The 30th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival includes a documentary called On The Line, a fully human powered journey from beginning to end of the proposed Enbridge Tar Sands pipeline to Kitimat and into 250 Supertankers per year.

Frank Wolf and Todd McGowan have made an insightful film that simply shows where and who will be affected by this insane plan to make a few rich people richer.

What impressed me is how they did this.  First riding bikes (that they then gave away!) for over a 1000km, then when pavement and gravel come to an end, they convert to hikers and traverse through pristine wilderness over the Rocky Mountains.  When riding becomes an option again, they somehow travel over seriously dangerous logging roads until rafting and kayaking are the only options to get to point where the bitumen would be loaded onto supertankers.

Not only do they show the incredible beauty of the land and all that depends on it along the path of the proposed pipeline, they bring countless stories of the humans who will be affected into the film.  One fact, that 37 jobs will be created by the pipeline while 56,000 people currently make their living from fishing in the area, was shocking to me.

Not surprising was the fact that the Environmental Review Panel evaluating this pipeline is set up to approve it at all costs.  That a Member of Parliament so plainly stated this fact on film was startling, to say the least.

I’m quite certain that anyone on the fence about this Northern Gateway Pipeline Project proposed by Enbridge (who declines their invitation to speak) will simply not be able to sit comfortably anymore after seeing this self-propelled film.

2 screenings remain for On The Line:

• Tomorrow, Thursday, Oct 6th 7:00pm @ Empire Granville 7 Th 2
• Tue, Oct 11th 1:45pm @ Empire Granville 7 Th 2

A search for bicycle facilities at BC Ferries produced this.

A press release issued by BC Ferries on August 24, 2011 states that it lost another $5.5 million during April, May and June of this year.

It also confirms the devastating decisions they have recently made without public consultation: spending half a billion dollars on 3 giant new car ferries made in Germany while vehicle traffic reached an eleven year low.

In an effort to recoup these losses, BC Ferries recently sent 3 security people and a trained German Shepard after a cyclist to ban him for not paying $2 for his bicycle.  The only other ways to cross the Salish Sea are airplane or private boat.

After the cyclist explained that BC Ferries own Experience Card allows cyclists to travel without paying the $2 bicycle fare, the Terminal Manager lifted the ban.

However, the security personnel stressed that any cyclist who does not pay the $2 for their bicycle, even if BC Ferries staff sells them a ticket, are considered criminals and will be banned immediately.

BC Ferries press release did not comment on whether bicycle traffic increased or decreased in the last quarter, nor did it comment how customer service practices affected revenues.

David L. Hahn: "Sorry, my hands are tied."

President and CEO David L. Hahn did state that cutbacks will result from this loss, but the salaries and bonuses received by BC Ferries Executives will not be reduced.  The press release did not mention that David Hahn’s annual compensation, when added with the other members of the Executive’s, exceed the loss in the past quarter.

The press release stated that steep discounts for motorized vehicles and their drivers during peak travel periods in June did not increase revenues.

However, no mention was made of how a passenger only service would dramatically reduce costs (it currently costs $2,000 in fuel for one of the Giant new ferries to make a crossing of the Salish Sea) while simultaneously increasing service.

The press release also contains financial information that shows that BC Ferries has accumulated a $1.3 billion debt in the past 8 years; a previous press release stated that prior to the hiring of David Hahn as President and CEO, BC Ferries was debt free after the Provincial Government wrote off $1.1 billion in debt that was accumulated over more than 40 years.

For more information, please visit:
https://www.bcferries.com/bcferries/faces/attachments?id=528847
https://www.bcferries.com/bcferries/faces/attachments?id=477419
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Ferry_Scandal
]]> http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/2011/09/04/bc-ferries-loses-another-5-5-million-targets-cyclists-to-recoup-loses/feed/ 0 dolsen http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/2011/06/25/cob-bb-build-and-bake-workshop-learn-to-build-a-cob-oven-and-bake-with-it/ http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/2011/06/25/cob-bb-build-and-bake-workshop-learn-to-build-a-cob-oven-and-bake-with-it/#comments Sun, 26 Jun 2011 04:45:33 +0000 Dave http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/?p=223 ]]> Cobbing doesn’t get any easier than at this 3 day Cob B&B (Build-and-Bake) Workshop, from August 21st to August 25th, 2011 on Lasqueti Island.

