22 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Please discuss Rose Henry's candidacy in this thread.

[Chris J]

I can't believe no one has talked about Rose here. Surely you folks, knowing Victoria so well, know this woman who has been a tireless advocate for marginalized people for 25 years.
This is her third shot at city council, and she's been ready all her life for it.
Here are her websites:
http://voterose.ca/
http://www.facebook....53426924&ref=mf
http://www.homelessn...g/en/node/13590

[Caramia]

I knew her somewhat through The Victoria Street News and TAPs back when it was on the corner of Mason and Quadra. She definitely has been around the scene for quite a long time and has a strong following. I know Rob Randall and Susan Woods have said that they are impressed by her understanding of street issues. But I have no idea how she stands on other issues and I can't vote for her because of that. I looked at her website and only found her statement on 6 issues, most of them to do with housing and affordability - a huge topic, I know. But a councilor needs to be able to make decisions on some really important other topics.

Chris do you know of any place we could find out more about Rose's position on a wider variety of topics? Has she been answering the questionnaires that others have? If so has she posted her answers in any one spot? I'd love to know more.

[Rob Randall]

I saw Rose being asked about sewage treatment. She said it was important (as a First Nations person she's concerned about the environment) but that right now it's not as important as using the money to solve homelessness.

I think that if the street/marginalized/homeless community unified their efforts and all got behind Rose's candidacy and got her some strong advisors so that she could present herself as a candidate informed on a wide range of issues she would be electable.

[ted - 3 - dots]

I knew her somewhat through The Victoria Street News and TAPs back when it was on the corner of Mason and Quadra. She definitely has been around the scene for quite a long time and has a strong following. I know Rob Randall and Susan Woods have said that they are impressed by her understanding of street issues. But I have no idea how she stands on other issues and I can't vote for her because of that. I looked at her website and only found her statement on 6 issues, most of them to do with housing and affordability - a huge topic, I know. But a councilor needs to be able to make decisions on some really important other topics.

Chris do you know of any place we could find out more about Rose's position on a wider variety of topics? Has she been answering the questionnaires that others have? If so has she posted her answers in any one spot? I'd love to know more.

----- I know Rose very well ---------

I suggest you ask her about the other "Victoria issue's" to get a better understanding ,,,
but knowing her as I do , you can actually educate her @ a faster rate than most people .

She's spent many years actually appearing before city-council ...!

And waiting for your turn to speak , you get to learn about the "other-issue's" such a zoning & development...! STUFF , like the shadow created by a high-rise building & it's effects on the building's that fall with-in that shadow...! ( high & density )

I remember when the City planned an Arena, and the concern around parking & traffic. Rose spoke about that , and the reality of dealing with a shady promoter who's motivation is to bring us a fantasy ...! ( check the number of bums in the seats @ a Salmon-Kings game )
>>>>> something you can see on TV during a local sport's report <<<<<


Rose has a greater under standing of How the council works , and how the various committies fit into that work , than you give her credit for...

Rose is NOT a single issue person. To see that her first 6 issue's concern "people before profit for a few" , is a reflection of the many years of going to U-of-Vic & listening to hundered's speakers .

( she's not new to the game )

----- On a personal note :

Back in 1996 , she ( and other's ) , help to educate me when I was a "club-reporter" for a radio-station... Her advice and guildance pointed me in the right direction. I shared many years leaning the same things she did... ! I saw her there ...! Just like I saw her every where I was recording & reporting from ... She went to more stuff than I did. And she was a great source info & leads.

To this day, I can still depend un-pon her to "de-brief" me on almost any issue I chose.

----- Simply ,,, Ask her a few questions...

it could lead to both of you , getting an education.
( she has a lot of expeniance that leads to wisdom )

ted...

[Caramia]

If you go to http://rosehenry.blogspot.com/ she has a nice article that covers her stance on some of the wider issues.

Here are some excepts:

As a firm believer in access to good healthy food; especially if it means it is coming from a garden, I believe if you don't have your own yard then a community garden is just as good and should be accessible for everyone.

I very much support “grow local/ buy local” for a healthier community.

That's good - supporting community gardens is something I look for in candidates I am voting for.

