The History Waltz

Tong Chuang - Yi Meng
                               Chinese Proverb



1870
By now coal-mining on Vancouver Island has become a major industry - turning a tiny Hudson's Bay trading-post of about 50 - Nanaimo - into a major settlement; around 700 Chinese work in several collieries. Not miners but no-name gofers.
Robert Dunsmuir had been employed by Hudson's Bay to establish coal-mines around Nanaimo's harbor, after the company was told about coal in the area by an Indian leader. He soon quit his job to become one of the first independent miners; promptly hit coal; established a company to become eligible for crown-land at next to nothing - and the Wellington Colliery was born. Nanaimo quickly grew in size - the energy-push was on! Soon making Mr. Dunsmuir a man of enormous wealth and power. His wealth to a great extent based on physical and financial exploitation of his workforce. A Vancouver street bears his name.

1875
According to the British Columbia Annual Mining Report: hands employed by Wellington number 124 whites and 110 Chinese, plus 8 Indians. Whites are paid between $2.50 and $5.00 per day; Chinese and Indians get a flat $1.10. The report also states the number of hands does not include Indians and Chinamen working for miners.

Initially the breaking-off is done by whites, who then load coal into wagons and take these to the surface. The difference in pay is: the more coal - the more money. So they sort-of subcontract loading/moving to Chinese and Indians, paying them out of their own pockets. Not having to waste time with that any longer: they now can concentrate on the more-money part.
But paying their gofers $1.10 per day supposedly takes too much out of their income - so they lower even that.

Officially these Chinese and Indians don't exist. Even those Chinese working for mines directly are known and identified only superficially. By a number-tag or a number/surname tag. Chinese names here are useless as ID, because so many are the same. Those run by and running for miners are known - examples here - as Fred Miller's Chinaman or Tom Brown's Celestial.

With conditions being extremely primitive, there are frequent accidents, even deaths. Recording them seems pointless: after all, these men generally are alone here - China is far away. And all looking alike, acting alike, sounding alike - being alike, period - makes them just a number, indeed. So, one more or less ....! Plus there is the language-nuisance - not a barrier to remove but ultimate proof of differentness accepted.

Thus the hurt are patched-up perfunctorily and sent back down - or away if too damaged to get on with it. Those who die are buried unceremoniously and unmarked - deaths even of "employed" Chinese - here or anywhere else in BC - not having to be reported until 1897.

1883
300 white miners go on strike at Dunsmuir mines over work/money-issues - having to pay their gofers plays a big part. Dunsmuir promptly replaces them all with so far compliant Chinese, who have picked-up on how to do the work by watching their white handlers. And - BIG and - they only have to be paid the standard Chinese rate. All around a good deal for Dunsmuir!
This infuriates the white miners even more - it all eventually leads to labor-unions - while intensifying their resentment towards the Chinese.

The problem with Chinese for the ever so British Columbians running everything is their availability in (scarily) great numbers and willingness to work hard - the latter not necessarily part of the whites'-at-hand gene-pool. BC doesn't want the Chinese - but they do come cheap, and without them there would be far less economic growth. So the movers and shakers are stuck with them. But decidedly not interested in assimilation.

To the Chinese, having work - any kind of work - simply means life and a future for their families back home. They don't understand the whites' preoccupation with as much money as possible for as little work as possible.


1887

An explosion - deep underground in the Number One Mine of the Vancouver Coal Company - kills 150 miners; 7 survive. Supposedly 53 are Chinese, and in the official inquest and subsequent Mining report they are listed as Chinamen, names unknown. But what with deaths of Chinese not having to be reported and miner-run gofers being unlisted - the actual number is anyone's guess if.
So the conveniently too dead to object Chinese are blamed for the explosion, because supposedly they couldn't read signs and instructions. This bypassing the fact that safety - time-and-money intensive - is just not a concern in these mines: only the fact of coal is.

2012
HD Mining International is planning to establish a coal-mine in Tumbler Ridge, BC - the first of several.
Provincially/nationally advertising for people to do their work - specifically: long-wall mining with relevant machinery - results in about 300 applications, of which over 200 don't follow-up. Of the 97 preliminarily considered - none are suitable. No experience!
After supposedly following the route mandated by law - making sure and coming-up empty - HD Mining hires 200 experienced miners on a temporary basis in - DRUMROLL! - CHINA! HD also buys the needed machinery there! The irony!

'Round and 'round we go .....!

Of course - continuing the happy BC tradition of China-bashing - there is the requisite union-splutter: Sure we have plenty men can do the work in BC or somewhere in Canada! Which is disingenuous, seeing that hitherto there has been no long-wall coal-mining nor the necessary machinery over here. And - from another union-brain - a couple of weeks ago: Maybe it's 200 today but could turn into a thousand real quick! Then - the most recent: What about  safety, like can they understand, speak, read enough English in an emergency?

