excuses for another revenue grab by the City.

Responsible Reporting.

2009-07-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

I was reading the new Science Fiction novel by a favourite author of mine in which media could be sued over misinformation in their reports and any consequences arising from less than complete and balanced information in reporting events.

It was only a minor point in the world and culture built by the author but it set in motion a train of thought when I saw the television news coverage of the death of Alberto Morgadinho.

Flash back to the story of the Canadian Tire store clerk who was fired for not letting the thief get away with stealing items from the store. The tone and tenor of the reports was that the clerk was a hero and should be rewarded not fired. News reporters went so far as to harass the store owner seeking a statement about why the store has a policy that resulting in firing the heroic (media tone/spin) clerk.

When the owner refused to comment, media “proved” the policy existed by interviewing other store clerks who knew that they were to let thieves getaway and call the police.

Not once did I see any reports that examined the whys of such a policy and whether, in light of the whys, this was a reasonable and intelligent policy. Even when they were glossing over the fact that this was not the first time this clerk had confronted a thief.

Flash forward to the tragic events surrounding the death of Alberto Morgadinho who, in attempting to interfere with thieves at his place of business, was run down and killed.

One report had his daughter stating how stupid it was that the thieves had killed Mr. Morgadinho over a few dollars worth of stolen items. A statement which contains a great deal of truth, but a statement that also fails to acknowledge a very important truth.

Yes killing someone over a few dollars of stolen merchandise is stupid.

However, it is also less than intelligent for a man such as Mr. Morgadinho to get himself killed over those few dollars of stolen merchandise. I wonder what Mr. Morgadinho’s reply would have been if you poised the scenario of his death to him, asking if dying under these circumstances and for simple goods that could be replaced was a good decision.

I found myself pondering the question of whether Mr. Mr. Morgadinho had seen the earlier television reports on the actions of the “heroic” Canadian Tire clerk. Wondering if seeing those reports had influenced Mr. Mr. Morgadinho’s actions on the day he died.

It is only stuff and can be replaced. The only rational, intelligent policy is a policy of doing nothing to interfere with thieves taking merchandise, instead protecting the lives of people – lives which cannot be replaced.

Careless, unbalanced and not thought out reporting can kill. Unfortunately, unlike the world created by my favoured author, media is not held accountable in anyway for the consequences of their poor reporting.

Bit of a sticky wicket, eh what?

Hunger GROWS in Abbotsford

2009-06-25T01:41:00.000-07:00

I allow myself one lotto 6/46 ticket whenever the pot gets over $10 million. An inexpensive chance to dream … and you never know – somebody has to win it. But even though the pot was $15 million I did not by a lottery ticket, instead spending my $2 on purchasing a $2 food bank donation coupon at Safeway.

It just seem a wiser way to spend my ‘mad money’ considering how demand for meals and food have soared over past weeks.

Disturbing is not a strong enough word to describe the flood of new faces, new people, looking for food and a place to sleep at night that has been occurring. When you stop to consider this trend, frightening is a more accurate word to describe the implications.

The new people have swollen the numbers of people in need to the point that those who provide meals have literally run out and had to scramble to find something to serve in order that everyone got fed at least something.

Those serving meals find themselves needing to provide more meals, but facing the reality of less donations and generosity from the public.

The Abbotsford Food Bank, facing the reality of more hungry people and the effect the economy has had on donations, has had to reduce the amount of food it gives to individual clients. Help is needed to fill the shelves as we head into summer when traditionally donations to the food bank go down. Going into this summer the shelves are looking bare at a time demand is quickly climbing. Abbotsford’s Food Bank could use a drive such as that being undertaken in Vancouver to restock the Food Bank’s shelves.

As a community we all should look at how we are spending our money to see if we cannot find a few dollars we could spend being generous to the growing numbers of people in our community in need of generosity simply to eat.

Abbotsford Sports Centre destruction/reconsruction

2009-06-14T02:39:00.000-07:00

As frustrating as it was, it was no surprise to read that the taxpayers of Abbotsford are on the hook for an additional and unknown amount of money (?$million$?) for further construction at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre.

After all, the worth of council promises on costs were made clear as Plan A costs spiralled higher and higher, well beyond the promised “fixed” costs. Then there is the fact that the statement most appropriate for council’s behaviour on Plan A and financial matters is “They did not even have enough common sense to …”

As in: “They did not even have enough common sense to hustle up provincial and federal funds before funding the entire project themselves” or “They did not even have enough common sense to realize that 400 parking spots were totally inadequate for a 6,500 seat complex”.

So it is no surprise that, even though council is on record from their very first statements that the Arena would be home to a hockey team, they did not even have enough common sense to ensure that the dressing rooms were up to the standards required by any possible league an arena tenant could play in.

No, if you used common sense and ensured the dressing rooms were up to any potential league standards, you would not able to be jack hammering apart the Sports and Entertainment complex within a month of opening.

And why would anyone expect Mayor George Ferguson, council or city staff to have any idea of what this destruction/construction will cost? After all nobody ever accused them of having enough common sense to have an idea what things will cost before they start spending taxpayer’s money.

Character - or lack thereof.

2009-06-07T04:52:00.000-07:00

As a Canadian it pleased me to hear that the CBC had declined to run Stephen Harper’s desperate and contemptible anti-Michael Ignatieff drivel. It appears at least someone in Canadian broadcast television has at least minimal standards.

Although in the case of the media conglomerates, in light of the ‘save local television’ con they are running, they could hardly refuse even as crass and un-Canadian an advertisement as Harper’s odious personal attack on Michael Ignatieff.

Of course one cannot overlook the matter of self interest in the decision by the media conglomerates to accept and run Harper’s sordid attack ad. It is in the best interest of the media conglomerates to curry favour with Harper and the Conservatives as they want them to impose a tax on Canadian’s cable service then give the tax monies raised to the media conglomerates in order to save them from bankruptcy now and to guarantee future corporate profits without the need to bother to do anything about their bad management practices.

I do acknowledge that I did find the irony inherent in the tag line accusation “in it for himself” rather amusing. It left me wanting to suggest to Mr. Harper that he should not ascribe his personal motivations to anyone other than himself. Just because Mr. Harper continuously demonstrates, through his behaviour, that he is clearly “in it for himself” does not mean anyone else seeking office is “in it for himself” and not motivated by a desire to rescue Canada and Canadians from Mr. Harper and the Conservatives.

The most disturbing aspect of the ad, other than its demonstration that Stephen Harper has no understanding of what it means to be Canadian, is what it says about Harper and the Conservatives on issues of policy and governance.

The advertisement highlights Mr. Harper’s desperation and fears that the polls showing the Liberals under Ignatieff leading the Conservatives strongly enough to win the majority in parliament that Canadians denied Mr. Harper.

There was no vision, ideas, priorities or integrity revealed in Mr. Harpers attack on Mr. Ignatieff; just the desperation of Mr. Harper to hang onto power in any manner and at any cost.

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. Abraham Lincoln

Caveat Emptor

2009-05-23T05:40:00.000-07:00

Machiavellian, manipulative flimflam and devious are a few of the words that came to mind as I watched the slick media campaign commercial seeking to convince Canadians to urge their MP’s to impose a special tax on Canadians in order to fund corporate welfare to save the media conglomerates from their own bad management and decision making.

A glib campaign camouflaged as “save local television” since Canadians are very unlikely to support another corporate bailout; especially one funded by the imposition of a new tax.

It appears that the media conglomerates learned a lesson from the cold reception their earlier attempt to sell a new tax on the internet to fund a bailout of their newspaper assets from bad management and decisions received.

This time around they are running a slick media campaign to hoodwink Canadians into demanding the federal government “save local television” through the imposition of a new tax to fund the proposed corporate welfare.

Stephen Harper has demonstrated that he is quite happy to provide $billions$ in corporate welfare or welfare for the rich while denying help to the working poor, those living in poverty and other Canadians at the lower end of the wealth spectrum. However, given the number of unemployed and working poor who find themselves facing the real possibility of joining the ranks of the homeless and the financial strains the recession is imposing on many other ordinary Canadians imposing a new tax on Canadians to bailout media conglomerates would be politically unwise.

Unless somehow Canadians could be persuaded to demand a new tax be imposed to fund corporate welfare to save Media from its own mismanagement.

So it is we find ourselves assailed by the slick “save local television” campaign.

This campaign is not about “save local television” but about saving the media conglomerates from the consequences of their decisions.

Unlike the conglomerates or that pseudo-capitalist Mr. Harper I see no reason to save businesses from the consequences of their own bad decision making and bad management practices.

Despite the fear mongering attempts to panic the public neither local television or local newspapers will disappear if the media conglomerates go under. What will disappear are the conglomerates, so it is hardly surprising that the conglomerates are desperate for corporate welfare to bail them out.

With the bankruptcy of the conglomerates their assets will be sold off in order for the lenders recover as much of the monies owed as possible.

The most likely outcome of this process is to return control of local television and newspapers to local ownership rather than continuing to have local television and newspapers answer to distant corporate interests and policies.

An outcome I consider to be highly desirable since it is my opinion that the interests of Canadians have been badly served by the creation of media conglomerates where local television and newspapers are driven to maximize profits to benefit corporate headquarters and answer to said corporate headquarters.

It is this “in the best interests of the conglomerate” that leads to questionable editorial and ethical standards; standards that would benefit substantially from local ownership.

It is not the deceptive nature of the “save local television” campaign and its hidden agenda to save the conglomerates through the imposition of a new tax burden on Canadians that causes me to state ethical standards would benefit from local ownership.

It is the misuse of local charities to endorse the campaign and the apparent disregard concerning the consequences misusing local charities to endorse this campaign could have on the charities that I find unacceptable.

It was quite disappointing to see charities such as the United Way, the Salvation Army, the Vancouver Food Bank and others endorsing a campaign to benefit media conglomerates via a new tax on Canadians.

Especially since the nature of their involvement could easily raise questions about the motivation of these charities for their endorsements.

Moreover I was rather shocked that these charities would jeopardize their charitable status through involvement in a political campaign; an action specifically prohibited under by the legislation governing the granting AND revoking of charitable status (the ability to issue tax receipts for donations received).

That it is a political campaign is evidenced by the call for people to put pressure on federal politicians to impose a this new tax and bailout the media conglomerates.

All of the charitable organizations involved need to rethink their endorsement and involvement while seriously considering adopting AA’s 6th tradition “An A.A. group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.”

In light of these facts Canadians should be contacting federal politicians to make it very clear they have no interest in being taxed to benefit media companies or save them from the consequences of their own actions and decisions.

Canadians should also make it clear to those running this campaign of misinformation that they find this behaviour unacceptable and have no interest in bailing out media companies.

Tell your federal politicians you say no to these new taxes and corporate welfare.

The need for media to address issue of drug policy and legalization.

2009-04-21T03:40:00.000-07:00

I was reading Mike Archer’s comments in Abbotsford Today about how the old media (newspapers, television news) needs to learn “how to simply tell it straight” on important issues such as drug legalization which lead to the following commentary by me:

I wrote and submitted several letters/commentaries during our recent blitz of hand wringing and “the sky is falling” reporting that took place during the weeks when gang warfare filled the pages or airtime in the best “if it bleeds it leads” traditional media practices.

I pointed out that if you want to “lock ‘em up” you need a place to incarcerate them which we lack as our prison system is currently full and overflowing. Thus in order to carry out a program of long prison sentences would require an investment of billions of dollars in new prisons and more millions of dollars on a yearly basis to operate the prisons.

It was pointed out that arresting all the drug dealers in BC would have only a transitory effect since within a matter of days new people would have stepped in to reap the lucrative rewards that our policy choices have pumped into the illegal drug trade.

An exploration was made about the manner in which our greed based society, with its economic and cultural inequities, lack of options/opportunities and emphasis on greed, self-centeredness and ME, ensures a steady and ready supply of people willing to be employed in the illegal drug trade with its high material rewards.

Economic analysis revealed that what are termed “successes” by law enforcement pump more money into the illegal drug business providing the illegal business with more funds to spend to import/export/distribute the product (drugs) and increase the economic rewards to those employed in the illegal drug business.

Economic analysis also revealed how important the illegal drug business is in cushioning the effects of the worldwide economic meltdown on the BC economy and the other positive effects on the BC economy of having a major billion dollar agricultural export crop that is recession proof. Even in good times the large cash flow created by the illegal drug business is a major positive factor in the BC economy; whether from the illegal drug business or from the law enforcement employment resulting from keeping these drugs illegal.

The fact that calling it a “drug war” was inaccurate and misleading was examined since the war is not on drugs but on the addicts who use drugs. The victims of illegal drugs are further victimized by the war being waged against them by society and its agencies.

Supply/demand capitalist theory makes clear that the only way to successfully reduce the illegal drug trade is to reduce demand, to stop waging war on the addicts and instead render to them the aid they need to get into recovery and out of addiction. That our policy must focus on putting in place the infrastructure and supports to successfully get addicts into recovery and wellness.

The falseness of the argument that legalizing drugs would lead to increased drug use was revealed by the fact that anyone anywhere can find the illegal drug of their choice. Thus those who would turn to drugs have, leaving no flood of new addiction to occur since those who would be addicts are already addicts.

The insanity of continuing to do the same thing over and over decade after decade was noted.

All this leads to the conclusion that we need a major change in policy to legalize drugs in the same manner prohibition was repealed. Especially in light of the reality that alcohol is the most abused drug, abused more than all illegal drugs combined.

With the economic reality Canada and the world faces we as a society cannot continue to waste resources on ineffectual policies. We no longer can afford the luxury of pursuing a costly and failing policy simply because we are emotionally and ideologically attached to the policy.

We need to have a rational national discussion on legalization.

Yet the traditional media did not print even one letter that questions the intelligence of our current policy.

In their arguments that there should be an internet tax with the monies raised going to support newspapers, newspapers and staff cited newspapers being “important to our democracy”.

How can newspapers and other traditional media claim to be important to democracy when they refuse to examine the reality of the issue of our policies on illegal drugs?

Obviously they can’t.

Which is why you are correct when stating “If it is to survive at all, the old media has to learn, once again, how to simply tell it straight.”

Not to mention being willing to address issues of national importance even if such an examination is not considered “politically correct.”

Mike Archer's comments:

A story broke in the Vancouver Sun April 15, that read more the like the screenplay to a Burt Reynolds movie about rum-running in the 1920’s than it did a major drug bust in 2009.

The story was about an Abbotsford man who was caught transporting 150 kilos of pot across the border. Every newspaper story I read on the subject called him a farm boy and ran with photos of what looked like three good ‘ole boys who had made a bad business decision.

The Vancouver Sun editors even went so far as to include s sub-head over the story that said: “Jansen basically a ‘law-abiding’ citizen, lawyer says.”

The connections between this story and the stories about gang violence and death, about which we’ve been so concerned, don’t much enter into the whole impression a reader might get from the packaging. If these were good kids who made a bad mistake then I guess the much-demonized Bacon Brothers are just good kids who made worse mistakes.

They’ve both been playing the same game. Why are the two stories treated so differently?

How does ‘basically law-abiding’ go together with ‘trucking 158 kilos of pot across the border’?

These are either drug dealers or folk heros. Let’s make up our minds.

We’re staring a depression in the face as bad as The Great Depression and we can’t seem to get our stories straight about the world we live in. Everyone acknowledges that prohibition didn’t work; in fact it created crime and violence. Our modern version of prohibition isn’t faring any better, nor do we seem to remember how they worked it out nearly a century ago when they faced the same situation.

If ever there was a time for straight talk it is now. The old media has forgotten how to do that. The media (including the new media) is always playing to its perceived audience. Right now the traditional media is wandering blind in a dark cave where none of its tools will shed any light on the situation or tell it where its audience has gone.

Self-censorship is a cardinal sin for a journalist and yet we have reached a point where the old media seems more like packaged information looking for an audience, prepared to be repackaged in an instant depending on the audience.

But consumers of information have become more savvy and more impatient. Today, content matters more than the packaging and an industry that has concentrated on nothing else for decades can’t remember how to do it. The new media has yet to find its place but it will be on the right track if it dares to tell the truth. Abbotsford Today’s Vince Dimanno said as much in his column The Truth Politicians know the media game better than those in the media and are very successful at manipulating it to serve their own ends. If it is to survive at all, the old media has to learn, once again, how to simply tell it straight.

For those who don’t remember how it all got worked out a century ago; the guys who made bad decisions became folk heros, the guys who made worse decisions went to jail or got killed and, oh yeah, they ended prohibition and legalized booze because the ‘war on booze’ just didn’t work.

Friendship Garden not really friendly.

2009-04-18T05:52:00.000-07:00

Finding myself confronted by the in your face fence surrounding the “Friendship” Garden as I parked at Clearbrook Library recalled to mind the question that had posed asking: “Do you believe the city’s $1-million Friendship Garden was a good public investment?”

Where once visitors to the Clearbrook Library where greeted with an open vista of grassy treed space, they now are confronted by a fence that is a blight upon the landscape - ugly to the point of being an eyesore.

The glaring contradiction in calling something a Friendship Garden while building a solid fence with locking gates that prevents people from seeing inside and provides the means to lock people out demonstrates once again the desperate need for a dictionary at City Hall.

Just how can erecting such a fence be construed as friendly behaviour?

I remembered the view of open grassy green space with tall shade trees that had for years welcomed visitors to the library; the gentle slopes, soft grass and shade that invited people to step off the concrete walkway and into the green space.

During spring and summer there were always individuals, families and kids taking advantage of this space to walk, sit on the grass to read, eat lunch or just enjoy sitting there enjoying the sun and breeze with the trees providing shade as needed.

The green space that, lying outside the lower (basement) level entrance, was perfect for the library’s plan to relocate the children’s section to that more spacious and open area of the library. With a pond now just outside the entrance doors that plan is scuttled since the librarians are to responsible to locate the children’s section near the pond.

Abbotsford City Hall and Council had neither the courtesy nor the consideration to consult the library, whose space they usurped, about how this space should be used. Focusing on council’s wants and to bad about the children and their needs - highly Ironic considering the children will be the ones paying for the spending excesses of City Council.

In destroying what was a people friendly green space used by people and in denying the use of the space inside and outside the lower library entrance as a wonderful children’s area city council’s actions were not only NOT a good public investment but were a disservice to citizens, children and the city.

Moe Gill's Conflict of Interest

2009-04-07T02:30:00.000-07:00

Despite Mayor Peary’s comments and Councillor Moe Gill’s decision on the issue of conflict of interest, I will not be setting my personal ethics at the minimally acceptable level allowed by law.

I was raised with and to have high standards govern the manner in which I conduct my life. It was never about setting my standards by what you can get away with.

As a point of information to Mayor Peary and Councillor Gill I also have an expectation that people making decisions on my behalf, such as politicians, will practice those same high ethical standards. Not slipshod, lowest common denominator minimal ethical standards and behaviours.

I concede that to date my expectation concerning ethical standards and behaviours has proven unrealistic as evidenced by the behaviours of politicians at all levels of government – municipal, provincial and federal.

With specific reference to Moe Gill’s voting on the gravel pit application I would judge, with apologies to Mayor Peary and Councillor Gill that the ethic’s bar was set below minimally acceptable ethical behaviour.

A quick web search reveals that “personal interest includes an interest arising from family, marriage or common-law relationships.”

Wikipedia, the online encyclopaedia’s list of types of conflicts of interest includes “Family interests, in which a spouse, child, or other close relative….” Of particular interest on this website is an example of conflict of interest that cites a brother to brother relationship.

I fail to see how one could claim that the fact a decision will have a direct and substantial effect on a member (in this case members) of one’s family will not influence one’s thinking. Voting other than to benefit one’s family member would have serious family relationship and conflict consequences.

Thus one is predisposed to vote for an outcome favourable to family and is therefore in a conflict of interest.

As an aside - when wants to approve something one can always find “acceptable” reasons or reasoning to justify the decision you want to make.

Moe Gill has a clear conflict of interest here and when the matter comes before council again he MUST recuse himself on grounds of personal involvement.

I'd better get writing the Homeless Survival Guide

2009-03-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

Listening to the prevarication of Harper and his Conservatives has left me wishing I had the money to buy a plane ticket to Ottawa so I could deliver the sharp, hard kick in the ass Stephen Harper so obviously needs.

Just a few days ago they were pointing fingers at the Federal Liberals for causing delays in changes to the criminal code. Today on the evening news the Conservatives were talking about the changes to have criminals serve longer sentences.

Posturing or prevarication by Harper and his Conservatives does not change the reality that the government has cut the budget of Correction Services Canada.

Mr. Harper and his Conservatives are apparently so out of touch with reality that they cannot grasp the fact that if your prisons are full and you want to lock more people up, you have to spend more, far more on Corrections Canada to build and staff prisons, not be cutting spending.

But then Mr. Harper and his Conservatives have repeatedly demonstrated the fact they are out of touch with the needs and reality of non-wealthy Canadians and the effects their actions have on Canada and Canadians.

Doubts? Take a look at the affront offered to working Canadians who have lost or will lose their jobs and be unable to find other employment in our down-turning economy. A 5 week extension? Why not just walk up and slap them in the face?

We already have people who have used up their 5 week extension and are staring homelessness and hunger in the face.

Any leader with even a tiny bit of understanding of the lives of Canadians would know that 5 weeks was a useless slap in the face and that bolder, broader changes to EI were required to get through this downturn.

Harper and the Conservatives have billions to bail out corporations and the rich, but only crumbs and a lack of understanding for other Canadians.

A Thank You note.

2009-03-10T02:04:00.000-07:00

Climbing out of the car into the brisk cold of the evening air served as a crisp reminder that it has been an unusually snowy and cold winter.

As a result of the snow and cold the extreme weather protocols for the opening of extra beds for the homeless have been in effect most nights since the beginning of December.

The consequence for the local churches that signed on to provide extra beds in December (Grace Church), January (Seven Oaks Alliance) and February (Emmanuel Mennonite Church) was the need to be open most of the nights in the month they were covering. These churches have also stepped in to provide beds for our continued unseasonable weather this March.

Thank you, it was and is much appreciated.

A Thank You needs also be extended to Faith Bible Church and all the volunteers who stepped in to provide a sheltered place for the Thursday night barbeque to be held. Shiver. A very warm Thank You.

Again Thank you, it was and is much appreciated.

Then there is Pastor Andy Kwak and his magnificent Sunday Brunch together with the usual suspects: the folks of the Calvin Tuesday dinner, the FVCC with music and a meal on Friday night, the good people of the Sunday blue bus and the ever popular pancake breakfast at the APA.

Thank You all.

