Monthly Archives: April 2012

Apr 27 2012
Art, Community, Culture, Documentary, Local, Photography

Main Street Gentrification – In Photographs

by Jonathan Taggart

When my parents first moved to Vancouver in 1981 they noted a distinct psychological division between the East and West sides of the city. This split lay like a zipper down Main Street, the historical separation between the municipalities of Point Grey and East Vancouver, perhaps a subconscious legacy of each district’s attitude towards taxation and infrastructure. Whereas historic Point Grey had invested heavily in its organizational longevity, residents of East Vancouver resisted, choosing instead to build their homes at varying distances from off-grid streets, and the visual hangover of this haphazard pioneering was evident 100 years later.

 
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Apr 24 2012
Activism, Charity, Colonialism, Consumption, Economy, Environment, International, Knowledge, Non-Profit, Politics, Poverty, Sustainable Fashion

What is a ‘socially conscious’ product nowadays?

by Kate Patterson

It’s not very hard to look around any public place these days and point out several people wearing TOMS shoes.  I am no stranger to the brand either, having owned several pairs for the last three or so years. But I recently reflected on just how big the TOMS phenomenon has become when it also dawned on me how annoyed I am that every day I get spam emails from them after purchasing a pair of their shoes online about three years ago.  I eventually came to the realization that the TOMS brand might not be the miracle company that so many people are claiming it to be.

By now, most people have heard about TOMS and will have a general understanding of their business model.  For every pair of shoes purchased in Canada, the US and other developed countries where they are sold, a pair of shoes is given to someone in a developing country that doesn’t have shoes.  Blake Mycoskie founded the company in 2006 after he traveled to Argentina and allegedly saw severe economic disparities that he wanted to do something about.  Seems like a pretty good idea right?  I thought so too, at first.  Not only do they make one feel good about the fifty or so dollars being spent on a pair, they are very comfortable, and recently have also become very fashionable.

The problem is that sometimes we in the developed world have a ‘whites in shining armor’ kind of attitude towards the developing world.  It makes us feel better to make such a purchase, while at the same time allowing us to continue on with our consumption of consumer products.  What is sometimes forgotten is that developing countries do have thriving local manufacturing and market economies that may actually be undermined by a flood of foreign aid.  And in fact, TOMS creates the illusion that there are no shoes to be purchased in some of these countries when there often are shoes available through some very productive local markets.  By intruding upon people in an attempt to save them from poverty, the incentive to produce is destroyed and local merchants are put out of business.  When they go out of business, they can’t afford to buy shoes or other goods for their families, thus perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty.

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Apr 19 2012
Commons, Community, Culture, Knowledge, language, Local, Parliament

An Age of Mystery: Mt. Seymour Creates and Re-Creates History

by Chelsey Geralda Denise Armstrong

In my short seven years of studying and working in archaeology I’ve come across many definitions and ideas for words like “heritage”, “authenticity”, ”tradition” and “culture”. They have all sorts of wack applications in our day-to-day parlance, in our writing, in movies and even in government legislation. Trying to understand what they really mean will only leave you in a labyrinth of confusion passed out in your own puke.

Recently Vancouver’s mordor (Mt. Seymour) offered up the remnants of the infamous “Mystery chairlift” as it embarked on a (much needed) revamping of its main conveyer up the mountain. As people waited in line to get their very own Mystery chair (complete with certificate of authentication), I began to think about the meaning of those shitty pieces of metal attached to a dilapidated cable that grooooaned every time someone sat on them. I could picture the Mystery chairs working together to haul families, rich kids and Poco burnouts up the mountain day-in and day-out. The chairs were slow and uncomfortable, on weekends the line-ups were long and the cable sagged like moose lips on a sweaty summers day.

