I think that some cultural sensitivity needs to be practiced by the reporters and editor of the Times Colonist. When I picked up the edition of Wednesday Oct 26 the first thing that I saw was the Caption of “Native Housing in for an Overhaul”. Then right below it I saw “Cridge park campers await decision”. If I had not continued to read the article on the Native Housing issues and then the tent city in Cridge Park I could have easily mistaken the Cridge park issue and how it related to the front page’s main headline about native housing which has suffered severely for many years due to the restraints of all of our governments.
Having both of these vital issues put on the front page introduces a juxtaposition of how our federal government is proposing to change the housing situation for thousands of First Nations through out Canada and how our provincial and municipal government is failing to provide the most basic needs for our homeless population.
First Nations people don’t need any more negativity images about our social problems because the transformation between race and class is far to short and to easily exploited by many people, who have good intentions, to use as an excuse to benefit from some of the most marginalized people in our community.
I hope the media takes some heed to my recommendation and takes some actions on what they put on their main page.
Rose Henry
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Monday, October 17, 2005
Elect Rose on Nov.19, 2005
November 19th Vote for Rose Henry
Nov 20, 2005
I would like to be able to thank everyone in person for all the hard work that they did for my campaign. It was an incredible feeling for me to see the numbers grow as they were scrolling by on the screen. The final total was 3339 (3.16 % of the vote). Once again the areas that I excelled in were Fernwood, George Jay, and Central Baptist. These areas are the unofficial areas at this point- but this is what I heard from a few people who where at the official counting stations. I will let people know when I get the results within a couple of weeks.
Now all I have left to do is to figure out how much in the red I am and how I will get the bills covered. Although it was costly I am even more determined to run again. We must keep up the fight for the generations to come. We must continue to fight for democracy, diversity and a guaranteed livable income for all.
<strong>I would like to acknowledge people like John Rooney who has been in my corner for the past two election attempts. He did an incredible job getting me to and from school, work and to candidate meetings and finical always being there when I needed a good cup of java or food for my family.
Lise Wrigley for creating my leaflets
Kym Hothead for being there when I was feeling down and out.
Jennelle and Bobby for allowing me to take over their living room space when my computer crashed at a very critical time during the campaign.
Jesse A, David and Mary Lowther, Bobby Arbess, Aloha –Al R. from HEU, everywhere Larry Wartel, Karen Ainslie, David Tatryn, Cindy L’Horendelle, Catherine Wilchuk, MJ Collins and her tribe and Don J. Southerland. These are the people who did all the leg work and leafleted over 8000 homes.
Carlos Flores who literally at the last minute created to beautiful signs for the truck.
The dozens of other picked up and distributed leaflets in their classes.
I would like to give recognition to the other services that supported my campaign by advertising for me.
Victoria Street Newz ( advertisement)
Status Women Action Group (Soldier of women who leafleted)
Community Solidarity Coalition (Seed Money)
J&L Photocopying (leaflets)
Camosun College Imaging Centre (Posters)
Victoria READ Society (Letter of Encouragement)
Hospital Employees Union ( endorsement-Financial)
Victoria Labor Council (endorsement- no Financial)
Rose Is Running for City Council Sept 2005
Elect Rose Henry and you are electing someone who has a Conscience and is considered in some circles the Conscience of the City. For many years Rose has worked to improve the condition of our citizens - especially the disenfranchised, the poor and the downtrodden. She has worked to improve race relations, stood up for the homeless and helped the helpless. This election for city council has many brainy financiers, lawyers and business people running. Maybe we need a little more heart.
Here is the polling locations for Victoria:
Who can vote?
Anyone who is over the age of eighteen; has lived in BC for at least six months and been a city resident for 30 days or more. All you need is two pieces of ID. For example, one piece of mail with your name and address on it, rent receipt, BC ID etc.
Voting Places for General Voting Day-Saturday Nov. 19, 2005
Polling Hours 8am -8pm
Burnside Elementary School Gym 3130 Jutland Rd (near Bus Rtes# 8,11,21-22)
Central Baptist Church 833 Pandora St.
Fairfield New Horizon Centre 380 Cook St (on Bus rtes # 3&5)
George Jay Elementary 1118 Princess St. ( on Bus Rtes# 24&25)
James Bay Community School 140 Oswego St ( on Bus # 30/31)
James Bay New Horizon Centre 234 Menzies St (On Bus Rtes #5,27&28)
Margaret Jenkins Elementary 1824 Fairfield Rd (On Bus #5)
Oaklands Elementary School 2827 Belmont Ave.(Rte#4)
Quadra Elementary School 3031 Quadra St (On Bus Rte#8 & 11)
Sir James Douglas Elementary 401 Moss St. ( On Bus#5)
Sundance Elementary School 1625 Bank St (On Bus Rte# 2 &11)
Vic West Y 521 Craigflower Rd (On Bus #14)
Rose is a big lady - she has to be to enclose that wonderful big heart and Victoria council needs more heart. If you would like to see our city help the homeless, help to feed the hungry and give justice to our minorities vote for Rose. Our city needs her.
Rose Henry is an outspoken First Nations social justice activist, feminist and woman of colour living
in poverty.
Her first hand awareness of the urgency of the issues affecting a growing number of people living in poverty in this city, will galvanize her fellow councilors into the kind of action that has long been needed.
She is a compassionate, conscientious and capable candidate who will continue to work hard beyond the call of duty to improve living conditions for the most disadvantaged members of our community.
Her unrelenting commitment in seeking solutions to social problems, inequalities and injustice is the antidote to complacency, and her direct action approach to the many crises that face us flies in the face of all the most common reasons people don't vote. She is more about doing than talking.