Conservative attack ads - NOW?

2009-01-27T03:33:00.000-08:00

It is January 26th and earlier today Canadians heard an insipid and uninspired throne speech as parliament returned to sitting after Stephen Harper’s behaviour and attitude united the opposition parties against him.

One would have thought/hoped that Stephen Harper would have learned something during his mad scramble to hold onto power by proroguing Parliament. Unfortunately Mr. Harper gives every evidence of continuing to believe that being elected Prime Minister, even with a minority, grants him the right to rule with the Divine Right of Kings and impose whatever whim takes his fancy on Canadians.

Lamentably it sounds as if Stephen Harper has learned nothing. Worse it is clear that not only has Harper not listened to Canadians but he does not understand Canada or the economic realities the majority of Canadians face.

Parliament has just returned to sitting; Stephen Harper heads a minority government; Canada is facing economic turmoil – perhaps even crisis; Canada and Canadians need a budget to address the economy and what is Stephen Harpers’s response?

Attack ads. At a time when cooperation and compromise are crucial to the economic health of the country Stephen Harper is playing political games and launching Conservative attack ads.

One has no way of knowing if this is a result of Stephen Harper being so egocentric that he cannot or will not hear what others and Canadians are telling him or whether Harper is incapable of paying attention to the needs of any other Canadian(s) but his own.

Which would be good news if, as these attack ads seem to suggest, Stephen Harper is so egomaniacal as to be willing to ignore the expressed wishes of Canadians and the economic welfare of Canada in order to provoke an election in hopes of achieving the majority government he lusts after.

Whatever the reason, these attack ads make clear that Canadians do need to speak with their MPs – their Conservative MPs.

We need to tell our Conservative MPs to stop pandering and knuckling under to Stephen Harper. It is past time that they started acting in the best interests of their constituents, Canadians and Canada.

The Conservative caucus needs to replace Stephen Harper with a leader strong enough to compromise and cooperate; a leader more concerned about Canada and Canadians that himself and his Divine Right to Rule.

Abbotsford's $expensive$ AHL pipedream

2008-12-23T01:19:00.000-08:00

I cannot predict whether or not Abbotsford will get an AHL hockey franchise.

What I can predict is that if Abbotsford should get an AHL franchise all the financial dealings and contracts between Abbotsford City Council on behalf of the City of Abbotsford, the investors bringing the franchise to the city and the AHL will be buried deep in the bowels of City Hall and securely hidden from the people who will be footing the cost of the required yearly seven-figure subsidies – the beleaguered and impoverished Abbotsford taxpayer.

I can also predict council will have a multitude of excuses for why they will not or cannot release the information that would allow calculation of how many millions of dollars taxpayers will be required to pay to subsidize any AHL team in order to entice that AHL team to locate in Abbotsford.

AHL President David Andrews made it clear that any Abbotsford team will be responsible to fully subsidize teams increased travel costs to travel to Abbotsford for games. The expense of paying this cost will be in addition to the increased travel costs a team located in Abbotsford will face in travelling to away games.

Simple mathematics reveals that covering increased travel costs will require 1 – 2 million dollars a season. Where is that money going to come from? Where else but Abbotsford taxpayers?

There are numerous other costs and subsidies I can think of that could well end up coming out of Abbotsford taxpayer pockets in order to entice a hockey team to Abbotsford.

Which is why full disclosure on all the costs and contracts connected and/or associated with the new arena complex and its operations is required. While it may be publicly embarrassing to leave the new arena dark, it is likely the most economically and financially sound decision to make.

With the economy in the worsening shape it is, the besieged taxpayers of Abbotsford simply cannot afford to pour millions of dollars of operating subsidies into the arena every year on top of the millions paid out in debt and interest repayments for sole purpose of allowing council to save face.

Close enough!

2008-12-16T03:16:00.000-08:00

I usually park in the Yale high school lot when I go to ARC to swim my lengths since it is a shorter walk to the “(old) pool front desk” - unless the weather is sufficiently bad as to encourage me to use the new underground parking space.

The last time I used the underground parking rain was coming down in a deluge and as I walked down the ramp to the ice and pool area I had to walk around the water dribbling down the ramp and the bucket set out to catch water leaking through the brand new roof.

Monday’s strong winds encouraged me to take advantage of the shelter from the wind the underground parking offered my poor old car. Finished swimming my lengths I rode the elevator down to the parking level and as I stepped out of the elevator I found myself once again stepping around a wet spot on the floor, in this case a growing puddle.

I found myself looking at the ceiling where the water was dripping from and wondering exactly where the water was coming from. I had just walked across the floor upstairs, directly above the spot were the water was dripping down from the ceiling to the floor, and it was dry. The water was dripping from (through? out of?) the bare, poured concrete ceiling.

Water dripping from (through? out of?) a poured concrete ceiling in a spot well inside the confines of the building and under a spot where the floor upstairs above was dry sent me back up the elevator to report the leak and growing puddle to staff at the “new front desk”.

Since they did not come down to check the matter out in the 5 -10 minutes I spent trying to get a decent picture using my cell phone (I need a newer, better camera cell phone) I cannot say what staff’s reaction to the leak was.

The two gentlemen who came down the elevator and stopped to look at the ceiling and floor also wondered just where the water was coming from (through? out of?).

They also shared my less than impressed opinion on the workmanship standards this leak evidenced; especially since the dripped water was running along the cracks, thus highlighting the cracks/cracking, in the brand new poured concrete floor.

I am currently contemplating avoiding the underground parking and confining my activities at ARC to the time-tested solid “old ARC”.

As well as wondering “We paid how much for this?” and “Whatever happened to quality control and pride of workmanship?”

Caveat emptor I suppose.

Auto Bailout? Are you that stupid?

2008-12-04T03:41:00.000-08:00

Let’s get real here.

To listen to the proponents of a bailout you would think that if a bailout is not forthcoming the North American headquartered auto industry with all its assets and jobs will, *poof*, disappear. Trust me, it won’t.

What will happen is that the North American headquartered auto industry will file for court protection via bankruptcy. The North American headquartered auto industry will then have to come up with a viable reorganization plan and get the plan approved by the court. This course of action would result in a reasonable chance that the North American headquartered auto industry would come out of the process in a viable state.

The first point that seems to be getting lost here is the fact that as it is now constituted the North American headquartered auto industry is not viable and is burning through $billions$ of dollars as it haemorrhages loses. A bailout will only allow the North American headquartered auto industry to continue to waste money, this time at taxpayer’s expense.

The North American headquartered auto industry needs to undergo a massive makeover in order to be a viable industry and bankruptcy is the best process to ensure this occurs. Remember that bankruptcy protection of business was designed to facilitate this reorganization, re-emergence process.

The second point to remember is that we are speaking only of the North American headquartered auto industry, the so-called big-three, here. There is an entire North American auto industry that is not headquartered in North America and while it is suffering from the economic downturn it is healthy and will grow, creating jobs, to cover and satisfy any market demand left unmet by the loss of a North American headquartered auto company.

The third point I would make is that the situation the North American headquartered auto industry finds itself in is the direct result of management, shareholder and employee decisions made over the past decades.
These decisions focused not on neither the long-term health and viability of the companies, or even the short-term health and viability of the companies, but entirely upon the greed based decision framework of maximizing the money made by management, workers and shareholders.

Playing these types of paper financial games will always result in, at some point, either the death of the entity or entities playing such games or in the need to reorganize in accordance with the real economic and business position of the company or companies.

The fourth point I want to make, or perhaps share, is that I have no sympathy for shareholders who have not only permitted management to mismanage the companies but actively encouraged them through executive reward and remuneration systems based on meeting quarterly (extremely short term) targets and goals as opposed to remuneration tied to the long term success, viability and health of the corporation. When all decisions are made on short term artificial targets and goals, these decisions are made at the expense of the long-term viability and survival of the corporation and nobody should be surprised that at some point this results in a non-viable corporation.

Points three and four reflect and underscore the reality that unless corporations, in this case the North American headquartered auto industry, refocus or are forced to refocus to consider the long-term effects of the decisions being made they will simply cycle through short-term paper success, financial trouble/disaster, bankruptcy and emergence from bankruptcy. There were sound reasons that the management and financial courses at the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Commerce stressed the need for basing decisions not just on the short term but on the long term effects on the survival and prospering of the company.

Which brings me to the final and perhaps most important point I want to make – the situation where greed results in decisions that provide (excessive) rewards for what prove in the longer run to be self-destructive decisions with costly consequences to all is not confined or unique to the North American headquartered auto industry.

The meltdown of the banking system in the US is/was clearly a result of greed running rampant. The only thing that saved Canadian banks from a similar fate was far tighter banking regulations and the luck that without a majority government Stephen Harper was not able to follow the US deregulation craze into disaster.

We either need to stop basing decisions on Greed or (more likely) provide regulation and remuneration systems that prevent short term abuse in pursuit of greed and reward/mandate long-term decisions based on survival, viability and health.

Could insanity be the explanation?

2008-11-24T02:53:00.001-08:00

Crime, grow-ops, gangs, increasing violence, murder capital of Canada, homelessness, addiction, poverty, mental illness, affordable housing, hunger/lack of food, children going to bed hungry, sewage infrastructure, drinking water infrastructure, tire eating roads, paving, line painting or repainting, highest municipal tax levels in the lower mainland, $10 million for warehouse space labeled as a Cultural Centre, millions of dollar$ in cost over runs, etc. etc. etc. …

Abbotsford is deteriorating under council’s mismanagement; people are complaining about increasing tax levels, about large tax increases, crime, social problems etc; yet citizens choose to re-elect the very people responsible for the problems as if they expect them to act differently and solve problems rather than continuing to create/worsen problems.

A.A. has a saying concerning repeating the same action (electing, re-electing councilors) over and over again, expecting or hoping for a different outcome.

That is the definition of insanity.

Abbotsford Ratepayers Questions - My Answers

2008-10-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

Question 1A:

I was a strong and vocal opponent of Plan A attending all public information meetings, asking questions of City councillors and staff, speaking with the public at the meetings, writing to the news paper and writing on www.homelessinabbotsford.com.

I filed a complaint with the BC Ombudsman over the City’s behaviour in conducting the referendum and wrote to our provincial elected officials (MLAs, premier, ministers) concerning the City’s conduct during the referendum.

I was a member of the board of directors of the ratepayers association during its first year of life and have continued to write and ask questions on the costs, the management and the effect of Plan A on the public.

Question 1B:

Since several of the articles and letters that I wrote referenced the need to consider interests costs when talking of making “profits” I clearly consider interest costs to information to be considered.

If the public wants to know how much interest the City will pay in addition to the repaying the principal, that information should be provided.

Question 2:

Speaking of unreasonable and arbitrary, what about the tone and content of this Question?

I have never been on council, but I have been a vocal and active opponent of council and wrote/complained about the way the Plan A referendum was handled.

However I would have to say that reasonable restrictions on making presentations to council are not unreasonable nor a barrier to addressing council. For example: the 15 minute time limit cited in the question is not unreasonable; requiring advance notice of the matter you want to bring before council is to be expected – groups I am a member of like the courtesy of including topics in the agenda, does not the ratepayers association have agendas for its meetings?

As to addressing council, limits to avoid the same person, topic or questions from appearing week after week after week and preventing other citizens from raising new topics and questions are needed but must be clear as to the rules.

New persons, topics or questions cannot/should not be denied just because the council does not want to hear them.

I am fully prepared to support an opportunity for the public and attendees to pose questions to council and think such an idea has merit. However I will not support a limitless free-for-all. Such a questions session would need to be structured to permit access to new speakers and for new topics not for the same people and topics to be raised time and time again.

I plan to have a website to blog about what is happening to council that would permit feedback and discussion.

Question 3:

I do not believe in government by referendum or survey; in fact I would say that popularity contest is a terrible way to make decisions.

I certainly hope that people elect you to council based on your experience, judgment and character, expecting you to exercise those traits in making decisions on their behalf.

I think the public needs to be heard; allowed to raise questions, concerns and ideas on matters; that a councillor has to listen to all of this input; but I believe that as a councillor you need to make decisions based on one’s experience, judgment and character. I do believe that the public is entitled to know why you decided as you did.

This is why I plan to blog about items and decisions facing the city and council - and expect feedback in the form of comments from the public.

I volunteer with several local organizations, sit on non-city committees, am a board member of a local organization and am connected to the community in a variety of other ways. I fully expect and hope that this will provide me with direct feedback and input and ideas from the public on city, council and public matters.

Question 4A:

I have had no involvement on this matter. While municipalities can raise this issue I am not sure there is any way for a municipality to exert pressure on more senior levels of government on this matter. Indeed it seems to me that this is a matter where the public is more suited and likely to affect change than a municipal council.

Question 4B:

I am aware that monies that are designated to improve and maintain our roads goes into general revenue and that it for the most part stays in general revenue and is not spent on our roads as intended.

Question 5:

I think this is far to complex an issue to address in the limited time and space available.

I also have some serious concerns and reservations about the effect this may or could have on funding for smaller communities, the sparsely populated regions etc.

While this is a concept that sounds simple it is in fact very complex, with far reaching consequences and affects.

This is an issue that has to be addressed not at an individual city level but by cities as a group to negotiate an agreement among provincial, federal and municipal levels of government.

In the meantime when the federal or provincial government download responsibility they need to provide funding for the municipality to pay for those downloaded responsibility. Infrastructure and other expensive expenditures also require funding support from higher levels of government with their higher ability to raise funds other than through property taxes.

Question 6:

I am not in favour of web based electronic voting, so I am not only not prepared to work for it, would in fact oppose it.

Your fuel cost argument is nonsensical.

If you do not want to spend money on gas – walk. I did when lack of a vehicle or poverty required me to walk to the poll to vote.

Getting out and voting is easy in Canada. If you are not prepared to expend the minimal effort required to vote – tough.

Question 7:

You left out the kitchen sink.

You pose a reasonable, sensible question on road infrastructure and I will answer it.

Question 8:

Yes.

Question 9:

Not Applicable.

Question 10:

I have read the applicable provincial statute and the guide provided by the province for municipalities to understand the statute and implementation of DCC.

I am aware of the questions/problems with Abbotsford’s new DCC bylaws. I have written about this matter on homlelessinabbotsford.com, in a letter to the newspaper and in letters to the Minister responsible and Premier Campbell.

We need to address this matter and bring Abbotsford’s DCC bylaws into line with provincial law.

Question 11:

Does not disclosure “prior to an election” inherently also include possibility or requirement of disclosing donations prior to such donations being made?

I have no problem with the concept of providing information about funding and donations prior to an election. However I really need to know exactly what your proposal entails before I can say yes or no. At the municipal levels many candidates do not have organizations and I am not willing to put in place requirements that will be barriers to citizens who want to run for local office and favour those with the resources to provide such information.

I personally cannot afford to spend money on campaigning and since I can think of many better uses to be raising money for I have no intention of formally raising money for my campaign.

A friend decaled his van with vote of James W. Breckenridge for city council and gave me a decal for my car. Some friends have spoken about doing something about getting some signs up – time will tell what happens on that front.

I am campaigning through candidates meetings, networking and getting out and meeting people.

Question 12:

I have been a resident of Abbotsford (and Matsqui) for twenty years.

I have a commerce degree, was a chartered accountant, have experience in public practice and business.

I manage to pay all my bills and the next months rent every month, living within my means.

Our city faces serious social issues in affordable housing, addiction, mental illness, the working poor and poverty all areas I have experience and familiarity with.

Unique life experience having been solidly middle class, ended up homeless from mental health challenges, worked hard to become mentally healthier than at any other point in my life, struggled to find and get into housing.

I volunteer with several organizations in our community; this includes a volunteer relationship were I was volunteering while homeless. I am co-chair of the Abbotsford Mental Health and Addictions Advisory Committee and sit as a member on a Fraser mental health and addictions committee. I am on the board of the Focus Disability Network Society. I am a member of several housing committees and groups in Abbotsford.

I work at the shelter in Abbotsford, do peer support and facilitate WRAP (wellness recovery action plan) groups.

I have friends, acquaintances and connections throughout the community.

I have been actively involved and engaged in the community, with community issues and with city and council decisions and behaviours.

In Conclusion:

I have taken the time to answer these questions because I believe the public has a right to this type of information in deciding whether to vote for me.

However I found the tone of the letter objectionable, particularly the accusatory tone in reference to current or prior council members.

Some of the questions were far to complex and convoluted to be answerable.

Given that the questions arrived in the mail on the very day they were due to have been answered and returned the questionnaire was unreasonable in its length and complexity.

I also find it hard to believe that these are the 12 top questions and concerns of the citizens of Abbotsford; they certainly are not representative, except in a few instances, of the concerns that have been expressed to me by the public at large.

James W. Breckenridge

LEADERSHIP.

2008-10-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

I found myself mulling over leadership after listening to pundits holding forth on the issue of leadership during the current Federal election, reflecting on the scene in BC and with reference to Abbotsford’s municipal election in November.

The conclusion I reached was that it has been so long since Canadians and people around the world have had any real leadership in the public and political arenas that Canadians and others no longer know or understand what leadership is and so they accept the pale imitation passed off as leadership today.

In considering Mr. Harper’s “leadership advantage” it became clear that people have erroneously come to falsely mistake management for leadership.

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” Peter Drucker

Calling this election as Mr. Harper did was a management decision based on perceived political opportunity and advantage. The right thing to have done, the right message to send and example to set was to not to give into temptation but to obey they law Mr. Harpers government had passed as necessary to prevent political opportunism by federal parties – the opportunism he gave into.

Mr. Harper made a strategic decision rather than a decision based on character ignoring the wisdom shared by General H. Norman Schwarzkopf that "Leadership is a combination of strategy and character. If you must be without one, be without the strategy."

Mr. Harper may well run a tight ship, ruling with an iron fist but as Dwight D. Eisenhower noted “You do not lead by hitting people over the head-that's assault, not leadership.”

Arnold Glasgow: "One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency." One of the ways you do this is by facing the music, even if you don’t want to hear the tune.

Not only has Mr. Harper refused to acknowledge problems that interfere with his plans or that he doesn’t want to talk about - demonstrated by his recent behaviour of repeatedly stating the Canadian economy was fine in the face of evidence to the contrary; Mr. Harper fails to acknowledge or act on issues such as the major social problems facing Canadians and our cities (homelessness, poverty, affordable housing) that do not fit into his world view.

"A real leader faces the music, even when he doesn't like the tune." Anon

Of course with reference to major social problems such as homelessness, poverty and affordable housing Mr. Harper is not alone in his refusal to see or address a problem while it is more manageable in size rather than allowing it to grow into a large problem or a crisis. Provincial governments/politicians as well as municipal governments/politicians also chose to turn a blind eye to these issues, pointing their fingers at others as being responsible for addressing the issues and when they grew into an epidemic – they run around the proverbial “chickens without heads”.

They bury their heads in the sand to avoid seeing or hearing what they do not want to see or hear while Canadians long for the “good old days” as society becomes less civil and more dog-eat-dog.

“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision.” Theodore Hesburgh.

Why is vision so important? Because if we want a civil, supportive and healthy society we all need to be better than we are.

We have to do the little things and the big things – the things we would rather not do or have to do. For example: Carry your litter until you find a garbage can to put it in; Saying please and thank you or being patient in line-ups; Donating to the food bank – even when worried for ourselves; Taking a deep breath and behaving in a rational manner – even when our emotions are running high; Remembering that children are the future, that we need to raise healthy children and that it takes a community to raise a child and that as a community we need to invest and provide the resources needed to raise healthy children; Look at the long term as well, instead of focusing on the short term – yes “going green” will cause some economic pain but not making those changes will, in the longer run, cause economic disaster;

It is this need bring out the best that led Blaine Lee to state "The great leaders are like the best conductors - they reach beyond the notes to reach the magic in the players."

To do that you need vision not dogma as reaching for the magic in the players requires inspiring the player to want to strive for the vision. Reaching out to inspire also serves to remind a leader that decisions made have an effect on the players in the real world and you have to consider, to understand, that those decisions will have effects in the real world.

“Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.” - Marian Anderson

I do not know if it is ideology or that he just does not get it, but Mr. Harper’s actions and words show a total lack of understanding of the costs and challenges of issues such as child care for most Canadians. Mr. Harper stated that the other parties’ plans to replace the nominal $100 per month Conservative policy with a real investment in childcare were a bad idea because parents would lose the $100 a month. Ordinary Canadians struggling with child care need real help, not a token $100 a month. Of course for the wealthy the $100 was a nice bonus, a further transfer of wealth to the wealthy from the poor.

The flagrant lack of understanding demonstrated by Mr. Harper on this manner is the effect this $100 a month could have on those who were not wealthy or well off. i.e. those families where the extra $1200 put them over the income limit at the food bank and disqualified them from using the food bank. For these people the $100 a month was a devastating blow to their survival – forget about child care. Making up for not being able to access the food bank cost more out of pocket than they received, making the child care payment a cost not a gain.

Don’t they ever think? What world are they living in? Hey – pay attention to the effect of your actions in the real world. You’re supposed to represent all Canadians not just the wealthy and corporations.

Federal, provincial, municipal politicians – I can not count the times I have made those statements or heard them from others.

“Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult.” - Warren Bennis

I end with this quote because life has, over the past few years, taught me just how important it is to grow and to continue to grow as a person; just how difficult and uncomfortable that can be; how rewarding making the effort and working through the discomfort is.

I am comfortable in my own skin now and like the person I have become and am becoming. I will not be having spin doctors dressing me up in warm fuzzy sweaters or staging “meetings” with families, not simply because becoming who I am has granted me empathy and understanding, but because such falsehoods would not be being true to ME.

In becoming yourself you learn the importance of not taking yourself to seriously, of being able to laugh at yourself; that life is something to be lived and enjoyed and far to important to be taken only seriously.

Give Thanks by sharing.

2008-10-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving: the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgment of benefits or favours.

Thanksgiving came to us from England where it was called the Harvest Festival.

Harvest is from the Anglo-Saxon word hærfest, "Autumn". It then came to refer to the season for reaping and gathering grain and other grown products.

Harvest Festival used to be celebrated at the beginning of the Harvest season on 1 August although nowadays the festival is held at the end of harvest. Farmers celebrated the end of the harvest with a big meal called a harvest supper.

This is where our tradition of Thanksgiving Dinner comes from.

In Britain people bring in food and the food is often distributed among the poor and senior citizens of the local community.

What better act to give thanks for one’s good fortune, benefits and favours than to share food with those members of the community who are not so favoured or fortunate?