Photo Credit: Adam Mills

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Apr 17 2012
Activism, Civil LIberties, Democracy, Equality, Knowledge, Legal, Parliament, Politics, Progress, Social Change

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms 101 – Happy 30th Birthday!

by Sarah Allan

If you’re like me, and were born after 1982, you never knew a Canada without the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Maybe that is why so many of us never really think about the Charter and what it means, because for us, it has always been there. So, since it seems that Harper and his Conservatives are too busy selling off our natural resources and making enemies of the popultion to celebrate this important milestone in Canadian history, and to avoid taking for granted the rights and protections this prolific document provides and guarantees us as Canadians, today, on the Charter’s 30th birthday, I thought I’d give you all a run down on the Charter and it’s main provisions. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms 101!

Why are you allowed to share your opinions with others as you please? The Charter! Why do you have a right to vote? The Charter! Why do you have a right to a lawyer if you’re arrested? The Charter! Why are you presumed innocent until proven guilty? The Charter! Why is the government required to treat us equally regardless of race or gender? The Charter! As you read this, I hope that you will think about how the Charter impacts your life and the lives of other Canadians, but also, I hope you will try and imagine what life would be without it, because my friends Canada would be a very different place.

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Apr 13 2012
Art, Artist Series, Community, Culture, Education, International, Knowledge, Photography, Social Change

Artist Series – Studio Beluga: A Montreal Art Facilitator

Welcome to the ninth day of Pass it to the Left’s ‘Artist Series!’ We have invited amazing artists and musicians to share their work with us, as well as their thoughts on their art, their music, social change, and community. Enjoy!

by Alina Maizel

I think Svea and I were 24 and 25 respectively when over a coffee (or tea or wine, I mean who remembers now anyways?) we started vocalizing our daydreams and aspirations. We noticed one clear convergence. We both wanted to own an art gallery. So right then and there we decided to do it. If you’re in I’m in type of deal.

The concept behind Studio Beluga was to create a community of artists and art professionals, who could collaborate, share space, work together or independently and support other emerging artists from the Montreal community. The way we decided to build our artist community, and the structure of what was soon to be called Studio Beluga, was through a series of artist residencies. The residencies would work like this: people would have access to shared studio space, to create their works of art, then after a period of 4 months we would clear everything out and transform the space into a gallery style exhibition. In between these series of residencies, we would open up the space to work shops, shows curated by others and any other inspiring art events we believed could foster the exchange of ideas and community building.

Studio Beluga has collaborated with some incredible people and has curated some amazing shows – from a larger than life sized playground installation by Natalie Quagliotto, to an installation by Manuel Mathieu featuring two tongues on mini TV’s almost, but not quite – touching. Most recently we have been working with local arts organizations like Art Matters Festival, Folio Magazine, and the Sexual Assault Awareness week in Montreal.

Black geometric installation by Duy Pham

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Apr 11 2012
Activism, Democracy, International, Police and Security, Politics, Progress, Social Change

The Precipitous Road To Democracy in Burma

by Justin Shoub, writing from Yangon, Burma

When I first arrived in Burma in March, I found that most people I spoke to were feeling somewhat ambivalent about the impending by-election and prospects for real change happening. I began to get the impression that after 5 decades of military rule, most people didn’t want to ‘get their hopes up.’  One taxi driver said to me, “this is all just a trick. They want your money – they want to open up to the world, but they will never give up power.” Others expressed that they thought that the shift towards democracy genuinely had begun, but they made clear that it was just the beginning; the process would be gradual, that change wouldn’t come suddenly. It seemed they did not want to set their expectations too high.

On the eve of the election however, people’s hope finally shone through, and even boiled over into full-on public excitement. The yellow-on-red flag of Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) was everywhere – on t-shirts, on stickers stuck to people’s faces,  and flown from poles on the backs of motorbikes.  A tired-looking man in his mid-40s, stuck in traffic, was looking glazed-over and frustrated. But when he saw me pull up beside him as he looked out his truck window, his eyes widened and he began chanting ‘Aung San Suu Kyi! NLD! NLD!’ fervently, as though I had reminded him suddenly of the need to feel excited.  In a telling echo of the 2007 ‘saffron revolution’ protests, I saw a large group of monks spilling out of the back of a pickup truck, all waving massive NLD flags and chanting with great enthusiasm. The fact that monks would again abandon the dictum of avoiding participation in politics to show their support of the NLD is a strong sign that the by-election is widely seen by the people here as the most important marker on the road to real political change in Burma so far.

