Archive
Hendrik Beune of AHA MEDIA meets Donald MacPherson of Canadian Drug Policy Coaliton (CDPC) in Vancouver
Hendrik Beune of AHA MEDIA and Donald MacPherson of Canadian Drug Policy (CDPC) share a smile together in Vancouver!
Donald is drug policy change agent that believes a new paradigm is necessary that puts human rights, saving lives and public health first
CDPC is a broad based network of organizations, associations and individuals working together to develop drug policy and legislation based on evidence, human rights, social inclusion and public health in Canada.
DTES HONORING ELDERS POW WOW on Sat Oct 15 in Vancouver Downtown Eastside
PHS (Portland Hotel Society) Community Services Society’s DTES Honoring Elder’s Pow Wow committee, invite you to share with us, a celebration to honor our elders who reside in the DTES with a traditional style pow wow.
Our elders come from all across ndn country, and rarely make it out to cultural events, so PHS Community Services Society pow wow committee want to bring a cultural celebration to them!
It will be held in the new park, protected by large tenting. Hope you can make it!
*The committee, respectfully invited our Tuesday night drums groups and dancers to participate.
*INVITED DRUMSs:
Love Medicine
Indian Time
Sitting Still Thunder
Oceanside Dakota
HOST DRUM: Oceanside Dakota who have support DTES events, actions over the years.
*DANCERS: Who will share about their style of dance:
(confirmed thus far:)
Curtis Joe: Men’s Chicken Dance
Riannon Nahanee: Women’s Fancy
Will Visser: Men’s Fancy
Jr. Waskewitch: Men’s Grass
Invited: Unconfirmed:
Keith Nahanee: Men’s Traditional
Women’s Traditional: Gloria Nahanee
Robin Prince: Women’s Jingle
VENDORS INFO: This event an exhibition style Pow Wow, no commercial tables please, but local artists can bring their own blanket to display their arts and crafts
**** ALL DANCERS WELCOME! ****
Emcee in Training: Ian Bee
Assisted by John Miller
Below are photos of hard working Downtown Eastside residents working on transforming the empty lot to a beautiful community gathering space.
The Portland Hotel Society is a non-profit organization that was created in 1993 to advocate, develop and implement creative and responsive services for persons living with concurrent disorders.
The Portland Hotel itself was initiated in 1991 by Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Residents Association (DERA). The Association converted a local hotel and named it after the US city of Portland, where Canadian organizers had been inspired by housing programs for homeless people. The facility was transferred to the Portland Hotel Society on its completion. The program moved to a new building (re-named the Portland Hotel) in the downtown eastside in 1999.
The program is funded by the British Columbia Housing and Mortgage Corporation (a provincial Crown corporation) and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Grand Reopening of Carnegie Centre and the 125th birthday of Vancouver on Oct 14, 2001 in Vancouver Downtrown Eastside (DTES)
R I B B O N
C U T T I N G
FRONT STEPS
9:00 AM
CARNEGIE SCAVENGER HUNT
How well do you know Carnegie past
and present? Test yourself with the
Carnegie Scavenger Hunt. Scavenger
Hunt sheets are available
throughout the building. You can find
the answers to the Scavenger Hunt
questions in the Carnegie Centre,
either in one of the historical photographs
displayed throughout the
building, or in the building itself.
Stumped? Want to find out how you
did? Come and check your answers
in the Library.
1st FLOOR
10:00 – Noon Button making with Beth
Davies – Make your very own Carnegie keepsake –
create a Carnegie button from images designed by
Carnegie patrons. (Table by Library)
4:00 ‐ 4:30 PM Artist talk on Summer City Street
mural – Richard Tetrault will talk about his 1978
mural which has graced the 1st floor of the Centre
since the early 80’s. He has restored the mural on
the occasion of this reopening celebration. Special
gift for attendees! (Games Room)
T H E A T R E
1:30 – 2:30 Storytelling with Randy Tait – First Nations Storytelling with Nisga’a artist, dancer, and storyteller Randy Tait
2:30 – 3:00 Aboriginal Drumming – Buffalo Spirit Drum with Sam George
3:00 – 4:00 Official Ceremony – Join us for celebratory words, a medley of peace songs by the Carnegie Village Choir, a
staged reading of Sandy Cameron’s poem “One Hundred Years of Struggle” and refreshments, including party cake.
6:00 – 7:00 Fire, Wind & Ice – Actors and performers from the Carnegie Theatre workshop present a repeat performance
on Fire, and & Ice. On June 13th, 1886, 125 years ago, sparks from a clear cut fire in False Creek leapt into an inferno that
destroyed the new city of Vancouver. See what happens in a story of the Great Fire.
