A Poem by Shelly H.
Why do we hurt?
Why don’t we care?
It’s all in how we treat
each other and we treat
each other unfair
Category Archives: Consider
All Ideas Are Welcome
Ken Wuschke’s “Moving Forward Requires Open And Frank Dialog” calls to mind courses and trainings in Communication, that Listening is vital to Communication and that both are necessary to facilitating the setting of goals and moving forward.
With all the diversity found in a Canadian city the size of Abbotsford ensuring all the participants have a clear understanding and agreement about what is being discussed, and ensuring all the participants have a clear understanding of what each other means by what they are saying, clear communication is a complex challenge.
One of the first things basic communications courses make sure participants understand is how often people are talking of apples and oranges when both are operating under the mistaken impression they are discussing bananas. The two people, supposedly speaking the same language, are in fact hearing something different from what the speaker was [or thought they were] saying.
Ensuring clear understanding of all aspects of the conversation, by all parties to the conversation, is fundamental to building trust.
Complicating clear communication and understanding is the need, often either unrecognized or ignored, to establish which facts are fact and which fall into the category ‘what ain’t so’.
As Mark Twain said: “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”
Mr. Wuschke’s statement: “It seems that every council out of the past three terms have had their lightening rod issue” implies that we are talking about separate and distinct councils.
However, an examination of the members of these councils reveals that the core voting majority is the same for the councils elected in 2005, 2008 and 2011. Thus to me it has been, in a very real sense, the same council since 2005.
That the majority of council has been the same since 2005 explains the continued growth of the disconnect and distrust between council and many citizens that Mr. Wuschke writes of.
Mr. Wuschke’s statement ‘…..and now the homeless issue. It seems that every council out of the past three terms have had their lightening rod issue’ demonstrates the importance understanding the history of the councils, mayors, councillors and an issue such as homelessness; and the need to establish or at the very least explore the history of the issue[s] if clear and effective conversation is to take place.
Abbotsford Community Services was not the first BC Housing proposal to pay for construction of affordable housing and – more importantly – to fund programs and supports that significantly raise the probability of resident being sober a year after treatment from the 3% of the traditional approach. Council also blew off the September 2008 proposal – $11,000,000.00 for the capital costs and $22,700,000.00 for programs and supports.
The approach to homelessness, and the excuses, has remained the same over the years that the core of council has remained the same. Over that period of time we have experienced the misnamed ‘Compassion Park’ and its consequences; watched affordable housing being built in Mission and Chilliwack but not Abbotsford; could stand beside Highway 1 and watch modular housing from the 2010 Olympics trucked through Abbotsford to provide affordable housing in Chilliwack; been through numerous city pogroms against the homeless; watched the city ignore the negative consequences of their behaviours and actions, then repeat the same behaviours and actions over and over again as though next time the outcome would be different.
Homelessness is not simply an issue of the current council; it was an issue when I became involved with poverty, affordable housing, mental illness, substance use 12 years ago.
!2 years of council’s politically correct spin on the homeless issues; of councils taking actions that steadily worsened the issue homeless, ignoring advice and actions that had been demonstrated elsewhere to be effective in addressing homelessness; actively blocking resources and services that would have served to reduce homelessness.
The current council, the majority of the current councillors, are now reaping what they sowed in previous terns on previous councils.
The fact the core of the council in 2005 remains the core of the council in 2014 is also the reason it will be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve Mr. Wuschke’s call for “The community needs to have open and effective communication to city council” and “One where everyone’s ideas are welcome”.
However, faced with homelessness and other social issues, the economic and financial realities facing the city, the OCP, city services, infrastructure, Abbotsford Centre…….
…….neither the city nor its citizens can afford the current state between city hall, the politicians and citizens.
Moving forward does not require unanimous consent. It does require citizens take the actions necessary for them to be able to give informed consent and avoid the negative consequences of decisions based on Mark Twain’s “what ain’t so”. Moving forward also requires that decisions made by the city be based on reasons that are clearly set out, understood and rational.