Please, as you gather the items and ingredients for your Harvest Supper, remember the Abbotsford Bank - gathering a few items to share with those in need in our community.

If you cannot publish this letter by me due to the election, please remind your readers in whatever manner you choose to remember those who have less or little to be thankful for.

The Homeless Numbers Game

2008-09-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

Any homeless you think you see on the streets of Abbotsford must be mirages, hallucinations or some other form of figments of imagination.

That is what I was forced to conclude when I took a moment to do the math and add up the numbers; the numbers of homeless that I have heard stated by organizations, groups or individuals as having been assisted off the streets by said organizations, groups and individuals.

When I added up all the numbers I have heard claimed recently it turns out that according to the numbers not only does Abbotsford not have any homeless on its streets, Abbotsford has negative numbers of homeless its streets.

Now either Abbotsford is experiencing some strange space/time continuum disruption, or Abbotsford has become the center of some kind of psychic/hallucinatory phenomenon, or we need to examine/define what should be meant when claims are made about the numbers of homeless “assisted into housing or off the streets.”

Harper: No Ideas, No vision, No Integrity, No Leadership

2008-09-02T04:08:00.000-07:00

The Harper No Vision, No Ideas Trick. Everyone sees through it.

That is the thought the attack ads of Mr. Harper and his Conservatives raised in my head. Every ad is an attack ad. There are no ideas for dealing with the issues of importance to Canadians; no leadership on what we need to do address the challenges facing Canada; just attacks on others.

Mr. Harper wants to call an election so he will have a “mandate” from the Canadian people. A mandate to do what? To continue attack ads to misdirect Canadian’s attentions from his and his party’s lack of ideas, vision and any understanding of what Canada is about and what it means to be Canadian?

Or perhaps he is seeking a mandate to continue to publish directives that instruct Conservative MP’s in how to obstruct the business of parliament? Although you do have to admire his gall in complaining he needs an election because parliament is “not working” when he is instructing his MPs in how to prevent parliament from working.

Of course this behaviour does suggest Mr. Harper is somewhat lacking in integrity. This lack probably explains his “wannabe American” behaviour and his lack of understanding of what the statement “I Am Canadian” embodies.

That Harper has No Ideas, No Vision and his questionable behaviours are not any surprise in light of his insistence on seeing the world through his ideology, failing to understand that Reality does not give a damn about your Beliefs.

Harper and the Conservatives passed a fixed election date law to prevent politicians and political parties from calling elections at their convenience and perceived advantage. Apparently this only applies to the other leaders and parties not Harper and his conservatives.

What does it say about Harper’s leadership and integrity when he will ignore a law his own party passed and when he cannot even inspire himself to follow a law he was responsible for enacting?

It is not that easy.

2008-08-29T00:25:00.001-07:00

This quote is from Joey Thompson’s column in the Province of Friday June 20, 2008.

“In the meantime, I'm with Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu: Send them off to jail, and make sure facilities offer them plenty of treatment and recovery options.”

So neat, so tidy, so simple why have we not solved these problems this way? Because Reality, as it so often does, intrudes.

Faced with the suggestion that we begin locking all these people up for long terms I thought it prudent to check the number of spaces available in our prisons. According to the research I did on the web our prisons currently runneth over with inmates.

These repeat offenders are released time after time due to a lack of space in the prison system. So where are we to put all the new prisoners resulting from this “…purging Vancouver streets of 379 prolific offenders…”?

We could raise the $$$ billions needed to build more prison spaces and the $$$ millions needed yearly to operate the new prisons through tax increases or by redirecting current funds spent on law enforcement into prison building and operating.

I wonder what percentage of the Vancouver Police budget Chief Chu is prepared to forgo so it can be spent on prison construction and operation? Just how much more is Ms. Thompson willing to pay in taxes to fund the major expansion in prison spaces to incarcerate these criminals?

Alternatively we could lock these prolific offenders away and let others who have committed lesser numbers of crimes free.

Of course currently priority is given to locking up those who are violent and dangerous, resulting in those who commit property crimes, even repeated and multiple offences, getting little or no jail time. A policy of releasing those who commit property crimes and locking up those who assault people seems an intelligent choice to me.

However if we would rather protect property rather than people by changing our incarceration policies we can. I just wonder what killers, rapists, child pornographers and other violent criminals Ms. Thompson and Chief Chu want to release from prison in order to make room to lock up those dare steal our precious stuff.

The problem with the Vancouver Police Department report is it fails to address the underlining complex reality of a statement as simple as “Send them off to jail”, much less the far more complex problems connected with “…and make sure facilities offer them plenty of treatment and recovery options.”

It misleads the public into thinking that the solution is simple, straight forward and easy when that is not the reality.

The public perception of simple, straight forward and easy answers becomes another barrier to our ability to get on with the hard, messy and complex tasks required to put in place the recovery based systems and supports to address addiction and help addicts get into recovery.

If we seek to address the social ills associated with addiction, such as property crime, we need to address getting addicts into recovery and the complexities of addiction recovery systems and supports.

While this will not be as easy as “Send them off to jail …” it is the only approach that will, if we are patient, persistent, creative and focused on the goal of recovery, achieve the results we want

Addiction or Why this Issue Sucks.

2008-08-15T01:56:00.000-07:00

Alas, poor Fred! I knew him, fellow SCN readers: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: before these tragic circumstances befell the now lost soul:

Addict: a person who is addicted to an activity, habit, or substance: a drug

addict (verb used with object); to cause to become physiologically or psychologically dependent on an addictive substance, as alcohol or a narcotic; to habituate or abandon (oneself) to something compulsively or obsessively.

Video game addiction, also called video game overuse, is a form of psychological addiction composed of a compulsive use of computer and video games. Sometimes the addiction will manifest itself as part of excessive Internet use.

Most notable are massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), and related to Internet addiction disorder. Instances have been reported in which users play compulsively, isolating themselves from social contact and focusing almost entirely on in-game achievements rather than life events.

WebMD: At an addiction treatment center in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, teenagers and adults begin detox by admitting they are powerless over their addiction. But these addicts aren’t hooked on drugs or alcohol. They are going cold turkey to break their dependence on video games.

Every form of addiction is bad, no matter whether the narcotic be alcohol, morphine or multiplayer online role-playing games. Carl Jung

First he abandons his loyal readers, spending less and less time on SCN as feeding his addiction requires more and more time. Then it begins to affect his work as he becomes one of those undependable employees he recently decried in SCN.

Before long his poor roommate has to throw him out in favour of a roommate who works and can pay his share of the rent and the poor guy becomes one of the homeless, a member of that underclass that has graced the pages of SCN. The upper crust of that underclass as, like a turtle, he carries his home around with him as he drives from location to location to meet his needs.

Unfortunately it is his addiction that dictates his needs so instead of concentrating on employment and the path out of homelessness he focuses on finding internet connections to allow him to feed his habit.

Before long the car is gone as his focus tightens more and more on finding sources to satisfy his cravings, his addiction.

Living on the streets, hygiene challenged, soup kitchens for food – still his addiction drives him, consumes him, destroys him.

We loyal SCN readers need to stage an intervention to force Fred to confront his addiction, to encourage him to seek help in getting into recovery from his addiction.

STOP! THINK Fred: recall the sad state of those further along the path of addiction whose addictions had led them to homelessness and life on the streets. Reach within; find the strength to find help and recovery.

Addiction is a stone cold bitch whether to drugs, to work or to role playing games. Do not listen to the sweet siren song promising you Kingship of fantasy lands, lest ye continue down the path that leads to despair and utter hopelessness.

Take personal responsibility for you life and addiction, save yourself and find Wellness and Recovery. You have the strength Fred.

_____________________________________________________

post scriptum:

While written tongue-in-cheek there is a disturbing truth in what I wrote. Nobody says to themselves “I think I will become and addict” or “I think I will become homeless”. Addiction, mind altering substances, gambling, online gaming or work, is an all too easy downward slide whatever your starting point.

It is a sweet siren song luring you on until it is to late when it reveals its true nature as a stone cold bitch.

Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow. Aesop

Fred's original article that inspired this can be found at: http://www.somethingcool.ca/editor281.htm

Brought thoughts of the Food Bank to mind

2008-07-30T02:02:00.000-07:00

The television news report about Santa in July to raise awareness and donations for the Vancouver Food Bank set me to wondering how our local Abbotsford Food Bank was faring. So I asked the Food Bank Coordinator what the situation is.

The number of people accessing the Food Bank have stabilized somewhat. They are however averaging a couple of new people per day and while a few of those are homeless most aren’t.

I am not surprised that most were not homeless. With the cost of housing in Abbotsford and the increases in what it costs to live (especially gas), more and more families are faced with having less, little, or no money to buy food with.

I would be interested in knowing at what point the addition of a couple of new people every day ceases to be “stable” and becomes a worrisome increase.

The Food Bank is already buying pasta and by Thanksgiving, two short months away, it will be slim pickings. The coordinator is planning to put the word out to his sources this week about the need for funds and/or food donations.

I know it is a busy time of year for many, but by remembering those in our community who need the communities help to have food to eat, we can make sure that come Thanksgiving the Food Bank shelves are stocked - giving all something to be thankful for.

With school looming a food drive would be an auspicious and philanthropic manner to start the school year with, don’t you think?

Please take the time to share and help feed the hungry by supporting our Food Bank.

Shame as she should not be homeless.

2008-07-22T17:09:00.000-07:00

There is a woman who volunteers on Wednesday evenings to help prepare, serve and clean up after the meal for the homeless and other hungry citizens of Abbotsford.

Last week she was not at her best because she had just lost her home to fire. But this week she was back helping with dinner although she is now living in her car.

She is living in her car because, like far to many others, she has a very limited budget which sets severe limits on what she has to spend for rent and has been unable to find any place within her budget.

Governments can come up with whatever plans they want to help people find housing, people can utter whatever platitudes they want about “they’re homeless because they want to be” but the reality of homelessness for many is that there simply is no places available at a price they can afford.

And while that is a reality that politicians and the public need to recognize it is not the reason I sat down to share this story.

I am writing it because the homeless have expressed to me their belief, their concern that it is not healthy (in a variety of ways) for this woman to be living in her car and their anger that nobody in the Christian community of which she is a part is stepping forward to find or offer her a place to stay, even temporarily.

I leave it to you to ponder what it says about Abbotsford as a community that it is the homeless who are upset about the fact this disabled, not young woman is forced to live in her car while the rest of the community seemingly ignores her plight.

When did they repeal the laws of common sense?

2008-07-18T00:55:00.001-07:00

Watching the television news Wednesday evening I saw the report on the young lady with Cerebral Palsy who wished to use an inflated inner tube while swimming off a Vancouver beach.

She was not permitted to swim because the beach has a no use of an inflatable policy to prevent those who cannot swim or do not swim from getting in over their heads and perhaps drowning.

Her mother was upset at this because her daughter does not swim well enough to swim without using her inflated inner tube. Apparently the reporter and her news organization agreed with this point of view to the extent they pressured the Park Board into meeting with mother and daughter to discuss this matter.

The rule is there to prevent people who cannot swim effectively from losing their inflatable support and drowning. The mother states clearly that the daughter needs the inflatable because she does not swim well enough to swim without it. This is exactly the situation the rule exists to address, in order to prevent someone drowning.

As asked, exactly when did they repeal the laws of common sense?

Hedonistic Sloth.

2008-07-13T00:21:00.000-07:00

Leq'á:mel warns off drug dealers; Close down junkie condo, says writer; Addict spoil park for experience; from the Times of July 11.

We have become spoiled children demanding instant gratification and seeking to do things the easy way. The addicts and dealers must go NOW and if the park is the problem – pave it over and make it a parking lot, problem solved.

We are building our society, our social structures out of twigs and straw because that way is Fast and Easy. It is not surprising then that these structures collapse and are blown away by the winds of challenge or difficulty or the big bad wolf.

To survive and deal with the storm winds of social ills and social problems we must build our social structures, our social support programs out of bricks and mortar.

This course will be neither fast nor easy, but it will provide a solid base to build a healthy, thriving society upon; a Society that seeks to deal with its problems in a wise manner.

There is a reason so many of our fables and tales stress spending the time and effort needed to do it right.

Don't worry - be happy.

2008-07-05T22:46:00.000-07:00

This is just one of those things you just have to share.

I was speaking to a friend of mine who had been off work sick; I was glad to see her out and about and looking good. Appearances, as it turned out, were deceiving.

She had had a nasty flu and on top of that had picked up a virus that has damaged her heart to the point she needs a transplant. She is on the waiting list for a heart and transplant surgery.

Let me digress for a moment and say this is why I have always signed the documents for organ donation and made sure family and friends know I strongly believe in organ donation. Donated organs literally save lives. If you have not signed for organ donation please do.

Anyway my friend shared something that struck me as quite funny in a weird, somewhat twisted way and had my friend hastening to tell me how well everyone had treated her.

They had told her to go home and not to stress about it.

You heart has been damaged, you need a new heart, you are on the waiting list for a heart – should one become available, you would then undergo heart transplant surgery and … oh yes, don’t stress about any of this life/death stuff.

Life versus death, but don’t worry – kick back and be happy. Bizarre.

Bribery or complex errors - The Plot Thickens.

2008-06-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

The Plot thickens – Bribery or complex error?

The situation concerning the property at the corner of Sumas Way and 4th Avenue by the border, its underground tanks and oil contaminated soil has taken an interesting twist.

The neighbour across the road and the neighbour whose commercial property runs along two sides of the contaminated property are both interested in purchasing it. When the underground tanks and oil contamination was disclosed, the neighbour’s replies revealed a fascinating development.

The neighbour across the road was told approximately twenty years ago, by an environmentalist she asked, that the underground tanks had been removed and the property cleaned up.

The owner of the bordering property said that as part of the approval process to develop and build on his property an environmental assessment had to be done that included the contaminated property. The environmental assessment, which was done by looking at the records not at the property, showed that the tanks had been removed and the property cleaned up.

This certainly answers the question as to why neither neighbour was screaming about flooding rainwater contaminating their property and the surrounding environment. As far as they knew the underground tanks had been removed and the property decontaminated. It also explains why the title does not show the existence of underground tanks.

If this was true why are the pipes that connected to the underground tanks still in the ground? It does not seem a rational action to dig up and remove the underground tanks then to put the contaminated access pipes back into the ground leading nowhere. You can run a long dip pole down the pipes into a cavity in the ground and the dipstick comes up contaminated.

What are these cavities, if not underground tanks, and why do the soil not collapse and fill the empty space? Better yet, would the holes not have been filled in when the tanks were removed? As opposed to all the work required to remove the underground tanks and leave the empty hole behind.

If the tanks have been removed and the property cleaned up why does the property stink of oil to the point you can taste it when you breathe? Why, when the property floods during rain, does the water have an oil sheen, a sheen it leaves on everything when the water dries up?

It would seem that the records are incorrect and the underground tanks have not been removed; that the property has not been properly decontaminated.
Raising the question of why the records show the tanks removed and the property decontaminated when those actions never occurred?

Did a complex series of clerical errors occur just the way required for the records to incorrectly show the property as cleaned up? Or, as reputation for the way municipal business is done in this region would have it, did some one know the right someone or make a payment ( a cheaper alternative) to the right someone, to have the records show an underground tank removal and property decontamination that never occurred?

Thank you A.P.A.

2008-06-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday June 14th marked the last pancake breakfast at Abbotsford Pentecostal Assembly before the traditional summer break.

We homeless want to say thank you to APA for putting on these monthly breakfasts with a special large thank you to all the volunteers who work so hard in putting the breakfast on.

For many of us it is a special treat, something to look forward to with anticipation rather than worry or fear. It nourishes not only the body but the spirit.

We wish to extent our best wishes to Pastor Jack Keys (who was in charge of the breakfast this year) as he embarks on a ministry abroad.

To one and all our thanks – Thank You.

Tombstones at Abbotsford's Mill Lake.

2008-06-13T04:10:00.000-07:00

Here is something a little eerie to think about.

A friend, a homeless friend, mentioned he had been to Mill Lake but it was getting to depressing to go there and see all the tombstones, especially those for children.

Haven’t seen any tombstones at Mill Lake? Or just haven’t noted them as tombstones.

They are hard to miss being spread around the lake and rather large, large enough to sit on. Yes the benches with their memorial plaques.

Is not a tombstone a memorial, usually but not always of stone, with an inscription noting the passing of someone?

A little something to ponder as you stroll around Mill Lake, past the tombstones.

It certainly caused me a discombobulating moment and a little pondering. The next time I find myself at Mill Lake watching the waterfowl I just may find myself sitting on the stone wall instead of the adjacent benches/tombstones.

I did say it was a little eerie.

Flummoxed.

2008-06-09T00:02:00.000-07:00

There is a property in Abbotsford that has two underground oil tanks buried on it, probably left from the time in the 1940 – 50s when it was a gas station. The property is so contaminated that not only do you smell the oil, you taste in your throat.

It sits on the corner of Sumas Way and 4th Avenue just north of the Canada/USA Huntington border crossing. To improve traffic flow across the border major road construction was done involving 4th Avenue.

As a result of this work, every time it rains, this corner property is flooded 5 – 15 cm deep in rain water runoff. The rainwater is contaminated when it runs onto the property, leaving an oily sheen on everything it touches.

Unfortunately for the environment and the neighbours most of these contaminated flood waters do not remain on the property in question but runoff onto the neighbouring properties and into the ditches spreading contaminated water over a wide area.

Governments at the municipal, provincial and federal levels have all been informed of this problem. The result? Nothing. Nada. Zip. No government or government agency at any level seems interested in taking action to remedy this spreading environmental pollution.

Since governments had failed to respond, much less act, a number of well known environmental non-profits were contacted, informed of what was occurring and asked for help/advice. The result? Nothing.

I was not totally shocked when governments at all levels tried to avoid the cost of dealing with this contamination, leaving it to some other level of government to take appropriate action – and get stuck with the bill. But these from organizations that are about protection the environment?

I suppose there is just not enough potential for publicity and/or fundraising in this small environmental contamination. But still one would think …

The property sits there ignored while every time it rains the surrounding environment becomes more contaminated and the contamination spreads further and further.

I am fresh out of ideas on how to get this contamination dealt with; it just leaves me totally flummoxed.

Environmental poisoning/contamination in Huntington/Abbotsford.

2008-05-26T04:13:00.000-07:00

If you do not want to read the tale of tangled webs, fraud and perhaps forthcoming fraud – you need to read the environmental pollution/poisoning portion highlighted in red, although the background would be useful for understanding and context.

An interesting tale of tangled webs woven and environmental contamination

I met Wayne McCulloch shortly after I first became homeless in Abbotsford and so have known him for several years.

Wayne is in my economic bracket – abject poverty; when he had some legal and related documents he needed looked at and discussed with him, he could not go running to seek (costly) professional advice.

Wayne’s place is a corner property in Huntington, at the corner of Sumas Way and 4th Avenue. At one point he owned it free and clear but finding himself in a state of poverty, owing taxes and legal fees of close to $20,000 and with no credit rating he was in desperate circumstances.

So a deal was struck with someone Wayne knew. For a ¼ interest apiece the acquaintance and his brother-in-law, a mortgage broker, would secure a $75,000 mortgage which would pay off the monies owed and provide living/operating capital for Wayne.

Flash forward to today. The acquaintance of Wayne’s passed away this past year and the deceased brother-in-law served Wayne with court papers seeking to force the sale of the property. Wayne filed with the court to dispute the matter and did some research and a search for applicable documentation.

So it was that Wayne came to find himself in need of a professional to read the stack of documentation and advise him. Unfortunately for Wayne he is poor and could not afford to pay – limiting him pretty much to one choice – me.

In the interest of honesty I must admit that while I hope I would have done it as a matter of friendship, my car needed work, I live in poverty, Wayne’s a mechanical wizard …and we both got to sooth our pride since each of us had a skill the other needed.

I will spare the reader even a brief summary of the hundreds of pages of documents and copies Wayne has in his files on this and just go with the interesting and “tangled web” documents and facts.

Photographs of the open pipes that lead to the underground oil tanks on the property; a copy of the title that shows nothing about any oil tanks; photos of the flooding that takes place when it rains (the result of the work done on 4th Avenue); the recently received copy of the appraisal for the original mortgage years ago (requested by Wayne in his search for all the documentation he could possibly in any way need); the court/legal papers he was served; the affidavit filled by the brother-in-law in support of his suit and finally the fact that a recent appraisal was done on the property at considerable expense to the brother-in-law – without the appraiser speaking to Wayne in any way, just taking photographs.

The oil tanks were never disclosed when Wayne originally purchased the property – as I said there is no indication on the title that there are underground tanks. Wayne discovered them a few years after he bought the property.

When I asked, Wayne said that both of the people who getting a ¼ interest in the property were aware of the existence of the tanks when the deal was struck, that the plan had been to remove and clean up the contamination themselves.

I have no personal knowledge of this. While I cannot say exactly when I learned about the existence of the oil tanks, I have been aware of the tanks for several years. On my first visit to the property it was not hard to see the location of the pipes – the large steel plates covering them are hard to miss. I am aware of others who are also aware of the existence of the tanks, including local and provincial governments (more on that latter in the environmental calamity portion of the tail) since Wayne has never made any secret of their being there in my presence.

Even if the pipe openings were hidden - the air is tainted with the odor of petroleum products.

I asked the question because the recently received copy of the appraisal that was used to get the original loan makes no mention of the tanks. It does however contain a disclaimer that the presence of unknown environmental issues would make the appraised value incorrect.

When I asked about the original mortgage Wayne’s said that the two new partners in the property arranged the mortgage, that the brother-in-law mortgage broker handled it. Wayne could not remember if he had signed the original mortgage documentation.

The court suit specifically asked that Wayne be excluded from any dealings with the buyer but specifically asked Wayne be held liable for any warranties, guaranties etc. made by the brother-in-law in selling the property.

The appraisal and court suit required an outlay of further money on what, given the existence of the underground tanks and the cost of clean up, is not only a worthless piece of property but for anyone with assets a money pit to clean up.

Why would anyone sink more money into a piece of property they knew was worthless unless … they expected to get those monies and more back?

I pointed out to Wayne that obtaining the original mortgage without disclosing the underground tanks was fraudulent. As the appraisal’s so carefully worded and included disclaimer noted – environment problems render the property worth far less than the appraised value, assessed value or mortgage amount.

That with nothing on the title, should the court grant his petition, there is nothing to prevent the brother-in-law from selling the property without disclosing the oil tanks existence.

