Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

Dear Friends of Child Care:

Code Blue for Child Care is a national campaign that is being led by the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada and a coalition of our partners. Code Blue means “medical emergency”. Canadian politicians need to know that saving child care is an urgent need. Make your voice heard before Parliament resumes on April 3.

Do your part by signing the open letter online or  download the PDF to collect signatures on paper and mail them to the CCAAC: http://www.buildchildcare.ca/updir/buildchildcare/code_blue_letter.pdf

Circulate this to as many people as you can - friends, co-workers, family, daycare parents - so that they can add their voices to those telling Stephen Harper that he can’t take away our child care!

The letter is linked on the CCAAC website with other resources for Code Blue.  Check it regularly for updates.

Sincerely, Debra Mayer and Jamie Kass, CCAAC Co-chairs

Hadani Ditmars, an internationally known journalist based in Canada, will be speaking in Prince George at the College of New Caledonia on Wed., March 8th/06 at 7:00pm. (International Women’s Day)

The meeting is organized by the Northern Women’s Forum and the Active Voice Coalition. Everyone is invited to participate in this event and meet Ms. Ditmars.

Sponsored by: Status of Women Committee - Faculty Association of College of New Caledonia.

Unfortunately, the March 4/06 IWD breakfast hosted by the Local Labour Council is now sold out. A dozen sisters from PSAC will be in attendance.

Via Email: Sisters and Brothers,
 
UFCW 1518 is asking for our help in a battle they’re facing with Overwaitea Food Group (OFG.)

Please Don’t Shop at PriceSmart!

We’re the employees of Save-On Foods. We’re the mothers, the fathers, the students, the ordinary people who work at Save-On Foods stores and live in the community.

Our employers, the Overwaitea Food Group (Jim Pattison Group company) changed the Whalley Save-On Foods store at 10312 King George to a PriceSmart store.

In doing so, Overwaitea is taking away our job security and threatening our futures, and they are violating our contract to do it.

This isn’t fair, nor is it right.

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Twenty-five years after working as a community organizer with the Downtown Eastside Residents’ Association in Vancouver, I’ve come back to the community as a retired person, volunteering at the Carnegie Centre.

One good thing about being older is that you have actually experienced a little history. I believe there are some lessons for policy-makers in what I can remember about the Downtown Eastside.

Thirty years ago, as now, the Downtown Eastside was a poor neighbourhood. Then, as now, people with addictions were visible on the street. In those days alcohol was the drug used most often. Now it’s other drugs.

But 30 years ago the stores along East Hastings Street weren’t boarded up. We bought newspapers at Universal News. Residents could afford a few breakfasts a month at the Princess Cafe, a hot plate at Benmors, a coconut bun at the local bakery, a cheap shirt at Fields, a coffee at the Two Eagles Cafe.

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