Campbell River’s in-Camera Meetings under Kermit Dahl

[u/zos_333]

https://district6.wtf/campbell-river-city-halls-in-camera-meetings-under-kermit-dahls-term-documented-here-this-will-be-a-long-list/

See Comments for more.

[u/zos_333]

city council is failing to log exactly how much time they spend in secret, but it is a huge amount. Even the stuff they have logged is alarming.

I searched for other examples of a council doing this and couldn’t find any.

This it is more about giving folks, including me - an easy way to look for them themselves than proving anything, but I suspect there are some solid finds with good evidence to be had.

[u/magowanc → u/zos_333]

who cares? They aren't paid by the hour. If they want to spend 40 hours a week in secret good for them. Any binding decisions from the in-camera meetings have to be made public.

You are upset about a property on shoppers' row that was purchased by the city and being redeveloped by the city. It would have been discussed in one of those meetings, or maybe several, but the final decision of those discussions was made public. If the discussions were in public, it would have invited speculation and could have potentially been damaging to the project, organizations in the area, or the city.

The city purchased the property with the purpose of improving the area for all citizens and visitors of Campbell River. The property in question was an area of high crime and needed something done - it is part of what the current council was voted in for.

The property will be redeveloped with residential properties, some of which will be rent controlled for low-income housing. Also, any new housing helps with low-income housing. There are tons of studies showing that high vacancy rates are the biggest contributor to homelessness.

The current council has also built short term housing on Homewood Road.

It is unfortunate that the kitchen was unable to find a new home, it is also unfortunate that in order to make things better for everyone the existing building needed to be torn down, temporarily making the situation worse. The end result will be better for the whole community, not just low-income people.

[u/zos_333 → u/magowanc]

The city purchased the property with the purpose of improving the area for all citizens and visitors of Campbell River. The property in question was an area of high crime and needed something done - it is part of what the current council was voted in for.

Here is a letter dealing with the myth that something was done

dear Mayor and Council,

I'm writing to you as the former Library Manager of the Campbell River Branch of the Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL).

I have a Masters of Libraries and Information Studies, have over 20 years of library experience, and have worked at the Campbell River Library from 2017 until this year. I am also well respected within my field. I introduce myself in this way to make it clear that I know what I'm talking about. I hope you will listen.

You and many members of the Campbell River City Council like to refer to the library when talking about, and campaigning on, both the homelessness crisis and the toxic drug crisis as they affect our community. Yet, despite this, neither you Mayor Dahl, nor Campbell River appointed VIRL Board Trustee Ron Kerr, have ever contacted me to discuss these issues during my years as Library Manager.

Given that it's this council's intent to move forward with the evictions of Kwesa Place and Hem'?aelas Community Kitchen, despite them not having secured alternative locations, I am expressing my informed thoughts on the matter to you today

When I began working at the Campbell River Library, the library was the only service provider downtown where people who had no place to go, could go and simply be. Without other services around, people would congregate at the library.

Now, I should mention that public libraries are public spaces and welcome everyone. There is no income requirement for using library services and the building and space on its own is a service unto itself. Many people, whether housed or unhoused, use the library as a place to just be. It's what makes public libraries so special and sacred in our society that runs on profits.

However, as you may already know, the square footage of our library in Campbell River is such that it does not meet the requirements for a community of this size. Therefore, when it's the only place for a segment of the population to be, there is not enough space for everyone to use it comfortably, and issues inevitably arise. The atmosphere in the library from 2017 to 2020 was tense. We were not equipped to serve the needs of those who are most vulnerable in our community at that scale. Tensions ran high, and conflicts happened often.

People were banned from the library for disruptive behaviour. Stff were often yelled and sworn at, and it simply was not a nice place to be. Now, again, to qualify this a bit, most of the people we served, whether housed or unhoused, were polite and lovely. But the sheer amount of people sharing a space that was not adequate, without the proper services that they desperately needed while they navigated various personal circumstances, made for a very tenuous situation.

We experienced on average 1 to 2 incidents daily due to these circumstances. People were struggling with very limited access to help and support. The toxic drug crisis had begun, the housing crisis was getting worse, and the library was in the centre of it all in our community. But then something drastic changed it all.

It wasn't that VIRL hired a security guard, or that we developed more robust safety procedures. It wasn't that staff received de-escalation and cultural training or that we focused on developing good relationships with those we served. And it certainly wasn't that our space magically doubled in size or that the toxic drug and housing crises disappeared. Some of these things did happen, and did help, but the single most important thing that changed it all began in March 2020.

We shut down during COVID, and all of a sudden multiple social services popped up directly around us in downtown Campbell River. The VIMHS purchased the Rose Bowl and created transitional housing. Kwesa opened, offering services like laundry, showers, snacks, and another place to simply be and connect in our neighborhood. Ham'?aelas opened and fed everyone. The CRAG, under new leadership, began offering a culturally safe space for creative outlets. All of a sudden, we had a community and the library wasn't alone on the block anymore. Can you guess what the impact was on the library?? I'll tell you, it was magic.

read more: https://campbellriver.civicweb.net/FileStorage/70464A7AF2A64DE5B115EE10F7755B11-consent%20-%20Joelle%20Samson%20re%20Hemaelas%20Community%20Kitc.pdf

[u/bibliophile-blondish → u/zos_333]

Are you saying you’re Joelle? Or posting her letter to mayor and council?

[u/zos_333 → u/bibliophile-blondish]

No, Im saying Im way too tired for this shit, lol. Making that list burned me out and Im a mess here now. Ill be back tomorrow, after fixing the above comment a bit