We’ll spend the first 2 days learning how to build a beehive oven out of cob, then we’ll learn how to use it and indulge in tasty treats as master baker Nadine Simpson shares her recipes and skill.

You’ll arrive on Sunday, August 21st, pitch your tent and settle in for a welcoming dinner.  The next 2 days we’ll hand sculpt an oven in the shape of a frog.  You’ll get a basic understanding of how to mix and use cob, an ancient building technique that is not only dirt cheap, it’s insect, rodent, earthquake and fire proof.  You’ll also learn how to mix and use natural plasters.

On our 3rd day, we’ll mozy on over to Nadine’s place to:

• learn the basics of preparing the oven for baking,
• discuss baking practices…mise en place, equipment, tools etc.
• learn about breads, (yeasted and pre-ferments – sourdoughs, bigas, levain, etc.)
• mix a sourdough bread (Rye)
• learn to braid a challah and to make cinnamon buns
• make and bake Pizzas/Calzones
• bake sourdough and Peasant Breads
• learn about using the oven for roasting vegetables, and other oven cooked meals.

Then, on Thursday, August 25th, we’ll share our farewell breakfast and depart.

The cost of $325 covers all meals (3 hot, fully organic vegan/vegetarian meals for 3 days, plus the welcoming dinner and the farewell breakfast), on-site camping with running water, and hands-on instruction.

Here’s some of the feedback that we’ve received from previous cob building workshop participants:

“Transformative and empowering!” – Kate ’10.

“Very instructive and hands-on.” – Matt ’10.

“Learning what we needed to know as we put it to practical use rather than spending a lot of time on theory was a useful approach for me.” – Terry ’09.

Your cob oven building facilitator (Dave Olsen) completed a cob workshop in 1996 and has had mud on his hands ever since.  He has also led workshops on many other topics since 1994.  On Lasqueti Island, he has organized and co-led 5 cob workshops and finished three smaller buildings; he feels very fortunate to have worked with many of the leading cob builders of our time.

Our baking chef, Nadine Simpson began baking professionally in 1979 at Rising Star Wholefoods Bakery in Victoria BC, first as a member of the worker’s collective (PSC) that operated the business and later, (1981) as owner.  Since 1994 she has been living and baking on Lasqueti Island and has led cob oven baking workshops locally and in Baja California Sur, Mexico.

What else makes these courses special?

• You will see firsthand how humans can build with what nature provides, without destroying the beauty that is offered.
• You’ll also have many opportunities to master making cob itself. You’ll learn the “traditional” technique, known to cobbers throughout our wet coast, and we’ll learn how to modify it so that you can mix up to 4 times faster!
• Not only will you learn how to build naturally and affordably, you’ll learn how to do it efficiently enough to be empowered to build on your own and keep your community of builders interested and inspired to keep building.

Travel days to get to and from the workshop are Sunday, August 21st (we’ll begin with a welcoming, organic and vegetarian/vegan dinner that evening) and Thursday, August 25th (a farewell breakfast will fuel your return to the ferry dock).

Every cob oven building day (Monday and Tuesday), we start with a short meditative building session, followed by an organic, hot wholesome breakfast.  Two longer hands-on learning sessions sandwich a hot organic, vegan lunch.

Most evenings, after a delicious dinner, we’ll have a discussion or mini-workshop on related activities, from ecologically-sensitive transportation to building a roof with cedar shakes.

Human-powered building is hard work. But since there are no machines or motors on site, it is a safe and quiet place for anyone, younger or older, and interesting conversation and laughter is common. This building site, and the materials for this building, were selected to make it as easy as possible to build an earthen structure.

The pace is casual but determined; the more effort you give, the more learning you will take away.  Natural Building is at least 95% experiential learning and you will be expected to self-motivate throughout the various scheduled sessions.

For more information and background, please visit:

http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/2011-cob-building-workshops/

http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/2009/05/16/2009-cob-building-workshop/

http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/2008/05/10/learn-to-build-naturally-with-cob/

To receive an application form, please email Dave: eec at resist dot ca.

Here’s hoping you can experience the beauty of natural building and cob oven baking soon!

Or are you a frustrated parent floating aimlessly in a sea of authoritarian how-tos that simply don’t work for you or your child(ren)?