7:30 – 9:30 Documentaries
• CBC Special on the opening of Carnegie Community Centre (1980) 15 min
• Carnegie Stories by Librarian Nancy Stubbs for Vancouver Stories 125 (2011) 3 min 24 sec
• Summer Afternoon (1956) 25 min Two boys exploring Chinatown and the waterfront in the 1950’s.
• Sleeping Tigers: The Asahi Baseball Story (2003) 51 min Story about Japanese Canadian baseball
team that played at Oppenheimer Park before WWII.
D I N I N G R O O M 2nd Floor
Acoustic Music Showcase with:
11:30 Stan Hudac
12:00 Nancy Delyzer
12:30 Kat Norris
1:00 Brian Brinsmead
2:00 Dalannah Gail Bowen
2:30 Earle Peach & Gathering Place Choir
4:30 Sean Gunn
5:00 John Cote
5:30 Ricky Lavallee
2 – 4 Portrait Drawing with Felicity
Don. Join in as an artist or a model!
2nd Floor All Day Carnegie Images
Slide show will be playing on the TV Screen
A S S O C I A T I O N O F F I C E
2nd Floor
11:00 – 3:00 Displays of past campaigns,
photo albums, publications and stories about
the history of the Carnegie Community
Centre Association and the Carnegie
Community Action Project.
C L A S S R O O M I I 3rd Floor
9:30 – 11:30 First Nations Journey class – Come and learn about the history of First
Nations people in this neighbourhood from Capilano University instructor Gary Johnston.
A R T G A L L E R Y 3rd Floor
12:30 – 1:30 Artist Talk – Meet local artist Ron Horsefall, Ron J. Ward and
Diane Wood at a reception for their group exhibit, Bone, Beads and Dolls, a
display of art dolls, beadwork, and traditional and contemporary Native regalia.
2:00 – 3:00 Historical Postcards (TBD) with Dick Billingsley
4:00 – 6:00 “Chindi Revolution – what the anarchist cook book left
out” with Karenza – In Hindi dialect chindi means scraps or rags. Rags is thetrade name for clothing. Have a chat with Karenza about her clothing work and her upcoming show at W2.
L E A R N I N G C E N T R E 3rd Floor
1:00 – 3:00 Open House and Presentation – The Learning
Centre will be open to visitors who are interested in finding out
about education programs. At 1:30, students, volunteers, and
staff will read their stories on two themes: “I came to
Vancouver …” and “I grew up in Vancouver …”
Carnegie Street Band In and around
the building starting at 4pm in the Theatre.
COMPLIMENTARY
LUNCH
Noon to 2
2nd Floor Concession
COPE Councilor Ellen Woodsworth speaking on COPE Housing Solutions for Vancouver Downtown Eastside (DTES)
COPE Councilor Ellen Woodsworth committed today to slow gentrification in the Downtown Eastside, a process that is pushing out local residents through unaffordable rent and rising food costs. In front of the controversial Pantages Theatre site, Woodsworth announced COPE’s plan to ensure property in the Downtown Eastside is devoted to affordable housing for the low-income community.
“The hundred block of Hastings is not a place for high end condos,” said Woodsworth. “The Downtown Eastside can count on COPE to make certain that housing developed in the neighbourhood provides for the current local residents.”
COPE committed to calling for a condominium development moratorium in the Downtown Eastside until sufficient low-income housing is in place. COPE will also strengthen the anti-conversion by-law by defining ‘affordability’ as being affordable to those on Government Assistance. This will ensure that residents of the area are not forced to leave their homes because of increasing rent.
“The Downtown Eastside community is well organised and they have set specific priorities for how the City plans their vital neighbourhood,” said Woodsworth. “COPE remains committed to listening to neighbourhoods, and this neighbouhood is speaking loud, and clear.”
Woodsworth highlighted the demands of local community groups, including the resident-based Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council, calling on the City of Vancouver to identify 10 locations to be designated as future sites for low-income housing. COPE also commits to providing greater security and safety for residents of Single Occupancy (SRO) hotels.
“Our city staff need more resources to help enforce standards of maintenance by-laws. This is crucial in order to protect our city’s most vulnerable from absentee or neglectful land owners,” added Woodsworth.
COPE also set a target of creating 1000 affordable housing units in Vancouver every year.
“Housing is a top priority for our city, and residents can count on COPE to create a Vancouver for everyone with safe, secure, affordable housing,” said Woodsworth.
While calling for a national housing strategy and for increased provincial support for affordable and supportive housing units, COPE wants the City to play a leadership role in making the creation of new housing a reality.
“We cannot let Stephen Harper or Christy Clark off the hook. Both provincial and federal governments must return to the housing table,” said Woodsworth. “Vancouver cannot wait though, and COPE councilors will work everyday to focus on how best to make Vancouver affordable for everyone.”
