Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 09:21:48 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [KCUTS] Poverty Olympics
From: "Moe" <meadow@netidea.com>
http://povertyolympics.ca
For immediate release
Jan. 29, 2008
Poverty Olympics to highlight broken promises
What do Itchy the Bedbug, Creepy the Cockroach and Chewy the Rat have
in common with the 2010 Olympics? They are the mascots of the first
annual Poverty Olympics to be held just in time for the two-year
countdown to the 2010 Winter Games on Feb. 3, 2008. The event will
start at 12:45 pm at 380 E. Hastings (VANDU) for the torch relay.
Opening ceremonies will take place at the Carnegie Theatre, 401 Main
St. in Vancouver, from1-4 pm.
The fun-filled afternoon will feature a torch relay, opening ceremony,
and Poverty Olympics "events" such as the Welfare Hurdles, Poverty
Line High Jump, and Long Jump over a Bedbug-Infested Mattress. The
highlight of the opening ceremony will be the lighting of the 15-foot
high End Poverty Torch.
"While it's going to be fun, we do have a serious message," said
organizer Wendy Pedersen of Carnegie Community Action Project. "We
want the world to know that Vancouver and BC have world-class poverty
and homelessness. We hope international horror at the poverty
situation in Vancouver will spur our governments to use their massive
surpluses to end poverty and homelessness." While BC had a $4 billion
surplus last year, it still has the highest rate of child poverty in
Canada, at 21 per cent.
The Organizing Committee for the first annual Poverty Olympics has
written to the International Olympic Committee to request funding for
future Poverty Olympics and to urge them to press the city, province
and federal government to implement commitments to improve social
assistance and build housing.
The four partners of the 2010 Winter Games (Vancouver, VANOC, BC, and
Canada) have failed to implement unanimous recommendations made by
their own Inner City Inclusive Housing Table to increase welfare rates
50%, end barriers to getting on welfare that are making people
homeless, and build 3200 units of housing between 2007 and 2010.
Unless strong action is taken immediately, there could be more
homeless on Vancouver streets than athletes competing in the 2010
Games.
Groups involved in organizing the Poverty Olympics include Raise the
Rates, Carnegie Community Action Project, Streams of Justice, BC
Persons With AIDs Society, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users, and
the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House.
The Poverty Olympics Organizing Committee plans to inform
international media of the event and the poverty and homelessness
situation in Vancouver.
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Contact:
Jean Swanson (604 729-2380; 604 298-1614)
Wendy Pedersen (604 839-0379)
Trish Garner (604 879-0912)
Alan James (alan_james@shaw.ca)
For more information: http:// www.raisetherates.org ,
http://povertyolympics.ca
--
Food is the rare moral arena in which the choice that's best for the world
and best for your community is also the best on your table.
- Barbara Kingsolver
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