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Housing, dog companionship hard for urban Indigenous peoples wanting to maintain cultural ties, says Mario Parent.

By Mario Parent, special to, MNM. Posted: Mar 1, 2017 1:00 AM PST Last Updated: Mar 1, 2017 8:00 am PST

A photo remix by Mario Parent, of “Unceded city” by Ronnie Dean Harris, and “Sacramento Indian with Dogs 1867” by Charles Christian Nahl.

Can I get a dog? This is a question I’ve been asking myself lately with serious contemplation. As it stands I’m fast approaching thirty and I’ve yet to experience the companionship of a dog. Let’s start with why dogs have become important to me and go from there.

Analepsis

To begin my story I was twenty-five the first time I realized I actually liked dogs. Before that I was mostly indifferent, and would rarely be in a situation where I had to engage with a dog. It happened by chance. Perhaps by fate. Nonetheless I met my first true dog friend. One day I was asked to look after a small dog for the afternoon. It was a warm summer day and I still had my daily beat to do. So without skipping a step I did what any eastvan kid would do. Packed up that pupper in my Hershel and took off on a sweet bike adventure through the neighbourhood! We blasted summer jams and drove slow for the homies. Let the sixteen bars flow over the turning lanes cause we don’t colour in the lines. We peed in an ally and farted with the wind blowing through our tufts of hair. As the glowing ember of sun set over the musqueam horizon we sheepishly made our way home and kept our fun to those brief escapes from urban blight. On return visits to my new dog friend I was continually greeted with ecstatic-unrelinquished-unconditional love. To contextualize this further I’ve grown used to haters in my life. I’m a hustler from way back and I don’t take no mess from nobody. But it was this kind of genuine love that sold me to need dogs in my life. No matter what was going on in my day this pupper was always on my team. I’d look into those goop rimmed eyes and understand I was in a judge free zone.

Prolepsis

Back to the future, I’m writing a blog that engages intersectional and decolonial theory by way of puppy memes. The impact of my four legged friendships has become a critical part of my study and praxis. The guiding principles of compassion and understanding I learnt from dogs have carried on into my work and helped heal a part of myself at one time I couldn’t admit was broken.

The realness tho. Why does thinking about getting a dog matter to me now?

Well, I’ve realized I could soon have the financial ability to support myself and a dog, in the Vancouver rental market. I grew up living well below the poverty line under the constant reminder from my single parent mother that the little housing we had was still a privilege, and could always be taken away. Dogs were a luxury that rich people had in the city, or my cousins on the Rez would let run wild. For low income families like mine basic survival was the priority: food, shelter, clothing. The consciousness of home instability was clear from the age of three. Since then I’ve moved between home spaces consistently every couple of years, ending up in eastvan about six years ago. I’ve always rented with roommates and never once had a place that would allow pets. Finding affordable housing let alone culturally appropriate housing is difficult. The ongoing joke Of a two-bedroom on craigslist is that its always a one bedroom with a sheet down the center.

Vancouver it’s been argued has one of the highest costs of living in North America. Unfortunately with that cost of living is the externality of displacing the city’s most vulnerable. Through the process of gentrification class is displacing people from their homes. Historically, this has meant displacing Indigenous peoples from their lands, because of their race. Remnants of this process are called reserves. Metrovan has a few left. Reserves were created to make space for the benefit of white settlers to farm and exploit what resources could be extracted from the land. Today these spaces are no longer farms, but city parks and condos- The symbol of Vancouver’s world renowned leisurely lifestyle. The classist settler tradition of displacement is being consolidated in parks and condos; even more, lifestyle is the resource being extracted from the appropriated land.

With so many green spaces- one would be hard pressed not have a park to piss in.

When thinking about the cultural appropriateness of these green spaces Indigenous peoples are significantly underrepresented. When I visit spaces like Dude Chilling Park, I ask myself who has access to this space and who shapes what this space is? Don’t get me wrong I love Dude chillin and am inspired by the initiative. However, when I think about my social mobility and my newly aquired stability I want to keep one hand forward and one hand back. I’m remembering to honour those Indigenous peoples before me that were sacrificed for this city, and I’m thinking about the future generations who I wish could have access to land and the opportunity to connect with animals.

What does it mean to have a culturally appropriate Indigenous centred space in Vancouver?

Currently the research for Urban Indigenous health determinants isn’t there yet. As mentioned in this report. “What the social determinants literature tends not to account for […] is the ways that colonial institutions, ideas, and practices combine to undermine Indigenous peoples’ access to and control over a range of social determinants such as culture, physical environment and healthy development.”

Thinking through the opportunities of green spaces and housing. It means making space for Indigenous peoples to determine how a city park is shaped. It means making space for Indigenous people to determine culturally appropriate housing. For myself if it wasn’t for “borrowing” access to appropriate housing, and green space I might not have developed a connection with my best pupper friend.

Ps: a friend also noted that spiritual practice such as tobacco use is still an issue with Vancouver city parks and B.C provincial parks. As for Justin Trudeau he just wants a place to store his canoe, lol.

Can a vulnerable population such as Indigenous families really trust the government is capable of fulfilling its fiduciary responsibility, short answer no.

By Mario Parent, special to, MNM. Posted: APRL 6, 2017 9:00 AM PST Last Updated: APRL 6, 2017  9:30 am PST

photo credit Doug Murray.

*Of first note, in resentment I will not capitalize canada because I refuse to acknowledge illegitimate state power.

Millions of dollars are being withheld from Indigenous child welfare across the nation while apprehension has exceeded the number of children taken into Indian residential school system.

