Pivot says "RCMP secretly funded anti-Insite research"

Prompted by elections here, there and everywhere ... we've been busily discussing the role of business, civil society and government and social innovation.

Then ... Pivot's news release took hold of our coffee chatter.

Without comment, here's what Pivot has to say:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – October 8, 2008

RCMP secretly funded anti-Insite research

Formal complaint to Auditor General requests an investigation into RCMP financing of four injection site critiques

Vancouver – Pivot Legal Society is calling upon Sheila Fraser, the Auditor General of Canada, to examine whether or not RCMP funding of academic critiques of Insite went beyond the legislated mandate of the RCMP and constituted a misuse of public funds.

In 2006 officers of the RCMP’s “E” Division, based in Vancouver, commissioned four authors to write opinion pieces on the scientific research surrounding Vancouver’s safe injection site in the hopes of questioning Insite’s effectiveness. One of these pieces, entitled “A Critique of Canada’s INSITE Injection Site and its Parent Philosophy: Implications and Recommendations for Policy Planning”, was authored by Colin Mangham, director of research for the Drug Prevention Network of Canada, and subsequently relied upon by Health Minister Tony Clement as proof that the research surrounding Insite was inconclusive.

“The RCMP Act gave the RCMP a mandate to act as peace officers for the citizens of Canada. Using public funds entrusted to them to fund a cynical critique of health-based research clearly does not fall within this mandate” states Douglas King, a lawyer with Pivot Legal Society.

Internal E-mails show true motivation of the RCMP

A series of e-mails, obtained through Freedom of Information requests, show the true motives of the RCMP in funding the anti-Insite critiques and how they wished to keep their involvement a secret.

In one of these e-mails former Constable Chuck Doucette of the “E” division reports to his superiors that “Dr. Mangham’s report has now been published…As per our request, the report has no reference to the RCMP”. Other emails refer to the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS as the “Centre for Excrements”, and call on members of the RCMP to phone in to a local radio show, stating “You know that the Pro Insite side will have people lined up to support it. Let’s try get more calls in than they do”.

E-mails also show that Conservative MPs met with the RCMP officials who commissioned the reports, and talked about shifting Canada’s drug strategy away from harm reduction. One RCMP email states “As we know, with a minority government, it isn’t going to change overnight; but, at least we know this is what they will be pushing for when they can.”

Supporting documents are here.
---------------------

Interested in learning more about social enterprise? Take a browse through the Vancouver Social Enterprise Book Store (Vancouver United Kingdom United States) and see what other social entrepreneurs recommend reading.

Tags for information about: for:vsef, Social Policy, INSITE, Pivot

--------------------

Pivot Presents: Justice Rocks

On August 30, 2008 Pivot is hosting Justice Rocks, a free, all-day music festival in East Van's Strathcona! Justice Rocks aims to bring together all things progressive: social and environmental justice movements, independent music, and, of course, Vancouverites!

Pivot's Executive Director, John Richardson said:

"We wanted to hold a summer event that brings together music and ideas for social change Justice Rocks is about showing how fun it can be to help make the world a better place."

Vision:
Music has proven one of the most effective tools for promoting positive social change to a broad, mainstream audience. Calls for social change have found expression in just about every modern musical form (hip-hop, reggae, punk, rock, heavy metal) as well as many older forms (Negro spirituals, union anthems). Justice Rocks will build on this synergy, using music not only as a means of expression, but as a backdrop for pioneering ideas and pop-culture symbols that bring social and environmental justice to the cultural mainstream.

A roster of popular local indie rock bands will provide the central music focus for the first year of the event, backed by a high-tech sound stage and professional event production. Against the backdrop of fantastic music, a team of cutting-edge non-profit advocacy groups will provide engaging programming and displays for both adults and children on the theme of 'What does Justice look like?", promoting new solutions and encouraging reflection on the role of social and environmental justice on the road to a better future. A variety of artists will also express on the theme of social change, using media and performance to create a contemporary perspective on the age-old idea of justice.

Tickets:
Available via a partnership with GiveMeaning, who are offering virtual tickets to Justice Rocks. Virtual Ticket holders will receive a Justice Rocks t-shirt and a tax-receipt, as well as a special invitation to the Justice Rocks AfterParty - join the band members, volunteers, and organizers for the party that starts after the concert!

Justice Rocks will be awarding prizes to the top three people who get their friends to purchase virtual tickets, so get your friends to buy their tickets today!

Volunteers:
The event is looking for site volunteers, organizers, promoters, videographers – you name it – to help with the lead up to the event, the concert, and the after-party.
Aside from connecting with other awesome folks who are also volunteering, and helping to launch the first year of a great event, Justice Rocks volunteers will also receive a free Justice Rocks t-shirt, 2 tickets to the after party, and special identification at the event.

Here's a contact if you have any other questions.

Mark it on your calendar!
---------------------

Interested in learning more about social enterprise? Take a browse through the Vancouver Social Enterprise Book Store (Vancouver | United Kingdom | United States) and see what other social entrepreneurs recommend reading.