I am a person who operates with “no nonsense” values and an open mind to real solutions. I want to stop putting aside certain social issues, such as poverty and homelessness, which go untouched from one election to the next - because it is obvious to me that these issues are important to the community. These serious concerns deserve immediate action – not just electioneering promises that soon fall by the wayside.

Reading this I am not sure if she is discounting the work of the previous council on the Mayors Task Force. Thanks to Helen Hughes we have the Youth Hospitality Center at the old Taj, along with transitional housing for street youth. Thanks largely to Charlayne Thornton Joe we have the Emergency Weather Protocol which opens up shelter beds during cold weather. She stood alone in front of the angry parents of St Andrews and took abuse trying to defend the needle exchange at St Johns. That took guts. All of council (except Dean Fortin who was in conflict of interest, and (I think?) Pam Madoff who felt there should be more process) provided leadership to get the very unpopular decision through to grant Cool Aid permission to build a new shelter and housing unit on Ellis street. Our Place has a new building, which has taken people off the streets as well. All this is the work of the old council. I agree more needs doing, but it is not right to suggest that councilors have not worked extremely hard on this issue.

Further down in her blog I found a list of issues and I have to say I agree with most of them, especially the free bus downtown.

More affordable housing for growing families and empty nesters alike.

- More single family homes preserved.

- Bylaws assigning a certain percentage of existing condos to be converted to subsidized rent or rent-to-own for people on low income. As it stands now, far too many condos remain empty, owned by out of town investors, while the city faces a dire housing shortage.

- By-laws changed so that property owners cannot allow lots and buildings to sit vacant thus giving the city’s image a derelict look.

-Community housing. An increase in co-housing and cooperatives.

- More bike lanes.

- A Free Bus zone in the downtown core.

- An expanded park 'N Ride service.

- More community gardens. Less people needing to use the food banks means a healthier and more productive society.

Some of the old things that I would like to see returned are more public pay phones, toilet facilities, bus benches (so the elderly and handicapped in particular have somewhere to sit), expanded bus service (to encourage people to park their cars and help with carbon reduction), park benches and free community entertainment.
And finally, being able to recapture our pride in living in one of the most livable, accessible and cleanest cities in North America.

I'd be really interested in hearing her position on other issues...
- small business survival to keep our downtown unique and discourage the creep of large chains.
- her plan to meet the office space needs of the provincial government in order to keep gov. jobs in Victoria.
- how she intends to deal with the issue of the Bellville terminal.
- her position on the aging Central Library, and her vision for keeping it relevant and useful for the next generation of children.
- how she would handle the late night eateries question.

[Chris J]

I'm really impressed by the level of knowledge that people here have of the issues.
I haven't had a chance myself to talk to Rose about ALL the issues. Please email her or have a chat with her at one of the meetings.
I feel that as a voter, I don't need to hear how candidates feel about each and every issue, (I don't have time to digest all that anyway.)
I feel I can rightly project how someone might vote based on what I do know about them in regards to other issues and personal conversations I have with them. I can't say that about most candidates though because I feel that some are just trying to say what they think they need to say to get elected. Few speak from the heart.
While it may not address your concerns specifically about certain issues, I find it is important when voting for someone who is going to 'represent' me. I don't feel 'represented' by most of the current council, though I know they have worked hard and championed some of the things that are important to me.
I find that sometimes a bar gets set in these races, one too high for someone without council experience or a law degree or higher education to reach. And so we have a council that ends up representing the middle class and elite. We don't have to have a whole council full of poor people, but we cannot be continued to be ruled by people who only truly understand the needs of a certain element of society.
Rose spends a lot of time volunteering in this community and doing menial labour to feed herself and pay the rent. She goes to all the meetings (where she struggles to be heard), responds to voters who want to know more about what she stands for, but is left little time and money to be able to get the word out as some candidates have.
It's up to us as voters to reach out and ask these questions, and not base our opinions on what has been provided to us, because too often, following that route, we hear mostly from the people who can afford the slickest campaign.
That is just my opinion, and does not represent Rose.

[Caramia]

Understood Chris,

I'll take your advice and see if I can talk to Rose at the Nov 12th All Candidates Coffee Lounge. Certainly she is hardworking, which is perhaps my number one qualification for candidates. This isn't a part time job. It isn't even a full time job. It is a live it, breath it, sacrifice your entire life to it job. If willingness to treat it as such was the ONLY qualification, Rose would be on the short list.