Given: the title search included in the documentation does not disclose the existence of underground storage tanks; the first mortgage appraisal did not disclose the existence of the tanks; that the mortgage on the property was obtained without disclosing the tanks, thus fraudulently; that the new, current appraisal was done without talking to Wayne or inspecting the property closely; that the petition to the court sought to ensure Wayne had no contact with any purchaser yet was to be held liable for any warranties made about the property; that the only way for the brother-in-law to recoup his current outlay of thousands of more dollars on a property he knew had underground tanks and was thus worthless; that there was nothing “on record” to demonstrate the brother-in-law knew of the underground tanks.

It seems probable that the brother-in-law intends to sell the property without disclosing the existence of the tanks. The money he is spending and the fact he is petitioning the court NOW suggests there is a buyer for the property.

Without hard evidence the brother-in-law knows about the tanks, he can claim ignorance and dump it all on Wayne.

Needless to say Wayne was somewhat unhappy with this possibility, feeling he was “hooped” and “what to do”.

I said the first thing we needed to do was to ensure the property was not sold to some innocent third party and avoid the can of worms that would open or give rise to.

This is where this tale takes an interesting Environmental pollution, contamination, menace, health threat twist.

I just plowed through all the documentation in the past few days, however I had been asked by Wayne for advice on who you would report his underground tanks to weeks ago, giving Wayne several suggestions.

He has tried the provincial government and Abbotsford City Hall getting no help or action.

Action is desperately needed. The road work done on Fourth Avenue means that every time it rains the property is flooded with several inches of water, contaminated water that leaves an oil film behind on everything it covered. The photos Wayne has frighteningly show the depth and extent of the flooding and the oily sheen of the water.

Every time it rains the property is flooded and the rain water contaminated. This contaminated water flows onto neighbouring properties, into the ditch, the local ecosystem, soil and the Abbotsford sewage system.

This is contaminating, poisoning the ground, the ecosystem and perhaps even the people of Huntington.

Action needs to be taken, not just to prevent this property being sold to some innocent third party, but far more importantly to prevent further poisoning of Huntington.

So it is I find myself writing this story down to share. This is a situation that cannot be referred to an advisory committee with no concrete action taken.

It needs to be acted on NOW.

Report from the principal's office ...

2008-05-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

When John Smith started by repeating, almost verbatim the same excuse speech he has been using for the last 2 ½ + years for why council is doing nothing to address homelessness and its related problems; when Councillors Smith, Beck and Harris stated their ridiculous Cheerios Theory – that serving Cheerios in Jubilee Park was at the root of the problems in the Park; I knew Mark Rushton had been correct when he wrote voters needed to vote in a totally new council if they wanted growing problems in Abbotsford such as homelessness to be addressed in an effective, positive manner.

Calling a Pastor on the carpet at City Hall, like a delinquent schoolboy, for daring to practice his Christian values is unacceptable behaviour. Chasing the homeless out of Jubilee Park at great expense when they will only return is pointless. Why does Bob Bos and his Downtown Business Association deserve special treatment by having the homeless in the Park chased into some other Abbotsford neighbourhood?

Other cities, with fewer advantages than Abbotsford has, are making solid progress in addressing homelessness on their streets because they have leadership and common sense, while Abbotsford is unfortunately stuck with spendthrift politicians.

Bruce Beck Blatters on ...

2008-05-12T02:23:00.000-07:00

Not wanting to disappoint Councillor Beck’s expressed expectation of reading reaction to statements he made at Wednesday May 7’s City Hall “browbeat the Pastor” meeting, this one’s for you Bruce.

In advancing the Smith-Beck-Harris Cheerios Theory Councillor Beck demonstrated he shared his fellow councillor’s lack of even the most basic knowledge and understanding of the realities of homelessness and addiction.

He also clearly shared his council colleagues’ lack of understanding of the purpose of applying a bandage and the desire to spare Bob Bos and the Downtown Business Association the problems of the homeless on the streets of Abbotsford by once again moving the homeless to other neighbourhoods.

Councillor Beck’s statement that closing down the Food Bank for three days to renovate was the same as the Pastor complying with their demand to never feed again feed the hungry in Jubilee Park, clearly demonstrates: a) his need to sit down and spend some time watching Sesame Street in order to get an understanding of similar things and things that are not similar and b) the continuing need for dictionaries at city hall in order that they can look up and (hopefully) gain an understanding of concepts such as “three” and “never”; even the homeless know that never is a lot longer than 3 days.

Councillor Beck proceeded to speak of spending $10’s of millions of dollars to relocate the city’s seniors group. Now my first reaction was that he was being facetious in that statement, but reflecting on his his spendthrift ways as a councillor of squandering taxpayer’s money ….

What the statement clearly demonstrated was that for covering up, avoiding or mishandling the social problems of homelessness, addiction, mental illness and poverty councillors and the city can find time and money. It is only when it comes to dealing with these social problems that neither time nor resources can be found, and we get the same old “not our responsibility, we have not the wherewithal” speech.

Addressing the social problems on the streets of Abbotsford is not about ridiculous theories, harassing Pastors or chasing the problems from a favoured neighbourhood to a neighbourhood obviously less favoured by council, it is about vision, leadership and responsible, thoughtful action.

Ban Cigarettes?

2008-05-02T17:19:00.000-07:00

Before commenting on the Posts call for banning cigarettes we need to clear up one major point: does the Post in anyway have financial interests (potential profits) in the nicotine replacement industry?

Cigarettes are merely the most widely used method to feed the addiction to nicotine of nicotine addicts. Unless nicotine is added to the illegal substances list along side crack, heroin, meth etc. most addicts will merely switch from cigarettes to an alternative, legal, method of feeding their addiction. Perhaps becoming patrons of safe injections sites in Vancouver?

Should the Post’s call for making illegal cigarettes and not nicotine (the additctor) be merely an oversight, I am willing to support the Post’s call for adding nicotine to the list of illegal substances and for a prohibition on alcohol.

Not because I think that prohibition or illegalization are good ideas or effective ways to deal with addiction. Rather I think it would prove very salient and educational to the public about, our current policies on addiction and illegalization of those drugs we choose to name as illegal.

I want to urge the Post to stand solidly behind its call for prohibition of alcohol and illegalization of nicotine. Assuming its position is not merely a veiled attempt to get in on the profits, political points and bucks to be made out of the illegalization of drugs.

The post’s original opinion Friday March 21, 2008

The provincial government is continuing its attack on smoking, second-hand cigarette smoke and the people who continue to puff – all in the name of improving health and by extrapolation, reducing healthcare costs and Workers’ Compensation Board claims.

Yet the senior governments won’t do the one thing that would ultimately be the best thing for all accounts – make smoking illegal.

The provincial government ads proclaiming “improvements to B.C.’s tobacco control laws” will “protect the health of all British Columbians and their communities” but doesn’t say what the law’s all about ... spin doctors proclaiming a government’s dedication to health in time for the Olympics while costing pub patrons their entertainment and pub owners their profits.

So what about smoking rooms and cigar stores? And what about drinking? It’s unhealthy too. Will the government tell us all how to live?

Smoking is legal.

Telus special promotion not so special.

2008-04-22T03:20:00.000-07:00

Hearing the Telus radio ad promoting getting Telus high speed internet and a laptop computer reminded me of a friend who had taken advantage of (or is that had been taken advantage of by) a previous Telus high speed internet plus computer “special” offer.

Signed up for 3 years of high speed internet and received a free computer, but downloading took forever. Enquiry revealed that the computer lacked the RAM to take advantage of high speed internet.

Being willing to be a self-advocate and being persistent eventually got Telus to pay for a RAM upgrade which a friend installed. Now the high speed internet being paid for is useable.

Whether corporate greed, a lack of concern about customer care, a Dilbert-esque triumph of marketing over engineering realities or some combination thereof – it is a cautionary tale.

So if you are thinking of signing up for this latest “special” offer, be sure to check out the technical specifications first. You also might want to a little price, model and features research.

And if “took advantage of” the earlier computer offer applies to you and your internet is anything but high speed … you might want to check your RAM.

And they're worried about a sex show?

2008-04-18T00:51:00.001-07:00

This announcement, for the upcoming Kid swap event at ARC has me wondering how one goes about determining the market value of the kids to be swapped.

Obviously, a smart well mannered kid is worth more than a dumb ill-behaved brat. How is the value scale from perfect angel to offspring from hell determined? Does one trade one super kid and two brats for one so-so kid?

Is the swapping limited to kid (or kids) for kid (or kids), or can kids be swapped for material goods? Can a super kid earn you a yacht in trade? Can a Mercedes sweeten the pot enough to swap a problem child for the peace and quiet of a childless home?

Inquiring minds seek the answer to these and many other questions arising in regard to this swapping of kids at a city owned facility.

And what’s next, a wife swapping event?

Re: Drug Kids editorial from The Post

2008-03-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

Mr. Bateman, assuming your implicit argument that these children are in more toxic environment than they would be in under the care of the Ministry of Children and Families is correct, I find it extremely unlikely that there is not a single provision of our current child protection legislation under which a child can be remove from dangerous drug lab or grow-op environments is correct. In fact I find it hard to believe that those charged with protecting these young citizens cannot find numerous provisions to use to remove and place these children in other environments.

If police officers, social workers and our justice system require a clear signal that children in grow-ops or drug labs are in need of help – our society is in serious trouble. I would go so far as to say that anyone who needs a “province wide directive” in order to act on behalf of children in these circumstances is in the wrong job and should seek employment elsewhere.

Mr. Bateman’s original editorial The Post Friday March 21, 2008

My wife and I have two little girls under the age of five. They are bright and happy and we would stop at nothing to keep them safe. Every night, I tuck those two girls into their beds and I say a little prayer that God would keep them healthy.

Not every child in B.C. is so lucky .In hundreds of other homes across this province, children sleep in beds with hastily-wired electrical cables running past them. Toxic mould grows in the walls. Poisonous drug precursors litter the house .Dirty needles lay in the living room, and crystal meth residue is all over the kitchen.

This is a new social issue in B.C. and it should break the heart of anyone who cares about children. These are drug-endangered children and there are hundreds of them living on borrowed time.

As a Langley Township councillor, the issue of drug-endangered children first came onto my radar when I received a memo from our fire chief. Like Abbotsford and many other municipalities, Langley has put together a Public Safety Inspection Team, which inspects suspicious electricity users for safety violations. We do it because these homes are far more likely to burn than others, and we need to protect our neighbourhoods .In the memo, our fire chief reported that the team found evidence of children living in 36 of the 158 grow-ops they discovered.

As I tucked my two little girls into bed that night, I thought about those 36 grow-ops that children lived in. I thought of these kids, living in an environment with shoddy electrical work that could cause a fire at any time. I thought about the toxic mould growing inside the walls– often undetected behind the drywall. That’s why municipalities have strengthened their building bylaws to make sure that homes that had been used as grow-ops or meth labs are brought back up to a healthy standard. I thought about the dangers of living in a home that could be the target of an organized crime grow-rip.

I started reading, researching, and asking questions. I found the story of little Deon, Jackson and Megan White, three preschoolers killed in a meth lab explosion in California. I saw pictures of babies – the same age as my little Danica – with burns from meth precursors on their faces.

I saw pictures of meth ingredients contaminating the same kitchens that kids eat in. I read about power cables running under cradles to grow-ops. I read about needles and drugs being found next to sleeping infants. These children are being abused by the carelessness and high-risk lifestyles of their parents and guardians. They deserve better protection.
I’m not the only one who thinks that. Police officers I speak with feel the same way; so does the BC Association of Social Workers; and UCFV criminologist Darryl Plecas; and the Government of Alberta, which has a law protecting drug-endangered children. While the B.C. government has moved to protect children from their parents’ second-hand cigarette smoke in cars, it has ignored the hundreds of children living in grow-ops and meth labs.

In 2006, Alberta passed a Drug-Endangered Children Act, which sent a clear signal to police officers, social workers, and the justice system: children growing up in grow-ops or drug labs are being abused. Their parents are subject to prison terms and fines. The children are seized and put with other family members or in another safe environment.

In B.C., our social workers don’t even have a uniform provincial protocol on how to deal with children found in these homes. Each region makes its own policies, despite three years of lobbying by the BC Association of Social Workers for a province-wide directive. We need to do more for these drug-endangered children. The health studies are staggering.

“Children living in those labs might as well be taking the drug directly, ”says John Martyny, a medicine professor with the National Jewish Medicaland Research Centre in Denver. A U.S. Attorney’s Office study shows that as many as 80 per cent of children rescued from meth labs in the US test positive for toxic levels of the chemicals used in meth production. These chemicals can cause cancer, severe skin conditions, tremors, lead poisoning, kidney, lung and liver diseases and more.

On the grow-op side, the mould from the growing process can cause chronic respiratory problems, neurological damage, and cancer.

That doesn’t count the psychological harm from living in such an environment, or the elevated risk of fires and explosions. Every child deserves a safe and happy place to grow up. When will British Columbia step up to the plate for our hundreds of drug-endangered children.

That is not Charity.

2008-03-18T17:14:00.000-07:00

What kind of bottom dwelling scum uses charities as a place to dump their unwanted crap and avoid paying dumping fees?

The cost of disposing of the junk these low lives dump has become a drain on the resources of the charities involved; sucking money out of charitable activities to provide free garbage disposals for this tight-fisted, self-centred bunch of vermin.

This is compounded when someone who cannot afford the loss buys something that doesn’t function. The swine that dumped it might just as well rob them at gun point.

Get some character, some morals, you despicable trash!

That's Gibberish, not reasoned, scientific arguement

2008-03-02T22:37:00.000-08:00

I would like to respond to Donald J. St. Pierre factually deficient diatribe (Post Feb. 29) against reason, science and evolution.

Anyone who has conducted biology experiments with fruit flies has seen evolution in motion. However, it is not necessary to turn to the laboratory to see evolution occurring when Abbotsford sits surrounded by the ongoing many experiments and experimental results in evolution that is agriculture.

Evolution does not require a new species as an outcome as can be seen in the definition of evolution at www.dictionary.com: “Biology: change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation by such processes as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift”. Evolution is change in the gene pool.

Milk production, beef cattle, crops all have been and continue to be genetically changed by the efforts of mankind. In fact one of the major driving forces of evolution today is the actions of mankind either deliberately or as a side effect of those actions.

Given the babbled mumbo jumbo that Mr. St Pierre ties to pass off as a scientific argument, it is not surprising he has such a poor grasp of what the theory, science and underlying principles of evolution are and/or about.

Yes mass is a manifestation of energy but its conversion to energy is governed by Einstein’s famous E=mc2 not the Laws of Thermodynamics.

Thermodynamics is the study of the inter-relation between heat, work and internal energy of a system. In simplest terms, the Laws of Thermodynamics dictate the specifics for the movement of heat and work. The Laws of Thermodynamics are actually specific manifestations of the law of conservation of mass-energy as it relates to thermodynamic processes.

The Laws of Thermodynamics are not the set of Laws that govern the Universe. They are a subset of a subset of the Laws of Physics (motion, gravity, relativity, conservation of mass-energy etc) and until such time as a grand unifying theory for the Laws of Physics emerges and survives testing, there is not a “Law” that can be said to govern the Universe.

As to Mr. St. Pierre’s claims of what evolution contradicts.

I will concede that if you use the narrow meaning of the term Biogenesis that is the basis of Creation biology, then within that limited definition, evolution clashes with biogenesis. However if one does not misuse the term biogenisis by limiting it in this manner, there is no law of biogenesis saying that very primitive life cannot form from increasingly complex molecules.

A cursory study of the Laws of Thermodynamics reveals that the Fourth Law is about biological systems and encompasses evolution.

As to Laws of cause and effect or probability, I cannot comment further until Mr. St. Pierre provides examples of what he means as it appears to this observer that not only do these laws not contradict evolution, these laws suggest and support evolution.

While I would commend Mr. St. Pierre for his statement about debate without the rantings of emotional philosophical bias, I am left wondering when he plans to begin or join such a debate?

Not an Eclipse - The Truth is Out There.

2008-02-21T23:39:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday February 20, 2008 there was neither a lunar eclipse not a launch against a falling “spy satellite” as was widely reported. These stories were merely the attempt by the Powers That Be to keep the public in ignorance about the events that actually occurred on that evening.

Fortunately for the public and unfortunately for those attempting to perpetrate this deception, the stories and explanations they sought to use were so thin as to be transparent and readily seen through.

It was not a lunar eclipse that obscured the moon but an alien interstellar vessel whose path, size and close proximity to earth gave the general outward appearance of a lunar eclipse. The destruction of the starship and its subsequent break-up, clearing the line of sight to the moon, helped complete the illusion of a lunar eclipse.

It was against this inbound starship that the US Navy launched its attack, not some mythical “spy satellite”. Under the guise of shooting down a “spy satellite” with poisonous fuel onboard, the military destroyed our interstellar visitor.

No doubt the starship homed in on Earth because, on the basis of radio frequencies, Earth is a brilliantly lit up object as a result of all our media broadcasting signals into space.

Given the vast distances and travel times involved in voyaging between the stars the exploration crew and scientists would travel in some form of cold sleep or suspended animation. The fact the crew was not awakened prior to the ship heading for orbital insertion (why wake the crew up before it was definitely established the planet was of interest) supports the conclusion that our visitors were explorers and not hostile.

Why would a starship be destroyed?

Concrete proof of intelligent alien life together with whatever knowledge and ideas they may have chosen to share with the world would have had a profound effect on mankind. The effects would have had a high potential of causing massive social upheaval and change. Inherent in this change was the likely displacement of our current ruling class.

Unwilling to run the risk of losing their power and control of the people the ruling class destroyed the starship and the threat to their power. The need to act quickly resulted in the very thin stories of a lunar eclipse and “spy satellite” destruction to cover up their atrocity, greed and lust for power.

We will never know the knowledge, the glories that mankind would have gained from our visitors. What bright future for mankind was sacrificed just so the ruling class can continue to enjoy the wealth and privileges that comes from their rule?

Grant's Law - legislating human stupidity.

2008-02-09T12:30:00.002-08:00

“Grant’s Law” is inconvenient but what else would government do if it was not filling our lives with inconvenience? Surely one would not expect them to address such issues as poverty, affordable housing, homelessness, addiction or mental illness? No, that would require thought, hard work and leadership. It is so much easier to pander to the public with “Grant’s Law”, than to tackle pressing social issues.

The Liberal government pays lip service to capitalism and letting the markets decide – until it is politically convenient for legislation or to avoid enforcing the laws protecting workers. All the government had to do was use the existing labour standards to prevent employers from deducting the cost of stolen gas from employees or from firing them because they were intelligent enough to do the smart thing – nothing.

But enforcing labour standards in this instance would have set a precedent and the government could have found itself under pressure to enforce all the labour standards, areas such as farm workers. Or even worse, find their selves under pressure to deal with issues such as keeping employees as “part time” to avoid the rights and benefits that accrue to full time employees.

My sympathies may go out to Grant’s parents, but this law still exasperates me. Not because I resent being treated like a criminal and inconvenienced every time I purchase gasoline, but because at its core it is a law legislating about human stupidity.

With apologies to Mr. De Patie, rushing out to confront a criminal armed with a high powered weapon weighing hundreds of kilograms is not an intelligent action. And a car, despite the way the laws deal with drivers who kill people (drunk or sober drivers), is a lethal weapon. A criminal or an idiot armed with a car is as deadly lethal as if armed with an AK-47 and confronting them, whether armed with a car or AK-47, is less than intelligent behaviour that is likely to prove fatal.

What this law is about, besides inconveniencing and treating as criminals the pubic, is preventing people from behaving stupidly.

If government is going down that path, it better get right on legislation governing the use of ladders; since in North America nearly a person a day dies and there are 100,000 injures from falling from ladders. Legislation is obviously needed, even though research shows that 100% of ladder accidents might be eliminated with proper attention to the application of equipment.

If we are going to legislate about human stupidity where do we stop? After all, as Albert Einstein noted “Only two things are infinite, the Universe and Human Stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.”

Educating Abbotsford City Hall

2008-02-07T15:02:00.001-08:00

Annual: 1. of, for, or pertaining to a year; yearly: annual salary; 2. occurring or returning once a year; 3. Recurring, done, or performed every year; yearly.

I make available the above definition of annual for the education of Abbotsford City Hall which has, on several occasions, demonstrated their lack of knowledge as to what the term annual means.

When you have an annual fee increase you raise your fees ONCE a year and no other fee increases take place until a year has passed. It does not mean you have an annual fee increase in September 2007 following a fee increase in July 2007and then another fee increase at the beginning of January 2008 – which at a 100% was definitely the steepest of the increases.

Abbotsford Recreation Centre patrons have now (I say now as I have no knowledge of how many, if any, more annual increases will occur within the year) had three fee increases in this annum (noun (Latin) year; "per annum"). Annum: year; annual: yearly. So for the education of City staff and politicians I repeat the definition of annual.

Annual: 1. of, for, or pertaining to a year; yearly: annual salary; 2. occurring or returning once a year; 3. Recurring, done, or performed every year; yearly.

While on the topic of definition or naming of City programs etc.: Should not a swim where the price doubled be renamed from a loonie swim to a twoonie swim. It just seems somewhat loony to be paying a twoonie for a loonie swim. I do not imagine taxpayers/patrons find it at all amusing to go to a loonie swim and be charged $2. To stand in front of that flat, big screen TV mockingly labelling the swim costing you $2 a loonie swim.

As a final point on paying attention to the details: With Parks and Rec having taken over the public bulletin board for the stated purpose of promoting Parks and Rec programs; why did they then have to spend all those taxpayers dollars on two big flat screen TVs to hang at the front desk? Simply because, as is the case with their multiple “annual” fee increases, they can?

Severance pay? Really?

2008-02-02T01:39:00.000-08:00

Severance pay: noun – A sum of money usually based on length of employment for which an employee is eligible upon termination.

I read that Abbotsford’s city manager Mr. Guthrie retired early. I do not recall reading anything about “dismissed” or “terminated”?

What is this golden handshake of a severance package? No employment contract has provisions for payment of any severance pay, much less such an extravagant amount, when an employee retires or quits. Just what is going on?

For the sake of transparency and giving taxpayers the whole story I think we need a great deal more information – without being forced to file Freedom of Information requests.

Did Mr. Guthrie retire or was he terminated? If he retired what is this so-called severance pay really about, since you are not entitled to severance pay if you retire or quit? If he was terminated, why was he terminated? More to the point, why the misleading public statements about retirement?

Does the timing of this sudden appearance of a “severance package” have anything to do with reports Mr. Guthrie was preparing to sue the city for wrongful dismissal? If in fact this “severance package” is to prevent or settle a potential lawsuit, why is it presented to the public as a severance pay?

