The Round Up (Feb 19, 2007)

Today was a banner day for news, the stuff a media junkie lives for.

On the much lauded social housing activist scene, these 5 women occupied Carol Taylor's office and poorly articluated their demands from the Finance Minister of BC. Mainly that $2 billion be spent on social housing for women in Canada, which is good in spirit though probably difficult since 2 billion would apparently be enough social housing for all of Canada. Pivot is asking for $600 million.

Meanwhile, the dirty laundry comes out. When the Liberals got into power federally, they cut a whole bunch of programs and the assholes decided to eliminate social housing a funding priority. They moved money around to other less-effective programs and of course I learned today that $70 million that was allotted for social housing disappeared down a black hole of inept, uncaring corruption.

On the immigration front, the story of an Iranian who was accidentally arrested in a church ended well for the first time in years, with him thinking he was going to be deported, but actually getting granted asylum in Canada. After 3 years. That's one hell of a 48 hours. This is coming a couple days after someone was finally granted conditional release from Guantanamo North.

On a more personal note, my non-heteronormative, non-stereotypical partner left today and it's made me quite sad. And while the shelter has been laid back today, I had a heart-breaking fight with a girl who is barred from our work place and is slowly dying. There is nothing that makes your heart sink like telling a woman who is 75 pounds, freezing, addicted to heroin and crack and mentally unravelling at the seams that she has to sleep outside. And no, she can't have a blanket.