You can believe in Rose. Her track record speaks for itself.
Rose Henry works tirelessly on behalf of those who are in any way marginalized by society. She has done everything from providing blankets at 3am to people living on the street in Victoria, to meeting with the Dalai Lama and Bishop Tutu to discuss human rights issues.
Rose has long been a strong communicator, but she struggled with the written word. Last year she worked hard at the Victoria READ Society to improve her writing skills, and helped other students along the way.
Now Rose is a passionate advocate for literacy and has spoken and written eloquently about her past struggles due to low literacy skills. Last year she spoke at the Literacy Summit in Vancouver about her own story and about learning challenges faced by First Nations people. She has promoted literacy programs in Victoria by speaking about the value of literacy to service clubs and through her blog.
The world needs more Rose Henrys!
Julie Holder Executive Director
Victoria READ Society
www.readsociety.bc.ca
On November 19th, a vote for Rose will be a vote for social justice and an effective way to challenge the barriers of race, class and gender privilege that typically prevail in the realms of political decision-making.
Rose has contributed 15 years of mostly volunteer front line community-based social services for the poor and marginalized in this city. Her many activities have included:
*anti-racism education for pre-teens.
*advocate for literacy and access to education as a tool for empowering the poor and marginalized. Giving recognition to the thoughts that education is a part of the solution to helping with eradication of poverty.
*instrumental in starting up local community economic development projects the Bent Nail recycling wood project, which allowed the poor and the street community entrance into work force.
* advocated for the creation of the Needle Exchange, ensuring the safety of drug users in the city.
* spearheading the effort to promote the right of the homeless to vote in elections, 1990
*author and distribution of the Red Zone and Street Newz, street community publications
*represented the Victoria community at the Global Anti-racism conference in Durban South Africa
*supported the Dawson family, following the tragic death of their son Anthony while in police custody.
*Organized the B.C Womyn's Walkout for recognition of the value of unpaid women's work and the impacts of poverty on women.
*Organized the public burning of ballots during the Liberal government’s racist referendum on aboriginal rights.
*consistent advocate on behalf of the poor: mobilizing campaigns against the anti-panhandling by-law, for the right to access public benches, against transit fare increases, and for affordable housing.
As most of you would know, local social activist Rose Henry has entered her second campaign to break the cultural barrier at City Hall in becoming the first aboriginal person on council.
Here is what she stands for :
Rose is an outstanding voice for the poor and the homeless in our community, having devoted an accumulated almost two decades of service at the Native Friendship Centre, Sandy Merriman House shelter for women, Victoria Street Commnity Association, Together Against Poverty Association and the Vancouver Human Rights Coalition. She stands up for the rights of the most marginalized and dispossesed in our city.
She is herself a survivor of a racist colonial system and the foster care system and who faces the multiple barriers of being a First Nations woman, a visible minority, who has lived in poverty her whole life and who has the great strength of being able to authentically represent the realtiy, issues and needs of a whole segment of the population whose voices are systematically excluded and ignored in the realms of political power, privilege and decision-making.
City Hall has long been the domain of the privilege and the comfortable, the educated and the middle class.
It is no coincidence that the issues affecting the poor are year after year given short shrift. Class
interests on city council have almost unanimoulsy been with those who stand for big development and private profits before people's real needs, affordable housing, public transit and poverty alleviation.
Rose is no newcomer to social justice struggles. She operates on substance and not slick. She is one person who will put the urgency of Victoria's pressing social issues at the top (rather than the bottom) of the agenda at City Hall. She is a compassionate and hard-working advocate who will serve beyond the call of duty to press for solutions to the growing problems that our community faces: addiction, homelessness, intolerance, housing affordability, public safety.
****Endorsed by the , Hospital Employees Union,Victoria Labor Council
Community Solidarity Victoria Victoria Street Newz, Coalition, and SWAG
Rose has stood with all of us in the social justice community for a long time. It's time that we stood with her now.
Rose can be reached at pheonixstar62@hotmail.com
Bobby Arbess
Rose Henry Campaign Team
garbanzobob@yahoo.ca
995-1477
Some Thoughts about our youth
Why, in your opinion, don't the majority of youth vote?
I think that the majority of the our youth do not vote because they feel that there vote is not of any importance to our Government. It might be that they feel dis-empowered by how our society and government has treated them because they have not been informed through our educational system about the electoral process. It makes it hard on everyone when a certain group of people have been excluded from society for the first eighteen years of your life and then when your eighteen your given this power to determine not only your life but everyone Else's future without knowing what kind of power this entitlement has with out every being exposed to its history.
What are you doing, in your campaign, to entice youth to vote for you?
This is a issue that I am really struggling with with trying to figure out how to let the youth know that their votes are important. All that I can do for them at this point is give them the time to have their issues heard and encourage them to get active in their communities' neighborhood groups for just one meeting every other week or whenever their community has these meetings. If I was was elected I would like to see at least one seat on each of council's own committee to be designated for youth and another for First Nations.
Exercise Your Democratic Right and Get Out and Vote for the Person who Cares enough to raise your issues the office that can make changes in your community.
Get Out and Vote on Nov. 19/05 Every Municipalities throughout BC will be electing new Community Representatives.
As a potential local policy-maker, we would like to know your views and opinions on dog management in Greater Victoria. We have included three basic questions in this regard and would greatly appreciate receiving your response by November 7, 2005.
1. Are you aware of/concerned about any dog-related issues in your municipality? If so, how would you like to see these issues addressed? How would you promote responsible dog ownership?