What is really going on; what is the truth here? Taxpayers, as the ones paying for this “severance package” have a right to have these and any other questions they may have on this matter answered – fully and truthfully.

Transit Forum

2008-01-28T00:28:00.001-08:00

I was at the transit forum Wednesday evening, January 23^rd.

The audience was solidly in favour of a light rail system out to Chilliwack along the old valley transit lines. The only problem, a rather large problem, is that this is not the philosophy of the provincial government which would rather increase the traffic struggling into Vancouver. Hopefully the provincial government, particularly Transport Minister Kevin Falcon, will open their ears to listen to common sense.

And no, making that statement is not a result of using mind altering substances. With changing economic circumstances reality can only be denied for so long. Maybe I should have said – hopefully before it is to late ….

The bad news is that it was made clear that the province requires “partnerships” if municipalities wish provincial funds for projects. What that mean is that cities must be willing to invest/spend their own money on any project they seek provincial funds on.

This “put your money where your mouth is” policy is not unreasonable, even though it unfortunately bodes ill for Abbotsford in getting provincial funding. I say bodes ill because with the financial debt burden city hall has assumed with Plan A, there is not likely going to be any funds available to “partner” with the provincial government.

Leaving infrastructure unbuilt and provincial funds not coming to Abbotsford thus rendering the “legacy” of Plan A all the missed opportunities for provincial funds and needed infrastructure unbuilt.

I do have one suggestion for a novel approach by Abbotsford city hall to transit planning vis-à-vis the ever lengthening commute to work in Vancouver – attract business and good, well-paying jobs to Abbotsford. I know this is a major policy and behaviour change – to encourage rather than discouraging and not raising barriers to businesses bringing jobs to Abbotsford.

Who knows, such a rational response may even penetrate the provincial government and encourage them to think and plan about commuting and traffic flow rather than blindly slapping down more highways and byways.

SIGH!

2008-01-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

SIGH.

Could someone please explain to the Parks, Recreation and Culture department that they exist to provide citizens with services; citizens do not exist solely to provide large sums of money through their taxes to Parks and Rec?

Walking into the pool at ARC I found another sign that Park's and Rec attitude towards the public seems to be "Bleep the public, it is all about Parks and Rec."

There is a large bulletin board on the wall that WAS in use as a place to post notices and fliers of interest to the public from both non-Parks/Rec sources and from Parks/Rec itself.

No more. In the middle of this largely (and strangely) empty board is a notice informing the public that this board is now only for the use of posting Parks/Rec fliers, posters or information.

The notice does contain the statement that at some indefinite point in time, in some unspecified location, a bulletin board for the public (who foots the bill for ARC and its bulletin boards) will appear. There is no explanation of why the public could not continue, as it has for decades, to post on the bulletin board until such time as another board could be installed.

What public convenience or usage is next on the Parks/Rec hit list?

Are the new All-Weather fields SAFE?

2008-01-02T17:44:00.000-08:00

I admit it came as no surprise to read about Abbotsford having problems with the contract and installation of the all-weather soccer fields.

Sadly, it would only surprise me if the city managed such a project without mishap and with sound management practices. Given the current council and city management, successful implementation and installation of any capital project and contract seems pretty much a Forlorn Hope.

What is of concern to me about mismanagement of the soccer fields, in contrast to the last fumbling mismanagement exercise, is the possible consequences.

Award a pool construction contract to a company who has never built a pool and you get the Centennial Pool debacle. Worst comes to worst you only have a leaky pool – and the high costs of repair. Athletes and other users are in contact with the water, not the pool structure itself.

With an all weather soccer field the athletes and other users are in direct contact with the playing surface, the structure, of the field. An artificial surface over artificial support materials, on a foundation/base prepared to provide proper support for the field.

These different layers need to be installed and bonded securely, safely and above all properly. Which is why you schedule the installation for a time of year were you could expect good, dry weather and want to have the installation done by a crew experienced in the installation of these types of materials.

Not during the cold, rainy weather of our local winter. Not with inexperienced labourers.

Because if the installation is not done RIGHT you have an increased, significantly increased, probability of the field itself causing serious or crippling injuries to the citizens of Abbotsford and visiting teams using the fields.

The question of increased risk to the safety of those using the field is what is of primary concern to me. I can live with the usual ineffective, wasteful and costly management by council and staff – as long as the safety of those using the field is not negatively affected.

Not just because of the potential for costly lawsuits, but because citizens have a right to expect the City to provide playing surfaces that are well constructed and safe for citizens and their children.

So I want to know what has council and staff done to ensure proper and safe installation?

Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon's response? non-response? to a Memo.

2007-12-28T16:02:00.000-08:00

Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon's response time on a matter of bridge infrastructure concern was truly impressive. I had sent him a memo raising concerns about drainage and leakage of bridge structures in Abbotsford and less than 2 weeks later workers were to be found making repairs to the drainage system.

I just do not know whether to laugh uproariously or hang my head and cry in despair.

After the snowfall that turned to a downpour I sent Minster Falcon a memo about the difficulties caused the homeless by the bad drainage and massive leakage noting the need to "remove the threat posed to the health and lives forced to live beneath the bridges, like trolls from the dark-ages tales".

I did note that "we at homelessinabbotsford.com would rather see these needs address in the proper manner and ministry, as opposed to continuing to sweep the problem under the bridges - and whatever makeshift shelter can be found." I suggested that as an alternative to repairs he could speak to Claude Richmond (Minister of Employment and Income Assistance), Housing Minister Rich Coleman or Premier Gordon Campbell and get changes made to the policies that result in BC citizens living under the provinces bridges.

Based on the swift repair to the drainage system it would appear that it is the BC Liberal government's policy that BC citizens reside under bridges.

Leaving us to ponder whether the $500,000,000 pursuing these polices costs taxpayers, would not be spent on housing and recovery support programs which would reduce the yearly costs and result in significant savings to taxpayers?

Senate reform 101

2007-12-17T13:06:00.000-08:00

Senate reform seems to sink into a quagmire of complexity and political self interest. Is it not rational to change our frame of reference on the question of Senate reform?

Canadian citizens footing the cost of the senate need to get value for their money.

Canadian citizens need to derive benefit from the monies spent on the Senate, but Senate changes become lost in arguments about the form change should take. What we need is a change that requires no amendments to any legislation governing the Senate, but results in a Senate/Senators benefiting Canada.

Simple. We change who is to be appointed to the Senate, not the how, directing the Prime Minister to appoint Senators from a pool meeting the requirements the Canadian people feel will benefit the country.

I would like to propose that we use the Senate to support advocates, agents of change .... Use whatever label you choose for those who champion causes such as homelessness, poverty, climate change, child care etc.

As a country we face the need to address many social, economic fairness and environmental issues. Issues that we need to have a public debate on in order that we can formulate effective and cost efficient policies to address these issues.

Unfortunately we currently have no such debate taking place in this country. Currently we have politicians and their followers throwing around trite sound bites based on their ideology or what they think the public wants to hear - or both. Despite all the rhetoric, claims and promises these problems continue to grow and worsen.

These are complex issues containing far more gray than black or white, without nice neat solutions, often requiring multiple approaches to effect change. In other words - messy. The reality being that dealing with them will result in mistakes, some negative outcomes and someone, somewhere screaming out their upset. The type of issues that have politicians running for cover - or using trite phrases and telling the public what it wants to hear.

So we take those with a passion to address these issues, some brains, good communications skills, an ability to find compromise and consensus and other traits we think would be helpful and we appoint them to the senate.

Being a senator grants them financial security and independence, affording an opportunity to focus on the issues. It provides for travel, opens doors and provides a public platform to engage and address the Canadian public, a voice an ordinary citizen does not have. It provides an interesting and challenging group of peers to brainstorm with.

These senators can lead the public debate, generating ideas and feedback, building consensus on what course our country should pursue. This provides protection for the politicians while it ensures that the debates and policy decisions we need as a country take place.

By reforming the Senate in this way we create a Canadian institution that is focused on creating positive change, becoming a world leader in how to achieve change and growth

2007-12-11T17:31:00.000-08:00

TO: Kevin Falcon, Transportation Minister

FROM: www.homelessinabbotsford.com

RE: Improper Bridge Drainage Problems

We have, following the recent inclement weather, received a deluge of complaints about bridges leaking and/or suffering from improper drainage.

Not only does getting wet in cold weather pose a threat to health, it also is life threatening to the lives of those BC citizens/residents forced by the growing epidemic of homelessness to live under the bridges you bear responsiblity for.

These homeless wish to know what steps you, as the Minister responsible for these bridges, will be taking to remedy the problems with drainage in order that those forced to shelter beneath the bridges and remove the threat posed to the health and lives forced to live beneath the bridges, like trolls from the dark-ages tales.

The homeless would accept you championing the homeless and interceding on their behalf with your colleagues in lue of action on the bridges themselves.

Claude Richmond, Minister of Employment and Income Assistance on the matter of realistic and viable shelter allowance levels and the replacement of the current ineffective programs with programs designed to deliver services of benefit to the clients, not for the ease of M.E.I.A. staff.

Housing Minister Rich Coleman in encouraging BC Housing to be proactive and flexible in seeking local partners to get some affordable housing initiatives underway in Abbotsford.

Premier Gordon Campbell to recognize the complex people issues lumped under labels such as homeless or addiction and recognize the need for ingenuity and initiative in addressing these growing issues sooner rather than waiting until they have become such a problem that the government is forced to act.

As a personal preference we at homelessinabbotsford.com would rather see these needs address in the proper manner and ministry, as opposed to continuing to sweep the problem under the bridges - and whatever makeshift shelter can be found.

On Conservative MP James Moore

2007-12-06T16:26:00.000-08:00

The point is not if the NDP apologizes or not.

The point is: when is Conservative MP James Moore is going to resign.

He was elected to take care of the people’s business; not to merely “put in time” in the house, passing the time engaged in prurient thought of his girlfriend. His behaviour shows a lack of judgment and a total failure in the duty of care owed not only to his constituents but also to all the citizens of Canada.

His behaviour suggests, if not demonstrates, that he is there merely to collect a paycheque, remaining uncaring, uninformed and unengaged with the issues challenging the country. Mr. Moore behaviour, thoughtlessly voting as the party dictates, serves to block the debate and discussion we need on a myriad of complex issues.

Mr. Moore needs to be replaced with someone with an interest in addressing the pressing issues, particularly the complex and growing social issues, requiring thought and intelligent action.

The questions Stephen Harper needs to answer is - how many other Conservative MP's are merely there to collect a paycheque and what in his management style stiffles debate and engagement in the issues, resulting in non-participating MP's.

Plan A one year latter:

2007-11-28T18:07:00.000-08:00

Mr. Beck's return to OZ.

In the Abbotsford News of November 22/07 revisiting of Plan A one year later, City Councillor Beck is at least consistent on one matter: he obviously still inhabits the utopian dream world originally conjured up for Plan A.

What else but living in a dream world would explain Mr. Beck claiming "The worst case in Abbotsford is that the building will be self-sufficient." Facing over $3 million per year in interest payments, hundreds of thousands of dollars for maintenance and operating costs, Mr. Beck's "worse case" is $0? It would seem that any prudent businessman or citizen with common sense would rationally see and be concerned about taxpayers easily being out of pocket a figure with up to six zeros behind it.

Living in a world of pipe dreams would also explain how Mr. Beck "highlighted Elton John, Billie Joel ..." when speaking of other entertainment possibilities for the facility. I do not feel it appropriate to comment on a hockey tenant that at this time continues to be an insubstantial figment of the council's imagination.

In reference to capital projects in Langley and Chilliwack, it should be noted that in cities other than Abbotsford, capital projects are part of a capital planning process and there is opportunity and time for the public to express concerns and get answers. Abbotsford is the city where major capital projects are hastily thrown together into one big lump and rushed through with out due diligence, care or public consultation.

Council and its members had a right to express a position on Plan A and to promote their position. It did not have a right to abuse the power and position of the city and council to deny access and expression of their point of view to those who opposed Plan A. It did not have a right to recklessly spend city a large amount of funds to win the referendum. Most of all it did not have a right to lie to the citizens of Abbotsford about the amount being spent to promote Plan A.

It is a matter of public record that Mr. Beck and council insisted that they only were spending $40,000 on promoting Plan A. It was only through the filing of a Freedom of Information request that the actual spending of $140,000, 250% more than claimed and attested to by Mr. Beck and fellow councillors, was revealed to the public as the actual costs.

The old scare tactic of Mr. Beck's "an extra $6.5 million to build the facility" is, given the way the economy is going, looking less and less likely a realistic scenario and that in reality there will savings and bargains available to prudent project developers and builders as the peak building boom passes and construction companies search for work.

The real point is that in light of the increased cost we know of, approximately $23 million revealed so far, $6.5 million looks like a real steal of a deal. Because, despite Mr. Beck's glib assurances otherwise, we have no solid or real idea of what the final bill for this botched mess will be.

One can only hope that the final cost of Plan A does not include paying the costs of boondoggles such as the trip for Mr. Beck and the approximately 50 businessmen going to the Everett Events Center. Whether those costs are paid directly by the City or an attempt is made to hide the costs in Global Spectrum by ignoring the fact the City is already paying Global Spectrum.

If those going to Everett are not paying their way, then we taxpayers are and those costs are part of the cost of Plan A. At least in the real world; in the utopian dream world conjured up by council for Plan A ...??

Saying Thank You.

2007-11-19T17:06:00.000-08:00

We all to often forget how important it is to say thank you to others, forgetting how good it feels to us when someone expresses thanks for something we have done.

I did not realize, did not appreciate at the time, the gift my mother and father gave me when they made me sit down during the Christmas holidays and write thank you notes for gifts received. At the kitchen table it was “Please pass …” and “Thank you.” In public it was “What do you say? Please or Thank You.”

It left me with a set of manners that is an integral part of my nature. I was reminded of this today by feedback on how pleased a note of thanks had made the people who had given me a much needed and treasured helping hand.

I am not good at asking for help and sometimes struggle to find the right words to say “Thank you” appropriately. But give me a pen or keyboard and I produce a thank you note grounded in those Christmas holiday (wasting) notes of my youth.

So I was glad that taking a little time to express my thoughts and feelings about how much I valued the help and friendship I received pleased those who I wrote the note for.

Ii also got me to thinking about what would happen if we all took the time to ask “Please…” and say “Thank you”. I would certainly disperse a great deal more civility into our society. Which begs the question of what would flow from this civility? Courtesy, consideration, concern, caring, compassion, contemplation, consequence?

We are always going on about how bad society is getting, all the problems in the country and world and… and… and …

What if part of the solution is as simple as an increased level of civility? I see no reason not to experiment with this propitious proposition – join me?

Please and Thank You.

Which wolf do you choose to feed ...

2007-11-09T12:01:00.000-08:00

A friend sent me this and somehow it just seemed so appropriate after I had just read that a new national study, titled HungerCount 2007, says 720,231 people, a number just shy of the population of New Brunswick, were forced to turn to one of the country's 673 food banks in March to feed themselves or their families.

A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, 'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.'

The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the holy man looked in.

In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished.

They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.

The holy man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell.'

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The holy man said, 'I don't understand.' It is simple,' said the Lord. 'It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.'

We live in one of the richest countries of the world. On Canada's table is a large pot of wealth and food. There is no material reason that so many are famished and thin, or living homeless and sick.

Another word for pot is crucible, but crucible also means: a severe test, as of patience or belief; a trial. Canada is the crucible; the hungry, the homeless and other neighbours in need our severe test, our trial. Is you soul well nurished and plump from having learned to feed others or is it thin and sickly because you think only of yourself?

Should not a Greenway be green?

2007-11-05T18:33:00.000-08:00

Ok I admit it fits within the dictionary definition of “any scenic trail or route” but I still do not see how you can call an asphalt path a greenway even if you cleverly label the asphalt as “all-weather surface”.

Should not a greenway be somewhere you can get away from the asphalt jungle of the city to at least the illusion of nature?

I came across a big colourful poster singing the city’s praises last night for the new greenway and found myself wondering if a greenway should not involve more green and natural surface than asphalt?

I am reasonably sure that the purpose of the provincial grant was to make the greenway as green and nature friendly as possible. Not for the city to slap down some asphalt to do it as cheaply as possible so that leftover monies could go to feed City Hall’s voracious appetite for taxpayer dollars to waste on such things as nice big colourful posters telling citizens how wonderful the city’s actions are.

Or the next thing you know we will have a massive advertising campaign selling us the wonders of City Hall’s really big greenway – South Fraser Way.

Starbucks Sunday

2007-10-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

It was Starbucks Sunday at lunch today. Once a month the Sumas Way (near the Super 8) Starbucks provides coffee to the Open Door Church to serve with the lunch the church provides. Not only do we get the high octane of Starbucks but there is lots of coffee for seconds and thirds. On a cool rainy day such as today was, hot coffee puts a nice warm glow in your stomach.

I would be most remiss if I did not mention Cobs Bread and their weekly donation to the Open Door of bakery goods for the sandwiches they make. In particular I must mention the occasional special treat that comes in the form of leftover sweet items mmmmmmmmmmmmm. For an epicurean delight of the baked goods variety I can attest to the tastiness of our local Cobs and to their generosity in giving support to different groups the other six days of the week as well.

Although I must acknowledge that Costco's Kirkland brand of apple caramel pie and shortbread cookies are pretty tasty, especially when hunger has sharpened the appetite and being homeless in the cold and wet weather has your body demanding extra fuel, extra calories, to burn for warmth.

A community often does not see all the little ways that franchisees and corporate citizens contribute to the community not just through big dollar donations but in the day to day, month to month contributions to local groups like the Open Door Seventh Day Adventists who use this generosity in order that there might be a little less hunger stalking the streets and homeless of Abbotsford.

So give Cobs bread a try, the great flavour is well worth the trip and take time to tell them "that homeless guy who writes all those letters and other stuff" said to say thank you for being generous and helping feed the hungry. If you get the chance, tell management at Costco "good job" for giving back to our community.

Swing by the Sumas Way Starbucks and say thank you as a citizen of Abbotsford for being part of the community. You might also want to work into the conversation a suggestion that since that is the favourite Starbucks of "that homeless guy who writes all that stuff" they might want to consider donating a Venti or two a day to fueling his fingers ....

Thank you to these and to all the businesses that give back to the community through their generosity, from homlelessinabbotsford and the many others who benefit from and appreciate their kindness and thoughtfulness.

Jimmy's Place

2007-10-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

Have you found yourself forced to stand in the wind and rain at a bus stop you could have sworn use to have a bench and shelter? Your memory may not have been playing tricks on you.

I was into Community Services and noticed as I walked by that people were standing around in the rain. I seemed to recall that when the bus routes changed and the street in front of community services became a transit exchange they had put in benches and shelters.

I was commenting about this over lunch and someone at a nearby table informed me that the city has taken to removing bus benches and shelters to prevent the homeless from seeking shelter there. I am not sure whether any one at City Hall could follow a train of thought far enough to realize it also leaves “the right type” of citizens standing in the cold winter rain.

Don’t want them sleeping on bus benches, in bus shelters, doorways, parks, woods, in neighbourhoods etc? Once we are finished with the bus benches and shelters what next? Clear cutting parks and woods? Bulldozing neighbourhoods?

Instead of wasting time, energy and money trying to drive them away from where you do not want them causing problems for citizens try rational behaviour. Decide where you do want them and put in place the facilities to draw them there.

Because we all know what happens with the best laid plans ….

My conversational kibitzer was unfazed by the city’s actions as he just relocated to one of Jimmy’s Places. Those nice shelters and benches built for advertising by Mr. Patterson. With advertising revenue at stake they are sacrosanct and untouched. So while the average citizen stands in the cold rain the homeless, with a fine eye for economics and human nature relocate to Jimmy’s.

Thank you Mr. Patterson. I do not suppose you could find time in your busy schedule to acquaint our local and provincial politicians with the reality of market forces and human behaviour?

No showers for you!

2007-10-21T10:45:00.000-07:00

In its continuing quest to attract a better class of clientele, the right sort of people to bestow charity on, the pancake breakfast discontinued showers and had very little in the way of men’s clothing Saturday October 13 while continuing the policy of no longer sending the bus around to give a ride to those in need of a big hot breakfast.

I suppose I could cite scripture and verse about how Christ would feel about this judgment of who is worthy of charity and about denying charity to those in need, but what is the point? It is clear from their actions that the institution that has put on this pancake breakfast for the needy over the past years has become an institution about religion and not about spirituality.

Be clear I have no quarrel with them wanting to reach out to another group of people in need. But my spirituality cries out that this should have been done by adding another pancake breakfast, not denying an established relationship with another group of people, undeniably in need of showers, haircuts, clean presentable clothing and a hearty pancake breakfast.

Anyone in need is “the right sort” to deliver charity to.

Homeless and Maxine Wilson, Mayor of Coquitlam

2007-10-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

I must acknowledge that this is not my writing but that of Fred Johns of Something Cool News (http://www.somethingcool.ca/). it was just such an interesting piece I felt that as well as putting it on the Other People's Words page it needed to be on View From the Street.

In order to remain true to the editorial comment flavour of the page: Oh what we could accomplsih if Abbotsford had such a Mayor!

At first, he’s just another man sitting in the trash. His face is layered in dirt, his clothes are in even worse shape and judging by his choice of associates, he is a man who has truly hit rock bottom. Sitting on a log near Coquitlam River, he is sandwiched between a woman who seems to be constantly twitching and another man who is clearly drunk. And yet something separates this man from his company – his eyes seem slightly more vibrant and for a moment, it seems almost like he doesn’t belong here.

That’s because he doesn’t. (Indeed, does anyone?) This man has a home, an apartment somewhere – or so he says. He admits he used to call this forest home, but those days are behind him. He boasts that he is one of the lucky ones that escaped this life of despair, but has ties here still which brings him back to his former stomping grounds from time to time. But the real surprise comes when he is asked how he got his house. He smiles and then says proudly, “The Mayor got it for me.”

As this conversation is taking place in Port Coquitlam, one naturally assumes it is the Mayor of PoCo that is responsible for helping this man, but that assumption would be wrong. The man explains that it wasn’t Scott Young that helped him out, but the Mayor of a neighbouring city that helped out. “Maxine Wilson helped me,” he says, referring to the Mayor of Coquitlam. Then he adds, scathingly, “She actually cares about people.”