Turning, turning, turning .....!

These reasons - not to argue their merit here - have been tried one at a time, over time - begging the obvious question: Why wasn't there a comprehensive well-reasoned presentation by the unions when all this began, months ago? Instead of this dribbled predictability.
So now it's provincial vs. federal politics and unions bringing in the courts, because they lack in-house brains to focus on a non-adversarial resolution.

'Round and 'round we go .....!



This coming at a time when demonization of China by plodding Canadian minds - particularly the progressive - is once again in full form: the trade-agreement between Canada and China in the news recently. What's conveniently ignored here is - EXCUSE ME! - that this is an agreement between two parties. Therefore it's not that big bad China imposed this on poor helpless Canada - this is business. So dump on - better yet dump - the Harper-Government, if dump you must!

Turning, turning, turning .....!

Anyway, others say: any planned additional coal-mines here - and more to follow nationally - mean employment. And having knowledgeable people - who just happen to be Chinese - start it all and then train Canadians in the process - who, in turn, will train other Canadians later - looks like a good thing!

This is also the general opinion on the CBC's BC Almanac, with its do-you-want-them-here-or-not.

And now, the Tumbler Ridge News is suggesting its readers learn a few phrases in Mandarin. Like: Ni hao! Xie xie! Mei wenti! Zai jian! Ting budong!

'Round and 'round we go .....!

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Onagawa Truck: Life-Giver!

There's a crack in everything;
that's how the light gets in.
                                   
                                      Leonard Cohen



Following below the first picture is the text - with revelatory clarifications - of my presentation to the Committee of the Whole (COW) - Nov. 19, 2012. 
There, prompted by the Chair: Kevin Cormack, City Manager - staying clear of my 4 simple questions - rambles on sideways: avoiding his microphone. On the spot developing a scenario long on words and short on facts - generally waiting for the mayor to tell us what to do, and then we'll do that. When he gets back. You can get your answers from HIM! 
This resistance later makes me think: what I had intended as only a brief in-person presentation of recent developments to Council and (very important!) those of the Whole sitting behind me - really has to go out there to face the greater Whole: the Japan-disaster-relief donors! Like: it's their money Mr. Cormack doesn't want to talk about. 

This post builds on and boils down the recent preceding 4 - but may not be the last, considering that now clearly all roads lead to City Hall.
I must assume that the reader is familiar with this truck-issue - as I couldn't possibly again deja vu all over again.

Onagawa Truck: Who Pays What - Why and How?
This is the heading of my presentation to the COW. But before getting into that:
The What and How ought to be of major concern, I mean, how much flat-bed truck can 30.000 Canadian dollars buy - and a flat-bed truck is what Onagawa now wants! A very used one - as good as new? Driven to church on Sundays only by a little old Japanese lady? For you cheap? Provided there still are $30.000 in the City-kitty, by the time whoever gets down for real to this long-distance truck-business.
It seems that the Nelson-group - in its magnanimous swoon - failed to make clear to the Onagawa-group that there is only so much money to be lavished!
Oops and hello! and now what!


TEXT

Transparency
In The Nelson Daily, Oct. 18, Mayor Dooley says the committee and the City now need to work out the truck purchase.
Meaning: the mayor is unilaterally making available unspecified time, manpower and money at/from City Hall, for an unapproved, undefined project. According to a member of his committee: it is he as the City - not the committee - who is now in contact with the Japanese Consulate in Vancouver over truck matters.
Question to Mayor Dooley:
Why is neither Council nor the donating electorate informed of your role in this disaster-relief disaster?

Accountability
Council approved a scholarship of $10.000 for Onagawa. This scholarship was never defined in terms of intent and structure. Regardless - according to the same committee-member - Onagawa rejects scholarships as unsuitable. Seeing that this fund was approved for a scholarship only, it would seem decidedly inappropriate to apply it to a truck-purchase or anything else.
Questions to Council:
1.
Are you aware of this and if so: what happened/will happen with the money?
2.
If you aren't - why not?
3.
Why is the tax-paying electorate - whose money was committed - uninformed of any of this?

Accountability:
Back to Mr. Cormack. It was never made public how much donated money exactly went into the City-held account - it is not known how much money exactly is in this account today. Presumably there are about $30.000, not including the $10.000 for the scholarship.
A serious lapse in professionalism: there is no written legal document identifying a person/persons with authority over safeguarding, releasing, transferring and/or applying these funds. This - in connection with the mayor saying in the same Nelson Daily: he does not know to whom these funds belong legally - has created a possibly very questionable situation. And Mr. Cormack says in this meeting - a bizarre first! - that the collected funds were donated to the City! Right! Covered!
Questions to Mr. Cormack:
1.
How will you allocate funds for the process of Mayor Dooley's truck-purchase?
2.
Will these funds come from City Hall or the donations, seeing that - unapproved - neither source would be justifiable?
3.
Have there been any withdrawals from the account?
4.
Why is neither Council nor the donating public informed of any of this?