Communication and trust are two way streets, must be two way streets if they are to exist and function.
APPENDIX
City of Abbotsford Council 2011 – 2014
Mayor B. Banman, and Councillors L. Barkman, H. Braun, S. Gibson, M. Gill, D. Loewen, B. MacGregor, P. Ross, and J. Smith
City of Abbotsford Council 2008 – 2011
Mayor G. Peary; and Councillors L. Barkman, S. Gibson, M. Gill, L. Harris, D. Loewen, B. MacGregor, P. Ross, and J. Smith
City of Abbotsford Council 2005 – 2008
Mayor G. Ferguson; Councillors B. Beck, C. Caldwell, S. Gibson, M. Gill, L. Harris, D. Loewen, P. Ross, and J. Smith
Apples and Apples OR Oranges?
That is the Question that I asked myself after I finished reading Let Minor Sports Use Abbotsford Centre.
Now I know that people after reading the opening sentence may well be thinking ‘He’s lost it’ if they know or read me and that anyone reading my writing for the first time is going ‘Huh?’ how can comparing an arena to an arena not be comparing apples to apples? Especially if they have stood in both the Abbotsford rink and the Langley rink and know how very similar the rinks are.
Disclosure:
When the Abbotsford Centre was originally completed and city council was scrambling desperately because they had built this $100,000,000.00 facility and had no tenant lined up to play there I called for council not to let their egos have them paying any price to save face by getting a hockey team to play in their Great White – Empty – Elephant and to save the Abbotsford’s taxpayers $3,000,000.00 a year by leaving the facility closed until they had a sound business plan.[Here we go again – Rush, Rush, Rush, Not another costly ‘profit’, Abbotsford’s $expensive$ AHL pipedream ]
Since the Heat have left town I want to know why council renegotiated Global Spectrums contract for the Centre rather that mothballing the Centre, an action that would save taxpayers $3,000,000.00 per year. At least until such time as council finely came up with a viable business plan.
The fact is that in several ways comparing the Langley arena to the Abbotsford arena is comparing an apple and an orange.
Consider this chart:
One of the things that always leaves me shaking my head sadly is that once you have stood inside both Arenas and experience the extent to which both arenas are the same, it boggles the mind that the taxpayers of the Abbotsford paid 667% more than Langley’s taxpayers paid.
Given that Abbotsford City Council always makes excuses and never accepts responsibility for the consequences of their errors in judgement it is no surprise Council has refused to explain to taxpayers how it is that Abbotsford’s taxpayers paid 667% more than Langley’s taxpayers did, for what is effectively the same arena.
It is even more mind boggling that for some unfathomable reason, Abbotsford taxpayers, in light of the fact they have re-elected those responsible and never question the WHY of paying 667% more [6.67 times as much], seemed to be comfortable with and accepting of the fact they, as Abbotsford taxpayers, paid 667% more for the same arena, than did Langley’s taxpayers.
I find that acceptance unfathomable because the only reason for the difference – the vast difference – in the cost to taxpayers between Abbotsford and Langley is the decisions, actions and competence of the two councils.
During the fiscal year Abbotsford pays $6,696,000.00 [7,884,000.00 – 1,188,000.00] more then Langley for their arena.
So, even if you assume that Langley’s arena is as badly managed as the Abbotsford Centre is and thus runs the same yearly operating deficit of $3,000,000.00 as the Abbotsford Centre does, the $6,696,000.00 less per year for construction and interest costs paid by Langley and its taxpayers, gives Langley significantly more flexibility, affordability, when it comes to paying for an annual subsidy of $3,000,000.00.
I think it highly unlikely that Langley’s arena is as badly managed as Abbotsford’s arena for several reasons.
