Happy New Year
This annual 'wishlist' from Bill Wilkerson, though intended as an offering for employers from employees is poignant for every one of our own workplaces. It is a list for anyone who has the opportunity to help create caring, thoughful, workplaces; in fact everyone.
Every year, Bill Wilkerson, founder of the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health, sends out a seasonal wish list to employers, on behalf of employees. The document, which finds its way to many company posting boards and e-mail inboxes this time of year, provides much food for thought for the Ebenezer Scrooges and Bob Cratchits of the world.Community Celebration
ILLUMINATING THE FOUR CORNERS
Saturday November 7, 8pm-9:30pm
Corner of Main and Hastings. Rain or shine
"We are here. We are here. We are here." Sandy Cameron
Come on down and look around! See our Four Corners illuminated like never before! This open-air multi-level evening opens with a welcome song from Squamish elder Sam George. You'll see images of the faces of Downtown Eastside community members projected onto buildings and through windows; buildings lit up with lights; musicians and poets performing from windows, balconies and soap boxes; music of the Downtown Eastside Samba Band; a theatrical re-enactment (with members of the Carnegie Community Action Project) of the 1935 occupation by unemployed workers at the Carnegie Museum; neighbourhood banners by artist Diane Wood; Chinese lion dancers; songs from the Carnegie Village Choir Project led by Beverly Dobrinsky; ending with a street celebration on the four corners. Ohh...and did we say 'popcorn'?
We are here: to illuminate this corner - this neighbourhood - this
community. We are here: standing proud and saying "This is who we are.
This is our community, the heart of Vancouver."
Illuminating the Four Corners has been made possible with the support of the City of Vancouver Great Beginnings Program.
Free
Located on unceded Coast Salish land, the four corners at Hastings and Main have been home to Coast Salish people for thousands of years. For over a hundred years, it's been a gathering place for immigrants arriving from the four corners of the globe. Today it's the crossroads for residents of Gastown, the Main and Hastings corridors, Chinatown, Strathcona, Japantown (Powell Street) and the city of Vancouver.
People gather at the four corners to find lost friends, catch up on the news and connect with their community. In 1903, the Carnegie Public Library/Museum and City Hall stood at the corner and Hastings was packed with people, restaurants, nightclubs, hotels, rooming houses, bars, and coffee shops. It was Vancouver's most important social and commercial district. Tattoo artists worked in sidewalk kiosks, lady barbers set up on the street, hawkers sold miracle cures side by side with evangelists warning sinners to return to the fold before the end of the world.
During the economic depression of 1907 homeless people camped out on the False Creek flats and half the city's population turned up for an Asiatic Exclusion League parade to City Hall at the "four corners." Inflammatory speeches sent the crowd storming down Pender into Chinatown--breaking windows, looting, starting fires--then raced to Powell Street's "Little Tokyo" where they were stopped by armed resistance from the residents.
During the hard times of the 1930s, Hastings Street was the main thoroughfare for public demonstrations for "work and wages" and in 1935 unemployed men occupied Carnegie for a day. The streets were a neon-lit circus of activity lined with theatres, cafes, bars, gambling clubs and union offices.
Changes followed World War II that reverberate in our community to this day: from the tearing up of the BC Electric Railway and street car tracks to the closing of the Carnegie library and museum (it stood vacant for over a decade); from the loss of housing and jobs to the closure of the community's largest business, Woodward's. These kinds of losses tore holes in the community's heart.
But this is a neighbourhood that refuses to lie down. After a six-year fight, the City agreed to re-open the Carnegie Library as a Community Centre and as each new physical and social change arrives to strain our social fabric, new grassroots initiatives rise to meet the challenges with local solutions. With the Carnegie building's Centennial celebration in 2003, initiatives arose to celebrate the community as the original heart of Vancouver; showcase our community's talents and cultures with affordable safe events; and commemorate its achievements and losses, its heroes and stories.
Here - at the crossroads of Main and Hastings--in the words of poet and historian Sandy Cameron, "the citizens of Vancouver can take pride in the long history of the Downtown Eastside."
by Savannah Walling
Soul of the Community
L + P = $
'Translated, it means that communities able
to inspire loyalty and passion among residents are also likely to see a swell
in their financial outlook.'