Credibility
The same committee-member writes recently:
A flat-bed truck could be used either for setting-up community-events or to aid in evacuation, in the event of another disaster (for example a large typhoon such as Sandy)..... Also the citizens have been left with high anxiety levels, and a truck...relieves their anxiety.
Aside from ascribing mood-altering properties to this phantom-truck - this latest justification for the absolute necessity of it seems to make it the ONLY truck in a town the size of Nelson and presupposes this truck will survive until and in the next disaster - surely just around the corner.
She also stresses that giving these funds to the Red Cross or the Onagawa Hospital would not make the donation identifiable. Meaning: no glorifying plaque for Nelson! Clearly showing again: this effort has never been about compassion but calculated for applause!

The Donating Public
The Nelson public - various fundraising groups and many individuals - have been left uninformed for over one year. Many of them came from giving spontaneously and generously over 18 months ago, to offer some disaster-relief to those in immediate need. While now possibly looking at these funds being turned into a feel-good gesture only: for a select group of Onagawa Japanese - by a small special-interest group of Nelsonites.

With most of the money to end-up in pockets of middlemen and a truck dealer?

A long-overdue in-depth look at this City-Hall tangle must be facilitated by a willingly! proactive Council NOW!


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Onagawa Trucking Ltd: What a Load...!

As soon as we abandon our reason and are content to rely on authority, there is no end to our troubles.
                                                                   Bertrand Russell



This post follows
Onagawa Trucking Ltd
which follows
Nelson: Blessed Relief? I Wish!
which follows
Onagawhat Now?
These are the basis for this latest in the series - read from the bottom up.



Mayor
Mayor Dooley's desultory, largely superficial/non-factual, often beside-the-point, short and - above all - very late in coming communication - towards the end of the Regular Council Meeting (RCM), Nov. 5 - was not the earthquake-relief-funding update in our next meeting, promised by him, Sep. 18 - now 3 meetings ago. Rather - it was prompted by Councillor Cherbo's request for clarification on the issue and given against the backdrop of Council not providing any input whatsoever. Not one question! Not a word! Nothing!

After the recent extensive local media-coverage of Nelson's humanitarian-relief concerns - or the lack thereof - one could have reasonably expected the mayor - as spokesperson for the group efforting with getting someone in Onagawa to accept our donated funds (how bizarre is that!) - would finally want to straighten out his group's vague and spotty image/record, by explaining how what has been done-and-not. And his involvement in it. Open. Transparent.
Significant here - and very troubling - that the mayor seems to have had inside-info all along - info neither Council nor the general public has access to - prior to announcing his intended update - never upped - never cancelled!
Bluntly: the mayor appears to have been withholding information of direct major concern to the donating public and Council.

Like the truck-decision - supposedly made by his group right after Sep. 17 - which the public and Council could find out about only a month later on-line, in The Nelson Daily, Oct. 16, running an exploratory article on Nelson's fundraising disaster, this in response to my questions in the Committee of the Whole, (COW), Sep. 17.
Neither the mayor nor his committee volunteering anything about this phantom-truck within that month. Maybe they were worried - so they ducked!

Easy to see why - what with this truck materializing practically overnight - and in reaction to my presentation to the same COW. Not because - as the group eventually claimed when confronted - they had become highly re-charged/motivated by my presentation, but - let's be real here! - because they suddenly had to worry about losing their monopolizing grip on the donated funds (more of the same bizarre!). Seeing that several councillors - the day after said COW, Sep. 18 - finally involved themselves by wanting these funds to be sent-off asap! No smarmy gifts - just cash to where most needed! To the Red Cross or such!

So, who told the group? about this Inside-City-Hall development and kicked them into truck-mode: cocking-up this miracle of timing, with someone in Onagawa thrown in as having originated the idea - just to be on the safe side. Attempting to safely lock-in these funds to feed their agenda: after over one year of next to nothing - suddenly a just-like-that! proverbial flurry of actvity.

This obsession with Onagawa-Only! makes very clear that to the City/group humanitarian relief just for the sake of helping is not an issue - but applauded self-glorification is! Non-Onagawa Japanese in need - who cares! - need not apply!

Little wonder there was no update, no timely truck-info volunteered - those in charge of this set-up were - still are - hoping things will die down, just go away.

Well, they're not going away - so this is a new experience for everybody!