First is that over the past decade plus Abbotsford’s council has time after time demonstrated a lack of basic financial and management sensibilities or abilities. Every time that council has promised a profit or savings or senior government grants, the reality has turned out to be losses/operating subsidies or large cost over runs or Zip, Nada, Nothing from the senior levels of government – because Abbotsford council failed to handle the grant request properly. So while Langley’s council may not have demonstrated masterful financial, business or management skills…… they have demonstrated their ability not to ‘screw up’ financial, business or management as Abbotsford’s council has repeatedly done over the past decade plus.
Second is the fact that the Langley Chiefs were partners with Langley in building the arena – after Abbotsford’s council turned down the Chief’s offer to partner with the City of Abbotsford to build a new arena for the Chief’s to move into and play out of. Langley benefits from the Chief’s experience with the arena in Chilliwack. More importantly Langley has a stable, profitable franchise as their anchor tenant.
The final cost consideration that needs to be consider, another significant negative financial factor for Abbotsford is that Abbotsford’s council has been playing….fast and loose shall we say….with the DCC [Development Cost Charges] funds, using the funds to avoid the large tax raises that were required to pay for council’s profligate, spending.
Actually, not avoid having to have large tax raises but to push the large tax raises into the future in hopes of……an economic miracle that would allow council to avoid or further delay having to crank taxes by double [10% or more] digits?
There has been no economic miracle and Abbotsford’s taxpayers are on the hook to pay back the money used to keep tax increases artificially low. Since the DCC funds are to be spent on infrastructure, not operating the City, Abbotsford’s taxpayers are facing large tax increases, deep cuts to city services or some combination of tax increases and service cuts to repay the DCC funds.
It may well turn out that Abbotsford’s civic government either saves $3,000,000.00 by mothballing the arena OR cuts $3,000,000.00 from other parts of its operating budget or raises taxes by $3,000,000.00.
No matter how similar the Abbotsford and Langley arenas may be in structure, when it comes to the financial realities of each building, the buildings are as different as a luxury penthouse condo and one of Abbotsford’s many [thanks council] homeless camps.
There are also significant differences between two Centres structure and infrastructure.
Langley’s arena is part of a complex that has outdoor sports field, indoor basketball courts, meeting rooms etc. Abbotsford’s arena is squeezed onto a piece of property that only has room for the arena itself..
The Langley complex is surrounded by acres of parking – free parking.
From the day the site of the Abbotsford Centre was proposed parking has been an issue, a nonexistent nightmare.
Why would any local sports team, teams that depend on parents and their participation, want to use the Abbotsford Centre and tell parents: you can park free at a mall and transport yourselves and all the hockey equipment to the arena by bus, reversing the process [bus to shopping centre parking lot] in order to leave; there is paid parking available for only $1 for every 2 hours. Of course the parking is a long or longer distance to be hauling hockey gear so you might want to consider dropping your hockey players off before looking for parking; parking times are strictly enforced and fines for violations are not cheap; there is free parking available if you can handle the 2 – 3 [or longer] kilometre walk to the arena.
Finally, importantly, there is also the fact that there was no need for another ice surface in Abbotsford. The ice surface at the Abbotsford Centre was constructed not to meet a community need or demand for more ice but to meet the needs of mayor and councillors egos.
Enticing teams to use the ice surface at the Abbotsford Centre simply reduces the use, the revenue, at other city rinks – at the cost to taxpayers of $3,000,000.00 a year.
Oh, BLEEP! An idea that will cost, waste $3,000,000.00 of taxpayers hard earned dollars? Just the types of idea Abbotsford’s mayors and councillors have shown they love.
The Void – Choices and Consequences
For all of us Life is a constant stream of choices.
On a daily basis we face and make choices that have consequences that affect our lives and the lives of others in minor and major ways.
We cannot avoid the consequences of our choices by refusing to choose, by trying to wait it out, hoping someone or something else will tell us what’s the best course of action or a ‘solution’ will magically appear or that someone will eventually tell you what you want to hear.
“When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.