'.......researchers found perceptions of economic prosperity are not the leading drivers of attachment feelings among residents. Instead, most of the 14,000 respondents rated social offerings (such as entertainment and other venues that promote interconnectivity among residents), openness (acceptance of diversity) and community aesthetics as the top qualities that influenced decisions on where to anchor their lives and careers.'
(Globe and Mail)
Resource material (below) includes a summary PDF, a data file and one of the best PP shows I have seen for while - almost every slide a '....aha...so that means...'
Main page
http://www.soulofthecommunity.
Reports page with the resources that follow
http://www.soulofthecommunity.
While here are the links to a PDF, a data file and a Powerpoint
http://www.soulofthecommunity.
http://www.soulofthecommunity.
http://www.soulofthecommunity.
FORT SASKATCHEWAN, Alberta -- Shell Canada vowed to ramp up security to keep protesters out of its properties after Greenpeace activists scaled smokestacks and a construction crane to unfurl banners at an oilsands upgrader expansion project northeast of Edmonton.
After spending 24 hours roped high up on the structures near Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., the Greenpeace activists were arrested by members of a special police climbing team just after 5 a.m. Sunday at Shell's Scottford project.
"It was a peaceful resolution to what could have been a very dangerous situation," said RCMP spokesman Cpl. Darren Anderson.
In Calgary, Shell spokesman Phil Vircoe expressed concern about "Greenpeace's unsafe and confrontational tactics. This placed their own safety at risk and also the safety of others who were on site at that time and throughout this process."
Four protesters had agreed to an RCMP request to climb down from their perches Saturday evening after hours of negotiations.
But nine others refused to budge, and members of an RCMP and Edmonton Police Service climbing team donned ropes and harnesses and scaled the towering structures to arrest them, said Anderson, the RCMP spokesman.
"These police officers are specially trained in rappelling and use of ropes and have some background in mountaineering training as well," he said.
Many of the protesters agreed to climb down using their own equipment, Anderson said. But two of them refused to descend on their own and had to be brought down by the police team.
A total of 16 Greenpeace protesters were arrested during the incident.
Charges, including mischief and breaking and entering, were expected to be laid against all of them and they were expected to appear in court at a later date, Anderson said.
Mike Hudema, a Greenpeace activist who remained outside the plant, said the people who took part in the protest are passionate about trying to draw attention to an industry his group blames for dramatically increasing greenhouse gases.
"Every activist that was in there was prepared to be arrested and was willing to face the repercussions of that to hopefully push our world leaders to turn away from toxic developments like the tarsands," Hudema said.
The protest began early Saturday morning. Streaming video on a Greenpeace website from climbers dangling above massive storage tanks and a network of large metal pipes showed protesters unfurling banners that read "Climate Crime" and "Climate S.O.S."
After mounting several such protests in recent weeks at Alberta oilsands facilities, Hudema said he hoped that interrupting the industry's activities helped Greenpeace make its point about the oilsands industry.
"We've been able to stop at least a portion of the damage that the tarsands are doing to our planet. I think that's one thing that we've accomplished," he said.
Shell officials said the latest protest did not affect the neighbouring petrochemical refinery in Fort Saskatchewan and was confined to an area under construction, where few employees were working at the time.
Last month, protesters chained themselves to heavy earth-moving equipment at a Shell oilsands mine near Fort McMurray, Alta., bringing work at one pit to a halt. They were not charged in that incident.
Nearly a week ago, 10 protesters were arrested trying to block shipments of thick tar-like bitumen to a Suncor plant near Fort McMurray.
Hudema said the latest action was aimed at nudging negotiators to look for greener options at a climate-change conference in Bangkok. Officials there are paving the way to a new pact to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
Vircoe said Shell has launched a full-scale audit to determine how security at the Fort Saskatchewan site was breached and to fix any problems.
The number of security staff there has been increased and protocols tightened, including increased patrolling of the perimeter of the fenced-in site, he said.
