DERA Annual general Meeting

The DTES Residents Assocations is having its Annual general Meeting July 15, 2010, at 6:00 p.m. St. James Church, Parish Hall, 230 Gore Avenue (one block noth of Hastings Street in the same block as the United Churchon Hastings). It is an illegal meeting as it is nine months late and it wasn't advertised according to the bylaws but then why should DERA follow any rules. For any of you who do attend make sure you get a copy of the financial statements which were due last fall also demand a financial statement as of the end of June 2010. Besides being involved with two private companies which money alledged was used to support DERAdvocacy as for proof of invoices. Also you can ask the directors what happened to the monies that BC Housing paid to DERA for leasing payment and taxes which money did not pay these items. Where did this $400,000 go. Also what about the $1.2 million in reserves -- the money that was suppose to be used to keep the buildings upgraded like with new appliances and washing washings and washing windows. The $1.2 million was there in 2004 but no more. I was told by Kim and it was confirmed by BC Housing by its neglect by not answering my email that no one is allowed to have access to the financial statements because they are only for the eyes of Kim Kerr and BC Housing which is a lie. As for the current directors none of them should show their faces to the community and each of them should be evicted from the social housing they received by virtue of them being a directors. I wish I could pay $300 a month rentfor a $1,000 market rate apartment and still have $700 a month for disposal income. All the directors failed to do what they were elected to do. The poor stealing from the poor is nauseating to say the least. I have come to the conclusion that democarcy does not work in the DTES. The marginalized should have a constitution that can't be changed on a whim. A consititution of marginalized rights. Or ya Sister Elizabeth will say that the the AGM is for advocacy not Housing. Do not let her get away with it. DERAdvoacy and DERAHousing has been one of the same for the last thirty years and now conveniently it is not part of DERA. If you look at the Writ to foreclosure on the three rental buildings it also includes DERAdvoacy so therefore they are one of the same. And then there is a secret agreement signed by Kim Kerr, DERAdovacy and DERAHousing saying that no one is going to be criminally charges for whatever these idiots did. The saga of DERA will not end soon. Get involved and don't let it.

Under DERAdvocacy the Federal government hasn't cut its funding for its daycare project which I do not understand why it even has it as because in the constitution of DERAdvoacy it is not authorized to do babysitting. There is $200,000 funding so where is this money going to. DERAdvocacy should be sending this money back to the federal government as they should not have got it in the first place. If the consensus is to keep this money then every invoice should be viewed by anyone who wants to see them. Financial statements are useless without the paperwork. Auditors cannot be trusted. The auditor told BC Housing that although she knew $400,000 came to DERA she did not know where it went. So what is the point of an auditor. And she has been arround forever. Auditors only look at non-profits that are funded by the government as cash cows. There is nothing confidential in financial statements and legally they have to be provided to anyone who wants to see them. If you want secrecy go work for Jimmy Patterson.

Who can go to these meeting according to the Constitutions anyone in the DTES who is resident here from Clarke to Broadway to Granville to the waterfront. There is nothing in the bylaws that say who has to be a registered member. Like one of the five origiinal founders of DERA told me the other day; it is not the DERA Members Association it is the DERA Residents Association. I would like to see someone make a motion that says to belong to DERAdvocacy those that have lived in the DTES are still members of DERA. Good people move away from the DTES and then their expertise is lost. No matter what Kim and everyone has told me that anyone can attend AGMs.

I won't be going to the meeting unless I have a bodyguard. The purpose of the bodyguard is to keep me controlled from me verablly going on and on. So if anyone wants to volunteer to assist me please do.

And above all if the acting executive director SABRINA is not available to return an email or talk to a resident of the DTES then a motion has to be made to fire her. We do need a secret organization where those that need help can't get information.