The Mayor's Council
During the RCM, putting out a press-release was contemplated to inform the public on the progress of some item before Council - I forgot what. Yet - although blindingly appropriate - this was not suggested later on by the mayor or Council for the donated-funds issue!
And I can see why: sudden transparency may have demanded too many answers from the mayor thus Council, just as the update in our next meeting would have. So keeping it all in the backroom surely was the way to go. Opaque and woolly.

Earlier in this meeting, the mayor became dramatically indignant over some tagging of a hydro-box on Stanley ... I just don't understand ... all I want is beauty for Nelson ... while later showing none of this indignation over those Non-Onagawa Japanese still suffering.
Just as astonishing is how excited - on one hand - Council can get over inanimate-stuff issues. Like when they discussed a possible stretch of sidewalk - somewhere in the hills and going nowhere - and the pros and contras of concrete vs. crushed-granite to cover it. So excited: they went into overtime with it. And - on the other hand - just as astonishing: how little excitement they will muster with animates - like people in need even - if not sure whether the boss will approve. Same meeting.

One can see why: in a small town, personal agendas in search of context are run with a careful-just-in-case app - anywhere, anytime, with anyone. And with Council-work being a poorly paid parttime overtime thing only ...
Understandable yes - acceptable definitely not!

Details Of The Mayor's Communication, RCM - Nov. 5
Clearly directed at me; here in bits and mostly paraphrased:
1.
Mayor:
The committee has been working very hard on this issue.
Response (now, here - there was no space for it within the meeting's structure):
Putting (misdirecting) a lot of energy into something does not automatically guarantee success. Wendy LaCroix (WLC) told me - at the end of August - how tired and frustrated she and everybody else in the group was; they had no focus; they hadn't met in some time; she didn't know whether all members were in town; there had been no contact with Japan in a while. Councillor Cherbo - having attended meetings of this ilk - generally confirmed this.

2.
Mayor:
Anybody is welcome to join the committee and make suggestions.
Response:
a.
This had never been offered before. Whatever - it would be pointless to join now - seeing that clearly the decision to buy a truck was made some time ago by them and the mayor, to the point where - according to him - now the committee and the City have to work out how to deal with the truck's purchase in Japan and how to get it to Onagawa.
b.
I did indeed make suggestions to WLC: our contact was positive - she told me she would connect with whoever of the group was in town, and we would have a meeting. I believe she was sincere then. But she didn't call me back, neither did she respond to a follow-up email. Who prompted here not to?
c.
Yet despite this, they supposedly became energized by me - and this gush of new energy manifested the truck! Stroking me: gross!

3.
Mayor:
Now the Japanese Consulate is handling the trucking process for the committee and a Mr. Doi in Onagawa.
Response:
I don't see the consulate in Vancouver wasting its time (and paying for it!?) with an insignificant private, single-truck purchase in Japan, particularly in view of the huge and very real disaster-problems there.
Unfailingly polite gestures initiated there would do little for Nelson, except present a very drawn-out bow-for-bow process going nowhere. Sumimasen!
This takes me back to the mayor saying in October that the committee and the City now need to work out details of the truck purchase. Considering the group's ineptitude thus far, the City surely would have to supply considerable amounts of time, energy, manpower and money to facilitate this, under there-given circumstances.
So what's with this consulate-thing now - except that it sounds good, makes it look as if something is actually happening. Providing a good cover!

Mayor:
The truck will be used for community events, moving things, seniors.
Response:
Tepid examples for the truck's use clearly were improvised on the spot - adding seniors is a nice touch. But - in winter - getting bunches of seniors to wherever on the back of a flat-bed truck - not so much.
Obviously this truck would not be the only one in the world - a live-or-die, post-apocalypto thing - it would simply provide occasional conveniencee for some, be a gift. Hardly need-based humanitarian relief there - but a vanity-project here. Another plaque in the making: the mayor's name on it.
Adding to this is the recent report that extraordinary amounts of Japanese government-funds - made available for disaster-relief - have been misdirected/appropriated. Meaning: if a truck were really so desperately needed in Onagawa - the funds are surely available, possibly just a bit cumbersome to get at.

While the non-political, not-for-profit Red Cross - run by donations only - is applying funds directly in on-the-ground, pre-assessed and supervised, hands-on situations. Still active at Ground Zero today! If the mayor and his group were interested in humanitarian relief as such.

It is obvious that Nelson's donated funds must go to the Japanese Red Cross instead of into the pockets of car-dealers and middlemen. 


End of statements/responses

The Mayor's Manager

1.

Part of the backroom-lack-of-transparency is the lately much mentioned fact - eliciting no response from Mr. Cormack: how much in donations exactly is in this City-held account?

2.