Maybe you have even discovered your own parents in your words and actions and wondered how the heck that happened?!

A new parenting seminar series entitled Parenting with an Open Heart is all about empowering the knowledge and wisdom that every human being comes with, passed down for millions of generations, but only recently doubted and suppressed.

Although these past 10,000 years have put many barriers between the civilized person’s intuitive knowledge and day-to-day life, thankfully our innate human heritage remains!

This seminar series is designed to help you reconnect with instinctive and heart-centred parenting…with its joy and success!  It will revolve around you and what you need and it’s designed for all parents, care-givers and parents-to-be, of any generation.  Sure, there’s lots of information to be gleaned, but we’ll work with your life and use our lives as examples so it will be as easy as possible to Parent with an Open Heart.

We’ll start by looking at how we got to where we are, by using Alice Miller’s work as a primary guide.

We’ll also look at the what current day parenting guides and books are really telling us; what works and doesn’t work and why.

Then, we’ll explore what we and our children actually need.

We’ll talk about:

• home births (Ina May Gaskin makes this as easy as it could be),
• attachment parenting (the kind described in The Continuum Concept by Jean Liedloff),
• diaper-free or elimination communication,
• sign language,
• how to meet both our and our child(ren)’s needs simultaneously or nearly so,
• home- or un-schooling aka natural learning,
• how to enjoy getting around on foot and bike with an infant up to a young adult,
• why what we put in our bodies (food, drugs/vaccines) is so important,
• how to inspire the behaviours that you desire rather than creating a power struggle,
• and much much more.

We’ll focus on the positives of all these, but we won’t ignore the problems of parenting with a closed heart.

Nonviolent communication is a technique that will be used during the course of this seminar; you need not know it or even want to learn it, but it will help you discover your feelings and needs and those of the rest of your family.  It is highly recommended!  And most importantly, it will help us keep the Parenting with an Open Heart seminar space a “No-fault Zone!”

Admission to each session is by donation, and I don’t want anyone to use cost as a reason not to come.  Snacks are provided (but bring your own specialty to share if you wish) and the suggested sliding scale is $0 to $50.  If it’s more enjoyable for you to trade or barter services or goods, then please let me know so we can arrange it.  My goal is simply to make life more wonderful for more people!    And yes, children are welcome!

Pre-registration for Parenting with an Open Heart is advised and recommended.  Simply email me at eec at resist dot ca (replacing the at with an “@” [no quotes] and the dot with a “.”; sorry for the extra edits but it keeps the spam away) or call me at 604.216.6700 with your name and contact info.  In the event of a last minute change, I’ll make sure you are kept up-to-date.

Session dates for Vancouver are Friday, May 20th, Friday, June 3rd, and Friday June 17th at the Lion’s Den, 770 Commercial Drive (corner of Adanac; enter from Commercial into the basement).  We’ll start gathering at 6pm and formally begin at 6:30pm for 2 hours.  My goal is to get you home by 9pm.

Dave Olsen will be facilitating these parenting seminars. He grew up in the suburbs of Vancouver and recently built a healthy, sustainable home on Lasqueti Island.   Although he has been a consultant for almost two decades, it was his daughter’s birth 6 years ago that put him on what he calls life’s most important path: Parenting with an Open Heart.

The greatest compliment he is aware of receiving was when a close friend and fellow parent of two asked him if he had read The Continuum Concept written by the recently deceased Jean Liedloff; when he asked about the book, the friend was shocked because she said he parented exactly like the book describes!

Dave is available for parent coaching; he can be reached at eec at resist dot ca or 604.216.6700.

Women and families are especially encouraged to apply.  Barters or trades are always possible.

Here’s some of the feedback that we’ve received from previous workshop participants:

“Transformative and empowering!” – Kate ’10.

“Very instructive and hands-on.” – Matt ’10.

“You have no idea how excited I am that I now pretty much know how to build a house out of dirt.” – Kate ’10.

“Learning what we needed to know as we put it to practical use rather than spending a lot of time on theory was a useful approach for me.” – Terry ’09.

Your workshop facilitator (Dave Olsen) completed a cob workshop in 1996 and has had mud on his hands ever since.  He has also led workshops on many other topics since 1994.  On Lasqueti Island, he has organized and co-led 5 cob workshops and finished three smaller buildings; he has been very fortunate to have worked with many of the leading cob builders of our time.