By the way, I really appreciate you joining the discussion. Because this forum is a member driven type of media, only the candidates who either post themselves, or who have attracted the attention of forum members end up getting the coverage here. It seems you bring some interests in candidates that have been off the radar for most posters. As a result you can stimulate discussion in new areas. I'm assuming you might also have some different points of view you can add to the pool on other Victoria topics, so I hope after the election you will stick around and continue to post. Diversity strengthens the forum. Thanks for participating!

[Chris J]

Thanks, and please forgive me if I breach any rules of decorum here. As I mentioned, I see some of these issues as being of life and death. I have been on the streets for years, and have worked a couple years at a large urban homeless shelter, so I have seen dozens die on the street.
What we face in trying to get our voices heard is a lot of underhanded politics, and it frustrates us, with so much at stake. So it can be hard to keep one's cool.
Also I think we live in a society deep in denial of what is really going on, and we talk so much bs to each other every day. That can be frustrating.

[Caramia]

Actually the respectful tone of your posts is very refreshing. You are doing better at behaving in a civilized manner than many from more privileged backgrounds. One advantage of the internet; You get judged on how you post, not how you dress or where you sleep.

Edit: By the way I have updated Rose Henry's listing on the Candidate's Sticky to include her website. Thanks for the info. If you or anyone else sees another candidate's website missing please let me know!

[rose henry]

I saw Rose being asked about sewage treatment. She said it was important (as a First Nations person she's concerned about the environment) but that right now it's not as important as using the money to solve homelessness.

I think that if the street/marginalized/homeless community unified their efforts and all got behind Rose's candidacy and got her some strong advisors so that she could present herself as a candidate informed on a wide range of issues she would be electable.

The street are unified to a certain degree. That degree has to exist in order for them to survive. The street people know that their lives are not valuable to anyone but themselves and they know that they are not welcomed in most places and that most people don't even want to give them the time of day, let a lone give them a helping hand. They also know that they are very limited on finding someone in a position of leadership who really does care about them because they can relate to them.

Around finding someone to give me advice on other key issues - I would welcome this. I know that I am very limited on the latest statics on banking, property issues, water issues etc...Because I learn from the hands on experience this is also my disability. I am so focused on real life/ tangable issues I haven't found anyone who is willing to invest more then five minutes with me, so that I can learn the other issues.

[rose henry]

I saw Rose being asked about sewage treatment. She said it was important (as a First Nations person she's concerned about the environment) but that right now it's not as important as using the money to solve homelessness.

I think that if the street/marginalized/homeless community unified their efforts and all got behind Rose's candidacy and got her some strong advisors so that she could present herself as a candidate informed on a wide range of issues she would be electable.

The street are unified to a certain degree. That degree has to exist in order for them to survive. The street people know that their lives are not valuable to anyone but themselves and they know that they are not welcomed in most places and that most people don't even want to give them the time of day, let a lone give them a helping hand. They also know that they are very limited on finding someone in a position of leadership who really does care about them because they can relate to them.

Around finding someone to give me advice on other key issues - I would welcome this. I know that I am very limited on the latest statics on banking, property issues, water issues etc...Because I learn from the hands on experience this is also my disability. I am so focused on real life/ tangable issues I haven't found anyone who is willing to invest more then five minutes with me, so that I can learn the other issues.

[Caramia]

Welcome to Vibrant Victoria Rose!

Most of the things that happen in Victoria have at least 2 sides of the story presented here. Often there are as many sides as there are posters. I've had a huge and humbling education in my time on the site.

And for the record, I would 100 times rather have a politician who can admit the areas they don't know enough to make a stand on, than someone who is willing to make a stand where they haven't got a clue.

[mat]

Rose - very welcome. Caramia has made my points far more eloquently.

No one is an expert on all issues, and a realistic commentator or critic should understand that. The fact you are willing, in public and on-line, to reach out for information is a credit to you. It is amazing on this forum to see a member take the time to make complex graphs on real estate - post photos of construction projects, and, mostly, debate issues reasonably and openly. So please do ask direct questions - some one here may have an answer.