I am aware of the issues of safety concerns that people have brought to the attention of the media because they or someone they know have been attacked by a dog. I am not very familiar with the policies that government having dogs in the city. I would definitely be interested in receiving any information that your organization has, because apart of my heart is owned by my princess named Raven-Skye who thinks she is a human being but is part Lab/collie.
2. Do you agree that dog owners should be involved in the development of dog-related policy? How would you see this involvement take place in your municipality?
Most definitely I think that their owners should be involved in all the decision making aspects.
As much as I hated to see more committee meeting being created, I think at this time this is the one that should be created. It should involve dog owners, CRD pound staff, and other agencies like the SPCA.
Context:
In 1989, the House of Commons unanimously resolved to eliminate poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000. At the start of 2005, one million Canadian children, or nearly one in six, are still poor. In a rich country such as Canada this is abhorrent. Aboriginal people are disproportionately affected by poverty, as are women, immigrant Canadians, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. We must end child poverty—and all poverty—in Canada. We must make key investments in social development that will make a difference: More money for low-income families, affordable housing, the creation of decent jobs with a higher minimum wage, and universal, affordable early learning and child care.
As the Federal and the Provincial governments cut social spending, many problems are downloaded onto Municipal governments who do not have the resources to deal with them. For example, in 1995 the Federal government eliminated the Canada Assistance Plan and now there is no standard for the provinces to meet on social spending. Poverty has grown since then. Municipalities must take the lead in pushing the Federal government into bringing back national standards on income assistance, housing, health, and harm reduction strategies, as well as working toward a guaranteed livable income for all Canadians.
Questions:
1. How will you negotiate with other levels of government for the reinstatement of national standards to meet people’s basic needs?
A) I like direct action through community consultation first with the people who are being directly affected. Then bring the community leaders to the clients and let the leaders hear and see first Hand how their decisions are impacting the community.
B) Both clients and service providers who work the front lines need to be including in every aspect of negation.
2. What is your perspective on implementing a “livable” minimum wage?
A) I would like to see some sort of a guaranteed livable income for all people. I have been involved in the anti-poverty for years through my own experience and know that income assistance does not pay enough and neither does the current minimum wage.
B) I think minimum should be at least $10.00 an hour to start with so that people like me might be able to afford to eat at least twice and day and not have to worry about whether or not I am having to take it out of my bus fare or am I going to have a place to live next month.
3. What will you do to address the issue of housing affordability in your municipality? Will you encourage measures such as relaxing zoning laws to allow multi-family occupancy and/or sleeping in cars and camping trailers?
A) I would like to see the legalization of Single Room Occupancies (SROs) and a by-law to be changed that would for bid property owners from buying land and allowing building to sit vacant for decades while the vacancy rates are sitting below the five percent mark and our homeless population in on the rise.
4. Will you lobby the federal government for extra funds to support homeless people in Victoria who are fleeing the cold weather in other parts of Canada? How will you ensure that homeless shelters are safe for everyone, especially for women?
A) Yes I will lobby all levels of governments to re-implement to money and services that were lost during the cancellation of Bill 29 at the provincial level four years ago. I would like to say that we don’t need to be segregated based on our gender but in the case of the homeless I believe that we do need multiple separated shelters to meet the needs of our changing communities. We shelter that are able to let our homeless to stay longer that seven days in a 30 day time period. We need one for women who are homeless and do not have an illness or addiction, we need one where women can bring their dogs and we need one where IV users can feel just as safe as a non-IV user. I think that all the shelters should have at least one per floor needle drop boxes and that the staff at these sites should receive specialized, training in dealing with IV users with or with their children. I would also like to see a safe house for battered men be available, especial for those who are two spirited. I would like to see several of these houses have a FN value implemented in how they are built and operational service deliveries and staff who have been consumers to some of these services.
5. Will you set aside an area accessible to downtown where homeless people will have access to land for camping, toilet/shower facilities and safe lockers until such time as housing can be provided?
Yes I would definitely advocate for all of our disenfranchised society members. I believe that setting up a park for this community would be very beneficial for all involved in providing the basic care of these individuals. As well as the community members it self would benefit from because we are all the same we need the human contact whether we like it or not. As far as the rest of society goes we need to accept that this is an issue that will not go away by pretending it doesn’t exist by sweeping it under other community issues and that we can all benefit from accepting the responsibility for lack of housing and in adequate social safety net and that there is no shame in addressing our social issues while the world is watching us.
6. What is your stand on decriminalization and/or unionization of prostitution?
A) I think that prostitution should be decriminalized. If the sex trade workers want to unionized themselves then I am in total support of them. I am aware of several unionized sex trade workers in the US and overseas.
7. What will you do to make legal aid and dental care accessible to poor people?
A) I think that legal aid should be provided for free from the students who are practicing law. Dental care should be seen as a preventative measure for long term health concerns and should be considered as an essential service. I think that any service charges should be done based on what the individual person can pay.
8. What is your opinion of harm reduction strategies that see drug addiction as an illness, not a crime? What do you propose to do about the lack of deter centers and safe injection sites? Although lack of affordable housing allowed these problems to get rolling on a grand scale, it will take more than that to solve them.
A) I would support any strategies that would help preserve a person’s life and give them an opportunity to recover from their addictions. I would like to see a safe injection site established in Victoria. We need a little more deter beds for the people trying to deter and not for the people who have no place to go. For them we need more extended supportive services to help them make the transition treatment to independent living.
9. Currently the public library is serving as a de facto drop-in centre for homeless people to spend their days during bad weather. While libraries should remain accessible, can you suggest alternative City-sponsored safe and warm drop in spaces?
A) No. I don’t think that we should be pushing these people out of a business that is created for public use because these people are a part of the public and are in directly tax payers too.