Our chef, Bethany Scott, first came to cob by way of the Mudgirls, hosting a work party and seducing them with her amazing culinary talents.  She has worked her magic at multiple cob workshops, both on and off Lasqueti Island, and hasn’t met a diet that she hasn’t nourished fully and deliciously yet!

Here’s some more feedback from previous participants, this time about the food:

“Exceptional, really top drawer and beautifully prepared.” – Matt ’10

“Delicious and superfluous.” – Kate ’10

“The food was excellent!  Thank you Bethany. It was my first prolonged experience with Vegan food and I quite enjoyed it.” – Terry ’09

What else makes these courses special?

• You will see firsthand how humans can build with what nature provides, without destroying the beauty that is offered.
• You’ll also have many opportunities to master making cob itself. You’ll learn the “traditional” technique, known to cobbers throughout our wet coast, and we’ll learn how to modify it so that you can mix up to 4 times faster!
• You’ll experience building walls the “old fashioned way” as well as a hybrid technique that uses reusable plastic “forms” to get our walls up twice as fast and “the brick” which gets them up even faster!
• Not only will you learn how to build naturally and affordably, you’ll learn how to do it efficiently enough to be empowered to build on your own and keep your community of builders interested and inspired to keep building.

Travel days to get to and from the workshop are Saturday, July 23rd (we’ll begin with a welcoming, organic and vegan dinner that evening) and Saturday, July 30th (a farewell breakfast on the 30th will fuel your return to the ferry dock).

Every workshop day (Sunday to Friday), we start with a short meditative building session, followed by an organic, hot wholesome breakfast.  Two longer hands-on learning sessions sandwich a hot organic, vegan lunch.

Most evenings, after a delicious dinner, we’ll have a discussion or mini-workshop on related activities, from ecologically-sensitive transportation to building a roof with cedar shakes.

Human-powered building is hard work. But since there are no machines or motors on site, it is a safe and quiet place for anyone, younger or older, and interesting conversation and laughter is common. This building site, and the materials for this building, were selected to make it as easy as possible to build an earthen structure.

The pace is casual but determined; the more effort you give, the more learning you will take away.  Natural Building is at least 95% experiential learning and you will be expected to self-motivate throughout the various scheduled sessions.

For more information and background, please visit:

http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/2009/05/16/2009-cob-building-workshop/ http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/2008/05/10/learn-to-build-naturally-with-cob/

To receive an application form, please email Dave: eec at resist dot ca or write a comment below with your contact info (don’t worry, I won’t publish the contact info).

Here’s hoping you can experience the beauty of natural building and cob soon!

Not that any of them have improved anything for the average person for a long, long time; they have enabled the rich to get richer but I’ll save you that one for another time.

The Provincial NDP have a leadership race on right now.  If you’re a member, you can vote for their new leader.

I was astonished when one candidate, Dana Larsen, asked me for more info about Fare-Free Transit.  After our chat, he asked that we do a video together.  It’s short and concise and I’ve received very positive feedback from it.

You can view the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3dI-kQgwDA&feature=youtu.be

What inspired me to write this though, is that Dana has created two platform pledges from this work: making the Skytrain Fare-Free and then converting all of the BC Transit systems to Fare-Free.

He really seems to understand the necessity of moving our transit systems to Fare-Free:

• we need to help people out of their cars if we are to survive as a species
• it costs more to collect fares than to not collect fares in every community in BC, save Vancouver and possibly Victoria.  Shockingly, we have no idea how much net revenue (if any) is actually generated by the farebox in either of those cities.

Don’t get me wrong: the political/electoral system that is in place will make these kinds of changes next to impossible, regardless of who is elected.

But if you believe in peaceful change from within, then here’s a rare opportunity for you.  Fare-Free Transit has happened in many other places in the civilized world, so it could happen here, too.

For more on Dana’s and the other candidate’s platforms, you can read them here:

http://conservationvoters.ca/leadership-race-2011/ndp-candidates/dana-larsen

If nothing else, spread the news that a potential Premier wants to make it easier for you to take transit!

PS.  In related news, the Ontario Legislature just voted to remove the right of transit workers in Toronto to strike, deeming the TTC an “essential service.”  This is on the eve of the Amalgamated Transit Union contract expiring at the end of this month and on the heels of Wisconsin, Michigan, and other US states’ legislatures removing the right for public workers to collectively bargain.