Chinese Freemasons and the PHS Community Services Society co-hosted the unveiling ceremony of a plaque to commemorate the 100 anniversary of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s visit to Vancouver as well as his stay at the Pennsylvania Hotel on Friday Oct 7, 2011
The Chinese Freemasons and the PHS Community Services Society co-hosted a ceremony to unveil a plaque to commemorate the 100 anniversary of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s visit to Vancouver and his stay at the Pennsylvania Hotel, originally named the Woods Hotel.
When: Oct 7th (Friday), 2011, 12:00 Noon
Where: Lobby of the Pennsylvania Hotel, 412 Carrall St., Vancouver, BC
Event: Unveiling of the plaque and a reception after.
Chinese Freemasons and the PHS Community Services Society co-host the unveiling ceremony of a plaque to commemorate the 100 anniversary of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen’s visit to Vancouver as well as his stay at the Pennsylvania Hotel in February 1911. This is also the 100 anniversary of the Xinhai Revolution, which ended thousands of years of monarchy rule in China and established the first republic in Asia.
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen led the Xinhai Revolution to victory in 1911, the same year he visited Vancouver and he is popularly considered the founding father of modern China.
Chuck Chang Executive (Vice Chairman Chinese Freemasons National Headquarters of Canada): “The Chinese Freemason mortgaged our buildings to help raised tens of thousands of dollars for the revolution. Many of our members also took part in direct action for the course, some sacrificing their lives for the revolution.”
Chuck Chang Executive (Vice Chairman Chinese Freemasons National Headquarters of Canada): “The Chinese Freemason covered the expenses of Dr. Sun’s visit in 1911. We also provided protection to make sure that Dr. Sun’s personal safety was not compromised. One hundred years later, we are still proud of our support to the revolution.”
Dr. Dan Small: “We are proud and honored that Pennsylvania Hotel, formerly known as the Woods Hotel and the Portland Hotel, is connected to such an significant event in human history; and that the Hotel hosted such an important person as Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the founding father of modern China and the first president of China.”
Dr. Dan Small: “The core belief of the PHS Community Services Society is to support progressive social changes and to promote tolerance of people with diversity of lifestyle and ideas, whether or not such ideas are popular at the current time or not.”
Dr. Dan Small: “We treasure this special and historical link between Dr. Sun Yat-Sen and the Pennsylvania Hotel. We also treasure this special and historical link between the Chinese community and the PHS Community Services Society.”
BACKGROUNDER: Dr. Sun Yat-Sen played a key and leading role in the 1911 Xinhai Revolution that toppled the Qing Dynasty in China, ending monarchy rule that has lasted for thousands of years in the China and established the first republic in Asia.
The revolution commenced with an army uprising in the city of Wuchang in central China on Oct 10th, 1911.
In the same year, in 1911, believed from February 6th to the 18th, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen spent about two weeks in Vancouver. Dr. Sun was a guest of the Chinese Freemason and stayed at Woods Hotel, now the Pennsylvania Hotel, dodging assassination attempts from his adversaries while conducting an uprising in Southern China.
The Chinese Freemason hosted Dr. Sun’s visit in 1911 and help raise tens of thousands of dollars for the revolution, mortgaging their buildings to raise the crucial funds.
According to the recollection of the Chinese Freemason, they paid a total of $97.30 to settle Dr. Sun’s hotel bill, as well as $195.40 for Dr. Sun’s telegraph expenses.
One of the core operations of the PHS Community Services Society is providing housing accommodation to clients with special needs. And the first such housing projects for the PHS was the Portland Hotel, formerly called the Woods Hotel where Dr. Sun Yat-Sen stayed 100 years ago.
Below are videos of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen ‘s Plaque unveiling at Pennsylvania Hotel in Vancouver
AHA MEDIA recently had the great pleasure of witnessing the unveiling of a very special little piece of Vancouver’s amazing history.
In 1911, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen visited Vancouver to raise support for the revolution happening in China. He came to Vancouver and stayed in the Pennsylvania Hotel in our own DTES, welcomed warmly by the Chinese Freemasons society of Vancouver and protected by them as agents had followed him from China to Vancouver and were intent on stopping him.
100 years later, the Portland Hotel Society welcomed us all to the recently renovated Pennsylvania Hotel to witness the unveiling of a beautiful plaque commemorating the good Dr’s visit.
There were many representatives from the city of Vancouver including Councillor Kerry Jang, Councillor Ellen Woodsworth, Andrea Reimer and Sarah Blyth. MLA Jenny Kwan who gave a stirring speech in both English and Chinese to the crowd.
Members of the Chinese Freemasons, people from the Portland Hotel Society, as well as Chinese senior citizens from Chinatown were all present to see the grand unveiling of the plaque.
Afterwards, we adjourned to the Calabash Bistro to enjoy traditional Caribbean food and each other’s company on this momentous historic day!
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