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Apr 06 2012
Art, Artist Series, Commons, Community, Culture, Knowledge, Music, Social Change

Artist Series – Alex Foth

Welcome to the eigth day of Pass it to the Left’s ‘Artist Series!’ We have invited amazing artists and musicians to share their work with us, as well as their thoughts on their art, their music, social change, and community Enjoy!

by Alex Foth

What role do you think that art and/or music play in social change movements? 

I believe any art form has the ability to convey any message, whether it is subtle or overt. Either in the art itself, an artist using their craft as a platform, or even by being at an event that has a cause or message.

What role do you think that art and/or music play in the development of community?

I think that’s where are and music should start, or at least the place where an artist can turn to first: the community. Then from there, with the support of your community, you can take it to the next level.

How important is art and/or music to a culture or society?

Well it definitely affects everyone, and you can tell when people emphatically love or hate something. A place that does not have a thriving arts community, is generally not somewhere people like to go, or stay (unless it’s just naturally gorgeous :-)

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Apr 05 2012
Activism, Communication, Community, Education, Environment, Equality, Health, Knowledge, Politics, Social Change, Sustainability, Youth

Take It Away, Canada

By Rebeccah Redden

Opportunities come by all the time, especially now with media so accessible. You can get an email for a contest and the next day you have a new gift card. You can listen to the radio and win tickets to see Justin Beiber. Sometimes those opportunities go nowhere. But opportunities that are solid, that are good, that are golden, that you will always be able to catch are extremely rare.

Insert Katimavik. Katimavik is Canada’s leading youth volunteer program. It has been around since 1977, as started under Pierre Trudeau’s government by Jacques Hébert. It has changed many times throughout its long standing Canadian career until reaching todays six month program, providing a stay in two Canadian communities. Each program annually consists of around 800 youth. Each group has 11 youth age 17- 21. Each participant volunteers for about 40 hours per week and completes a learning program that focuses on Canada’s official languages, protecting the environment, leadership, cultural diversity, and leading a healthy lifestyle. Each year, more than 500 non-profit organizations are assisted by Katimavik volunteers doing full-time work.

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Apr 04 2012
Activism, Community, Democracy, Equality, Human Rights, Immigration, International, Legal, Parliament, Politics, Refugees, Social Change

Bill C-31 and Our Refugee System: A Plea for Justice

by Gregory Johannson

For those that value the liberal democratic paradigm in Canada, be alarmed. With Bill C-31 in Parliament with a majority government, the principle of equality before the law faces erosion in ways that threaten the rights of refugees and refugee claimants, and by extension, every Canadian. Indiscriminate, mandatory detention and the deliberate removal of the right to a fair hearing for certain classes of people (among other clauses in the Bill’s current form) constitute corrosive elements on our justice system. Any measure that restricts the right of a person – whether the most vulnerable or most powerful – from receiving equitable treatment in the eyes of the law is a threat, not only to those targeted, but to our society as a whole. A slippery slope indeed.

Less a shocker than an extension of a manifestly anti-refugee political trajectory, Bill C-31 is part of a legislative climate that has witnessed more steps backward than forward since Canada became the first (and to date, only) country to receive the UNHCR Nansen Medal in 1986 for ‘outstanding services in supporting refugee causes.’ It was a proud moment, but a fleeting one. Take a minute to mull over the U.S.-Canada Safe Third Country Agreement (STC), one of the more profound regressions. STC allows the U.S. – a country with a rocky past in its outlook on torture and recognition of gender as grounds for refugeehood – to make binding decisions on refugee claimants before they ever arrive in Canada.

Would we force Canadian criminals to be tried in Florida and face the death penalty? Why design a system for our society if we lack the resolve to respect its outcomes?

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