Then there is the possible cluster-bomb of the mayor claiming not be sure to whom the funds belong - and there being no written legal documentation regarding ownership and who has legal authority to safeguard and release these funds (to whom and under what conditions). Yes, Mr.Cormack?

3.

Substantial resources would be needed to facilitate the mayor's unilateral decision to have the committee and the City work out details of the truck purchase. I don't believe the City's manager has authority to allocate non-specific amounts of tax-payer-originated funds to an unapproved project - in other words: also act unilaterally. Yet he has not openly taken a position regarding any of this. Press-release!

Under these circumstances, Mr. Cormack's stirring proclamation of his professional infallibility, COW, Oct.22, draws attention.

With its version of relief-response, the City of Nelson administration has moved from lack of transparency to lack of accountability to lack of credibility.With nowhere left to go but up!

So go already - all of you!

Sources:
http://thenelsondaily.com
Nelson Citizen's Tsunami Relief Donations Still In Local Bank
Bill Metcalfe - 250.352.7670
Oct. 16, 2012

http://hqkootenay.com
The Bridge
Money Always Headed To Onagawa: Mayor
Glenn Hicks - ghicks@1035thebridge.com
Oct. 26, 2012

http://nelsonstar.com/opinion/176867661.html
Relief Without A Cause
Greg Nesteroff - 250.352.1890
Nov. 1, 2012


.

Nelson Library: I Spy With My Little Eye .....

.
Spy Training Academy

Wanted:
Future agents to attend library spy training academy
Who:
Super sleuths between the ages of 9 & 12
When:
Thursday, Nov. 15. @ 3:30 - 4:30
Where:
Nelson Public Library
How:
Preregister - ph. 352-6333 or email nradonich@nelson.ca

Today's 9-12ers are yesterday's 12-15ers - a factor not figured into the planning of this fun-and-games event. By planners who seemingly are more naive than their target-group. Would they otherwise have come-up with this?

Within
The increasing problem of bullying in/around schools is largely fed by gossip/rumors - often spread, sought and found on social-networking sites; the frequent intensity behind these efforts surely involving forms of spying. 9-12ers - among others - are aware of this power and use it.

Without
Through various forms of entertainment, including politics - all a reality-replacement-show - we are aware of Daniel Craig: totally deadly and largely because of that totally hot - and the Obamarama: totally deadly and with that totally cold. Both are spies, and spying is power. Within and without.

With
1984 way past: spying and being spied-on has become  part of the daily run of stuff - here, there and everywhere. We are not immune to it in Nelson's Brigadoon fog-belt.
Although the intent itself behind this proposed I-Punch-You-Judy-Show surely was harmless enough: it is disturbing that adults - in an educational setting - find spying on others amusing. And encourage it.
So astonishingly out-of-touch with the average 9-12er - out there!

To express thoughts on this convergence jumble:

June Stockdale

Chief Librarian

jstockdale@nelson.ca

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Onagawa Trucking Ltd

This post is an addition to the previous one - directly below. If you haven't read that - I suggest you do for what's what.

Mayor Dooley has consistently acted as (though not openly declared and not chosen by a majority) spokesperson for the relief-funding effort - the latest example on
http://hqkootenay.com
Money Always Headed To Onagawa: Mayor
Oct. 26, 2012
He does not defer to someone in charge. This in itself raises questions: like about possible - at least indirect - use of his authority to influenec in a Non-City-Hall matter.

This article once again with it's-always-been-Onagawa justification. Thus once again for me: Surely nobody would have objected to the money going there right after the disaster, if Onagawa had still been on the map, and if - to paraphrase the mayor - there had been someone to receive the money. That would have been humanitarian relief, based on immediate need. But while that not an option - with clear focus still - the next move then would have been: Ok, so let's get the money to where it will help OTHERS NOW! Pure motive. Done!

Deciding to instead sit on this money for over a year and a half to maybe buy something real nice like for some Onagawa sometime in the future erased the humanitarian-relief motive and replaced it with a calculated political intent. Come what may - literally: our Japanese are better than all other Japanese, are the only ones deserving of our largesse. I wonder how those in Onagawa would feel if they knew the City of Nelson's disdain for their fellow countrymen's needs!

I find Nelson's position morally repugnant!

Mayor Dooley frequently refers to an anonymously inclusive we this and we that within the funding-context, and it is crucial here to know: who are we?

1.
If we are the donating public: We have not been consulted by him or anyone else with any aspect of after-funding and subsequent application of the raised funds - like the Onagawa-only! angle and connected difficulties because of that all along - thus the use of we in this context would be totally inappropriate.