Tags for information about: for:vsef, Pivot Legal, Nonprofit, GiveMeaning

--------------------

A Blanket of Rights from Pivot and MEC

This is a picture of a Pivot staffer, David Eby, displaying the new Pivot/MEC Rights Blanket. What's the Rights Blanket?

A little over a year ago, the idea was to stencil the contents of a Pivot Rights Card onto a space blanket. Space blankets don't like direct heat.

MEC knows a thing or three about design and protection from harsh climates, so when MEC heard about the blanket idea phone numbers were exchanged and introductions made to create ...

A joint project between Mountain Equipment Co-Op and Pivot, the Rights Blanket is light-weight, rugged, and easy to pack. Made of the same material as MEC’s high-end rain jackets, the Rights Blanket acts like a large, light-weight tarp with foot pockets, drawstrings and a built-in "stuff sack".

It wraps around a sleeping person, their clothing and insulating blankets, protecting them from water and wind. Silk-screened onto the inside of the Blanket, in 26 point font, are various need-to-know rights for homeless people, including their rights in relation to panhandling, security guards, housing, policing, and welfare.

Congratulations to both Pivot and MEC for sticking with the idea and creating the blankets.

Buy the blankets and share them.

The first run of 500 Rights Blankets will soon be gone, but Pivot is already taking orders from the general public for the next batch. Interested people can provide a Rights Blanket to a homeless person for $50.00. Donors have the option of picking up the Blanket themselves to give away to someone in need, or having a non-profit agency in the Downtown Eastside give it away on their behalf. People who wish to donate a Rights Blanket can place an order online or call Pivot at (604) 255-9700.

Oh ... the need to know rights are here - in case you haven't had a chance to order your Rights Blanket.

Covered by CBC Vancouver - online. They wrote:

David Eby, a lawyer with Pivot, hopes the blanket campaign will raise awareness about the homeless situation in Vancouver, where there are only 700 shelter spaces available for the estimated 2,300 people who live on the streets.

---------------------

Tags for information about: for:vsef, MEC, Pivot Legal, Rights Blanket

--------------------

UN Agency Invites Pivot to Geneva

Very pleased to hear that Pivot's David Eby will be presenting to the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE).

Here's Pivot's announcement:

A United Nations-funded housing rights agency has invited Pivot Legal Society lawyer David Eby to Geneva to make a presentation on the impacts of the 2010 Olympic Games on Vancouver’s most marginalized residents.

Eby’s presentation to the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) in mid June will be part of a larger workshop presenting final results from COHRE’s two-year study of the housing rights impact of international events, with a specific focus on the Olympic Games.

“I am honoured that this internationally recognized research agency has chosen Pivot to present on homelessness and the Games,” said Eby. “I will do my best to provide this international audience with a comprehensive report on Vancouver’s progress, or lack of progress on these issues.”

Eby has spent the last two years with Pivot studying the state of low-income housing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Canada’s poorest urban neighbourhood. In 2006, he was co-lead author of Cracks in the Foundation, Pivot’s comprehensive study of housing issues facing low-income residents in Vancouver. In 2007, he was an editor of the Impact of the Olympics on Community Coalition’s Interim Report Card and is a member of the Board of that organization. Experts from the UN High Commission on Human Rights and UN-HABITAT are also scheduled to present.

“Given Vancouver’s experience with Expo ’86, I would have thought our governments would be more concerned,” said Eby, “but with just over two and a half years to go before the games, the affordable housing legacy promised in the bid process has yet to appear and through Civil City our city council is poised to harass and displace Vancouver’s most vulnerable citizens.”

Stops at the World Health Organization, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS are on Eby’s itinerary.

---------------------

Tags for information about: for:vsef, Social Economy, Housing, Pivot

--------------------

[Project] DTES Video Diaries - Toward a Beautiful Vancouver

While the city is focused on another YouTube video. We thought today was a good time to start some thinking about a video project looking at the daily lives of Vancouverites living and working in the DTES.

More to follow ...

Pivot Launches Housing Solutions Contest

Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside provides low-income housing and a network of social services to more than 5,000 of the Vancouver’s poorest residents. However, the neighbourhood is facing rapid erosion of that housing as a result of development and gentrification pressures.

Today, Pivot Legal Society announced it will award $2,000 for the winning essay in a contest to find the best and most practical solutions to the housing crisis in Vancouver.

The top six papers, as judged by a panel of professional developers, government planners, and academics, will be published by Pivot in a Special Report on Housing Solutions for the Downtown Eastside. The report will be presented at a public meeting to discuss solutions to the housing crisis in Vancouver in the Fall of 2007.

According to one of the judges, SFU Professor, Nick Blomley, "Homelessness is one of the most challenging issues facing today's Vancouver. These essays will hopefully allow us to think outside the box a little, and offer practical as well as innovative ideas and solutions."

