December 31st 2011

I have been seeing Randy every day over the Christmas weekend and week. This afternoon we did the letterboard thing (a letterboard is a sheet of paper with the alphabet on it). We hadn't done the letterboard for a long time. It is very time consuming as Randy's motor ability to focus his finger on a letter is difficult. It is like playing charades without action. I was able to slowly put together what he wanted to say: I have bad memories. I am afraid. I want food.

During the week there was one incident and one situation. Both are stressful. The one incident is so stupid I do not want to discuss it and the situation I am working on for it to be resolved. I always say to myself things cannot get any worse and then they do.

During the week I was able to observe in the hallway the poster children of GPC who passed by (those who documented on You Tube how wonderful GPC was). They had the freedom of GPC (24/7) and I had only my allotted time and allotted space and the flashbacks of what Linda Rose told me last summer: I would never be given anything further and if Randy was on his death bed I would not be allowed on Ward 2. This was the woman who promised me that VCH would do an independent investigation and then changed her mind. When Randy was returned to VGH in August of 2011 because of an unexpected life threatening infection at first I was allowed to see Randy during normal visiting hours and which I did for two weeks then Linda Rose found outI was there and then a no contact order was issued so that no one could see Randy and I could only see him for 10 minutes a day if I phoned ahead of time. I never phoned I just showed up for my ten minutes at the end of the day. I was told by a nurse that the time was restricted because I had issues. What issues?

I still do not know what terrible harm I did and VCH doesn't have to tell me. Legally Vancouver Coastal Health doesn't have to: no due process. Like an employer doesn't have to tell you why he fired you. VCH has policies that suggest due process but there is no way to enforce them. And it is hiding behind the fact that GPC is on private property and it does not have to justify its decision to prevent a trespass. The victims are everyone of us -- the one million citizens who depend on VCH but cannot trust it. VCH has no respect for individual rights only its collective will to be legally corrupt i.e. not do the right thing. The right thing is what a "reasonable man" you and I would expect and in this case due process. But then VGH can't be reasonable as it is not a thinking person.

What I do not understand is why is it thatI am a threat to the safety of the staff, residents and visitors to GPC and yet I am allowed isolated freedom to visit Randy. Would I not also be a threat to him?

Marina Kogan

I dropped by Marina Kogan's apartment (604-681-0648) yesterday evening. Charlie Smith wrote about her in the Georgia Straight last Thursday. She is being evicted because her apartment is a bit cluttered (the "bit" came from the landlord in various inspection reports). Marina is no different than other Russian immigrants who have always lived in small spaces which is what social housing is and saves everthing because of economics i.e. she may never be able to afford to buy such an item again. Everything is stacked up neat and tidy and there was no smell of decaying cardboard. All the bulk food was in extra large containers. She mentioned that at the hearing to get her evicted that Eddy the big boss of the Vancouver Native Housing Society said that he wanted her out as soon as possible. Eddy is in the business of housing difficult people and he can't handle her. I spoke to the prior manager of Pendera and he told me he couldn't see any reason why Marina should be evicted. Marina is making no effort to move as she has decided to commit suicide if she is forced out of her home. She is at an age when many retired people do. Eddy is written up on the internet that he makes sure all his tenants are rehoused if one place is not appropriate. So with all the thousands of housing units his non-profit has why hasn't he found one for a 78 year old Russian lady. Better yet negotiate with her to store her extra stuff in an offsite storage unit. A contract could be made listing the furniture items and personal items even the quanity of food Marina is allowed to keep in her small apartment. No matter what. She is not moving. As a side note the Portland Hotel Society who manages many many buildings, NEVER NEVER evicts anyone. The problem with Marina and Eddy is that thers is a clash of cultures. And I suspect he nor anyone from the RTA ever visited her apartment. A RTA Possession Order can be torn-up at anytime by a landlord.

the United Church

I find it distasteful that the United Church hierarchy has decided to close down its low barrier shelter in the DTES at Gore and Hastings. I have always advocated for the shelter as I would tell those that might need help to go there as it never turns anyone away. It was a safe haven and a tirage to services. I thought there was hope for the "others" in our society but the "good" people have destroyed another necessary "evil." Like Rick Matthews of the United Church (if he is still a member) said on CBC this morning that in today's world no stable would take Mary and Joseph.
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The Greater Vancouver Foodbank continued ...