2.
If we are the so far only vaguely identified but clearly dysfunctional funding-distribution group - only recently prodded into action from/by the outside - and Mayor Dooley: there are two problems.
a.
The track-record of the group
b.
The mayor's aura of authority - pervasive in all this so far - is now beginning to more clearly manifest in all this at City Hall. Meaning: he does seem to be making decisions about this public-funding issue as mayor. Stating in The Nelson Daily, Oct. 18: the committee and the City now need to work out the details of the truck purchase. In Japan. From here an extraordinarily complex thus time-consuming undertaking.

The office of mayor does not carry authority to make unilateral decisions - concerning use of City Hall's time, energy, funds, manpower - for/in unapproved Non-City projects. Any proposals of that sort would need to be dealt with in an open Regular Council Meeting, to ultimately be approved by the City Manager for funding, etc. Yet approval of funding would be impossible, since nobody could know how much would be needed for this trucking process.
This is not Ford's Toronto! Or Harper's Ottawa! Yet!

So who are we?

Neither is Council authorized to approve the release of publicly owned funds - their exact amount STILL unknown to the donating public - as suggested by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). This particularly in the - extremely negligent! - absence of any kind of document regarding the procedure of safekeeping, release and spending. The absence of such document should point towards particular sensitivity necessary with this issue. Otherwise: what will the neighbors say?!

Mayor Dooley's attempt to make decisions unilaterally - connecting a Non-City-Hall matter with City Hall - with the CFO willing to release publicly generated/owned funds in (big!) question to whomever on the mere say-so of Council - is at best unorthodox.

The mayor and Council already committed $10.000 of taxpayers' money to an unspecified scholarship - isn't that enough of a gesture at this point? It doesn't seem to be: now taxpayers are to fund establishment of a trucking-business (for profit?) in Onagawa. The truck itself paid for with said publicly generated/owned money - but this public not part of the decision-making.

Although several Council members expressed substantially differing opinions immediately after the Committee of the Whole (COW), Sep. 17 - none have stepped forward with a decisive opinion/decision since.

There has been no voluntary, comprehensive transparency in this affair for over a year: not from the City and not from the mythical committee; what the public has been shown recently is an unfocused reaction to one citizen's questions only, these taken-up by news media. Who can be held accountable is not clear - nobody seems to be there there - unless it is Mayor Dooley, the only person sort-of publicly defending Onagawa-Only now. Or is it we?  

As stated previously: the only acceptably neutral way to facilitate release and application of these funds now would be to - with support of Council - agree to forward them to a generally favorably recognized relief-organization, for application to all Japanese still in need in the earthquake/tsunami region - the most recognizable of such organizations being the Japanese Red Cross.

Onagawa Trucking LTD - Cheap Rates for WE!

Next Regular Council Meeting (RCM), Council Chambers, City Hall,

Mon. Nov. 5 - 19:00

Next COW Meeting, same location, 

Mon. Nov. 19 - 19:00

Both meetings are open to the public; the COW allows for direct public input. Agendas for both are available on the City's website - the Onagawa issue may be on that of the RCM. Check over the weekend.

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Nelson: Blessed Relief? I Wish!

2:33 am. I can't see the window from my work-corner, so I need to get up to look out. Frequently. Because The Weather Network promised between 10 and 15 cm of snow for tonight - the first this season to make winter real. I hold them to that promise: not driving and living close to downtown and Lakeside Park , I say: (S)NOW!
Nothing yet; a light across the street, against roiling waves of stormy-green ocean - still dense-leafy trees. Reminding me of others - these bamboo. And I see myself on my warmsmooth rock - in Xia Ming Yuan - eyes closed, listening to the swoosh, swoosh.

Still nothing: time to get on with it - last evening's Committee of the Whole at City Hall. Usually a somewhat frustrating affair - this one more so.

Committee of the Whole (COW)
The name COW - a once-a-month event in Council Chambers and essentially a Council Meeting - is somewhat misleading. It promises open connection with Council and the mayor, an opportunity for give-and-take with those we elected to do good by us. But unless officially vetted as a group of something by the Mayor's Office - thus given a slot on the agenda  - only 15 minutes altogether are allotted to strays - nonvetted singles' voices. Those - ideally - may get 5 minutes each - if there are 3; 1 minute each, theoretically - if there were 15. If there's only 1 - still only 5 minutes, the other 10 go to more important things. Like stuff. An indication of better things. Strays are run - often clocked sharply - by the Chair. This may force one to pare-down, condense - essentially a good thing - but there always is the possibility of being cut-off unceremoniously somewhere along one's thought. Somewhere crucial.
And when finished-or-not - usually blank-faced Council usually not engaging, commenting - one may walk away still hungry, and what's the point? Favorites in both presenting groups may have an easier time. I always have two primary concerns: Are they really listening? And: Will I make it? Hurrying to squeeze in as much info as possible does not work, because those sitting "up there" can hear and understand only what they are ready to at a very limited given never-enough time. No time for contemplative presentation/reception. No time for exchange within the Whole. Which it really is not. In and out! Next!
It is baffling that clearly uncomfortable Council has not looked at a change of format - a Committee on the Whole may be a start, to find a way of encouraging and welcoming more input from those who give City Hall meaning. Making it meaningful for both sides. To form a whole Whole.