10. Accessible and convenient transportation is a necessity for low-income Victoria residents. What will you do to expand bus coverage, particularly from the F airfield/Cook Street Village area where service is minimal outside of rush hours (and sometimes even then)?
A) I would like to see an urban bus pass made available to all citizens of Victoria who are existing on a limited income. Something like the yearly disability or student U passes. But have one for the working poor where they can buy one that might be good for four or five months. For Fairfield / Cook Street Village the community needs to publicly announce when they are having these public transit meeting and ensure avid bus riders like myself gets invited so that we can support this community. We need to promote more people to use both the bus service and rider ship as an environmental and economical way to travel.
11. Do you feel it is appropriate to have Victoria’s school meal breakfast program provided by the Salvation Army, along with “food for the soul” (prayers), considering that many families and taxpayers do not subscribe to that belief system? How will you work to ensure that children in Victoria do not go to school hungry?
A) NO I definitely do not feel that there should be any group or action that promotes a mandatory action for anyone to have to sing or pray for food. As survivor of the sixties scoop I have some experience as to how damaging this kind of life long impact can have on a child. Especial one that is connected to a religious organization that thrives on keeping people impoverished.
12. Will you fight to keep Victoria's water supply in public hands so that water does not become a commodity for those who can afford it?
A) Yes as an FN woman I have understood the importance of the value of our land and all the elements that come with and I have been repetitively told that no one can say that no one can really claim ownership to the water.
13. What measures will you take to halt the spread of epidemic diseases such as AIDS, Hepatitis and TB, which are all on the increase in our province and are directly linked to poverty?
A) Educated the educators, consumers, students, customers about how such diseases like these are spread. In prove accessibility to our outreach teams, health care services, promoted safe sex by offering free supplies and encourage everyone to get tested on a regular basis and get shots.
14. Will you make licenses required for busking and craft sales more accessible to the poor, or, better yet, eliminate them altogether?
A) Yes.
15. What do you see as a viable as well as socially and ecologically sustainable direction for Victoria's economy?
A) Stop the big box corporations from setting up shop any where in Victoria and allow more small developments to establish shops. Promote the buy local products and give the business owners a tax break when the do this. Make room for more affordable housing in the downtown core
The Victoria Make Poverty History Coalition (VMPHC) is a group of individuals and organizations in the Victoria, BC area committed to the ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign. Our aim is to raise awareness around poverty, both in Victoria and around the world, through a variety of public education events. We have been meeting since July 2005.
A few words from Rose I am from the Coast Salish Territory where I am a registered member of the Snuneymuxw First Nation (Nanaimo) originally from Sliammon. I am married with small family of my own. Self-identity and belief in a better future for my culture and the people in my community is very important to me. I believe that I can help bridge the gaps between urban First Nations, the reserve community and the people suffering from multiple discrimination based on race and class.
I live and work in the down town; I have raised my family here and have seen a lot of changes throughout Victoria. I have strong hopes and desires to become Victoria's first First Nations council member.
Graduated from the school of hard knocks and the institution of being brought up in the foster care system.
Over the years I have actively volunteered for many organizations.
My personal commitment to the following issues:
· Passing by-laws that will ensure that vacant building will not seat empty for a certain amount of time will our homeless population continues to grow and the bed space for them deteriorates.
· Promoting diversity in the community
· Transportation becomes affordable to everyone
Ensure that new housing projects have a certain percentage designated for people living below the poverty line
Help for Seniors and Children
· Promoting Small Business
· Environmental Issues-Like saying no to the privatization of water
· Help for our urban First Nations Community
· Poverty and Homelessness
------------------------------------------
Dear Friends, Please Pass this on
As most of you would know, local social activist
Rose Henry has entered her second campaign to break
the cultural barrier at City Hall in becoming the
first aboriginal person on council.
Rose is an outstanding voice for the poor and the
homeless in our community, having devoted an
accumulated almost two decades of service at the
Native Friendship Centre, Sandy Merriman House shelter
for women, Victoria Street Commnity Association,
Together Against Poverty Association and the Vancouver
Human Rights Coalition. She stands up for the rights
of the most marginalized and dispossesed in our city.
She is herself a survivor of a racist colonial system
and the foster care system and who faces the multiple
barriers of being a First Nations woman, a visible
minority, who has lived in poverty her whole life and
who has the great strength of being able to
authentically represent the realtiy, issues and needs
of a whole segment of the population whose voices are
systematically excluded and ignored in the realms of
political power, privilege and decision-making.
City Hall has long been the domain of the privilege
and the comfortable, the educated and the middle
class.
It is no coincidence that the issues affecting the
poor are year after year given short shrift. Class
interests on city council have almost unanimously been
with those who stand for big development and private
profits before people's real needs, affordable
housing, public transit and poverty alleviation.
Rose is no newcomer to social justice struggles. She
operates on substance and not slick. She is one person
who will put the urgency of Victoria's pressing social
issues at the top (rather than the bottom) of the
agenda at City Hall. She is a compassionate and
hard-working advocate who will serve beyond the call
of duty to press for solutions to the growing problems
that our community faces: addiction, homelessness,
intolerance, housing affordability, public safety.
In the 10 days ahead I urge all of you to consider
what resources of time and/or finances you can devote
to helping Rose win a seat on council. She is in need
of canvassers and some funds to put up a few signs
around town.
Rose has stood with all of us in the social justice
community for a long time. It's time that we stood
with her now.