ATU Local 113 president Bob Kinnear stated in response to the legislation: “If we are so essential why hasn’t there been legislation to properly fund the transit system.”

We’ll be starting and completing a cob oven, as well as plastering, building thin walls, and probably a bit of roofing as well (we’ll see what the August workshop leaves for us to do).

It all happens on Lasqueti Island and starts on Friday evening (September 17th) with a welcome dinner prepared by our chef, Bethany Scott.  She’ll feed us well all weekend with 3 hot, organic meals a day and two yummy snacks.  Then she’ll send us off on Monday morning with a hot farewell breakfast in time to catch the 8am ferry.

For more info about your instructor and chef, please see the previous posts for our week long workshops.

One of the highlights of our workshops is the real life example of living of the grid peacefully, easily, and very comfortably.  It’s all in harmony with what nature provides, so the energy around us is full and enriching.

The cost for the weekend, which includes camping, is $300 (barters and trades welcomed).  To reserve your spot, email eec at resist dot ca (replacing the at and dot, of course) for a quick and easy electronic application form.

Here’s hoping we can get our hands muddy together soon!

Passive Solar Rocks!

Please click here for the latest workshop offerings…

From August 14th to August 21st, I’ll be hosting another cob/natural building workshop on Lasqueti Island. The cost of $600 covers all meals (3 hot, fully organic vegan/vegetarian meals for 6 days, plus a welcoming dinner and a good-bye breakfast), on-site camping with running water, and hands-on instruction.

Women and families are especially encouraged to apply.  Barters or trades are always possible.

Your workshop facilitator (Dave Olsen) completed a cob workshop in 1996 and has had mud on his hands ever since.  He has also led workshops on many other topics since 1994.  On Lasqueti Island, he has organized and co-led 4 cob workshops and finished two small buildings; he has been very fortunate to have worked with many of the leading cob builders of our time.

Our chef, Bethany Scott, first came to cob by way of the Mudgirls, hosting a work party and seducing them with her amazing culinary talents.  She has worked her magic at multiple cob workshops, both on and off Lasqueti Island, and hasn’t met a diet that she hasn’t nourished fully and deliciously yet!

What makes these courses special?

• You will get your hands on every aspect of building: from foundations to roofing, and everything (plastering, windows, doors) in between.
• You will see firsthand how humans can build with what nature provides, without destroying the beauty that is offered.
• You’ll also have many opportunities to master making cob itself. You’ll learn the “traditional” technique, known to cobbers throughout our wet coast, and we’ll learn how to modify it so that you can mix up to 4 times faster!
• You’ll experience building walls the “old fashioned way” as well as a hybrid technique that uses reusable plastic “forms” which will get our walls up at least twice as fast!
• Not only will you learn how to build naturally and affordably, you’ll learn how to do it efficiently enough to be empowered to build on your own and keep your community of builders interested and inspired to keep building.

One finished building and the base for the greenhouse extension

Travel days to get to and from the workshop are Saturday, August 14th (we’ll begin with a welcoming, organic and vegan dinner that evening) and Saturday, August 21st (a farewell breakfast on the 21st will fuel your return to the ferry dock).

Every workshop day (Sunday to Friday), we start with a short meditative building session, followed by an organic, hot wholesome breakfast.  Two longer hands-on learning sessions sandwich a hot organic, vegan lunch.

Most evenings, after a delicious dinner, we’ll have a discussion or mini-workshop on related activities, from ecologically-sensitive transportation to building a roof with cedar shakes.

Human-powered building is hard work. But since there are no machines or motors on site, it is a safe and quiet place for anyone, younger or older, and interesting conversation and laughter is common. This building site, and the materials for this building, were selected to make it as easy as possible to build an earthen structure.

The pace is casual but determined; the more effort you give, the more learning you will take away.  Natural Building is at least 95% experiential learning and you will be expected to self-motivate throughout the various scheduled sessions.

For more information and background, please visit:

http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/2009/05/16/2009-cob-building-workshop/ http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/2008/05/10/learn-to-build-naturally-with-cob/

To receive an application form, please email Dave: eec at resist dot ca or write a comment with your contact info (don’t worry, I won’t publish the contact info).