My Position
What follows here - with minor alterations for clarity - is the complete text of what I intended to present in last evening's COW, Oct. 22: my ongoing concerns over the way Japanese disaster-relief has been handled-or-not and seemingly will be handled with even closer involvement of City Hall - this posing questions concerning appropriateness on the 2nd floor.

The bottomline for me here is - as was in the previous COW, Sep. 17: the Nelson public gives so much and so quickly because it empathizes with those who lost loved ones/property during the earthquake/tsunami of for us unimaginable magnitude. Nelson is ready to help NOW! But someone - WHO? - changes the focus from relief in the general disaster-area to that in Onagawa specifically. My position on that is: collected funds have to go - what with them still sitting in a Nelson bank - to the Japanese Red Cross for distribution as/where seen necessary. It is unreasonable to assume that Nelson would give so much so quickly, if it knew that the goal is changed to buying some undefined stuff at some undefined future-point for Onagawa. No rush with that for sure!?

The group ostensibly in charge here - WHO? - has not communicated with the Nelson public in more than a year, and whatever sparse info has consistently come our way from Mayor Dooley. WHY the mayor and in WHAT capacity?

My presentation is stopped about two-thirds through, and when the Chair and City Manager chide me for their buttons being pushed along the way - this is where they hear what they want to hear - the Chair insists on not allowing me to respond! Power of the gavel banged! Not a conciliatory attitude - and suddenly there's elecricity in the air! Something not usually the case in these hallowed halls.

The Text
When Nelson collects funds spontaneously and generously - as part of the international humanitarian-relief effort for victims of the earthquake and resulting tsunami at the north-east coast of Japan, Mar. 2011, the initial idea is to send these funds to the Japanese Red Cross. As do Castlegar and British Columbia. One major fundraising-event here is called To Japan With Love.

This really is the only viable means to get funds to where they can do the most good, with the least delay and skimming off the top. The Red Cross has extensive experience in disaster-management on all levels; it is extremely well-organized, knowlegeable - therefore knows how to deal with red tape effectively; it is usually automatically given access at ground zero of any kind. Being non-partisan, the Red Cross is trusted. All this well in line with the urgency Nelson's public feels - wanting to help NOW those who are suffering NOW!

Then those who put themselves/were put in charge of the collection-effort - to this day, who they are and how they got the job seemingly clear to only very few, including Mayor Dooley - change the target from the general affected coastal area to a specific one: Onagawa. Even though - this being common knowledge here - in reality Onagawa does not exist any longer: over 70% have been destroyed; the population has largely dispersed; there is no working administration; infra-structure - including communication-systems - is minimal.
This similarly being the case in the affected north-east-coast area as a whole - the Red Cross is uniquely qualified to assess and deal with most pressing needs across the board.
While - according to Mayor Dooley, The Nelson Daily, Oct. 18, 2012: (In Onagawa) They literally had nobody able to receive money from us.

Regardless, Onagawa it has to be, and Nelson's spontaneous relief-effort to help those suffering NOW becomes a politically charged photo-op in Council Chambers - WHENEVER! From heartfelt, unconditional compassion - to reward-based calculation. And Council - bless its collective heart - falls in line by approving a $10.000 scholarship for Onagawa - coming out of the taxpayers' pockets - with the scholarship's nature to this day unexplained. WHY?

The in the Star previously called volunteer-group and now - by Mayor Dooley - a more official-sounding committee clearly has an undoable job, and after over a year of attempting to give away the funds: Somebody take our money, please! - I have a revealing phone-chat with one of this group's members, Wendy LaCroix, at the end of August.

She tells me about being tired, frustrated; finding herself in the leadership-position neither she nor anyone else wants; that the group has not met in some time; and that maybe the funds should just be turned into more scholarships to be done with it all. Surprisingly - she seems surprised to be told that major fundraisers - like the Fire Dept. and Jude Davison - have been completely uninformed of her group's activities.
As - incidentally - has been the general public throughout. WHY?

When I remind her of immediate need having been the fulcrum for the Nelson collecting-effort, and that her group's work is totally divorced from that intent, she sees my point and brings-up that there still are single seniors, without adequate shelter - without a support-system, period! I have known about this, and we get excited about it as a possible target. She says she will call a meeting of the group, although she doesn't know whether all members are in town, as there hasn't been much contact for some time. She will call me to come to the meeting once it has been arranged.
But - even though clearly energized and interested during our talk - she doesn't call, neither does she respond to an e-mail: reminding her that - with winter coming soon - a decision has to be made quickly.
Which - to me - raises the question: Who told her not to connect with me further? Surely not her on-again/off-again group: they might have seen this as the way to finally finish what they clearly are not interested in any longer.