If you wish to vote in advance you can do so at Victoria City Hall on Nov. 9,
14,15,16 & 17 Hours start at 8am until at least 5pm
Rose can be reached at 812-0199 or at
pheonixstar62@hotmail.com
Bobby Arbess
Rose Henry Campaign Team
garbanzobob@yahoo.ca
995-1477
I only need 6900 votes to get in as Victoria 1st First Nations person The last time I ran and did not speak to the media I got 4500 votes
**** People wishing to donate to my campaign can send cheques to Rose Henry's Campaign c/o John Rooney home address 104-864 Pembroke St. Victoria BC, V8T 1H9
People wishing to help me with my campaign can contact me at 250-812-0199 or through my E-mail address at: pheonixstar62@hotmail.com.
Nov 20, 2005
I would like to be able to thank everyone in person for all the hard work that they did for my campaign. It was an incredible feeling for me to see the numbers grow as they were scrolling by on the screen. The final total was 3339 (3.16 % of the vote). Once again the areas that I excelled in were Fernwood, George Jay, and Central Baptist. These areas are the unofficial areas at this point- but this is what I heard from a few people who where at the official counting stations. I will let people know when I get the results within a couple of weeks.
Now all I have left to do is to figure out how much in the red I am and how I will get the bills covered. Although it was costly I am even more determined to run again. We must keep up the fight for the generations to come. We must continue to fight for democracy, diversity and a guaranteed livable income for all.
<strong>I would like to acknowledge people like John Rooney who has been in my corner for the past two election attempts. He did an incredible job getting me to and from school, work and to candidate meetings and finical always being there when I needed a good cup of java or food for my family.
Lise Wrigley for creating my leaflets
Kym Hothead for being there when I was feeling down and out.
Jennelle and Bobby for allowing me to take over their living room space when my computer crashed at a very critical time during the campaign.
Jesse A, David and Mary Lowther, Bobby Arbess, Aloha –Al R. from HEU, everywhere Larry Wartel, Karen Ainslie, David Tatryn, Cindy L’Horendelle, Catherine Wilchuk, MJ Collins and her tribe and Don J. Southerland. These are the people who did all the leg work and leafleted over 8000 homes.
Carlos Flores who literally at the last minute created to beautiful signs for the truck.
The dozens of other picked up and distributed leaflets in their classes.
I would like to give recognition to the other services that supported my campaign by advertising for me.
Victoria Street Newz ( advertisement)
Status Women Action Group (Soldier of women who leafleted)
Community Solidarity Coalition (Seed Money)
J&L Photocopying (leaflets)
Camosun College Imaging Centre (Posters)
Victoria READ Society (Letter of Encouragement)
Hospital Employees Union ( endorsement-Financial)
Victoria Labor Council (endorsement- no Financial)
Rose Is Running for City Council Sept 2005
Elect Rose Henry and you are electing someone who has a Conscience and is considered in some circles the Conscience of the City. For many years Rose has worked to improve the condition of our citizens - especially the disenfranchised, the poor and the downtrodden. She has worked to improve race relations, stood up for the homeless and helped the helpless. This election for city council has many brainy financiers, lawyers and business people running. Maybe we need a little more heart.
Here is the polling locations for Victoria:
Who can vote?
Anyone who is over the age of eighteen; has lived in BC for at least six months and been a city resident for 30 days or more. All you need is two pieces of ID. For example, one piece of mail with your name and address on it, rent receipt, BC ID etc.
Voting Places for General Voting Day-Saturday Nov. 19, 2005
Polling Hours 8am -8pm
Burnside Elementary School Gym 3130 Jutland Rd (near Bus Rtes# 8,11,21-22)
Central Baptist Church 833 Pandora St.
Fairfield New Horizon Centre 380 Cook St (on Bus rtes # 3&5)
George Jay Elementary 1118 Princess St. ( on Bus Rtes# 24&25)
James Bay Community School 140 Oswego St ( on Bus # 30/31)
James Bay New Horizon Centre 234 Menzies St (On Bus Rtes #5,27&28)
Margaret Jenkins Elementary 1824 Fairfield Rd (On Bus #5)
Oaklands Elementary School 2827 Belmont Ave.(Rte#4)
Quadra Elementary School 3031 Quadra St (On Bus Rte#8 & 11)
Sir James Douglas Elementary 401 Moss St. ( On Bus#5)
Sundance Elementary School 1625 Bank St (On Bus Rte# 2 &11)
Vic West Y 521 Craigflower Rd (On Bus #14)
Rose is a big lady - she has to be to enclose that wonderful big heart and Victoria council needs more heart. If you would like to see our city help the homeless, help to feed the hungry and give justice to our minorities vote for Rose. Our city needs her.
Rose Henry is an outspoken First Nations social justice activist, feminist and woman of colour living
in poverty.
Her first hand awareness of the urgency of the issues affecting a growing number of people living in poverty in this city, will galvanize her fellow councilors into the kind of action that has long been needed.
She is a compassionate, conscientious and capable candidate who will continue to work hard beyond the call of duty to improve living conditions for the most disadvantaged members of our community.
Her unrelenting commitment in seeking solutions to social problems, inequalities and injustice is the antidote to complacency, and her direct action approach to the many crises that face us flies in the face of all the most common reasons people don't vote. She is more about doing than talking.
You can believe in Rose. Her track record speaks for itself.
Rose Henry works tirelessly on behalf of those who are in any way marginalized by society. She has done everything from providing blankets at 3am to people living on the street in Victoria, to meeting with the Dalai Lama and Bishop Tutu to discuss human rights issues.
Rose has long been a strong communicator, but she struggled with the written word. Last year she worked hard at the Victoria READ Society to improve her writing skills, and helped other students along the way.