William James
Complicating the consequences that befall us is the fact that the little choices that seem insignificant can turn out to carry major consequences as life unwinds and we find out that the tiny decisions we make are not as divorced from our major life decisions as we thought or wished.
Major choices, little choices, choices made by not choosing – it all comes down to the same question, a question of taking responsibility, of accepting responsibility for the consequences our choices, behaviours and actions have on our lives and the lives of others.
Justifying, rationalization, blaming, excuse making. ‘it is not our responsibility’ will not prevent the consequences of our actions and inactions from coming home to roost.
Don’t like what you see as you drive along Gladys Avenue? What you see is the consequences of the city’s choice to behave as ‘The Void’ on homelessness and its interconnected issues, rather than acting responsibly and taking effective action.
What is taking place along Gladys should not be a surprised to anyone.
Victoria also had a policy of harassing their homeless. At least they did until 2009 when the BC court of appeals ruled that in a city where the city government had failed to address the issue of homelessness or take action on affordable housing, the homeless had the right to camp in city parks.
Suddenly Victoria’s council and mayor were motivated to acquire backbones and begin to take needed actions to address homelessness.
Among the first actions taken in Victoria was a Housing First project; a solid base to build on in putting in place the services and supports needed for recovery.
I wonder if Abbotsford’s sudden tolerance with the camps on Gladys Avenue results from the city’s struggle to stay out of court until after municipal elections in November? The mayor, councillors, the city cannot avoid the consequences of their behaviours – facing Pivot Legal Society in court over [among other things] the right of the homeless to camp in city parks.
Because, not only has the City of Abbotsford failed to take action on homelessness and affordable housing, the city has actively blocked affordable housing, recovery oriented housing and services from being built by BC Housing and Abbotsford Community Services.
I suspect that once the consequences of the mayor and councillor’s behaviour has camps sprouting up around Mill Lake Abbotsford’s mayor and city councillors will find themselves highly motivated, as did Victoria’s mayor and councillor’s in 2009, to support Housing First projects, other affordable housing initiatives and the providing of the supports and services to reduce homelessness, substance use, mental illness on city streets.
Mankind’s greatest gift, also its greatest curse, is that we have free choice.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Sadly, it seems that only something as drastic and unpleasant as a court ruling that the city can either address the issues or have the homeless camping at Mill Lake, will motivate the city to realistically and effectively address these issues.
Highly ironic that a mayor and city councillors so ethically challenged that only the negative consequences of their behaviours will/can motivate them to address these social issues, felt they had the right to spend taxpayer dollars to instruct, to lecture, the citizens of Abbotsford on the correct way citizens should behave and about character via their ‘Character Council.’
One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes… and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.
Eleanor Roosevelt
The Search for Happiness
Mental Health Week May 5 – 11 2014
It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so. Mark Twain
I have a friend with schizophrenia who speaks of how, when people learn she has schizophrenia, begin looking at her as if they expect her to pull out a knife and kill them. All because of the way television and the broadcast media portray those with schizophrenia.
I and others of my acquaintance have all had the experience, repeatedly, of having people telling us we could not be living with mental illness because we were not homeless, muttering away to ourselves, well groomed, weren’t raving, made sense……
We have spoken of the difficulties posed by the fact that there is often no external evidence of the turmoil going on within or of the ruin that, occasionally lies within,.
CMHA’s Mental Health Week is an annual national event that takes place during the first week in May to encourage people from all walks of life to learn, talk, reflect and engage with others on all issues relating to mental health.
On Tuesday May 6, 2014 from 7:00 – 8:30 PM at Clearbrook Library Fraser Mental Health’s Abbotsford Advisory Committee is presenting The Search for Happiness: three perspectives on living with a mental illness.
Speaking about their experiences and, as time permits, answering audience questions about living and dealing with mental illness, and as time permits will be a person living with mental illness, a family member of a person living with mental illness and a staff member of Fraser Mental Health who works for Recovery.
Everyone is invited to join us to hear about the reality of living with mental illness.