The day after my presentation of all this to the COW, Sep. 17, several Council-members favor sending the collected funds to the Red Cross asap - presumably between $30.000 and $40.000, but WHO KNOWS?
Councilor Cherbo - having attended some meetings of said group - expresses his impressions of it, similar to mine.
Mayor Dooley says that he will give an update at our next meeting.

This raises two red flags for me:
1.
Our next meeting means a month later: one more month, more time wasted - what with winters at the north-east coast of Japan being particularly harsh.
2.
How can Mayor Dooley be informed of connected goings-on, if neither the donating public nor Council is? WHERE and HOW is he placed in this?

He subsequently does not update in the following Council Meeting, Oct. 9; neither is an update on today's agenda, Oct. 22.

But miracles will happen! After I have strongly expressed the absolute must for the Red Cross to receive the donated funds NOW, this supported by several Council-members -according to The Nelson Daily, Oct. 18: the group claims to have become re-energized by my push (even though none have talked to me and presumably had not been at the previous COW, Sep. 17) and came-up with: Onagawa wants a truck! Just like that!

What has not been possible in over a year now happens in a flash - coincidentally and fortuitously for them - but undoubtedly because suddenly the strong possibility of these funds actually going to the Red Cross instead of Onagawa presents a threat to the group's aim.

I totally agree with Mayor Dooley when he muses in the same Nelson Daily article How do you do that? How do you go about buying a truck in Japan, and how do you get it to Onagawa?

How, indeed! This truck could be convenience for some but hardly is humanitarian-disaster relief - and that 19 months after the disaster! Never mind how the miracle miracled - but what I absolutely must know: If there really, really will be a truck, wo gets to pick the color?

None of this latest chapter is made public voluntarily - well in keeping with the group's activities-or-not all along. WHY? Only a limited number of Nelsonites have found out about it through reading the Nelson Daily, Oct. 18 - that article prompted by my post Onagawhat Now?, Sep. 6, farther below, and subsequent presentation to the COW, Sep. 17 - and now through this post.

I see a problem with Mayor Dooley stating in the Daily that the committee - hitherto so inept, disinterested and poorly attending/attended - and the City - which has absolutely no business in this! - now need to work out details of the truck purchase. One hopes that the City Manager will clarify this.
Mayor Dooley says he is not sure to whom these funds belong legally. They belong to those members of the public who donated them and will be theirs until said funds have been transparently and accountably applied to the purpose for which they were donated - not Onagawa's convenience.

With perception in politics often kick-starting live-or-die consequences: To some out there - this whole situation may have the apearance of collusion to misappropriate funds, entrusted to the City for temporary safe-keeping only. For some out there - this whole situation may have the appearance of misuse of the authority of the mayor's office.

As a taxpayer and member of the hitherto uninformed donating public - I anticipate clear and full accounting of this issue to myself, all taxpayers and donors here, now!

End of text.

Additional Positional
I do not see the committee and the City making arrangements together to buy and move this truck - in Japan! The committee has not proven particularly resourceful and energetic - thus most of the surely monumental logistics would be left to the City by necessity. Phoning it in to a complete unknown: a foreign language in a foreign culture in a foreign country. I can see this only at great expenditure of time, energy and money to the City. And I don't think it would be appropriate to involve taxpayers' money and/or the donated funds to pay for it.

There have been rumors going around town about this fundraising effort - fuelled partly by how long it's been going on unsettled and partly because there has been no information about any progress.
For everybody's benefit: I urge Mayor Dooley to fully inform the public on all there has been and is to this, starting with who initiated the change from Japan to Onagawa.

                                                                        Still no snow!



See also:
Nelson Citizens' Tsunami Relief Donations Still In Local Bank Account
http://thenelsondaily.com
Oct. 18, 2012

Donna's Flight Of Fancy - Part 2

While the preceding post provides the background of the heron's-head bombast - this post will just add how much the whole thing actually cost(s). Free as a bird? Not this one!

It all adds up to about $9000 and counting: not figured-in is the cost of the more recently installed black(?!) base, the yet to be installed name-and-whatever plaque and cosmetic work on the area around the whole thing.

So - $10.000 may do it. May!

All funded solely by the City of Nelson - the same Nelson in an economic malaise for some time, with no way out in sight.

No matter which reserve-fund is dipped into - these $10.000 smackers originally came from the major-art-work-appreciating tax-payer!

YOU!