The 90-year old nun, the President of DERAH, the one who is the defacto person responsible for the likely demise of DERAH, fired Lily Loncar on Tuesday. No explanation was given Lily. At board of directors meetings Sister Elizabeth was always adamant that the directors never interfered with Kim and staff: it was in Kim's purview. This is a first. Under the law an employer does not have to give a reason for termination as long as the employer is willing to pay severance. And getting severance can take forever. Everyone in the DTES knows Lily. She has worked in the DTES for eighteen years: she is the frontline support person at DERA. It is time that the community does something. DERA is the community so the community should stop these senseless firings of activists. You would think that all the fired employees would get together and support their fellow workers; but no. Let the union with its corrupt governance look after the problem. Not once over the years did the Union ever contact a director of DERA or make public their disgust with Kim. Speaking directly to the Board is against an unwritten protocal wherein the Union only deals with the executive director. So union members lives are disupted, reputations are tainted and everything is covered up by the effluxion of time. The employees get fired without explanation; six months later the Union gets them severance; and the employees are never heard of again. When I spoke to those that got fired by Kim two years ago, they all said they wanted to protect DERA as they wanted DERA to survive so they won't do anything. Like Anna Hunter said "what happens in DERA, stays in DERA." Now they can speak out they say nothing. I am nauseated by most of them. The employees could have striked on their own if the Board or CUPE won't do anything. DERA isn't just a job; it is a social responsibility and not doing anything is treason.

I went to the court registry today as I was advised that some sort of hearing was happening this morning. I didn't really understand it all. The lawyer for BC Housing wanted short leave to appoint a receiver manager being May 7, 2010. Cameron Ward said he didn't have enough time to prepare his answers to the voluminous amount of affidavits and he was awaiting the discovery of documents from BC Housing. Cameron also wanted to examine Shayne Ramsey, the Chief Executive Officer of BC Housing. The court was advised that Ramsey was on holidays. Convenient. The action generated headlines in 22 newspapers and the boss goes on holidays.

BC Housing has a worse reputation than DERA for managing properties. This past year I asked BC Housing over and over again for information and over and over again it refused to supply it. BC Housing is a government animal and it works as if it is under the directorship of Mao. With all its high priced help and university educated employees none of them have even bothered to read DERA's financial statements; if it did it would know what enabling meant and would have known that Kim had a private company doing work in the buildings since 2006. As long as an auditor was involved then BCHousing is off the hook. BCHousing and DERAHousing is equally culpable for this mess. Kim Kerr said that the profit he made from his company he donated it to DERAH as BCHousing did not give him enough money to manage the buildings. Maybe this is true. All the housing providers in the DTES say that BCHousing never gives them enough money so maybe Kim did this as a way to save DERAH. I know this is wishful thinking on my part but like everyone in the DTES we all suffer from the Stockholm Syndrome i.e. identify with one's abuser. Nothing is black and white.

A lot of things have happened this week. I am rather overwhelmed and fatigued. I have been caught in the nightmare of not having a place to live. I was given notice as my landlord wants to renovate/sell my place. With very little money; no vehicle; and a small pet, it will be a miracle to find something affordable.

As for BC Housing v. DERA as what always happens the lawyers get involved and you hear nothing. I asked that I be added as a Defendant so I can be made aware of what is happening but both have ignored this request.

BCH v. DERAH Statement of Defence

I pulled a copy of the Statement of Defence filed 15 April 2010 by Cameron Ward, the solictor for DERAHousing. Since I am not a lawyer I can't really comment on whether or not the defences are valid. Most seem to be rather creative and then there is the obvious.

5. BC Housing routinely interacted with DERAHousing with respect to operational and funding matters and has had full knowledge of DERAHousing's financial affairs since at least 1988. (22 years)

6. At all times material BC Housing failed to comply with its statutory obligations to provide adequate subsidy assistance funding to DERAH in a timely way or at all.

7. If there were any irregularities in DERAHousing's financial affairs or any breaches of the Operating Agreements as alleged ... they occurred with the full knowledge and acquiescence of BC Housing and are therefore estopped from seeking any of the remedies sought in the Statement of Claim.

10. If DERAHousing acted negligently then the Plaintiffs were contributorily negligent in failing to provide adequate subsidy assistance funding to DERAHousing and in failing to bring BC Housing's concerns, if any, to the attention of DERAHousing in a timely way.

12. If there were any breach of the Operating Agreements, negligent misrepresentations or negligence ... then they were caused by the negligence of Lynda Seigneuret (the auditor).

13. DERAHousing says that this action has been brought for the improper purpose of punishing DERAHousing for the outspoken advocacy activities of DERAHousing and Kim Kerr and as such is frivolous, vexatious and abuse of the process of this Honourable Court.


I wonder what my position is in all of this is since neither BCHousing nor DERAHousing would access information to me this past year although I am a duly elected Director of DERAHousing and maybe on the hook for $500,000 for unpaid rent and property taxes (see Statement of Claim). As a director(and I assume the other directors as well) was/were not consulted by Cameron Ward as to these defences. So how can Cameron Ward even file the statement of defence on our behalf. All these defences are new to me. I would like to know what were the outspoken advocacy issues that DERAH did to enrage BCHousing to punish DERAH.

I asked both BCHousing and DERAHousing for a consent court order so I could be added as a defendant to the action a week ago so I could have intimate knowledge of what is happening but both of them have refused. The next step is that I have to find/borrow $100.00 so that I can make an application to the courts to effect this. I hate being poor.

A day in Victoria

I will be going to University of Victoria on Monday 12 April 2010.

Remember Julie's memorial service on April 19 2010 at the Carnegie Centre.

This week has been rather uneventful. I am sure it is the calm before another storm.
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Shelters for Chickens and Jamie Lee Hamilton

The citizens of Vancouver are invited to attend and voice whatever they want on the City's Report on its Shelters for Chickens Guidelines on Thursday 2:00 p.m. April 8 2010 at City Hall on the third floor. To ensure placement on the speaker's list email: titania.lam@vancouver.ca 604-873-7191 or arrive early and ask to be put on it. The City has strange priorities. See Vancouver Sun front page April 02 2010.

Jamie Lee Hamilton is having a meeting on Monday April 5, 2010, to phoenix (raise from the ashes)DERA/DERAH. All friends or wanting to be friends of DERA are invited to attend. I waa advised April 10 2010 that no one showed up at the meeting.