Does she now? I think to myself. It's rare to hear someone who used to be homeless say something nice about politicians, so this indeed something unique. The man seems to suggest that Mayor Wilson is different than other mayors, as evidenced by what she did for him. But I have only this man's word to go on - I've never spoken to the Mayor of Coquitlam. I have a feeling that is about to change.

***

The walls on her office seem to suggest a connection to people. On all sides of the giant desk that Mrs. Wilson sits behind whenever she is actually in her office, are pictures of her surrounded by giant clumps of humanity. In one picture, she is seen smiling with a group of Asians, in other she is seen grinning with her City Council. But perhaps the most telling portrait of Maxine Wilson is the one of her and her daughter as the watched the last election results come in. Her daughter is clasping her hand over her mouth and Maxine is looking on expectantly. It’s a picture a newspaper photographer captured and sent to Maxine who proudly posted it on her wall.

“How old do you think my daughter is?” she asks me as I study the picture closely. She’s a very young-looking girl, with a youthful face that could easily fit into any high school hallway. I venture a guess of sixteen. She laughs. Turns out the young woman is actually in her thirties. “Everyone gets that wrong,” she says.

She sits down in one of the seats that surrounds a small table in the other end of her office. I sit down next to her and begin explaining why I wanted to interview her, which means telling her about the man in the forest. When I had called her the day previous, I had left a message with her secretary that I wanted to discuss “homelessness” and that she could return my call whenever it was convenient. Less than an hour later, my phone rang and it was her.

Right away, she expressed her interest in the interview. “How does tomorrow sound?” she asked me. I was caught off guard, but maybe that’s because I am permanently scarred from my Mary Reeves ordeal. I said that it was fine. “How does 1:30 work for you?” I politely asked if I could bump that up to 2:00. “Sure, that’s fine. Whatever works best for you.”

I couldn’t conceal my surprise and quickly agreed to the interview. A phone call made to Scott Young last week was still not returned (but would be an hour later) and already I had an interview set up with the Mayor of Coquitlam for the next day. And remember, Mrs. Wilson and I had never met, and she had probably never even heard of SomethingCool News. Colour me impressed.
I mentioned Scott Young’s name at the start of the interview, explaining that I had spoken to him many times regarding the homeless problem in PoCo and expressed my view that until any sort of conviction appeared, he deserved the benefit of the doubt. She seemed to agree.

“People are products of their environment,” Wilson said calmly. “Scott’s had a difficult life. He’s a very easy Mayor to work with and remember, I am a woman saying that. He’s got some issues and he has to deal with them.”

What she didn’t agree with so much was PoCo’s policy of dealing with the homeless – i.e., tearing down their camps 85 times so far this year. “What PoCo is facing – and what we face – are residents who are afraid for their safety and are worried that they will be robbed so they phone the City and want something done,” she said. “But the only thing that will ever change it is to change the societal attitudes from being ones that are fear-based to realizing that we all have needs and we all need to support each other.”

Indeed, one resident of PoCo who watched the SCN mini-documentary The Displaced, wrote, “I live in this area and if your going to do a story about this then get all facts straight. The majority of these people are also drug addicts and we as residents are being affected greatly because they break into our homes, vehicles and steal and or vandalize our belongings. Drug deals are made in front of our children and homes. So tell the down side we as residents have to endure in the area; this is a huge problem and they create it!”

Those must the societal attitudes Mrs. Wilson is talking about. PoCo’s solution has been to destroy the camps only to watch them spring up on the other side of the trail. Maxine suggests a different solution: “The way I see we attack this is person by person and find the champions who will spread the word and mobilize so gradually people in the community help each other to be supportive.”

Okay, so I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking this all sounds like another episode of Sesame Street. It’s just another Mayor spouting off a feel-good message about humanity coming together and facing all challenges and blah blah blah. It’s the stuff someone who has never experienced the problem says from their comfy office armchair. I thought that too, but then I remembered that guy in the forest.

“Sure, I know a few people I have helped,” Mrs. Wilson replied when I inquired about this man. “I give suggestions all the time as to who people should connect up with. You know I never intended to get involved with politics, but through my years I have come to know a lot of people form a lot of different agencies.” She chuckles. “My staff always jokes that I am a walking encyclopedia because I know who to connect to what.”

She decides to give me an example. “We just had a family traumatized because their son is a cocaine addict who is facing trial. The mother has two other kids and she wasn’t able to manage her own life or the rest of the family’s and she didn’t know what to do. I know Diane Sowden from the Children of the Streets Society. I gave her Diane’s number and told her to call her and to tell her that she needed help. And she did. The next time I saw her she was beaming and her son was there too. So they are going to help their son and get past all that.”

I ask her if she feels gratified and fulfilled having partaken in such a success story. She doesn’t smile or nod – she just shrugs. “That’s my job,” is all she says and patiently waits for me to ask my next question.

There’s a lot going on in Coquitlam – the problem of homelessness may not be as bad as PoCo’s but it could one day be. It’s for that reason, that Coquitlam is working on getting some churches together to help provide shelter for some of them over the winter months and has a long term plan to lease land from the City to help house women and children who are living on the streets. It’s a place she hopes those who want help will finally be able to get it.

“My idea is not to trap anyone in a cycle of dependency,” she elaborates. “We want to help every person that wants it. We are all co-dependent, symbiotic. We all need each other. Each person should be given the chance to be as resilient and independent as they can manage.”

I tell her about the disturbing information I came across when filming the mini-documentary – that there may be a pregnant woman living in the forest. She counters that she has heard there may as many as forty women living in the woods. About the pregnant woman, she asks, “Who can she learn to trust again and how can she learn to stay together with her family? It doesn’t do us any good to blame anyone – each of us must step up to the plate and take personal responsibility. These people are not numbers. Each has a different story and needs to be supported.”

Like the man in the forest? “That’s right,” she says, again refusing to congratulate herself. So I ask again how it makes her feel to know there is one man who feels he owes Mayor Maxine Wilson something. “It means that one person ahs been able to progress in life,” she responds passively. “But there are many more we need to support. I’m not great. I’m just another ordinary person. There are so many other people out there who are doing good things, much greater than what I am doing. I’m just an average person who as an accident of circumstances ended up being Mayor.”

She paints herself – like the pictures on her wall do – as a woman who is just part of something much larger. “We all need to pull it together,” she continues. “We all need to make sure that everyone is included in our society. Put simply, if you see there needs to be change, change it.” I notice for the first time she looks nothing like a Mayor is supposed to. And then she says, “That’s all of our jobs.”

“Where was your concern for our low-income families then”?

2007-10-11T00:59:00.000-07:00

This comment from a recent newspaper column took me back to a very similar thought I had while reading the editorial pages of all the local papers and finding letter after letter denouncing slots because “they are hard on/bad for the poor”. I was left sadly shaking my head at such blatantly self-serving morally objectionable behaviour.

I do mean to christen as immoral those who are concerned for those in need only when it is convenient or serves their self-interest and ignore those in need when it could inconveniently required effort or even (shudder) some small sacrifice or there is no self-interest to be served by being concerned for the well-being of the poor.

Immorality: something that is a cause or source of suffering, injury, or destruction: the social evils of poverty and injustice (American Heritage Dictionary).

Week in and week out papers were filled with letters about how bad for the poor slots would be, a vast outpouring of concern for the poor to the papers and to council. Before or after the slots debate?

Preciously.

Mr. Ron Taylor's solution to drugs is terrorism?

2007-09-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

The following is a reply to an editorial in the Abbotsford Post, Tuesday September 18, 2007. I have posted a copy of the editorial below the reply

So, Mr. Ron Taylor’s solution to drugs is terrorism?

The reason that threats from “woolly faces” work is that they are terrorists and everyone knows they have and will kill for no other reason than they think you should die. So while Mr. Taylor is praising these terrorists for their ability to frighten drug dealers, he should remember that this ability came at the price of the sectarian violence he appears to cavalierly dismiss.

I am sorry but years of terrorist attacks on innocent bystanders; the deaths of thousands of men women and children; bombings; people shot because of their religious beliefs; people shot for saying or writing something someone disagreed with; are not, to me, an acceptable price to pay, even if Mr. Taylor seems comfortable with this because it makes threats made by the terrorists to drug dealers believable.

One week Mr. Taylor is praising our brave troops for fighting terrorists in Afghanistan and then he turns around and advocates turning terrorists in Canada as a solution to the drug problem. This would seem a little disingenuous and somewhat lacking in ethical consistency.

In keeping with the flow of ill considered babble, he laments the failure of the current system of criminal rehabilitation. Now when I see the failure of rehabilitation, whether criminal or addiction, I suggest looking around and trying practices that have been successful in other jurisdictions in achieving recovery or rehabilitation. Mr. Taylor suggests we forget about rehabilitation and concentrate on whipping our criminals into top physical shape, which would … make them better and more dangerous criminals.

So in the world Mr. Taylor fondly envisions, not only will we have the gang violence and shootings currently plaguing the lower mainland, we have the terrorists he wants to loose on our streets and the physically honed criminals he wants our prisons to churn out – all of these groups better armed than the police.

It is no wonder he supports the Canadian Armed Forces being in Afghanistan – we are going to need battle-hardened experienced guerrilla/terrorist fighting troops to retake our streets.

Mr. Taylor: solutions are not really solutions when they turn serious social problems into a societal disaster. Except to politicians who in their search for simple, easy solutions will thoughtlessly advocate anything that sounds good, no matter how negative the consequences would be.

It is this insistence on simplistic solutions to complex problems that have no easy, quick or perfect solutions that has us floundering with crime, the drug trade, rehabilitation and recovery. We just might want to try applying rational, realistic thought and planning which has demonstrated an ability to solve complex problems.

I do have a final question for Mr. Taylor: just what dictionary were you using that defined justice in terms of being dispensed by terrorists?

Lessons from Belfast:

One benefit of traveling as I am at the moment is the opportunity to see how other communities deal with the same problems we face. So, it was irresistible to explore why areas of Belfast that were the centres of violence during the sectarian conflict now have virtually no drug dealing, no break-and- enters and almost no instances of paedophilia, all severe problems for us.

A good place to start the search was Taughmonagh Social Club in a staunchly Protestant area of Belfast, once a known gathering place for the Protestant militias during the troubles. Not an easy place to get people to talk even when introduced by a member. But a good place to start because a once prevalent problem of drug dealing has totally disappeared.

The community became concerned because one individual was selling drugs to youngsters. He was twice warned (nobody would admit by whom). He had excuses – he’d just lost his job, and he had marital problems. But the community just didn’t care – enough was enough. Men with “woolly faces” (the local slang for balaclava-covered faces), apprehended him, questioned him in their own inimitable fashion and found heroin and crack in his possession.

He was hauled to a public area, his shirt stripped off, hot tar was poured on him and then the feather contents of two pillows was added. A notice was pinned around his neck saying “I am a drug selling scumbag.” The police were unable to find the offenders (local feeling is they didn’t try very hard), while the individual left the country and now lives in Scotland. Drug dealing in the area stopped overnight. In another case in a nearby Catholic area, a paedophile was beaten and then locked in a van with four pit bulls for over an hour. He is considered unlikely to reoffend.

These are not isolated instances. Known break-and-enter offenders, drug dealers and those committing crimes of violence are routinely beaten. In these areas crime is almost non-existent, although there is some tolerance, for instance sale of marijuana is considered benign. Are there lessons for us?

Obviously, vigilante justice can’t be supported (although I must admit an attraction to introducing paedophiles to pit bulls). However, brutal though these actions are, they do disprove a common mantra that “more severe sentencing won’t solve the problem.” It just depends on the severity of the punishment.

A few extra months in prison won’t solve the problem, but how about a different kind of punishment that makes the whole experience very unpleasant? The equivalent of army basic training for a few months, Spartan living conditions, out of bed at 5 a.m., run ragged until exhausted each day, no TV, no so-called “treatment programs” with virtually zero success rate. Such sentences would offend the more sensitive of our citizens and would cause some unemployment among psychologists and sociologists but the evidence from those jurisdictions that have implemented such schemes is that they work.

Perhaps when rehabilitation fails and when our justice system seems to favour offenders over victims, it is time to scare the hell out of the bad guys.

Ron Taylor is a former Mission councillor who remains active in community affairs. Abbotsford Post

Afganistan Mission

2007-09-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

This is a reply to the mission statement column in the Abbotsford Post of August 27 which has been reproduced for purposes of claritybelow my commentary.

The Glaring Omission in Mr. Taylor’s August 28, 2007 mission statement is any Afghanistan mission statement demonstrating that this is a War worth fighting and not merely “a war of politicians and politics”.

The Valium of self-delusion Mr. Taylor speaks of would appear to have been administered to himself.

Afghanistan was not who attacked the US on 9/11 but terrorists. Being in Afghanistan, helping the US to pursue its anti-drug policies in wiping out the opium crop (from which heroin is made) upon which Afghani farmers depend for cash to live on and killing innocent civilians, does nothing but create enemies and more terrorists.

Fools rush in where wise men know better than to tread.

If we are unwilling to treat our addicts and help them into recovery, insisting on pursuing a foolish policy of ignoring capitalism and market forces via reducing demand through addiction recovery, there is no need to compound the foolishness by creating enemies – the farmers will be happy to sell their crop to us and don’t care if we then destroy it.

Wise men know that a terrorist in Afghanistan is not a threat to us in Canada – until someone bankrolls the terrorists thus allowing them to travel from Afghanistan to Canada, hide within Canada preparing their strike and providing the materials needed to commit terrorist atrocities.

Wise men know you go for those who bankroll the terrorists.

But Saudi Arabia is a friend of the Bush family and the US government; is extremely wealthy and generous to their friends; and controls the Saudi oil fields. Afghanistan is poor, unable to buy friends and influence.

He is correct on one point and both right and wrong on another. He is correct that the troops deserve our support and while correct that a firm withdrawal date should not be set, his implication that we should condemn our troops to an indefinite stay, suffering bleeding to death from a thousand cuts is criminal and flawed.

The bitter pill our troops must swallow is that they were betrayed by their government. Worse is the fact that this betrayal was perpetrated on them by a minority Government - the minority Conservative government who, while able to send our forces into harms way, had no ethical or moral right to commit out dedicated forces personnel to shedding their blood and lives in a purposeless and unjust war.

As the words of John Stewart Mills quoted by Mr. Taylor make clear - “war is an ugly thing” and if we are to be “willing to fight” and ask our forces to shed their blood, it must be a “moral” cause “more important than personal safety” and “worth war”.

The Balkan’s ethnic cleansing was. The Sudan with its genocide would be. Foolishness, political opportunism and cronyism are not.

A War of Politics and Politicians is not a war worth our nation’s treasure and blood, it is an ugly thing we should never have been involved in and that ethics demand we disengage from.

It’s a war, politicians

So Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe and Liberal Party of Canada leader Stéphane Dion are threatening to bring down the federal government and provoke a general election if Prime Minister Stephen Harper doesn’t give a firmdate for withdrawing our troops from Afghanistan.

I wonder who they asked about that?

Not the members of Mission’s adopted regiment, the Royal Westminsters (the ‘Westies’) I bet. Anybody who has met these young men and women at events in Mission or at Master Corporal Bason’s funeral has heard a very different story. Many of these fine young people have signed up for the task force TF1-08 which means they, as militia citizen soldiers, have volunteered for service in Afghanistan.

Our young soldiers understand something these two self-interested political parties do not.This is not totally surprising since the Liberals cold bloodedly gutted our armed forces and the Bloc represents that portion of Quebec society that has always regarded defending our country as a purely Anglo task.

What our soldiers understand is that this is a war. It is not a peacekeeping operation or a police action, it is a war. On 9/11 our closest ally was attacked. Anybody who believes that attack was just on the U.S. and that Canada is safe is not just wearing rose-coloured spectacles but is also suffering an overdose of the Valium of self-delusion.

Imagine, as a soldier, being told, “your country expects you to lay your life on the line for a set of ideals. But after 2009 these ideals will cease to be important and everbody can come home.”

It is a novel concept – go to war but, first, declare an end date. Wars aren’t like that, they last until you win or lose.Thank Heaven for the young soldiers of the Westies and those and of the legendary Van Doos currently in Afghanistan.

They are ready to defend our country and they also believe that in bringing freedom to a people previously mired in a totalitarian, despotic and cruel medieval theocracy they are serving Canadian ideals. The Canadian Armed Forces are, sadly, used to being over tasked and ill-equipped. They can accept that they are being sent to war in secondhand German tanks, which are replacing a previous generation of secondhand German tanks, or in armoured vehicles whose armour is about as effective as that on an ice-cream truck. But, it is a much more bitter pill to swallow to know that they are effectively being betrayed by their own government.

Yes, war is terrible and the death of any young soldier is an enormous human tragedy. But it is worth remembering that the casualty rate we are suffering in Afghanistan is lower than the murder rate in Toronto.

So when the Westies are next in Mission – after the parade Nov. 11 in the Legion – consider dropping by and shaking their hands. Hopefully that will convince them that those for whom they are fight worth fighting for.

Above all, remember the words of John Stuart Mill: “War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling, which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”

Double Standard

2007-08-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

You expect the police to speed and drive badly on patrol, after all it is the public they issue traffic tickets to in “protecting the public from bad drivers”, not their fellow officers.

Apparently this double standard applies to the photographic arts as well when it comes to police versus public allowable behaviours.

It is, in the eyes of the Abbotsford Police Department (APD), perfectly fitting for the APD to surreptitiously snap clandestine pictures of citizens for no justifiable reason.

Personally, I hadn’t realized the Charter of Rights and Freedoms together with the privacy laws were not the Law or at least the laws enforced in Abbotsford.

It is not, in the eyes of the APD, perfectly fitting for citizens to photograph ADP officers as they work their duty tour. Should you be as bold as to video the APD, you will quickly find APD officers in your face demanding your camera as one abbotsford resident found out recently.

Notwithstanding the fact your right to video on duty APD officers would, outside the boundaries of Abbotsford, be protected under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Moreover, videoing on duty APD officers would appear to be totally legal under the privacy laws.

So these days in Abbotsford, the police can ignore the public’s Charter rights, disregard privacy laws and deny the public the right to exercise their rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Makes one pine for the good old days, when speeding and bad driving were the only double standard the APD exercised, eh?

Emerging Abbotsford Police State?

2007-08-28T00:22:00.000-07:00

I was leaving the Dragon Fort eatery the other day when I paused to observe an Abbotsford Police Department (APD) officer in an unmarked car stealthily wielding a camera. Looking around to see what or who was being so slyly photographed I recognized the subject of his attention as a new arrival in town.

There was something deeply unsettling about the image of an APD officer in an unmarked car surreptitiously taking photos of someone merely standing on the sidewalk.

One can understand police thinking in this matter: new face, tattooed and standing around in “that area” of the city. But understanding is not authorization agreement to or approval of this behaviour. The thought of the APD secretly photographing us is chilling, bringing to mind the behaviours of the secret police of the old communist state apparatuses and other despotic regimes.

One is left pondering the implications of this behaviour; wrestling with the morality of spying on citizens and wondering about the legality of secretly photographing any citizen.

Charter of Rights and Freedoms, privacy laws and requirements that the police obtain warrants would appear, from the behaviour of the APD, not to protect citizens from clandestine police spying in Abbotsford.

How many other pictures have the APD taken? Just how many secret police files on citizens does the APD maintain and exactly what is the purpose or use of these secret police files?

These questions and other problematic APD conduct underscores how essential it is we put in place and exercise citizen oversight and control of the APD before we find ourselves living in an Orwellian police state, living the novel 1984 with Big Brother watching our every move, seeking to control us and our thoughts.

Election Reform

2007-08-26T00:51:00.000-07:00

While I agree with the essence of Mr. Bucholtz’s assertion that election reform is needed; I must dispute his premise that Single Transferable Vote is the reform the electorate should be demanding in making their votes count.

Mr. Bucholtz’s statement: “I am a strong believer in improving democracy, as opposed to just taking an apathetic approach to it” includes two problematic assumptions.

That STV is an improvement to democracy is debatable since STV and alternative reform proposals add complexity to elections. I am also uncomfortable with the assumption that nonparticipation and nonvoting are the result of apathy. It may well be that people currently feel no cadidate represents their views and positions.

I heard and hear far to may people who are not voting for policies but are holding their noses voting for “the least objectionable” outcome.

We should be pursuing a course of electoral reform to put the power back into the hands of the people, keeping reform simple. Thus I advocate adding one simple choice to every ballot cast at every level of governance in Canada – NONE OF THE ABOVE.

Democracy is defined as: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.

Power is only vested in the people in an electoral system that offers them a choice to exercise their vote for agents of their choosing. One could well argue that currently we are not a democracy since we are offered a limited number of bad choices made by others from which to choose our agents.

With one simple bold reform we can return the power back to the people, reclaiming it from politicians, political parties and the “powers that be”. In any electoral area where “none of the above” receives the most votes none of the candidates or parties are permitted to run in the next round of election.

The election process is repeated until such time as a candidate is judged and found to be worthy of exercising the voters will and power.

I will not claim this will be a neat process. In fact I truly hope that the votes held under this reform are incredibly messy and require several rounds of voting.

Fundamentally voters will be able to insist on being offered good candidates. The second (and any other needed) round should, with the elimination of party politics and politicians, be extremely lively offering opportunities and choices for a most eclectic offering of candidates.

We should also get the re-introduction of debate on issues, problem solving, policies, leadership and other positive outcomes. The new system should ensure the opportunity for many, if not a majority, of independents, new faces, new ideas, the evolution of new alliances and parties.

Yes it will be a little chaotic at first but as the author Alan Dean Foster wrote: “Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting.”

BE BOLD, embrace change, Carpe Diem.

Kevin Ellis - one year AD

2007-08-21T02:14:00.000-07:00

Kevin Ellis was one of the unknown and faceless people that are only referred to as “homeless”. But when he died July 18th, he became a figurehead for the way those in his situation are treated. In this case, it seems he was treated poorly and shown the dark side of humanity in his final days. In the end, it seems he had only two allies – a fellow homeless man and a complete stranger.

So began an article published here on SCN (something cool news) July 31, 2006. Kevin Ellis was a homeless man suffering from a respiratory illness but was sent home from the Abbotsford Hospital and died a short time after. Indeed, only two people seemed to really pay attention to his passing – a woman who happened to see him while he was at the hospital and one of his fellow homeless friends, James Breckenridge.

We asked several of Abbottsford’s homeless last week if they feel that the local hospital was treating them better and most said no. One man told us that he had been in a car accident but when he went to the hospital, he was kicked out because he had drugs in his system. Another woman made a similar complaint, claiming a needed operation was never given because of her history of drug abuse.