The latest incident has also highlighted the need for the industry as a whole to be more vigilant about security, Vircoe said.
"The incident serves as a reminder, a stern reminder, that our industry must work even harder to strengthen our approach to security across the province here in Alberta and right across the country," he said.
Premier Ed Stelmach has expressed frustration at the number of protesters who've been able to gain access to such sites in recent weeks, and has said they are being coddled while breaking the law.
"We understand his frustration and we share his concerns around security at all of the various energy sites across the province," Vircoe said.
As to whether company officials are coddling the protesters in allowing their actions to go on for several hours at a time, Vircoe said the company's main goal is to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
"Our concern, right from the very beginning, is for the safety of the activists, to make sure nobody gets hurt, the safety of our employees on the site and any of the public who are in the area around the facilities," Vircoe said.
-By Lisa Arrowsmith in Edmonton.
Copyright © 2009 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The $1.9-billion deal will give PetroChina a large stake in a company whose assets contain about five-billion barrels of bitumen.
"Oil sands projects are very capital-intensive long-term investments and difficult to fully finance in the traditional equity market," Athabasca chairman Bill Gallacher said in a release. Athabasca "therefore decided to look for joint venture partners, and these strategic joint venture arrangements with PetroChina, one of the world's largest energy companies, can ensure that the MacKay River and Dover projects will be developed in timely manner, which is excellent news for Alberta and the rest of Canada."
Rumours of the impending deal pushed up shares in several small junior oil sands companies, including UTS Energy Corp. [UTS-T] and Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd. [CLL-T], on a belief that major outside investment interests are once again prepared to invest in the oil sands.
"It's great news for the oil sands business. It shows that there are still large, sophisticated, deep-pocketed companies out there prepared to write big cheques," said one Calgary banker.
In return we get the chance to 'invest' in the dollar store crap this oil grab will enable China to continue to produce to satisfy our 'needs'
Canada's biggest dollar-store chain, which expanded and prospered while consumers pinched their pennies, now plans to go public as the economy heals and markets thaw.
Dollarama Group LP, the Montreal-based chain with 585 stores, plans an initial public offering of more than $250-million this fall, cashing in on its success during the recession, investment banking sources said.
The deal marks the continued thawing of an IPO market that froze during the financial crisis. It also gives its majority owner, Bain Capital LLC, a much-needed win.
An IPO from a name-brand company such as Dollarama would mark the third large corporate debut on Canadian public markets in as many months, marking the end of a nine-month drought in IPOs that began in 2008. Insurer Genworth MI Canada Inc. and power company Magma Energy Corp. went public on the Toronto Stock Exchange this summer, raising $850-million and $100-million respectively.
A number of companies have also sold stock recently as investors bet on a full-fledged recovery. WestJet Airlines Ltd. raised $150-million this week, and investment bankers said Dollarama would make much the same pitch to potential shareholders.
Discount and dollar stores have generally been able to make sales gains in the recession as cash-strapped consumers look for bargains.
Dollarama recently hired advisers to work on the sale of 25 to 30 per cent of the company, sources said. The chain is 80 per cent controlled by Boston-based Bain, which purchased its stake in 2004 from chief executive officer Larry Rossy in a deal that valued Dollarama at $1-billion.
Bain is expected to target its IPO campaign at Canadian investors, as domestic retailers such as Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. and Loblaw Cos. Ltd. draw premium valuations compared with U.S. peers. As the leading player in its sector, Dollarama will attempt to claim the same lofty status. Bain was a minority owner of Shoppers when the drugstore chain went public in 2001.
The LiveSmart program not only includes energy audits of homes, but then helps fund improvements to those homes - doors, windows, insulation, more efficient furnaces etc
Both he majority of the products and the jobs are local - not simply creating a flood of cheap imports.
Surely a measly $60m can be found to continue this 'too popular' initiative?