[rose henry]

If you go to http://rosehenry.blogspot.com/ she has a nice article that covers her stance on some of the wider issues.

Here are some excepts:



That's good - supporting community gardens is something I look for in candidates I am voting for.



Reading this I am not sure if she is discounting the work of the previous council on the Mayors Task Force. Thanks to Helen Hughes we have the Youth Hospitality Center at the old Taj, along with transitional housing for street youth. Thanks largely to Charlayne Thornton Joe we have the Emergency Weather Protocol which opens up shelter beds during cold weather. She stood alone in front of the angry parents of St Andrews and took abuse trying to defend the needle exchange at St Johns. That took guts. All of council (except Dean Fortin who was in conflict of interest, and (I think?) Pam Madoff who felt there should be more process) provided leadership to get the very unpopular decision through to grant Cool Aid permission to build a new shelter and housing unit on Ellis street. Our Place has a new building, which has taken people off the streets as well. All this is the work of the old council. I agree more needs doing, but it is not right to suggest that councilors have not worked extremely hard on this issue.

Further down in her blog I found a list of issues and I have to say I agree with most of them, especially the free bus downtown.

I'd be really interested in hearing her position on other issues...
- small business survival to keep our downtown unique and discourage the creep of large chains.
- her plan to meet the office space needs of the provincial government in order to keep gov. jobs in Victoria.
- how she intends to deal with the issue of the Bellville terminal.
- her position on the aging Central Library, and her vision for keeping it relevant and useful for the next generation of children.
- how she would handle the late night eateries question.

When I came to Victoria in the early 1980s there were at least 4 24hr eateries and two affordable clothing stores all in the downtown core. Now there is none for people who want new clothes and want to have a sit down meal.
Downtown is no longer user friendly to the people live here year around and help Victoria to be that vibrant city that the rest of the world thinks it is.
When I have to shop for clothing I cannot afford to go into most of the stores downtown. I am then limited and forced to shop at second stores. But when I do have enough dollars to buy something I take into consideration where i am buying from, how much it cost and is it something I really need. I also then consider is it bio-degradable etc...When I travelled to Durban to attend the world conference on Racism I recieved donations from the small businesses and did my share to promote people to support these businesses and have continued to do so.
I like to buy local and therefore I like to encourage other people to do the same. I tell them the stories how we are keeping more people employed when we do this.
My plan to keep the office space for all government officials...hmm I would definitely like to see the imalgimation of some of the similar services, smaller office spacial usage (sq footage) and maybe have some of these services use their space with other services. For example one service occupy the office from 7am to 3pm then another service from 4 pm to 10pm for six days a week.
I haven't been really following the Belville street issue closely. But from what I have heard through the rumor mill is that there was talk about putting a hotel on the site. If this is true I would mostly like say no. Because we have plenty of hotels downtown that are not operating at full capcity year around. Maybe we should reconconsider revitalizing it so that it is welcoming for everyone which would include the peole who live here. Would it be good for an out door theatre i think so...It would bring business to the area, the locals might be able to see some local shows from or own artist?

[rose henry]

If you go to http://rosehenry.blogspot.com/ she has a nice article that covers her stance on some of the wider issues.

Here are some excepts:



That's good - supporting community gardens is something I look for in candidates I am voting for.



Reading this I am not sure if she is discounting the work of the previous council on the Mayors Task Force. Thanks to Helen Hughes we have the Youth Hospitality Center at the old Taj, along with transitional housing for street youth. Thanks largely to Charlayne Thornton Joe we have the Emergency Weather Protocol which opens up shelter beds during cold weather. She stood alone in front of the angry parents of St Andrews and took abuse trying to defend the needle exchange at St Johns. That took guts. All of council (except Dean Fortin who was in conflict of interest, and (I think?) Pam Madoff who felt there should be more process) provided leadership to get the very unpopular decision through to grant Cool Aid permission to build a new shelter and housing unit on Ellis street. Our Place has a new building, which has taken people off the streets as well. All this is the work of the old council. I agree more needs doing, but it is not right to suggest that councilors have not worked extremely hard on this issue.

Further down in her blog I found a list of issues and I have to say I agree with most of them, especially the free bus downtown.