While these complaints were not independently verified, they do paint a picture of Abbotsford’s streets that looks very similar to one painted a year ago. To get a more in-depth perspective on the issue, we asked James Breckenridge to comment on how things have changed in the year since Kevin Ellis’ death, if indeed they have changed at all.

Remembering Kevin Ellis – By James Breckenridge

In the year since Kevin has passed, things have definitely have not gotten better. They may have gotten somewhat worse due to the increased numbers of homeless, especially new faces, on the streets of Abbotsford.

More people = more visits = more incidents = more strain = less tolerance. I continue to hear about bad treatment from hospital staff and they continue to try to ship people to the shelter who are in an altered state of consciousness.

Kevin was in so much pain those last weeks, days of his life that he wanted to die. I know he spoke of this to me and other of his friends so I have no doubt that he welcomed death as an end to an intolerable level of physical, emotional and spiritual pain.

When I think of Kevin I hope he has found peace.

I am not sure if I am infuriated, incredibly saddened or some combination of both because the system, we as a society, as the human race failed Kevin in so many ways. From the abused child to the homeless addict devalued and treated as less than an animal by society, the medical system and the social welfare system.

Kevin was not a saint; he was a wounded human being who turned to drugs to escape the pain. Unfortunately there is no real escape from that kind of pain until you deal with the wounds and what it was that inflicted the pain. It is why I believe we need to change how we think of and deliver the support needed for the far to many others like Kevin to find peace in life rather than finding peace only in the oblivion of death.

Kevin’s death did not bring great change, was for society at large just the death of another disposable life, an unremarkable death of another drug addict. On the other hand there was the woman who had seen Kevin’s treatment at the hospital and wrote a letter to the local papers on what she had seen. There is no doubt that his treatment and death had an effect on her and we have no way of telling what or who her words in the paper affected.

Like a pebble dropped into a still body of water, sending ripples out, there is an affect but we cannot judge just what or who a given ripple may impinge on

Nothing like active ignorance

2007-08-12T02:03:00.000-07:00

**an unposted golden oldie

Usually I just pay no heed to Jeffrey Hanson-Carlson’s drivel with no more than a stray thought as to how much he must be paying the newspaper (www.abbotsfordtimes.com May 11/07) for the privilege of demonstrating to the community his total inanity and lack of understanding on issues.

However, the level of ignorance about the issue of homelessness he has established with his latest printed nonsense is so vast it demands correction and education; lest anyone be fooled into thinking he has any vestige of understanding of homelessness.

From the pompous comfort of his home Hanson-Carlson prattles on about “policy” and his moral superiority to Americans.

Minimum wage? Got no job, no prospects of job as homelessness raises major barriers to becoming employed. A $50 per hour wage level makes no difference to the jobless, prospect-less homeless person.

Health care? One of the major hidden costs of homelessness is the extra demands a person who is homeless places on the health care system. It follows that reducing homelessness reduces the demand on the health care system and is thus good health care policy.

Education? The level of ignorance of reality that is shown in that word is Jovian (planet Jupiter) in scope. A Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan, a Chartered Accountant designation after articling with Coopers & Lybrand. All that education did nothing to prevent my becoming homeless.

It was the support and opportunity championed by Mr. Mangano that presented me with the chance to move off the streets into housing.

I have been championing a course of action that my business background and personal experience with homelessness have led me to believe would result in reducing, even ending, homelessness. I welcomed Mr. Mangano’s visit because he brought this course of action to the attention of local, regional and provincial policy makers. Mr. Mangano’s visit provides an opportunity to stop the insanity of doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result and to set out on a new course of action that will actually end homelessness.

I am not a fan of George Bush for the same reason I am not a fan of Hanson-Carlson – an inability of either of them to see reality as it is rather than the way they want it to be. But anyone who, thoughtfully, checked Mr. Mangano’s background in the field of addressing homelessness would know that he has the experience to speak with authority on the issue of homelessness – unlike some who choose to shoot of their mouths.

The best evidence for listening, really listening, to Mr. Mangano and giving careful consideration to his words lies in the results that have been and continue to be achieved by US cities under his czarship”. By using sound business practices these US cities have begun to achieve solid, measurable, verifiable reductions in their homeless populations. Some cities such as Portland Oregon have achieved incredible results – a 70% reduction - because of the political will to DO, not try.

The real treasure Mr. Mangano brought to our attention is the opportunity to practice “the art of legitimate larceny”. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. Rather we have the opportunity to examine the wide variety of “experiments” US cities have been running for the last few years and cherry pick the best practices for adaptation to our local homelessness reduction, getting right on with the job of ending homelessness.

Although I must concede that the proof that we can, through intelligent, results oriented investments and actions, reduce and even end homelessness is a pretty valuable jewel he also brought with him to Abbotsford.

This so-called no-name community advocate considers it a privilege to have had the opportunity to hear, meet and speak with Mr. Mangano. For what he brought with him to town and to us no-name advocates is support and opportunity to end homelessness, echoing the support and opportunity that permitted me to move from being homeless to a no-name advocate on homelessness.

Finally - should Hanson-Carlson have remember that there is a good reason we have two ears and only one mouth, however big and inappropriately open it may be, he would have heard Mr. Mangano repeatedly point out that he was not the “expert” we should be consulting on what is needed locally to end homelessness. Rather he repeatedly pointed out that the experts on what is needed to end homelessness in Abbotsford are those citizens who have been there and done that, moving from homeless to homed.

Is Reality a misunderstanding?

2007-08-04T20:08:00.000-07:00

April 29, 2007Special to World Science

Several physicists say they’ve confirmed strange predictions of modern physics that clash with our most basic notions of reality and even suggest—some scientists and philosophers say—that reality isn’t there when we’re not looking.

The predictions have lurked within quantum mechanics, the science of the smallest things, since the field emerged in the 1920s; but not all physicists accepted them. They were undisputedly consistent with experiments, but experiments might not reveal everything.

New tests—designed more specifically than before to probe the reality question—have yielded unsettling results, say researchers who published the findings in the April 19 issue of the research journal Nature. One of their colleagues called the findings intriguing but inconclusive.

The background

Quantum physicists have long noted that subatomic particles seem to move randomly. For instance, one can measure a particle’s location at a given moment, but can’t know exactly where it would be just before or after.

Physicists determined that the randomness wasn’t just an appearance due to our ignorance of the details of the motion, but an inescapable property of the particles themselves.

Rather persuasive evidence for this lay in math. Particles, for reasons no one quite knows, sometimes act like waves. When they come together, they create the same types of complex patterns that appear when water ripples from different directions overlap.

But a particle, being at least somewhat confined in space, normally acts only as a small “wave packet”—a cluster of a few ripples in succession—unlike familiar waves, in which dozens or thousands parade along.

It turns out there is a mathematical way to represent a wave packet; but you must start by representing an infinitely repeating wave, which is a simpler formula. Adding up many such depictions, if you choose them properly, gives the packet.

Yet there’s a catch: each of these components must have a slightly different wave speed. Thus, the complete packet has no clear-cut speed. Nor, consequently, does the particle.

The previous experiments

Precisely in line with such math, experiments find that particle speed is somewhat random, though the randomness follows rules that again mirror the equations. When you measure speed, you do get a number, but that won’t tell you the speed a moment before or after. In essence, physicists concluded, the particle has no defined velocity until you measure it. Similar considerations turned out to hold for its location, spin and other properties.

The implications were huge: the randomness implied that key properties of these objects, perhaps the objects themselves, might not exist unless we are watching. “No elementary phenomenon is a phenomenon until it is an observed phenomenon,” the celebrated Princeton University physicist John Wheeler put it.

Still, human-made mathematical models don’t necessarily reflect ultimate truth, even if they do match experimental results brilliantly. And those tests themselves might miss something. Scientists including Einstein balked at the randomness idea—“God does not play dice,” he famously fumed—and the consequent collapse of cherished assumptions. The great physicist joined others in proposing that there exist some yet-unknown factors, or “hidden variables,” that influence particle properties, making these look random without truly being so.

Physicists in due course designed experiments to test for hidden variables. In 1964 John Bell devised such a test. He exploited a curious phenomenon called “entanglement,” in which knowing something about one particle sometimes tells you a corresponding property of another, no matter the distance between them.

An example occurs when certain particles decay, or break up, into two photons—particles of light. These fly off in opposite directions and have the same polarization, or amount by which the wave is tilted in space. Detectors called polarizers can measure this attribute. Polarizers are like tiny fences with slits. If the slits are tilted the same way as the wave, it goes through; if oppositely, it doesn’t; if somewhere in between, it may or may not pass.

If you measure the two oppositely-flying photons with polarizers tilted the same way, you get the same result for both. But if one of the polarizers is tilted a bit, you will get occasional disagreements between the results.

What if you also tilt the second polarizer by the same amount, but the opposite way? You might get twice as many disagreements, Bell reasoned. But you might also get less than that, because some potential disagreements could cancel each other out. For example: two photons might be blocked whereas originally they both would have passed, so two deviations from the original result lead to an agreement.

All this follows from logic. It also depends on certain reasonable assumptions, including that the particles have a real polarization whether it’s measured or not.

But Bell, in an argument known as Bell’s Theorem, showed that quantum mechanics predicts another outcome, implying this “reality” assumption might be wrong. Quantum mechanics claims that the number of disagreements between the results when both polarizers are oppositely tilted—compared to one being tilted—can be more than twice as many. And experiments have borne this out.

The reasons why have to do with yet another odd prediction of quantum mechanics. Once you detect the photon as either having crossed the polarizer or not, then it’s either polarized exactly in the direction of the instrument, or the opposite way, respectively. It can’t be polarized at any other angle. And its “twin” must be identically polarized. All this puts additional constraints on the system such that the number of disagreements can rise compared to the “logical” result.

Past experiments have confirmed the seemingly nonsensical outcome. Yet this alone this doesn’t disprove the “reality” hypothesis, researchers say. There’s one other possibility, which is that the particles are somehow instantaneously communicating, like telepaths.

The new experiment

The new experiment was designed to sidestep this loophole: it was set up so that even allowing for instantaneous communication couldn’t explain the “nonsensical” outcome, at least not easily. One would also have to drop the notion that photons have a definite polarization independent of any measurement.

The work, by Simon Groeblacher and colleagues at the Austrian Academy of Sciences’ Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information in Vienna, was based not on Bell’s Theorem, but on a related theorem more recently developed by Anthony Leggett at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Full experiments based on Leggett’s concept required analyzing photon-waves that are polarized “elliptically,” which means a wave’s tilt changes constantly. One can detect this by supplementing the polarizer with a strip of material that’s birefringent, meaning it bends light differently depending on its direction.

The results indeed disproved that photons have a definite, independently existing polarization, Markus Aspelmeyer, a member of the research team, wrote in an email. The findings thus spell trouble for one “plausible notion of realism,” he added, though others could conceivably survive.

Not everyone is convinced. “The conclusion one draws is more a question of taste than logic,” wrote Alain Aspect, who conducted the first conclusive tests of Bell’s Theorem, in a commentary in the same issue of the journal. Aspect, of the École Polytechnique in Palaiseau, France, argued that the findings can still be explained by claiming certain forms of instantaneous communication. But he conceded that he too is inclined to renounce aspects of realism instead. Such experiments, and the resulting debates, “allow us to look deeper into the great mysteries of quantum mechanics,” he added

♪♪ …hands in your pockets …♪♪♪♪

2007-08-02T01:01:00.000-07:00

The little ditty they sing on that commercial about bankers always having their hands in your pocket came to mind as I read the sign at Abbotsford Recreation Center about fee increases.

And no, it was not the fact that they were charging we citizens more to use the facility on the same day they were cancelling or cutting back access and services.It is that I have lived in Abbotsford for nigh on two decades, lived through and paid many fee increases, which in all those prior years took effect on September 1.

Why was the effective date moved up this year?

The only explanation I can think of is that the city coffers have been drained so empty by Plan A, that even the modest extra cash flow from this early fee increase is desperately needed by the city.I am afraid to ask how long it will be before we face quarterly fee increases or inventive new fees.

With quarterly increases the city can claim: “See, we only put your fees up 2.5%!” or disingenuously ask “What are you implying, what do you mean that is over 10% increase for the entire year?

”Just think, if council was to do tax increases on a quarterly basis they could claim taxes only went up 4% this quarter year.And this is why that little ditty is running through my head.

♪♪ …hands in your pockets …♪♪♪♪

Garbage Fireworks Garbage Behaviour

2007-07-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Disgust; and a certain amount of contempt.

What else would any reasonable person feel for the words, position and behaviour of Vancouver’s striking outside workers vis-à-vis volunteers cleaning up after the fireworks.

Verbally attacking, threatening and running off citizens who volunteered their time and energy to clean up after the fireworks out of civic pride, in order to ensure the success of the Celebration of Light.

“Taking our jobs away”. What overblown bombast.

The other members of the union, who failed to call these thugs on their behaviour and denounce their actions, should hang their heads in shame and apologize to citizens. Perhaps their silence is just that they live in fear of these thugs in a union local so obviously lacking in true leadership.

I am not sure who should be more ashamed – the citizens who in the face of the strike are so lacking in manners and simple consideration for others to clean up their own garbage OR the union membership for its failure to put in place leadership with common sense or to exercise control over the thugs in their ranks.

Both groups deserve a swift kick in the ass for their disgraceful behaviour.

Unreasoning reasoning

2007-07-27T15:35:00.000-07:00

Does anyone understand why we are building basketball courts at Abbotsford Recreation Centre? This when the debacle with Centennial Pool has clearly highlighted the fact that what the Abbotsford sports and recreation scene really needs is another pool.

I do know the reasoning of the city on the matter – I just cannot understand it.
I suppose I am just to rooted in reality as opposed to the strange dimension existing within the walls of Abbotsford City Hall.

Their “reasoning” goes something like this: pool operations lose money while basketball courts generally make money.

In the real world this “Abbotsford speak” translates to: pool operations have a negative cash flow while basketball courts generally have a positive cash flow.

That is to say you spend more to operate a pool than you collect from user fees (negative cash outflow). Operating costs for courts tend to be much lower and therefore user fees exceed operating costs (positive cash inflow).

That assumes certain levels of court usage to meet projected fee income. Costs can be fairly accurately projected based on operating costs at similar facilities in other cities, although ARC will incur the unusual additional cost of needing a second front desk to control and collect for the new facilities added. Not having access to all the current operating costs of ARC, the cost projection assumptions and calculations and the projected usage and user fees I cannot comment on the city’s calculations.

For the purposes of this commentary it is unnecessary to be able to ascertain the reasonableness of the city’s assumptions and projections. I am willing to assume a positive cash flow from the new facilities in the neighbourhood of their $100,000 per year.

In the real world, outside of Abbotsford City Hall any accountant, anyone with business or common sense can tell you that it is not cash flow from operations that determines whether you are making money or losing money. It is total income minus TOTAL COSTS.

When you ask City Hall why they are building a basketball court instead of the obviously and demonstrably needed new pool facility they say that pools lose money and basketball courts make money and that they will be looking at building the badly needed pool in the future – after securing the “positive cash flow” of the court facilities.

If Abbotsford City Hall wants to determine which recreation facility it will build or what order it will build in based on positive or negative cash flows rather than the basis of what facilities the City most needs, that is their call … but in the real world you do not ignore the costs of the new facility (plant) you are building in determining cash flow and income/operating expenses. Even in the oxygen starved air of Abbotsford City Hall it should have been obvious that if your reason for building a facility is its cash flow you then need to consider the cash flow associated with paying for the facility you are building.

So in order to be able to show a $100,000 a year “profit” from the court facility operations the city, thus the taxpayers, will payout $150,000+ per month or $1,800,000+ a year. Only in Abbotsford City Hall could spending $1,800,000+ to “earn” $100,000 seem rational. In the real world this would not be thought stupid, rather it would be considered totally insane behaviour. Perhaps what we need in accounting for Abbotsford City Hall’s financial practices is a budget item and expense category to record the costs of their lack of logic and any financial sense.

Has Abbotsford City Hall become so habituated to their own smoke and mirror shows, selling taxpayers a mirage, that they themselves no longer see reality but the fantasy world they have constructed?

Never having raised the false promise of profit with the arts and museum building the cost of the building only enters into the equation as a question of are we getting good value for our investment? The important, and still unanswered question, is whether we have a design appropriate for meeting the needs of Abbotsford not when the doors open but a decade, two decades in the future?

They have raised the promise of “profit” for the arena complex. However in light of the reports on the cost of Vancouver’s Convention Centre, another public/ PCL contract, it would not be prudent to make any estimate at this time. But profit anywhere but in the minds (and sales pitch) of City Hall?

A New Light

2007-07-11T01:25:00.001-07:00

The Summer Abbotsford Parks and Recreation Program Guide is out containing historical highs and precedent setting changes. Fees have increased out of proportion with historical fee increases and setting a new precedent the fee increases take effect July 1 instead of September 1 as they have done in the past. Hopefully this precedent setting break with historic fee increase patterns does not usher in a new history of larger bi-yearly or even quarterly cash grabs… ahem, fee increases.

On the other hand these changes certainly do put a whole new spin; shine a whole new light on the signs posted throughout the change rooms and facilities warning patrons that “Thieves Work Here” - do they not?

Infected with the old Abbotsford spirit

2007-07-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

Recently a favourite literary character came fondly to mind, Dickens’s Scrooge from A Christmas Carol. Understand I am not referring to the Scrooge before that bit of toothpick set off the ghostly hallucinations that warped that admirable focused, hard-driving, successful businessman Scrooge into that wussy, goody two shoes.

Scrooge and his transformation came into my mind this week when I received a picture of a boy kneeling beside his bed praying with his dog beside him with his paws together appearing to pray as well. This picture was kind of “the straw that broke the camel’s back”. What kind twisted sicko of an individual have I become that people now send me pictures of newborns, cute babies, kids in dance recital costumes, kids and dogs praying?

What kind of warped monster have I become that people send me these types of pictures? When did I slip over the line from a focused, self centered business person into Scrooge’s delusional world of Marley’s ghost “Mankind is My Business!”

I need to get my focus off the ideals behind the parable of the Good Samaritan or the golden rule and get the spotlight back where it should be – ME. What have I got? What do I want? Obviously I need to join one of our large, profitable, money machine local churches and concentrate on what is important – the almighty dollar.

None of this: “thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor and to the needy in thy land” or “Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right” or “What shall it profit a man if he shall own the whole world and lose his own soul”? Next thing you know it will be: “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another”.

Live the golden rule of treating others as you want to be treated?

BAH! HUMBUG!

In Abbotsford it is all about ME! ME! ME! - after all “He who has the gold rules”.

Recreation not about encouraging Exercise?

2007-06-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

I always thought that the purpose of the recreation department was to encourage, not discourage, people to exercise. Apparently I was mistaken about this with respect to the Abbotsford recreation department.

I am speaking of the new schedule for ARC that begins July 1st and runs until Centennial Pool opens or the Whalers competition season ends – whichever comes first. In keeping with the operating behaviour of the City of Abbotsford the decision about this schedule was made behind closed doors and without consultation with or consideration of patrons.

I accept that some inconvenience must result from the need to accommodate the Whalers due to the failure of Centennial Pool to be opened in time for the Whalers to begin training for competition. I made the necessary, though personally inconvenient, changes to my exercise (swimming) schedule to get my needed exercise in around the Whalers schedule.

This was possible because for May and June the Whalers finished by 9PM leaving the 1 hour adult swim available to those displaced swimmers and water-cisesrs. However in the proposed new (indefinite) schedule this time has been reduce to a ½ hour – inadequate time for a proper exercise regimen.

I think it only reasonable that the proposed schedule be amended to ensure at least one hour as the minimum time for an exercise workout. If it is not possible to reschedule the Whalers so that they continue to finish by 9PM, then the pool should be kept open until 10:30PM until the Whalers are able to move to Centennial Pool.

Should it be suggested that this extra expense is to onerous I suggest that the money should come from the salaries of those in City management who, lacking the common sense to hire someone who had experience in pool construction, are responsible for the need to accommodate the Whalers.

Not only would this be an equitable sharing of the pain the Whalers and patrons of ARC have had to endure for no justifiable reason, but it would hopefully serve to encourage common sense and good business practices as future behaviour from senior management.

Tax refugee??

2007-06-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

As his neighbours can tell you Mark Taylor has sold his home in Abbotsford and purchased a larger new home in Langley.

While I cannot say that Langley’s lower taxes are what have drawn Mr. Taylor there, it is certainly ironic that after playing a leading part in inflicting a heavy tax burden on the taxpayers of Abbotsford Mr. Taylor is himself fleeing to the lower taxes of Langley.

Perhaps it is merely that Mr. Taylor is seeking a community where he will have no problem finding a public pool to cool off in should our weather ever heat up to summer temperatures. Langley and many other smaller communities, have more indoor and outdoor pool facilities than Abbotsford. They probably also have enough common sense to hire people who have experience building pools and know what they are doing, thus avoiding extended shutdowns as is happening with Centennial Pool.

Possibly it is the many other sports and recreation facilities and programs that the citizens of Langley enjoy that the citizens of Abbotsford lack that motivate Mr Taylor’s relocation. If so perhaps Mr. Taylor should be raising the matter or these recreational inadequacies with …… himself as Abbotsford’s parks, recreation and culture head honcho.

Undeniably his move does suggest that a white elephant of an arena is not a deciding factor, even someone responsible for foisting it upon Abbotsford, in making Abbotsford is a “must live” community. Just as clearly Langley’s lack of said white elephant is no deterrent to people moving there.

Apparently Abbotsford is fine place to take an exorbitant salary from, just not somewhere you want to live. A comment on Mr. Taylor’s opinion of the outcomes of the actions he and the rest of Abbotsford City Hall have wreaked upon our poor (much poorer) City?

Defiling Canada’s Honour

2007-06-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

I have always been proud to be a Canadian. Proud of our history, our behaviour, the reputation and perception of Canada held by countries and people around the world. That is until lately.

Mr. Harper is not the first prime minister I thought more closely resembled the southern end of a northbound horse. I have often found prime ministers seemingly out of touch with the reality of life for many working, poor and homeless citizens. Lacking in even basic logic, leadership, vision and of questionable intelligence one still had to admire the political sophistication and gamesmanship that made them Prime Ministers.

Perhaps it is that Mr. Harper is the first true ideologue we have had leading Canada.

What ever it is that causes his behaviour on the international stage it needs to stop. Whether Mr. Harper begins to behave rationally or is removed from office by his caucus, party or Canadian voters his policies and behaviour internationally must be changed now.