Here’s hoping you can experience the beauty of natural building and cob soon!

Safe, Separated Bicycle Lanes on the Dunsmuir Viaduct!

Burrard Bridge with barricade & two-way cycling that is now on the Dunsmuir Viaduct (original photo found on pricetags.wordpress.com)

Being closed for the Owe-lympics seems to have provided the new brain-trust at Vancouver City Hall with the time and space to give the people who pay their salaries a giant welcome-back-to-your-City surprise.

When I turned onto it from Main Street, I was surprised to see a private bus turn onto the on ramp so carefully. When the bus had entered, I saw the gift: a whole lane for cyclists!

Not only did the pedestrian have the tiny sidewalk to himself without worry, all of us on bike could relax and enjoy the pedalling — at least while on the Dunsmuir viaduct.

The details are what make me realize that something fundamental has transformed the engineering department at City Hall: regular entrances and exits to the bike lane (so people are not trapped and can enter even if they miss the first entrance), width enough to pass easily, wide entrances/exits so the poles/bollards are not a hazard but still keep those drivers that watch TV out. The signage is good, but then City Hall has spent well over a decade practising putting up signs for cyclists. It finally connects the painted lines on Dunsmuir with the green signs on Adanac.

Now, we have one and a half bridges to the downtown core that are Safe, Separated spaces, only for bikes! Let’s get the other half of Burrard Bridge changed so pedestrians can walk where they wish and cyclists are safe in both directions. If the Georgia viaduct is to continue standing (and let’s hope NOT so the past glory of the Black Community can resurface again), that will be an obvious next step, too. The Granville Street bridge could be as quick and simple as the Dunsmuir viaduct and the Cambie Street bridge? Well, the previous council blew a huge opportunity with that entire corridor when it was torn up for the Worm Line…

Although it’s tempting to attribute some of this new found goodness to that $8 Billion, 2 week party, (hold the press: I was just informed that Beijing cost $24 Billion, Torino $22 Billion, and that the IOC forbades any leaks of real expenditures for another year) I’ll leave it to Geoff Berner, the APC, Pivot, and many DTES groups to tell it like it is about that fiasco. In any case, spread the word and get on your bike so that these Safe, Separated Bike Lanes spread over all the bridges and beyond!

Remember, you can ask your representatives to represent you anytime you’d like; it’s actually their job to do so.  I won’t get into how government works on behalf of the rich and powerful (otherwise, there wouldn’t be a government); that’s another few thousand postings!  But do let Vancouver’s Mayor and Council know if you appreciate this new initiative by emailing them at mayorandcouncil@vancouver.ca

PS. It’s International Women’s Day today…let’s celebrate and honour the gender that is still (10,000 years later?) fighting for equality in our civilization!

But the nazi torch parade is not the only tool of fascism to come to Vancouver….

Remember the promises made before the Olympics were imposed on Vancouver and Whistler?  “Not a penny more than the initial cost of the bid”  exhorted Mayor Larry Campbell.

Back in 2003, his lie persuaded less than 20% of Vancouver’s residents to vote in favour of hosting the Olympics.  86,113 residents voted in favour (64% of votes cast) out of approx. 440,000 eligible voters and 545,000 residents.

The So-called Security (SS) budget has grown from $175,000 to $900 million and will end up well over $1 billion.  The reported 15,000 police and military SS agents make this the largest military operation in Western Canada since the end of Hitler’s War.

The overall cost of these “games,” once touted as being a mere $660,000, is now at least $6 billion and could reach $10 billion.  Does that mean Larry Campbell will pick up the difference?

I also recently learned that five of the corporate sponsors for this version of the Olympics are accused of human rights violations; no wonder the security budget is at least 45 times higher than originally expected…no wait, that’s because of the terrorist threat…see killercoke.org for more.

But these are mere details.  This, as is the case for every Olympics, is another formidable opportunity to privatize previously public places.

Three months ago when I tried to snowshoe with my daughter in a Provincial Park beside Cypress Mountain, we were told that the military had occupied it and it was closed to the public.

Two and a half months ago, the south side of False Creek was completely closed to the public.  No matter that it hosts two key bike routes (the Seawall is completely separated from motor vehicle traffic, while the Ontario route is the 2nd oldest in the City).  People on foot and bike are de facto terrorists because they obviously aren’t supporting the Olympic vehicle sponsor.