I'd be really interested in hearing her position on other issues...
- small business survival to keep our downtown unique and discourage the creep of large chains.
- her plan to meet the office space needs of the provincial government in order to keep gov. jobs in Victoria.
- how she intends to deal with the issue of the Bellville terminal.
- her position on the aging Central Library, and her vision for keeping it relevant and useful for the next generation of children.
- how she would handle the late night eateries question.

Around the issues of the library I don't think the current one is past the restoration/ renovation stage. So I would like to see it continue on the site that it is at. Making it more kid usable I wold have to take more time to think aout this...because I never really brought my family up in a library , I brought them up out in the out doors.
Late night eateries I think they should be able to stay open later then the bars. Because it is the eateries that help in the management to a certain degree with the crowds departing the pubs. Maybe it is the pubs that should stagger out their closing hours and closer earlier. In addition maybe we should longer transit hours and more taxi services available to help dispurse the gatherings.

[Caramia]

When I came to Victoria in the early 1980s there were at least 4 24hr eateries...

Day and Night Cafe and Scotts. I spent many nights with my bottomless cup of coffees and both waiting for dawn. I loved the Day and Night for their amazing souvlaki sandwiches, and for the French Canadian waitress, Michelle, who used to check my friend's arm for track marks before serving him. I wonder how many lives Michelle personally saved with her hard-ass attitude?

Nostalgia...

[rose henry]

Actually the respectful tone of your posts is very refreshing. You are doing better at behaving in a civilized manner than many from more privileged backgrounds. One advantage of the internet; You get judged on how you post, not how you dress or where you sleep.

Edit: By the way I have updated Rose Henry's listing on the Candidate's Sticky to include her website. Thanks for the info. If you or anyone else sees another candidate's website missing please let me know!

Thank you for your feed back. What you see and hear is the real me. I don't usually respond very fast because I am a deep rooted thinker first. For me it is my community first and above my on need. So when I respond it is because of this process that is built on respect, understanding and the desires to see change for the entire community as a whole. I am a very serious person at heart which for the most is apart of drive when I am given the chance to speak. Because I have learned the lesson never to speak until you are asked the question first I very seldom take the lead. When I do I am alway prepared to be considered the outsider because i usually am. So when I do take action it is the improvement for the entire community and with a 110% of my committment. I am one of those people who doesn't really know the meaning of give up. So I am very greatfull to gifted with alot of wisdom, patience and understanding of both world ( First nations and caucausian). I really do believe that now is the time to begin the process of including first people because we never have had any representatives for the urban first nations at a municipal level in government.

[rose henry]

[quote name='Caramia']Day and Night Cafe and Scotts. I spent many nights with my bottomless cup of coffees and both waiting for dawn. I loved the Day and Night for their amazing souvlaki sandwiches, and for the French Canadian waitress, Michelle, who used to check my friend's arm for track marks before serving him. I wonder how many lives Michelle personally saved with her hard-ass attitude?

Michelle and every person working the late night shifts saved hundreds of people lives. Simple being open was enough for peple fleeing abusive situations, trying to sober up before going to their final destination. Having late night services not only save lives it got some people out of the cold for several minutes and sometimes hours. it also provide a social gather spot for people who for the most could not afford to go to other eateries like Smitty's, The keg or White spot. Now if a person lives in fairfield, James Bay, Harris Green and they want to go for a coffee or are working the midnight shift and need a meal they have to travell the way to Alzu's on Bay street.

Some people get anoyed with me because i keep bringing up the past. But no dares ask me why I keep doing this because they are afraid that a person like me could be right when I say that we will continue to repeat or mistakes until we learn from them. Our history does determine our destiny. So if we really want to make change then we better know were we have been and we have had and how we are losing things. Just like when made the comments about the raw sewage issues only surface when society does not want to talk about homelessness or the economy.
So when the questions about the crowds gathering in the downtown core comes up I always want to tell people about how import these eateries are. I will definitely advocate for late night eateries and early pub closers.
Nostalgia...