Where once Canada was respected, consulted and sought out because of its conduct, guiding principles and earned respect, Canada is now becoming an international outcast, a war mongering bully whose word is questionable.

At the just finished G8 summit Mr. Harper was already backing away, making hackneyed excuses, from the global warming agreement he had just made at the summit. There he stood in front of the cameras at the first post climate change press conference already justifying not enforcing or meeting the agreed upon emissions reduction targets.

I stipulate that I do not know if it is lack of understanding of basic scientific principles, adequate grey matter to understand those basic scientific principles, simple denial or a pathetic need to curry favour with George Bush by parroting his climate change obfuscations.

I do know that leadership is about making hard choices for the long term good of the nation and the world. Worrying about and making excuses based on short term disruptions and costs that can be handled while ignoring the potential disaster of failing to act, is short sighted political and ideological opportunism totally lacking in leadership.

We must accept that there will be costs to correcting our ecological behaviour, reach reasonable targets and goals with our European allies and be a trustworthy partner in striving for a better future for our country and children. The costs and consequences of not acting are far higher than that of thoughtful action taken now. Just as there are costs and consequences of being seen by the international community as a country whose words and promises are worthless.

I do not care if on a personal level Mr. Harper demonstrates he is not trustworthy. I do care when his actions so damage the Honour of Canada as to injure our standing and perception around the world and erode my pride in being Canadian.

Two Items making the news....

2007-06-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

....Friday June 1st caught my attention.

First was the firing of BC Lottery Corp CEO Vic Poleschuck. It was refreshing to see someone earning an overly generous salary at taxpayer’s expense actually be held accountable for bad management, a lack of judgment and lying to the Minister and public about the real facts concerning BCLC.

Of course it leaves me wondering: in light of the fiasco of Centennial Pool; writing a letter to the public and signing the mayor name; the lies told about Plan A (e.g. - actual advertising was 250% higher than claimed); the reduction in city services; the reductions of maintenance at city facilities (and who knows what that will cost us in the longer term?); uneconomical, bad business practices; bungling management; not an iota of judgment; – just why is it that Mr. Guthrie, Mr. Theichroeb and Mr. Taylor are not packing their bags and heading off to join Mr. Poleschuck on the unemployment line?

The second news Item concerned the Vancouver Convention Center’s massive cost overrun - $300+ million and climbing. In fact this project may well run 100% over budget ending up with a price tag closer to a $billion$ than to the original contract price. The government is still unable to even guess at what the final price will be because it is still negotiating that with the Contractor, the contractor they signed the original contract with at half of what it will end up costing the taxpayers.

The reason this should be of interest or concern to Abbotsford’s beleaguered citizens is that the contractor is PCL. The hospital reasonably on budget is a P3. The convention center 100(+?)% over budget is government to PCL. The Abbotsford projects are – government to PCL.

Clearly PCL has the ability with government contracts to double the cost. We need someone to oversee the projects to ensure large cost overruns do not occur. This means City Hall’s demonstrated criteria for letting contracts, the lowest bid or being “nice guys” in not an appropriate way to make a choice to protect the citizens of Abbotsford interests.

On projects the size of Plan A we should expect to be paying $4 – $5 million to the company we choose to protect our interests (and pocket books) in overseeing the construction. You get what you pay for and paying less than this does not get you the oversight you need. The unreasonable bid council accepted for oversight gets you rubber stamping and potentially 100% cost overruns. Council needs to revisit their decision on the contract to oversee the construction in order to ensure proper construction oversight.

If they are building Plan A the least they could do is do it with sound business and management practices – and at least an iota of sound judgment and common sense.

Festival of Fools

2007-05-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

I see in news from Abbotsford City Hall that senior staff and council continues to rush, like a pack of lemmings, over the edge of catastrophe that their Plan A represents. It would appear they are determined to prove the old adage: “One man alone can be pretty dumb sometimes, but for real bona fide stupidity, there ain't nothin' can beat teamwork.”

The entire debacle has more in common with a Keystone Kops movie than with the thoughtful, careful planned capital building strategy the citizens of Abbotsford should be getting.

Except for humour, since the far reaching financial and delivery of services effects are straight out of a Shakespearian tragedy.

Nothing like active ignorance

2007-05-16T17:50:00.000-07:00

Usually I just pay no heed to Jeffrey Hanson-Carlson’s drivel with no more than a stray thought as to how much he must be paying the newspaper (www.abbotsfordtimes.com May 11/07) for the privilege of demonstrating to the community his total inanity and lack of understanding on issues.

However, the level of ignorance about the issue of homelessness he has established with his latest printed nonsense is so vast it demands correction and education; lest anyone be fooled into thinking he has any vestige of understanding of homelessness.

From the pompous comfort of his home Hanson-Carlson prattles on about “policy” and his moral superiority to Americans.

Minimum wage? Got no job, no prospects of job as homelessness raises major barriers to becoming employed. A $50 per hour wage level makes no difference to the jobless, prospect-less homeless person.

Health care? One of the major hidden costs of homelessness is the extra demands a person who is homeless places on the health care system. It follows that reducing homelessness reduces the demand on the health care system and is thus good health care policy.

Education? The level of ignorance of reality that is shown in that word is Jovian (planet Jupiter) in scope. A Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan, a Chartered Accountant designation after articling with Coopers & Lybrand. All that education did nothing to prevent my becoming homeless.

It was the support and opportunity championed by Mr. Mangano that presented me with the chance to move off the streets into housing.

I have been championing a course of action that my business background and personal experience with homelessness have led me to believe would result in reducing, even ending, homelessness. I welcomed Mr. Mangano’s visit because he brought this course of action to the attention of local, regional and provincial policy makers. Mr. Mangano’s visit provides an opportunity to stop the insanity of doing the same thing over and over again hoping for a different result and to set out on a new course of action that will actually end homelessness.

I am not a fan of George Bush for the same reason I am not a fan of Hanson-Carlson – an inability of either of them to see reality as it is rather than the way they want it to be. But anyone who, thoughtfully, checked Mr. Mangano’s background in the field of addressing homelessness would know that he has the experience to speak with authority on the issue of homelessness – unlike some who choose to shoot off their mouths.

The best evidence for listening, really listening, to Mr. Mangano and giving careful consideration to his words lies in the results that have been and continue to be achieved by US cities under his czarship”. By using sound business practices these US cities have begun to achieve solid, measurable, verifiable reductions in their homeless populations. Some cities such as Portland Oregon have achieved incredible results – a 70% reduction - because of the political will to DO, not try.

The real treasure Mr. Mangano brought to our attention is the opportunity to practice “the art of legitimate larceny”. We do not have to reinvent the wheel. Rather we have the opportunity to examine the wide variety of “experiments” US cities have been running for the last few years and cherry pick the best practices for adaptation to our local homelessness reduction, getting right on with the job of ending homelessness.

Although I must concede that the proof that we can, through intelligent, results oriented investments and actions, reduce and even end homelessness is a pretty valuable jewel he also brought with him to Abbotsford.

This so-called no-name community advocate considers it a privilege to have had the opportunity to hear, meet and speak with Mr. Mangano. For what he brought with him to town and to us no-name advocates is support and opportunity to end homelessness, echoing the support and opportunity that permitted me to move from being homeless to a no-name advocate on homelessness.

Finally - should Hanson-Carlson have remember that there is a good reason we have two ears and only one mouth, however big and inappropriately open it may be, he would have heard Mr. Mangano repeatedly point out that he was not the “expert” we should be consulting on what is needed locally to end homelessness. Rather he repeatedly pointed out that the experts on what is needed to end homelessness in Abbotsford are those citizens who have been there and done that, moving from homeless to homed.

Irony

2007-05-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

Irony n.

Abbotsford City Hall pressing on with Plan A in the same week their own lack of ability to think through, consider consequences or adequately plan has provided clear evidence that it is not a basketball court or an arena that the City needs but another pool.

If you have any doubt of this just ask any child, parent, family, length swimmer or other pool user displaced from ARC because Abbotsford City Hall lacks the common sense to hire someone experienced in building a pool tank to replace Centennial Pool’s leaking tank.

I would also imagine that the patrons of MRC, crowded by those displaced from ARC, might have a few words of wisdom for council on the matter of needed facilities.

Although I suppose that citizens should not be greatly surprised that senior staff and council, lacking enough common sense to hire someone with knowledge and experience of what they are doing to rebuild a pool tank, lacks the common sense to build the facilities that are really needed by Abbotsford.

Both right and wrong.

2007-04-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

Those who say that Plan A is decided and we must live with the conswquences areboth right and wrong. Right in that citizens voted in favour of spending $85 million on capital projects. Wrong in that nowhere did the citizens vote and approve $23.6 million, much less $30 or $40 million (since the costs seems to be growing astronomically) in soft costs.

I attended all the public meetings, read all the statements from Abbotsford City Hall and despite Mr Beck’s recent assertions the only figure cited was $85 million. When asked about other costs by those opposing the lack of planning and financial transparency in Plan A they denied any $$$ millions in such costs. It is now clear why Councillors Beck and Smith together with City Manager Guthrie, refused to personally guarantee to cover any costs above the $85 million when called upon to do so.

If Mr Beck’s statement that council had “ …always projected in the round figures $100 million for the projects” then council and senior city staff lied to the citizens of Abbotsford about the costs of Plan A. At $23.6 million and climbing, the size of these lies by omission border on malfeasance. Lies of this magnitude certainly render the results of the referendum on which council and senior staff base the legitimacy of their continuing with Plan A null and void.

If Mr Beck and all others I herein have branded liars at Abbotsford City Hall want an apology, they simply have to show me where in the public record they stated that Plan A would cost $100+ million and that the $100+ million was likely to rise (as it already has by 9%). Show me where it was they did not insist the price was guaranteed to be no more that $85 million.

Otherwise they should resign or face charges of malfeasance.

Is what I heard about the pools true?

2007-04-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

In discussing the protracted delay in completing the Centennial Pool tank with people two items/questions kept arising. Since both are well within the demonstrated behaviour of Abbotsford City Hall I feel it is important to bring these points to the attention of all citizens. Only if the voices of many citizens demand an answer is there any possibility of getting a response from City Hall.

First is the disturbing suggestion that as part of this years budget City Manager Guthrie and Parks & Recreations Mark Taylor plan to slip the privatization of life-guarding at MRC wave pool by the public. Not as a means for saving money, since any money saved through lower wages is profit for the contractor not savings for the city, but as a continuation of their practice of attacking or annoying city unions.

I have been swimming at the city pools for over a decade and a half and over that time have seen and come to know just how well trained current staff is. In spite of any kidding I may give them I trust them with my life. I want the best trained, best qualified people guarding my life when I am at the pool. Just as an aside: the staff is young people from our area, many of who use the flexible work hours to permit them to be able to afford to attend UCFV or other educational institutions; some need the part-time employment to bolster the family income.

Not only should this change not be done, if true it is unconscionable that they would consider sneaking such a big change through as part of the budget process.

The more disturbing reports are that current city co0ntracts are being stretched out or delayed in starting because of very tight city cash flow as a result of plan A’s voracious appetite for city cash flow. Contractors are being paid on a stretched timeframe with the result that project completion is significantly delayed. The start of needed maintenance and projects are said to have been delayed or not scheduled in order to reduce cash outflow.

Raising the question if perhaps part of the reason Centennial Pool is three months behind is a direct result of actions taken by Abbotsford City Hall to stretch out contract payments, in direct contravention of their claim of not knowing why the pool is so far behind.

As I said, both of these fall within the city’s recent behaviour and it is important that the city provides a clear answer on these important questions.

Media lack of brainpower causes suffering and misinformation

2007-03-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

I saw Mark McCardell on Vancouver’s Global noon hour news on Wednesday February 21, 2007. All I can say about it is that this is precisely this type of media treatment of important issues that dooms Canada and its citizens to poor and misinformed decision making. At a time the country faces important decisions on a wide variety of complex issues, making the need for balanced, thoughtful and intelligent information a must, the media is serving up this kind of misleading, pointless nonsense.

Mr. McCardell demonstrates his total disconnection from reality and lack of familiarity with thought in his assertions that rounding up all the current drug dealers and jailing them would, in some manner impossible for anyone with more intelligence than a amoeba to fathom, ensure that illegal drugs are no longer available. At its roots the illegal drug industry is unfettered capitalism at its most avaricious, where the laws of supply and demand ensure a continuous supply of dealers and drugs. Any one who falls for Mr. McCardell’s glib assurances that the arrest of current suppliers would prevent their loved ones from the path of addiction, in reality would face an increased likelihood of the heartbreak of addiction so many now deal with. Given the immense potential for wasted lives and damage in Mr McCardell’s statement I would say his behaviour on this matter is criminal.

His solution for current addicts is to abandon them to their addiction in hopes they will solve the problem by dying off. Although, in further proof of his lack of an ability to reason, he fails to explain how this die off would occur once his magical plan for removing drug supplies from our streets denies them the drugs to kill themselves with. Perhaps Mr. McCardell favours some form of euthanasia for those who have not, for the convenience of Mr McCardell and those who wish to live in the type of society he advocates, killed themselves off before their drug supply miraculously disappeared.

Mr. McCardell is apparently to be numbered among those who wring their hands and decry a society where people step over those in need of help and walk away. As long as the person in need of help is suffering from something the Mr. McCardell deems worthy of help. I have no desire to live in the type of society that would grow out of adopting Mr. McCardell’s spiritually bankrupt ideology.

No. if you want to have a positive affect on these complex social problems, indeed a positive effect on Canada and Canadian society as a whole, you will not find it in the mindless demagogy of Mr. McCardell and his ilk. You will not find it in throwing drug dealers and addicts in jail; not in arbitrarily longer jail sentences; nor in ignoring the realities of addiction and the drug trade; assuredly you will not find it in wishing for the death of those suffering addiction for down that path lies corruption and darkness.

No, if we wish to find solutions we need to heed the wisdom of the great minds of the human race such as Albert Einstein. We must amend the criminal code, with draconically punishing sentence lengths, to make stupidity of the proportions and criminality demonstrated by Mr. McCardell as much against the law as it is against the public interest and intelligent thought. This would mean that at least minimal levels of intelligence will become a requirement for employment in the news media resulting in significant increases of useful information transfer to the public while cutting off the current deluge of misinformation. While an informed public does not guarantee wise decisions it at least affords a fighting chance for common sense and thoughtfulness to win out.

For as Albert noted: “The two most abundant elements in the Universe are hydrogen and human stupidity, and of the two I am not sure about hydrogen.” With the challenges facing our society, our country and our world today, we can no longer afford the luxury of human stupidity of the magnitude demonstrated by Mr. McCardell and those who foist him upon us.

But Abbotsford City Hall is SPECIAL! at least in their own minds.

2007-03-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

It is behaviour such as Abbotsford City Hall’s action on the Old Spaghetti Factory application that leaves thinking people shaking their heads.

I expect that something will be worked out and that we will get an Old Spaghetti Factory in that location. I also expect that the business people who had the misfortune to find themselves dealing with Abbotsford City Hall will be telling other potential investors that they DO NOT want to do business in Abbotsford; that you want to drive on by Abbotsford if you are looking to do or open a business simply because dealing with Abbotsford City Hall is a time wasting, irrational pain in the a*s.

Perhaps there are some parking issues but… we are not talking about building a NEW Old Spaghetti Factory, we are speaking of putting a restaurant into an existing building that housed … a restaurant. That is correct: they are proposing to put a restaurant into a location that previously housed an approved restaurant, same location, the very same building. Understandably someone looking to put in an Old Spaghetti Factory would choose a location that previously contained a restaurant and expect no problems.

I do not care if there are some minor parking issues (if they were not reasonably minor the project would be dead). Abbotsford City Hall approved putting a restaurant in that location originally; it is unreasonable, unpredictable behaviour to suddenly question the suitability of this location for a restaurant. And Abbotsford City Hall wonders why rational, intelligent people do not want to do business in the City.

Personally I think the people behind the proposal should have told Abbotsford City Hall that there was no problem. There is a city bus route servicing that location and customers can park at Seven Oaks Mall and take transit to and from the Old Spaghetti Factory.

What I, potential investors, business people and any reasonable human being what to know is why there is such a difference in the rules for businesses, citizens etc and Abbotsford City Hall. A shortage of half a parking space can scuttle a proposal for others, but Abbotsford City Hall can be short thousands of parking spaces and create traffic chaos and all is fine. Is this the kind of behaviour you want in people you do business with? If Abbotsford City Hall wants to see why people and businesses drive on by and avoid the City - just look in any mirror.

Spectrum: $5,000 for what?

2007-03-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

So we are paying Spectrum $5,000 a month, a fee soon to increase by 50%, for their “expertise”. This would be the same “expertise” that produced the debacle at the ECHL all-star game? I am sure the ECHL was impressed by the lack of preparation and knowledge displayed by City representatives travelling on the taxpayer’s credit card.

Given Abbotsford City Hall’s track record I fail to understand why they had to pay for Spectrum’s “expertise” to appear of questionable intelligence. With brilliant moves such as their behaviour/failure on the Provincial funding front, Abbotsford City Hall is clearly capable of demonstrating incompetence without wasting tax dollars on outside “expertise”.

While on the subject of Spectrum: was it not just a few months ago that Abbotsford City Hall was claiming the reason to have brought Spectrum in was not to help sell Plan A snake, but to help secure an ECHL team through “expertise” and “connections” – the same rational that was used to sell the claim that major Ice Shows and Bands would be breaking down the doors to perform at the new arena? We have seen Spectrum’s performance with the ECHL, which raises serious questions about their ability to deliver the promised performers.

I would like to know why it is the city is doing the work vis-à-vis the ECHL when this was part of the stated reasons for brining in Spectrum and where were Spectrums claimed “connections” and “expertise” at the ECHL all-star fiasco. Based on their performance so far I fail to see why we are wasting our tax dollars on Spectrum Unless of course Abbotsford City Hall feels the need to have someone to blame, blame and excuse making being a demonstrated expertise of Abbotsford City Hall, when the arena shows its true colours: white, as in Abbotsford City Hall’s giant White Elephant - bleeding taxpayers dollars.

Hissy fit by Imagine Abboptsford cancels dialogue

2007-02-22T15:30:00.000-08:00

Ms. Hamilton's statement about "weekly opportunities for dialogue" with city council show just how little awareness of Dialogue in Abbotsford she has. Discussion is permitted only when demanded by city statutes. Otherwise citizens are to be seen paying their taxes but not heard.

Which probably goes a long way to explain how she could consider canceling a dialogue the way Imagine Abbotsford did would be considered to have allowed them to "... complete this first year of dialogues successfully". Avoiding unpleasant topics does not seem to me to be successful dialogue.

Ms Hamilton's statements would seem to suggest that councilor Dave Lowen is not a policy maker as he was present at the January dialogue, fully participated, was listened to and not attacked by the numerous opponents of Plan A participating in the dialogue that day.

Perhaps it is merely that Ms Hamilton considers only the Thought Leaders of Imagine Abbotsford to be capable of conveying the thoughts and concerns of the uncouth citizens to the policy makers in an appropriately gentile manner? Thus necessitating the cancellation of the meeting lest the peasants put in an appearance. It would also serve to explain why the results of the January dialogue would be made available to the "thought leaders" and "policy makers" before being shared with those who put forth the ideas.

Finally: I am aware that there was some concern expressed about Vince Dimanno's call on the Abbotsford Monitor's webpage for the public to get together at the Clearbrook Library. If this is what gave rise to the cancellation all I can do is shake my head at the poor judgment shown. Mr. Dimanno and the citizens he was speaking to and for live in the real world. Meaning, with the Library closing at 5PM on Fridays, people who have to actually work hard to pay their city property taxes would be unable to attend. Which is why, in order to be inclusive of every citizen including self proclaimed thought leaders and even policy makers it was rescheduled to Saturday at 2PM at Clearbrook Library

When were the laws of logic repealed by Abbotsford City Hall?

2007-02-19T00:01:00.000-08:00

How was it that I missed this major change?

Just a quick question about how it is that Mr. Guthrie can say we need to employ a Project Manager because "(City) staff is unable to dedicate neither the required time not specialist skills..."; then state that they excepted the lowest bid, even when it was grossly out of line with the three other bids on the grounds that work would be carried out by the city?

If the accepted bid requires the city to dedicate time to project management, but as Mr.. Guthrie asserts "staff is unable to dedicate... the required time..." who is going to do the work - City Halls Fairy Godmother or will it just not get done leading to further disaster on the DISASTER that is Plan A.

Citizens had certainly better hope that Abbotsford City Hall suddenly develops the ability to define project requirements correctly, accurately and in great detail. If they are so bad at defining their needs that three out of four contractors could not understand what it was that Abbotsford City Hall wanted done on a small Plan A contract such as this, just how BIG a mess are they going to bring down on the heads and pocketbooks of the citizen taxpayers of Abbotsford with the remainder of Plan A?

Tsunami?

2007-02-12T16:08:00.000-08:00

“A perfect method for adding drama to life is to wait until the deadline looms large” Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby

It looks as though Abbotsford could well have a dramatic summer on the homeless front. The Shelter is currently seeing unprecedented numbers of new faces, no longer arriving by 1’s or 2’s but in groups of 6 – 8. For the first time people who should have been guaranteed a bed, those with under 5 nights at the shelter, are failing to get a bed because of the volume of new people arriving and using the Shelter. At this point in time there are new faces, new people literally pouring into the city.

Abbotsford City Hall has always used “if we put in facilities it will attract a flood of homeless” as an excuse for doing nothing. When warned that they were facing a flood of homeless anyway and asked how they planned to deal with that, they chose not to see or acknowledge this possibility. Even in the face of common sense, human dynamics and the accelerating rate of homeless creation.

Yes Abbotsford City Hall hired a social planner and created and Advisory Committee on social issues, but to date the net result has been to allow Abbotsford City Hall to effectively procrastinate, taking no action on any of the pressing social issues facing the City, particularly homelessness and addiction.

“Waiting is a trap. There will always be reasons to wait – The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don’t count.” Robert Anthony

Abbotsford City Hall, and unfortunately the citizens, are currently facing the prospect of finding the city streets awash with the flood of homeless people currently threatening to inundate the City. At which point Abbotsford City Hall will react with its patented lack of foresight, planning and intelligence. Leaving the City facing another set of expensive, messy and unnecessary problems because Abbotsford City Hall chooses not to hear or see what it does not what to see or hear.

Aristotle taught that the brain exists merely to cool the blood and is not involved in the process of thinking. One would almost think he had meet those at Abbosford City Hall.