The housing solutions contest is looking specifically for policy proposals that:

have been implemented and are successful in other jurisdictions;

involve partnerships between government and developers; and,

respect the needs of the existing low-income community in the area and do not displace, either directly or indirectly, that community.

The essay contest deadline is Monday April 30, 2007. For more information about the contest, visit the Pivot online.

For more information call Pivot Legal Society on (604) 255-9700 or e-mail.

---------------------

Tags for information about: for:vsef, Social Economy, Nonprofit, Housing

--------------------

[Opportunity] Pivot Legal Society

A couple of quickies ... from the folks at Pivot.

Pivot's mandate is to take a strategic approach to social change, using the law to address the root causes that undermine the quality of life of those most on the margins. We believe that everyone, regardless of income, benefits from a healthy and inclusive community where values such opportunity, respect and equality are strongly rooted in the law.

Position One: Project Coordinator - Child Apprehension and Families Living in Poverty: Human Rights Issues and Solutions

Are you interested in the issue of child protection and the human rights issues facing parents and children in the Downtown Eastside? In 2004/2005, the DTES witnessed an average of just over 5 protection reports for every 1,000 children - double the average rate seen in the Vancouver Coastal region and almost four times the provincial rate. Pivot is seeking a full time Project Coordinator for its upcoming project, Child Apprehension and Families Living in Poverty: Human Rights Issues and Solutions. The Project Coordinator will be responsible for establishing a project advisory committee, developing a project plan, recruiting and overseeing project volunteers, and coordinating data collection, analysis and report writing. Applicants should have both project management and social research experience. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with diverse and marginalized persons is a must, as are good computer skills.

Application deadline: September 1, 2006
Submit resume in confidence to (604) 685-7813 or use this e-mail link.


Position Two: A family lawyer with an interest in social justice

You’ve always felt that a family law practice should help solve individual people’s problems, but you also know from experience that the current legal system often stands in the way of meaningful resolution of many family law issues. We are looking for a lawyer with experience in family law to help individuals on fee-for-service and funded family law cases. Beyond one-on-one assistance, we also want you to help us address systemic issues in family law, with a particular focus on child apprehension challenges for low-income mothers through a grant-funded advocacy and research initiative.

Application deadline: September 1, 2006
Submit resume in confidence to (604) 685-7813 or use this e-mail link.


Position Three: Be your own senior partner – corporate law without the hierarchy

You love the intellectual challenge of business and corporate law, but you wish you had meaningful client contact, more autonomy, and interesting issues and clients to work with. Part of your time, you will use the business skills you have polished for at least one year in private practice to help small, independent businesses, charities and cooperatives in British Columbia with employment, incorporation, contracts and other business law issues. The rest of your time you will have the opportunity, if you want it, to advance social justice initiatives. If you are a barrister, you will have the chance to work on social justice files, including strategic litigation to address homelessness and lack of housing.

Application deadline: September 1, 2006
Submit resume in confidence to (604) 685-7813 or use this e-mail link.



Volunteer Position: Project Volunteer - Child Apprehension and Families Living in Poverty: Human Rights Issues and Solutions

Pivot is looking for volunteer researchers, lawyers and interviewers for our upcoming human rights project on child apprehension in the Downtown Eastside. If you are interested in getting involved, please contact Katrina Pacey.

---------------------

Tags for information about: for:vsef, Civic Engagement, Nonprofit, Pivot Legal Society

--------------------

Pivot Legal Cooperative - Opportunities for Lawyers - Wine and Cheese

Pivot Legal Cooperative is looking for lawyers interested in full-time or part-time positions working on a mix of fee-for-service and public interest files.

They are seeking highly motivated and entrepreneurial individuals able to work flexibly and cooperatively, combining a rigorous and pragmatic approach to law with a keen social sense.

You might also be drawn to work with an Ashoka Fellow.

Pivot Legal Cooperative is now accepting applications for staff lawyer positions, starting with openings for individuals with business law experience. Pivot Legal Cooperative also has openings for five (5) lawyers wishing to build their practice in association with PLC. We are accepting members interested in one or more of the following practice areas: civil litigation, family, business, property, administrative, immigration, aboriginal and criminal law.

They are looking for legal talent and shared values, and will prefer applicants with a track record of working in their communities and promoting positive social change.

Members of PLC will be eligible for our mentorship program and for cases funded through Pivot Legal Society. Members will benefit from client referrals and a range of legal support services including office space, document management, accounting and billing, benefits packages, research resources, reception services, and virtual offices.

-------------------------------------------

Interested lawyers are warmly invited to attend our Wine & Cheese Information Session:

Radha Yoga & Eatery
728 Main Street
Tuesday, July 18th
7pm to 9pm
RSVP to co-op@pivotlegal.org

-------------------------------------------


Pivot Legal Cooperative merges a viable model of legal practice with a social return," and "provides an option for women lawyers looking for a more flexible, collaborative corporate environment.
- Small Business BC


---------------------

Tags for information about: for:vsef, Pivot Legal, Ashoka

--------------------