Two months ago, when my daughter and I tried to ride our tandem to a public swimming pool along the Seawall, the only safe, separated-from-cars route was blocked because David Lam Park was being paved over for an Olympic corporate sponsor’s pavilion.

The fences surrounding the venues, the helicopters flying day and night, and the uniformed and undercover SS out in large numbers suggest much more than a mere sporting festival.  With no one around weeks before the games actually begin, these closed public streets and parks suggest what the rich and powerful have always known: nothing in the public realm is really public property in our civilization.  And they will test out their latest weaponry and fortress-making with our taxes.  All on unceded Coast Salish Territory.

I may have witnessed the first attempt in so-called Canada to fully privatize public urban space in 2001 when a fence was built around the old town of Quebec.  Even then, the public space around the outside of the fence was deemed off-limits to the public.  Why do I suggest that?  Because the SS rained tear gas and rubber bullets at just about anyone that moved, day and night.  And 4 of my fellow accused were convicted of such heinous crimes as sitting under a tree, holding up signs, and (sit down for this one) asking where the toilet was.  I was arrested and held for 33 hours in a maximum security prison’s single person cell with 4 others.  The charge?  Illegal clothing.  I kid you not.

The thousands of closed-captioned cameras installed by the SS and bought and paid for by our federal taxes will not willingly be decommissioned.  Why waste our hard-earned tax money?  If we have ‘em, let’s use ‘em!  Especially with all those dangerous gangs and thugs around.  My suggestion is that we use them in the gang’s and thug’s own offices and workplaces: police cars, police stations, courts, government offices and the like.

The Olympic lanes are another lovely example of this creeping privatization.  Thousands of brand-new SUVs brought in for VANOC to drive around in have exclusive use of these lanes.  Oh sure, VANOC-approved buses can use them, too.  Unfortunately, there’s been at most 1 passenger in any of the hundreds of VANOC vehicles (SUV, Van, car, bus) I’ve seen.  Public buses?  Well, they would use the Olympic lanes if they weren’t full of SUVs.  Talk about turning transportation planning upside down.  Instead of banning Single Occupant Vehicles (SOVs) and using the abundant resulting space to reserve 24/7 public bus lanes (not to mention making transit Fare-Free so everyone could get around quickly and affordably), we have Olympic lanes for SUVs all month.

Yes, these will be the Greenest Games ever.  The trees on Cypress and (adjoining) Debt Mountain attest to this.  For Americans that relate green to money, the Whistler bankruptcy will ensure these games have lots of green associated with them.

However, the 4 million tonnes of carbon estimated to be emitted (probably even more now with snow being rained down from helicopters), the missed opportunities to built an accessible at-grade rail and bike link to Whistler and between Vancouver’s venues, and the continued push to pave South Surrey farmland and forests for the next $6-10 billion project (see Gatewaysucks.org) will not colour these Olympics green.

The $800 million cost of the Sea-to-Sky/Eagleridge Bluffs Highway Project that killed Tseybayotl (aka Harriet Nahanee) could have more than doubled the bus fleet (1,000 now; up to 1,600 new).  Fare-Free Transit with 10 minute service could have been a reality with these extra buses and it could have facilitated the banning of SOVs and the spread of 24/7 bus lanes throughout the Lower Mainland.  Now think about what the $6-10 billion earmarked for Gateway would do for transit, rail, and bike infrastructure…or women’s shelters.  Too bad we just can’t afford luxuries like these.

And then there’s the promise to not displace one person for the games; another lie exposed.  3,000 more homeless people can not be covered up despite the SS’s cleanup attempts utilizing the latest in bylaw fashion.  See http://olympictentvillage.wordpress.com/ for more.

Luckily for me, this independent media reporter doesn’t have to cross a national border.  One that tried, Martin Macias Jr., an independent media reporter from Chicago was rejected by Canadian border agents and held without outside contact for at least 7 hours.  Hitler would be proud.

