Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Article 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 25
1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Homeless woman's body found burning in shopping cart in Vancouver
CBC News.
Homeless woman dies trying to keep warm on frigid Vancouver night
VANCOUVER - A homeless woman in her 40s has died in downtown Vancouver after the structure she was using as a shelter caught fire earlier this morning.
Police said a passenger in a taxi travelling through the intersection of Davie and Hornby shortly after 4:30 a.m. called 911 after spotting a figure engulfed in flames inside the structure.
Police and firefighters responded but were unable to save the woman.
Early indications are the woman may have been trying to keep warm, maybe with a burning candle, as temperatures dipped to about minus 10 degrees Celsius, police said.
The investigation is continuing.
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
VIDEO: Tim Weekes reports: Homeless woman's body found burning in shopping cart CBC News.(Runs 3:34)
"Initially it came in as a rubbish fire..."
More emergency shelter beds opening in Vancouver
$1.5 million cost to be shared by city, province, private sector
Comments to the CBC story:
Rare praise that Campbell and his minions have seen some sense in opening up shelter beds. Now, it's time for the province and the city to get families back into the Little Mountain BC housing complex where there are currently around 200 empty homes in affordable family housing units on Main St. in Vancouver. The province's plan was to re-develop the property, with a private partner (Holburn Properties) to build 2000 condos!!! The other part of the plan was to build 224 affordable units to replace the old ones. Laudable goals perhaps, under normal market conditions, but the idea tanks now.
I'd guess the chance of getting that kind of a monster development built has about a snowball's chance in an inferno. The housing is desperately needed, for our citizens who are homeless NOW. It's time for action, today, not in 2-3 years and an economic apocalypse later: 40-1BR's, 92-2BR's, 92-3BR's.
The other part of this is that all levels of government have to understand, if you enter into public-private partnerships (P3's), it is in the public interest to know with whom agreements are being struck, for how much and what the terms are. And, the "unspecified private-sector source [who] would contribute the other $500,000 in funding" should be applauded. What are the terms? Transparency is crucial and governments should have no problems disclosing those things. If you want to use a quasi-corporate model to run your oligarchies, then you have to consider the citizens of BC as shareholders who have a RIGHT to know what is being done with their funds.
The individuals and families who are holding out and digging in their heels are having the province boarding up homes where families lived. Sammy Chan, a legally blind man, who has lived in his unit for 32 years is getting turfed by "his" government. Show some compassion, some sense and humanity and stop this from happening, use the resources we have to help the people who need it most NOW. That's MY Christmas wish to Campbell, Coleman and Robertson.
For those who might complain about this, watch your words, because the slippery slope happens faster than you can blink an eye and there isn't a person in this world who isn't vulnerable to losing everything, especially these days. There but for the grace of God go I ... is a mantra to live by. As is do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
We used to believe in that in BC and Canada. I want that back.
Housing First.
Re-open Riverview Immediately for triage housing.
Contact these people to help make it happen:
Gordon Campbell - Phone: 604 660-3202;
E-mail: gordon.campbell.mla@leg.bc.ca or premier@gov.bc.ca
Rich Coleman - Phone: 604 607-6200;
E-mail: rich.coleman.mla@leg.bc.ca
Gregor Robertson - Phone: 604.873.7621; E-mail: gregor.robertson@vancouver.ca
Sam Rainboth,
Senior Manager, Public Affairs - BC Housing
Tel: 604 439 4789
Cell: 604 619 6525
E-mail: srainboth@bchousing.org
Holborn is currently developing properties in Whistler, Squamish, Vancouver,
Victoria and Surrey.
From the Little Mountain page.
For more information:
* Memorandum of Understand (MOU) with City of Vancouver
* Media Fact Sheet on the Resident Relocation (PDF)
* Redevelopment Overview (PDF)
* Guiding Principles for Redevelopment
* Guiding Principle for Resident Relocation (PDF)
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Development Partner Selected For Little Mountain
May 8, 2008
VANCOUVER – BC Housing has selected Holborn Properties as the development partner for the Little Mountain public housing site in Vancouver.
Proposal Invited for Little Mountain Redevelopment
September 14, 2007
VANCOUVER – Minister responsible for Housing Rich Coleman today launched the formal process to select a private-sector partner for the redevelopment of Vancouver’s oldest public housing development. More.
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Little Mountain housing fight brought to BC Legislature
By Andrew MacLeod November 26, 2008. TheHook.ca
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Who is Holburn anyways?
Holborn Properties
Might we assume they're part of the "Holborn Group" that donated $10,000 to Vision Vancouver in the 2005 Vancouver election?
Vision Vancouver Campaign Finance Disclosure
Holborn Holdings Ltd. - $1500 for Vision
Supplementary Financing Disclosure Statement (November 14, 2007)
Looking forward to perusing the 2008 Election Campaign Financing Disclosure statements, but we may have to wait awhile, since they don't have to be filed for 120 days after the election(March 16, 2009).
See more @ Vancouver City Hall Election Services.
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