[rose henry]

I am not discounting the work of the previous council on the Mayors Task Force. Definitely Helen Hughes deserves recognition for the work she has done for the street youth as does Dean Fortin who was involve with the Assoc. for Street Kids (ASK) because he was able to provide Helen with the all the info she needed. Yes another thank you should go out to Charlayne Thornton Joe for the Emergency Weather Protocol (EWP) which opens up shelter mats during cold weather. Now this is where I have to add a little more incitfullness to this because I have been there supporting this services since it inception. I was the one of the ones who took both Alan Lowe and her out onto the streets and down the allies and river banks and just about begged them to do something for the people of the streets becuse they were dying and very few people really cared about these people the way i do. I did this after meeting with Charlayne late one night. Charlayne with in a very hours after our little walk about had contacted the right people and managed to find mats and a hall to bring in these people. I litterly walked with the mayor as we asked the homeless to please come in out of the cold. This is how this program began straight from my own efforts to get the people off the streets and into some place dry. So while Charlayne did the call arounds Alan and I went up and down the roads and back allies and trails.
As far as my supporting the work this task force has said that they have done, I can agree with almost any effort made to improve the quality of life for the poor as long as they are include in the process. Right now I know from first hand experience that the people with the most experience on homelessness are not being heard by the core group of representatives because I am on the experiental committee. This committee is apart of this coalition and has not been able to meet with the core directors nor have we been able to share our first hand experiences or our solutions.
I can only whole heartedly say i would agree with the Tsk Force when I knw that a homeless person is sitting on the directors panel.
The anger that was shared with Charlayne was a symptom of the stress the homeless and poor are experiencing. This stress stems from not being able to access our community leaders to tell them that we are getting cold, tired, hungry and pissed off because we have no money. these are some of the tories I hear all the time. So when these people gt an oppurtunity to speak to a representative like Charlayne they hold nothing back, because they don't now when they might to address the reps again.
In some ways Charlayne was a lone when these statements came out; but because the moderator did not think to ask the rest of the council if anyone wanted to responsed I did not. Even though I could have clarified a lot of the miss communication. If you remember the question was directed for her.
So, I know that this task force is working and is doing its best to achieve its own goals. My biggest issue is that fact that reps are not including the homeless directly. They say they consult with them but some how I think it is long after the decision has been made.

I come from the thoughts about empowering the people by including them them in the decisions that affect them directly.

Around the issues of the library I don't think the current one is past the restoration/ renovation stage. So I would like to see it continue on the site that it is at. Making it more kid usable I wold have to take more time to think aout this...because I never really brought my family up in a library , I brought them up out in the out doors.
Late night eateries I think they should be able to stay open later then the bars. Because it is the eateries that help in the management to a certain degree with the crowds departing the pubs. Maybe it is the pubs that should stagger out their closing hours and closer earlier. In addition maybe we should longer transit hours and more taxi services available to help dispurse the gatherings.[/quote]

[quote name='rose henry']When I came to Victoria in the early 1980s there were at least 4 24hr eateries and two affordable clothing stores all in the downtown core. Now there is none for people who want new clothes and want to have a sit down meal.
Downtown is no longer user friendly to the people live here year around and help Victoria to be that vibrant city that the rest of the world thinks it is.
When I have to shop for clothing I cannot afford to go into most of the stores downtown. I am then limited and forced to shop at second stores. But when I do have enough dollars to buy something I take into consideration where i am buying from, how much it cost and is it something I really need. I also then consider is it bio-degradable etc...When I travelled to Durban to attend the world conference on Racism I recieved donations from the small businesses and did my share to promote people to support these businesses and have continued to do so.
I like to buy local and therefore I like to encourage other people to do the same. I tell them the stories how we are keeping more people employed when we do this.
My plan to keep the office space for all government officials...hmm I would definitely like to see the imalgimation of some of the similar services, smaller office spacial usage (sq footage) and maybe have some of these services use their space with other services. For example one service occupy the office from 7am to 3pm then another service from 4 pm to 10pm for six days a week.
I haven't been really following the Belville street issue closely. But from what I have heard through the rumor mill is that there was talk about putting a hotel on the site. If this is true I would mostly like say no. Because we have plenty of hotels downtown that are not operating at full capcity year around. Maybe we should reconconsider revitalizing it so that it is welcoming for everyone which would include the peole who live here. Would it be good for an out door theatre i think so...It would bring business to the area, the locals might be able to see some local shows from or own artist?[/quote]