The following is a list of the food given to a single person last week (Dec 8/11):
kit kat chocolate bar $0.69 (Dollarama)
small tin of Gold Seal tuna $2.16 (Safeway)
3 red potatoes small to medium size $1.33 (Safeway)
3 garlic clusters $2.00 (Safeway)
1 large red pepper $1.60 (Safeway)
1 package of fresh sprouts $1.50 (Safeway)
2 overripe tomatoes $1.14 (Safeway)
2 jumbo onions $0.86 (Safeway)
1/2 dozen petit eggs (so small that Safeway does not carry them) $1.00
2 packages of dried noodles $.98 (Safeway)
1 can of chicken noodle soup Campbells $1.09 (Safeway)
1 carton of Sunrype wildberry juice $1.89 (Safeway)
3 tiny apples (so small that Safeway does not carry them) $1.00
Approximate value $17.00
NO DAIRY; NO BREAD; NO BEANS; NO PASTA; NO RICE; NO CEREAL; NO TEA; NO COFFEE
Chicken given to singles for Christmas given the week prior December 1st
Turkey given to familes for Christmas given the week prior December 1st
WHY would the Foodbank give out Christmas poultry four weeks before Christmas!!!!
The foodbank depot's scheduled 1/2 hour for food distribution from 11:30 to 12:00 only on Thursdays 3X a month. On December 8 2011 the doors did not open until 12:10. The line-up at 10:30 was substantial. So it took close to two hours plus travelling time. Say, 3:00 hours. I suspecdt it is worth it if you utilize everything and have a $60.00 a month heating bill that has to be paid and you want to make friends while waiting in line in the cold.
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I haven't given up on Randy

I haven't given up on Randy. It is so overwhelming that I needed to focus on something else so here it is: we should limit the size of non-profits to neighbour councils or better yet get rid of them altogether.

As for Randy today is such a beautiful day and I am prevented from visiting Randy. The policies of VCH is getting very upsetting to me.

I was told that "the team" decided on my banning ten months ago. At Randy's Annual Review in November which I attended none of the team (some 15 responsible for his care) knew that they were part of the team that banned me in fact my banning was never discussed with them. Dr. Dunne, the medical director for GPC wasn't there, but earlier he had said that he won't ban anyone from seeing anyone in the hospital. So these decisions that affect the care (the will to live) of patients are not those of the care team. So it is back to Linda Rose, the director of Residential Care, who never met me before the banning and only once after and/or Bob Chapman the director of Risk Management who I had met the week before my banning but as I exited that meeting I remember saying that no one was even listening to what I was saying over the fact that I was being bullied by GPC. A week later I got banned because of the bullies and their targetted treatment of me. It was open season on me because Mr. Chapman did not do his job. First by not listening to me and second by not doing anything expeditiously. But then how could he do anything expeditiously when he didn't even listen to what I was saying. The day after the banning I protested at GPC with a sign on the sidewalk boulevard, the police were called and told GPC that protesting on the sidewalk was legal, and I remember telling the social worker at that time that no one listened to me at the meeting.

Things have to change with non-profits: full legal due process when it affects a person's rights of association has to happened and just to remind all Vancouver Coastal Health is a non-profit society which makes its own laws disguised as policies and there is no appeal process. If you want something to go your way, you have to suck up to not only to management but also the lowest of the low paid employees as well. No wonder bribery is rampant in third world countries. You pay or suck up.

I am off to Safeway to check out the prices that an individual got as free food from the the Food Bank on Thursday. It doesn't seem to be worth the three-four hours it takes to get the free food most of which an individual might not buy in the first place. What happened before we had the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. I remember being poor when I was young. But I do not remember any talk about food banks. This is what happens when you work for fifty years of your life, you don't know what is going on. And now when you do, you realize that no one else does either. And who do I blame, I blame the CBC.
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Greater Vancouver Food Bank

CBC Radio reported that recently the GVFB raised $425,000 in one day. That should make Cherly Carline happy as that would ensure that the GVFB has enough money to pay her unreasonable salary. According to the Canada Revenue Agency she earns in the range of $120,000 to $159,999 and I would assume considering how difficult it is for her to oversee nine managers that make close to $80,000 each a year to distribute donated food mostly by volunteers her salary is totally obscene. Since Cheryl has recently married, I am sure she could take a salary cut of $100,000 a year. But then it would be too much to ask of her as she works for a non-profit which like a corporation is a non-person. My mantra is that no one in the non-profit sector should earn more than 3X minimum wage.

I was told this morning that the GVFB does not have any members. If that is true then who elected the Board of Directors. One would expect that those who use the food bank would be members. Perhaps someone from the Board can contact me. Or is it like the Green Party wherein the Green Party only has members during an election year and the rest of the time it is the executive who are the directors. Democracy and transparency in action in British Columbia.
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