Contacts to protest, complain, suggest different priorities etc:
HONOURABLE BLAIR LEKSTROM
MINISTER OF ENERGY, MINES AND PETROLEUM RESOURCES
PO BOX 9060 STN PROV GOVT
VICTORIA BC V8W 9E3
Telephone: 250 387-5896
Fax: 250 356-2965
Jake Jacobs Public Affairs Officer
email: Jake.Jacobs@gov.bc.ca
Telephone: 250 952-0628 Fax: 250 952-0627
Slimy 'target met' BC government press release here
From the Globe and Mail BC section
BRENNAN CLARKE
VICTORIA -- Special to The Globe and Mail Last updated on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009 03:29AM EDT
Companies specializing in green energy solutions are seeing red over the cancellation of LiveSmart BC, a move they say will hurt the province's burgeoning green industry sector and undermine the Campbell government's efforts to cut greenhouse-gas emissions.
Cancelled without warning late last week, LiveSmart BC offered a range of cash incentives for homeowners who invest in energy-saving technology.
Among the hardest hit will be firms that make and install "Energy Star" windows, a rating that entitled homeowners to a $30-per-window rebate.
The demise of LiveSmart is part two of a double whammy for makers of eco-friendly products that will lose their provincial sales tax exemption when BC adopts the harmonized sales tax next July 1.
"It affects 100 per cent of our business. All we sell is Energy Star windows," said Mark Brandow, sales manager for Centra Windows, a $16-million company with outlets across southern B.C.
"All my second- and third-quarter promotions are geared toward the LiveSmart program. Our phones have been ringing off the hook with customers who have either just signed their contracts or were thinking of going ahead."
Companies that sell and install heat pumps, the cleanest and most efficient alternative to conventional (electric, oil and gas) heating systems, were shocked by the program's end.
Wendy Wilson-Storey of CoolFlame Home Heating in Nanaimo said LiveSmart offered rebates of up to $1,420 on the estimated $6,000 cost of replacing a conventional furnace with a heat pump.
"It's not good news. We've been swamped with work in the last couple of months, but after that runs out who knows how people will react?" Ms. Wilson-Storey said.
"[The rebate] was a great motivator for people to go green."
Ms. Wilson-Storey also spoke to the second half of the one-two punch, the new harmonized sales tax: "Right now you don't have to pay PST on heat pumps, so there's another 7 per cent when the HST kicks in."
Consulting firms offering home energy "audits" are also feeling the heat, said Peter Sundberg, executive director of City Green Solutions, a Victoria-based non-profit that promotes energy efficiency programs.
To qualify for energy-retrofit rebates, LiveSmart required homeowners to undergo a $300 initial assessment of their home's energy efficiency, $150 of which was reimbursed by the province.
Over the past year, City Green has been doing "500 to 600" energy audits a month. Mr. Sundberg, who has 22 employees, is anticipating a "25- to 50-per-cent" drop in those numbers.
"City Green is going to be hit hard, but we have other things going on so we will fare better than the others," Mr. Sundberg said. "Energy audits are about 60 per cent of what we do."
Energy and Mines Minister Blair Lekstrom said Friday thatLiveSmart B.C. was a "victim of its own success," devouring its $60-million funding allocation in just over 15 months, far faster than the government anticipated.
In the flush of bidding for and winning the right to host the Olympics, nobody talked about how staging them might mean limiting civil liberties.
It's only now, with seven months until the 2010 Winter Games begin, that organizers and compliant politicians are revealing plans to make it more difficult to exercise our fundamental constitutional rights to free speech, peaceful assembly and free expression.
For months now, police have been knocking on the doors of known activists and tracking them down in their neighbourhoods to "chat" about their Olympic protest plans. But that's only part of it.
An omnibus bylaw that staff insists is "critical to the success of the Games" goes to Vancouver city council today.
The bylaw relaxes rules for Games-related events, limits free expression and speech in public and private spaces, and grants sweeping discretionary powers to Mayor Gregor Robertson and City Manager Penny Ballem to do whatever is "warranted," "necessary or desirable" to ensure the Olympics' "safety and security" and "protection of commercial rights."
It also claims none of this is intended to impact political expression or the right to lawful protest.
That might not be the intent, but it may be the result. And rather chillingly, we may never know whether any of this is legal because there's little time left for anyone to initiate a court case against these rights-challenging changes before the Olympics begin in February.