Don’t despair!  If you can’t escape the insanity then consider venting some of your passion at the many creative and inclusive events planned for Friday and beyond.  You can check http://olympicresistance.net/ for the latest schedule; here’s what was known at press time:
——-
- Fri Feb 12: Resist the Torch! Resist the Games! The Olympic Torch will be coming through our neighbourhoods. Meet at Victory Square, Cambie and Hastings at 8:30 am or Grandview Park on Commercial Drive at 9 am. Let’s show VANOC and their Coca-Cola corporate spectacle what community really looks like. Celebrate our strength, creativity, and diversity.
——-
- Fri Feb 12: Take Back Our City! “Welcome” the 2010 Olympic Torch with Free Games, Free Speech, and Free Food! Beginning with a festival at the Vancouver Art Gallery at 3 pm, followed by a parade and protest to BC Place Stadium. Details, including childcare, at: http://2010welcoming.wordpress.com/
——-
- Sat Feb 13. 2010 Heart Attack: Street March to Clog the Arteries of Capitalism. Arrive at 8:30 am in Thornton Park (Main and Terminal). This demonstration will respect diversity of tactics and aims to disturb “business as unusual” on the first day of the Games! Details: http://olympicresistance.net/content/2010-heart-attack
——-
- Sat Feb 13th from noon to 5 pm: Call to Action by No Sochi 2014 Committee. The next Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia in 2014. Demonstrations will be held in front of the Russian “Sochi House” at Science World between 12-5pm at Thornton Park to protest against the 2014 Sochi Olympics on the Land of Circassian Genocide.
——-
- On Sun Feb 14th, we will be standing with the 19th Annual Women’s Memorial March to honour all the missing and murdered and women in the DTES (this is not an anti-Olympic protest). Details at: http://womensmemorialmarch.wordpress.com/
——-
- Mon Feb 15 (ONGOING): Noon at Pigeon Park (Carrall and Hastings). No empty talk, no empty lots! Rally for Homes and Support the Olympic Tent Village. Organized by DTES-based, anti-poverty, and housing rights groups. http://olympictentvillage.wordpress.com
——-
- Mon Feb 15: Vancouver Art Gallery, Gathering at 6:00pm and leaving at 6:30pm. Come out and be part of an anti-war and anti-militarization moving spectacle. This event is a festive and creative demand for the Canadian government to respect and uphold human-rights, international law, the right to self-determination and civil rights.Organized by Stopwar.ca
——-
- Friday, Feb 12, 2010 at 8:00pm, Legion Hall, 2205 Commercial Drive. We do not like the Olympics Celebration Party! Lineup: Dreamscene, Legally Blind, DJ Josef, DJ Kinky Kitty, Team YPE Cost: $3 – ($1297 cheaper than a ticket to the opening ceremonies). Nobody turned away.
——-
- Fri Feb 12: Resistance Media Lounge at Rhizome Café, 317 East Broadway at 8 pm. Join the Vancouver Media Co-op for a mash up of protest footage, news, and images from the actions against the Olympic torch and the kick off of the anti-Olympics convergence.
——-
- Sat Feb 13, 8:00pm at Rhizome Cafe (317 East Broadway). Anne Feeney in Concert: 5 Ring Circus Special. Join Anne Feeney for political songs about: the environment, jobs, gay rights, women’s rights, stopping racism and other forms of discrimination, homelessness, a world without war, and much, much more. $12-$20 sliding scale.
——-
- Sunday Feb 14. People’s Prom. The most kick ass antidote to Valentine’s Day in the city. You like funk and frolic? Love and revolution? Perfect. All money raised goes toward grassroot, direct action and creative resistance groups engaged in the resistance to the 2010 Olympics. http://peoplesprom.resist.ca/
——-
- Friday, Feb 19, 7:00pm at Rhizome Cafe (317 East Broadway). Board Games are Soooo Gay! Board Games, not Olympic Games! Bring your favourite games or use ours. Our in-house DJs will keep the tunes coming.
——-
- Saturday, Feb 20. Rally for a National Housing Program from noon-2 pm, north Side of Vancouver Art Gallery. The UN now calls Canada’s housing crisis, ‘a national emergency.’ Come join this rally to pressure the federal government to once again re-establish a national housing program in Canada. Organized by Impact on Communities Coalition.
——-
- Sat Feb 20: Anti-OH-LIMP-IC show at Rickshaw Theater, 254 East Hastings Street. Door at 8 pm. D.O.A. will headline. The games are not much more than a corporate sellout. Professor Chris Shaw, who wrote the definitive book Five Ring Circus: Myths and Realities of the Olympic Games will speak at the event.