Now Rose is a passionate advocate for literacy and has spoken and written eloquently about her past struggles due to low literacy skills. Last year she spoke at the Literacy Summit in Vancouver about her own story and about learning challenges faced by First Nations people. She has promoted literacy programs in Victoria by speaking about the value of literacy to service clubs and through her blog.
The world needs more Rose Henrys!
Julie Holder Executive Director
Victoria READ Society
www.readsociety.bc.ca
On November 19th, a vote for Rose will be a vote for social justice and an effective way to challenge the barriers of race, class and gender privilege that typically prevail in the realms of political decision-making.
Rose has contributed 15 years of mostly volunteer front line community-based social services for the poor and marginalized in this city. Her many activities have included:
*anti-racism education for pre-teens.
*advocate for literacy and access to education as a tool for empowering the poor and marginalized. Giving recognition to the thoughts that education is a part of the solution to helping with eradication of poverty.
*instrumental in starting up local community economic development projects the Bent Nail recycling wood project, which allowed the poor and the street community entrance into work force.
* advocated for the creation of the Needle Exchange, ensuring the safety of drug users in the city.
* spearheading the effort to promote the right of the homeless to vote in elections, 1990
*author and distribution of the Red Zone and Street Newz, street community publications
*represented the Victoria community at the Global Anti-racism conference in Durban South Africa
*supported the Dawson family, following the tragic death of their son Anthony while in police custody.
*Organized the B.C Womyn's Walkout for recognition of the value of unpaid women's work and the impacts of poverty on women.
*Organized the public burning of ballots during the Liberal government’s racist referendum on aboriginal rights.
*consistent advocate on behalf of the poor: mobilizing campaigns against the anti-panhandling by-law, for the right to access public benches, against transit fare increases, and for affordable housing.
As most of you would know, local social activist Rose Henry has entered her second campaign to break the cultural barrier at City Hall in becoming the first aboriginal person on council.
Here is what she stands for :
Rose is an outstanding voice for the poor and the homeless in our community, having devoted an accumulated almost two decades of service at the Native Friendship Centre, Sandy Merriman House shelter for women, Victoria Street Commnity Association, Together Against Poverty Association and the Vancouver Human Rights Coalition. She stands up for the rights of the most marginalized and dispossesed in our city.
She is herself a survivor of a racist colonial system and the foster care system and who faces the multiple barriers of being a First Nations woman, a visible minority, who has lived in poverty her whole life and who has the great strength of being able to authentically represent the realtiy, issues and needs of a whole segment of the population whose voices are systematically excluded and ignored in the realms of political power, privilege and decision-making.
City Hall has long been the domain of the privilege and the comfortable, the educated and the middle class.
It is no coincidence that the issues affecting the poor are year after year given short shrift. Class
interests on city council have almost unanimoulsy been with those who stand for big development and private profits before people's real needs, affordable housing, public transit and poverty alleviation.
Rose is no newcomer to social justice struggles. She operates on substance and not slick. She is one person who will put the urgency of Victoria's pressing social issues at the top (rather than the bottom) of the agenda at City Hall. She is a compassionate and hard-working advocate who will serve beyond the call of duty to press for solutions to the growing problems that our community faces: addiction, homelessness, intolerance, housing affordability, public safety.
****Endorsed by the , Hospital Employees Union,Victoria Labor Council
Community Solidarity Victoria Victoria Street Newz, Coalition, and SWAG
Rose has stood with all of us in the social justice community for a long time. It's time that we stood with her now.
Rose can be reached at pheonixstar62@hotmail.com
Bobby Arbess
Rose Henry Campaign Team
garbanzobob@yahoo.ca
995-1477
Some Thoughts about our youth
Why, in your opinion, don't the majority of youth vote?
I think that the majority of the our youth do not vote because they feel that there vote is not of any importance to our Government. It might be that they feel dis-empowered by how our society and government has treated them because they have not been informed through our educational system about the electoral process. It makes it hard on everyone when a certain group of people have been excluded from society for the first eighteen years of your life and then when your eighteen your given this power to determine not only your life but everyone Else's future without knowing what kind of power this entitlement has with out every being exposed to its history.
What are you doing, in your campaign, to entice youth to vote for you?
This is a issue that I am really struggling with with trying to figure out how to let the youth know that their votes are important. All that I can do for them at this point is give them the time to have their issues heard and encourage them to get active in their communities' neighborhood groups for just one meeting every other week or whenever their community has these meetings. If I was was elected I would like to see at least one seat on each of council's own committee to be designated for youth and another for First Nations.
Exercise Your Democratic Right and Get Out and Vote for the Person who Cares enough to raise your issues the office that can make changes in your community.
Get Out and Vote on Nov. 19/05 Every Municipalities throughout BC will be electing new Community Representatives.
As a potential local policy-maker, we would like to know your views and opinions on dog management in Greater Victoria. We have included three basic questions in this regard and would greatly appreciate receiving your response by November 7, 2005.
1. Are you aware of/concerned about any dog-related issues in your municipality? If so, how would you like to see these issues addressed? How would you promote responsible dog ownership?
I am aware of the issues of safety concerns that people have brought to the attention of the media because they or someone they know have been attacked by a dog. I am not very familiar with the policies that government having dogs in the city. I would definitely be interested in receiving any information that your organization has, because apart of my heart is owned by my princess named Raven-Skye who thinks she is a human being but is part Lab/collie.
2. Do you agree that dog owners should be involved in the development of dog-related policy? How would you see this involvement take place in your municipality?
Most definitely I think that their owners should be involved in all the decision making aspects.
As much as I hated to see more committee meeting being created, I think at this time this is the one that should be created. It should involve dog owners, CRD pound staff, and other agencies like the SPCA.
