Pieta VanDyke
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Am getting ready for Christmas. Looking forward to getting together with friends and having Bram and Sarah over for dinner.  This week I started a new job as a Dietary Aide at Beacon Hill Villa, a long term care facility a couple of blocks away from my home.  My intention is to work on an "on call" basis, preferably just for a couple of days a week. That will help me pay off some bills, and start a new travel fund.  This week I have already worked two training shifts - noon to 8 pm. It is hard work!  We are busy making sandwiches and setting up the snack carts, making coffee and tea, sanitizing surfaces, helping the cook 'plate' the meals (taking the elevator to the 4 residential floors), helping the dishwasher, bringing up the snack carts, and doing a final floor mop. Next week I will do 2 training shifts as a dishwasher, and I volunteered to work on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.  So that is a month's worth of work in two weeks!

I am also still busy as Secretary of the James Bay Neighbourhood Association - switching our email system over to "yahoogroups", and have just called a meeting of the Harbourside Rotary Club's World Community Service Committee.  Next month I will be coordinating the Club's "Kids' Kits" campaign, where we will be distributing plastic bins to members who will fill them with school supplies, personal supplies and toys for distribution to children in Africa.  Am looking forward to social events over the next couple of weeks, getting together with friends and having my son Bram and his girlfriend Sarah over for dinner.

Our Place Thanksgiving dinner - I was pleased to be able to help serve Thanksgiving dinner to over 800 people at Our Place drop in centre.

I attended this lecture by Dr. Helen Caldicott at the McPherson Playhouse.  She is an excellent speaker and tireless researcher on issues related to nuclear power.  She told of her role in trying to stop France from doing air-borne testing of nuclear weapons over Tahiti in the 1970s. She challenged President Mitterand as to why he did not do this testing in the Mediterranean - only to be told that there is too high a population there!  Clearly he valued the lives of people in Tahiti and Austrialia far less than Europeans!  I was also struck by the high levels of radiation that still exist in areas of Europe as a result of the Chernobyl accident.  Farmers in Britain are asked not to raise lambs, as they would be unhealthy to eat.  All men on the planet have plutonium in their testicles as a result of Chernobyl. She also raised concern about the health effects of uranium mining in Australia - direct impacts of increased rates of cancer - raising it to a national issue in that country.r new blog post.

OUR PLACE - I've been volunteering in the coffee bar, and today I was able to take the Food Safe course, which was taught by Brian, the head cook at Our Place.  As usual at OP, the students were a mixed crowd with lots of interesting observations and questions. I think I passed the test. The photo (below) was taken at the opening of the new Our Place building in June, 2008.  I am on the left, with my arm around my coffee bar buddy, Ken. In the middle is Dan, with his fiance (now his wife) to his right.

CITY HALL - In the evening I went to City Hall to attend a meeting of Council's Standing Committee on the Victoria Harbour Airport.  Councillors Madoff, Coleman, and Holland make up this Committee.  Staff provided an overview of jurisdictional issues related to the airport. It is interesting to hear that Transport Canada has virtually all the jurisdiction with regard to the airport, including responsibility around noise and emissions, but does not carry out any monitoring of noise related to float planes.  This airport was certified as an airport in 2000 and is the only certified water airport in Canada.  In all the time that this facility has been operating, it has been operating under draft Water Airport Regulations.  Final Regulations have been drafted, and will be released in December, at which time there will be a 30 day period for public response.
Given its major role in the operation of the airport, it was unfortunate that Transport Canada was not able to attend the meeting, due to Stephen Harper's prohibition on public servants meeting with the public during the election campaign.
Thirteen residents spoke at the session, all but one of whom were residents of Songhees or James Bay.  The one non-neighbour was Don Priddy, the Board Chairman of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.  The first speaker was Captain Jack Bragg, who I have met and who impressed me with his knowledge of the Maritime Safety Act and airport regulations.  He has provided expert advice to Transport Canada with regard to the harbour airport.  His main point was that both an environmental impact and an aeronotic study are required prior to the certification of an airport, and that these studies have not been done.  Marc Pakenham, a former Coast Guard safety officer, indicated that Victoria does not have a contingency plan for dealing with float plane accidents in the harbour.  He also recommended that Victoria establish a Victoria Harbour Airport Authority. Others talked about a 73% increase in flights over the past ten years, fumes invading their living quarters, and loss of enjoyment of their homes.  There was also concern expressed about the proposed marina at Royal Quays and its incursion in to the harbour, which will push marine and air traffic further out. 

This morning I attended the dedication of the Fernwood Well.  This well is a tribute to Victoria's  original water source, which was located in Fernwood (then known as Springridge).  Lt. Governor Stephen Point arrived in a procession led by the Unity dancers and a group of local spiritual leaders.  The LG recounted the interesting history of the original well.  When the Hudson's Bay Company ceded their territory back to the Queen (who "gave" them the land in the first place), they returned all of it except the bit of land containing the Fernwood well. This led to giggles and speculation by the LG about the land claims implications of this "unclaimed territory".
The unveiling was followed by blessings by a priest of the Greek Catholic church, the Victoria Zen Centre, the synagoge, and the Wiccan community.  - and then we all danced and sampled the water.
Congratulations and cudos are due to the Fernwood Community Centre for initiating this project and staging a heart warming dedication event!

Needle Exchange Advisory Committee - I'm pleased to have been appointed to this committee as a representative from James Bay.  This committee was recently established by VIHA to provide advice about issues related to establishing a new fixed site needle exchange in Victoria.  This morning the committee had a workshop session to ensure that everyone understands the concept of harm reduction.  It was useful for everyone to understand the public health issue underlying the need for a fixed site, as it will reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, and HepC reduce hospital visits due to the effects of using dirty needles, and provides other health advice and referrals to addicts, who often do not have a family doctor or access other clinics.   Speaking to the others in attendance it became clear to me that everyone, from whatever sector they are representing, agree with the need for a fixed site and want to ensure that it will be designed to minimize possible negative impact on the surrounding community.