Context:
In 1989, the House of Commons unanimously resolved to eliminate poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000. At the start of 2005, one million Canadian children, or nearly one in six, are still poor. In a rich country such as Canada this is abhorrent. Aboriginal people are disproportionately affected by poverty, as are women, immigrant Canadians, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. We must end child poverty—and all poverty—in Canada. We must make key investments in social development that will make a difference: More money for low-income families, affordable housing, the creation of decent jobs with a higher minimum wage, and universal, affordable early learning and child care.
As the Federal and the Provincial governments cut social spending, many problems are downloaded onto Municipal governments who do not have the resources to deal with them. For example, in 1995 the Federal government eliminated the Canada Assistance Plan and now there is no standard for the provinces to meet on social spending. Poverty has grown since then. Municipalities must take the lead in pushing the Federal government into bringing back national standards on income assistance, housing, health, and harm reduction strategies, as well as working toward a guaranteed livable income for all Canadians.
Questions:
1. How will you negotiate with other levels of government for the reinstatement of national standards to meet people’s basic needs?
A) I like direct action through community consultation first with the people who are being directly affected. Then bring the community leaders to the clients and let the leaders hear and see first Hand how their decisions are impacting the community.
B) Both clients and service providers who work the front lines need to be including in every aspect of negation.
2. What is your perspective on implementing a “livable” minimum wage?
A) I would like to see some sort of a guaranteed livable income for all people. I have been involved in the anti-poverty for years through my own experience and know that income assistance does not pay enough and neither does the current minimum wage.
B) I think minimum should be at least $10.00 an hour to start with so that people like me might be able to afford to eat at least twice and day and not have to worry about whether or not I am having to take it out of my bus fare or am I going to have a place to live next month.
3. What will you do to address the issue of housing affordability in your municipality? Will you encourage measures such as relaxing zoning laws to allow multi-family occupancy and/or sleeping in cars and camping trailers?
A) I would like to see the legalization of Single Room Occupancies (SROs) and a by-law to be changed that would for bid property owners from buying land and allowing building to sit vacant for decades while the vacancy rates are sitting below the five percent mark and our homeless population in on the rise.
4. Will you lobby the federal government for extra funds to support homeless people in Victoria who are fleeing the cold weather in other parts of Canada? How will you ensure that homeless shelters are safe for everyone, especially for women?
A) Yes I will lobby all levels of governments to re-implement to money and services that were lost during the cancellation of Bill 29 at the provincial level four years ago. I would like to say that we don’t need to be segregated based on our gender but in the case of the homeless I believe that we do need multiple separated shelters to meet the needs of our changing communities. We shelter that are able to let our homeless to stay longer that seven days in a 30 day time period. We need one for women who are homeless and do not have an illness or addiction, we need one where women can bring their dogs and we need one where IV users can feel just as safe as a non-IV user. I think that all the shelters should have at least one per floor needle drop boxes and that the staff at these sites should receive specialized, training in dealing with IV users with or with their children. I would also like to see a safe house for battered men be available, especial for those who are two spirited. I would like to see several of these houses have a FN value implemented in how they are built and operational service deliveries and staff who have been consumers to some of these services.
5. Will you set aside an area accessible to downtown where homeless people will have access to land for camping, toilet/shower facilities and safe lockers until such time as housing can be provided?
Yes I would definitely advocate for all of our disenfranchised society members. I believe that setting up a park for this community would be very beneficial for all involved in providing the basic care of these individuals. As well as the community members it self would benefit from because we are all the same we need the human contact whether we like it or not. As far as the rest of society goes we need to accept that this is an issue that will not go away by pretending it doesn’t exist by sweeping it under other community issues and that we can all benefit from accepting the responsibility for lack of housing and in adequate social safety net and that there is no shame in addressing our social issues while the world is watching us.
6. What is your stand on decriminalization and/or unionization of prostitution?
A) I think that prostitution should be decriminalized. If the sex trade workers want to unionized themselves then I am in total support of them. I am aware of several unionized sex trade workers in the US and overseas.
7. What will you do to make legal aid and dental care accessible to poor people?
A) I think that legal aid should be provided for free from the students who are practicing law. Dental care should be seen as a preventative measure for long term health concerns and should be considered as an essential service. I think that any service charges should be done based on what the individual person can pay.
8. What is your opinion of harm reduction strategies that see drug addiction as an illness, not a crime? What do you propose to do about the lack of deter centers and safe injection sites? Although lack of affordable housing allowed these problems to get rolling on a grand scale, it will take more than that to solve them.
A) I would support any strategies that would help preserve a person’s life and give them an opportunity to recover from their addictions. I would like to see a safe injection site established in Victoria. We need a little more deter beds for the people trying to deter and not for the people who have no place to go. For them we need more extended supportive services to help them make the transition treatment to independent living.
9. Currently the public library is serving as a de facto drop-in centre for homeless people to spend their days during bad weather. While libraries should remain accessible, can you suggest alternative City-sponsored safe and warm drop in spaces?
A) No. I don’t think that we should be pushing these people out of a business that is created for public use because these people are a part of the public and are in directly tax payers too.
10. Accessible and convenient transportation is a necessity for low-income Victoria residents. What will you do to expand bus coverage, particularly from the F airfield/Cook Street Village area where service is minimal outside of rush hours (and sometimes even then)?
A) I would like to see an urban bus pass made available to all citizens of Victoria who are existing on a limited income. Something like the yearly disability or student U passes. But have one for the working poor where they can buy one that might be good for four or five months. For Fairfield / Cook Street Village the community needs to publicly announce when they are having these public transit meeting and ensure avid bus riders like myself gets invited so that we can support this community. We need to promote more people to use both the bus service and rider ship as an environmental and economical way to travel.
11. Do you feel it is appropriate to have Victoria’s school meal breakfast program provided by the Salvation Army, along with “food for the soul” (prayers), considering that many families and taxpayers do not subscribe to that belief system? How will you work to ensure that children in Victoria do not go to school hungry?
A) NO I definitely do not feel that there should be any group or action that promotes a mandatory action for anyone to have to sing or pray for food. As survivor of the sixties scoop I have some experience as to how damaging this kind of life long impact can have on a child. Especial one that is connected to a religious organization that thrives on keeping people impoverished.
12. Will you fight to keep Victoria's water supply in public hands so that water does not become a commodity for those who can afford it?
A) Yes as an FN woman I have understood the importance of the value of our land and all the elements that come with and I have been repetitively told that no one can say that no one can really claim ownership to the water.
13. What measures will you take to halt the spread of epidemic diseases such as AIDS, Hepatitis and TB, which are all on the increase in our province and are directly linked to poverty?
A) Educated the educators, consumers, students, customers about how such diseases like these are spread. In prove accessibility to our outreach teams, health care services, promoted safe sex by offering free supplies and encourage everyone to get tested on a regular basis and get shots.
14. Will you make licenses required for busking and craft sales more accessible to the poor, or, better yet, eliminate them altogether?
A) Yes.
15. What do you see as a viable as well as socially and ecologically sustainable direction for Victoria's economy?
A) Stop the big box corporations from setting up shop any where in Victoria and allow more small developments to establish shops. Promote the buy local products and give the business owners a tax break when the do this. Make room for more affordable housing in the downtown core
The Victoria Make Poverty History Coalition (VMPHC) is a group of individuals and organizations in the Victoria, BC area committed to the ‘Make Poverty History’ campaign. Our aim is to raise awareness around poverty, both in Victoria and around the world, through a variety of public education events. We have been meeting since July 2005.
A few words from Rose I am from the Coast Salish Territory where I am a registered member of the Snuneymuxw First Nation (Nanaimo) originally from Sliammon. I am married with small family of my own. Self-identity and belief in a better future for my culture and the people in my community is very important to me. I believe that I can help bridge the gaps between urban First Nations, the reserve community and the people suffering from multiple discrimination based on race and class.
I live and work in the down town; I have raised my family here and have seen a lot of changes throughout Victoria. I have strong hopes and desires to become Victoria's first First Nations council member.
Graduated from the school of hard knocks and the institution of being brought up in the foster care system.
Over the years I have actively volunteered for many organizations.
My personal commitment to the following issues:
· Passing by-laws that will ensure that vacant building will not seat empty for a certain amount of time will our homeless population continues to grow and the bed space for them deteriorates.
· Promoting diversity in the community
· Transportation becomes affordable to everyone
Ensure that new housing projects have a certain percentage designated for people living below the poverty line
Help for Seniors and Children
· Promoting Small Business
· Environmental Issues-Like saying no to the privatization of water
· Help for our urban First Nations Community
· Poverty and Homelessness
------------------------------------------
Dear Friends, Please Pass this on
As most of you would know, local social activist
Rose Henry has entered her second campaign to break
the cultural barrier at City Hall in becoming the
first aboriginal person on council.
Rose is an outstanding voice for the poor and the
homeless in our community, having devoted an
accumulated almost two decades of service at the
Native Friendship Centre, Sandy Merriman House shelter
for women, Victoria Street Commnity Association,
Together Against Poverty Association and the Vancouver
Human Rights Coalition. She stands up for the rights
of the most marginalized and dispossesed in our city.
She is herself a survivor of a racist colonial system
and the foster care system and who faces the multiple
barriers of being a First Nations woman, a visible
minority, who has lived in poverty her whole life and
who has the great strength of being able to
authentically represent the realtiy, issues and needs
of a whole segment of the population whose voices are
systematically excluded and ignored in the realms of
political power, privilege and decision-making.
City Hall has long been the domain of the privilege
and the comfortable, the educated and the middle
class.
It is no coincidence that the issues affecting the
poor are year after year given short shrift. Class
interests on city council have almost unanimously been
with those who stand for big development and private
profits before people's real needs, affordable
housing, public transit and poverty alleviation.
Rose is no newcomer to social justice struggles. She
operates on substance and not slick. She is one person
who will put the urgency of Victoria's pressing social
issues at the top (rather than the bottom) of the
agenda at City Hall. She is a compassionate and
hard-working advocate who will serve beyond the call
of duty to press for solutions to the growing problems
that our community faces: addiction, homelessness,
intolerance, housing affordability, public safety.
In the 10 days ahead I urge all of you to consider
what resources of time and/or finances you can devote
to helping Rose win a seat on council. She is in need
of canvassers and some funds to put up a few signs
around town.
Rose has stood with all of us in the social justice
community for a long time. It's time that we stood
with her now.
If you wish to vote in advance you can do so at Victoria City Hall on Nov. 9,
14,15,16 & 17 Hours start at 8am until at least 5pm
Rose can be reached at 812-0199 or at
pheonixstar62@hotmail.com
Bobby Arbess
Rose Henry Campaign Team
garbanzobob@yahoo.ca
995-1477
I only need 6900 votes to get in as Victoria 1st First Nations person The last time I ran and did not speak to the media I got 4500 votes
**** People wishing to donate to my campaign can send cheques to Rose Henry's Campaign c/o John Rooney home address 104-864 Pembroke St. Victoria BC, V8T 1H9
People wishing to help me with my campaign can contact me at 250-812-0199 or through my E-mail address at: pheonixstar62@hotmail.com.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)