How does this happen? Colonial canada has a two-tiered child welfare system with jurisdictional issues between the province and the federal government. what that means is that Indigenous children on reserves receive less funding from the federal government in contrast to the funding children in the province receive.

After the fiscal budget was announced for 2017 no mention of necessary funding to ameliorate child welfare has been made much to the dismay of child welfare advocates nationally and within the province.

In the midst of a landmark human rights tribunal win in 2016, which ruled that the colonial government is racially discriminating against Indigenous children in the way it funds Indigenous child welfare, many are concerned by the government’s negligence and continued dispute over the funding issues.

Still, multiple court injunctions have been made by the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society to hold the federal government responsible in meeting equitable funding for all children in colonial canada.

what does good PR mean in contrast to human rights violations?

photo credit Jeff McIntosh. Text: Will Indigenous children in care have access to culture?

Reading through the news of the past year has been a collage of selfies by the new leadership of colonial Canada centering Justin Trudeau who took bold platforms to engage Indigenous communities with commitments to reconciliation and a renewed relationship with First Nations. Unfortunately the tone def response to the mismanagement of child welfare has yet to yield action that demonstrates a positive impact for the vulnerable First Nations families that require attention.

It is through the committed efforts of Indigenous leadership that issue of systemic racism in social services such as child welfare is being addressed.

photo credit Chris Wattie/Reuters.

In conversation through the issue of child welfare two community perspectives assert Indigenous sovereignty, accountability, and justice in the face of a national tragedy.

Indigenous Child welfare in the past year has garnered a variety of media attention, leading to headlines like, “Cindy Blackstock: Trudeau Government Failing First Nation Kids On Health Delivery,” and “Wet’suwet’en Nation makes agreement to reclaim child-welfare services.”

For child welfare advocate Cindy Blackstock Indigenous children deserve equal access to government funding that is afforded to all canadians and is adamant about creating social and political awareness to the systemic inequalities that echo the past tragedies of Indian Residential School. Blackstock led a ten year case against the federal government, which resulted in the aforementioned human rights ruling that found the colonial canadian government responsible for systemic discrimination against Indigenous children.

For The Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs, Moricetown Band and Hagwilget Village Council, together reached a landmark agreement with the Province of British Columbia (BC) to reclaim jurisdiction for child welfare services as a best means to address systemic racism. By taking control over child welfare services the Wet’suwet’en can ensure that children are not removed from the community and have a continued ability to engage with culture, something that is lost when children are put in care outside of the community with non-Indigenous families.

While action to ameliorate the systemic inequality leads a potentially destabilizing threat to the colonial state it is imperative to Indigenous Communities, families, and children to feel safe in the identity which over the last 150 years has been a target of cultural genocide. As Cindy Blackstock has boldly stated “never again!”

MNM Posted: Oct 29, 2016 6:00 PM PT

Photo Credit: Public Domain.

Over The past year recording artist David Crosby has made several old man complaints toward American hip hop recording artist, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer, entrepreneur, and genius Kanye West.

In a recent article published by the Guardian Crosby’s comments were amplified stating West “can neither sing, nor write, nor play …” Other major publications followed the fatal trend of communication lending Crosby a soapbox to say “Kanye West is a total poser.”

However, in a turn of events Crosby shifted tune apologizing to West for previous comments. This morning Crosby posted a statement of apology on Twitter.

“I am so sorry for any misrepresentation of character I have caused to Mr. West. I am deeply saddened to have been informed by physicians worldwide of West’s terminal illness, which has been diagnosed as Realness. At this time my heart goes out to the West family.”

In a following tweet Crosby says,”The severity of Mr. West’s realness I had been unaware of  provides the context I had overlooked in his artistry. At the heart of the American musical tradition Mr. West fluidly continues an unabashed journey of dope ass beats and prolific vocal melodies.”

When asked for a response to Crosby’s apology West incisively remarked “I feel like I’m too busy writing history to read it.”

 MNM  Posted: Sept 7, 2016 3:50 PM PT

An undergraduate arts degree at UBC now Costs $5,088.00 a year.

Photograph by: Martin Dee

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VANCOUVER (The News Desk) Starting this coming fall semester of 2016 motivational videos will be replacing sessional instructors at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in a new self-directed program, CRED TALKS.

In an effort to keep tuition costs lower UBC’s administrative staff have confirmed students can now register for self-directed classes, and receive credit for watching the popular motivational video series TED TALKS. The UBC board of governors has approved tuition decreases starting the fall semester of 2016. An undergraduate arts degree at UBC will now Cost $5,088.00 a year per student domestically. For international students fees will remain unchanged at $31,355.25 a year and can expect a maximum 5% annual increase in tuition.

Students will be required to hand in assignments via UBC’s online interface Connect. The Gold Star system of grading will be applied by a newly developed software that requires minimal human oversight. Assignments will be graded on a scale of one to five gold stars. Students who score four or more gold stars will also be entered to win hidden easter egg features for their program approved courses, such as: early course registration, or extended course drop dates.

Vice-president of academic and university affairs for UBC’s AMS student society Mario Parent says, “I think CRED TALKS are pretty amazing! Courses are cheaper and I don’t have to listen to an instructor drone on for hours. I mean, actors are professionals at presenting information and sessional instructors are really good at research. it just seems obvious to play to your strengths.” Parent went on to say ”now that I’ve registered in the CRED TALKS program I have more time to smash the white supremacist, colonial patriarchy.”

Abstaining to comment on stagnating International student tuitions UBC President Dr. Santa Ono trumpeted, “With the all the money saved on courses students are funneling their cash back into the local economy here on campus.” Ono says, “whether students are registering for more courses or just buying an extra coffee at The Great Dane Cafe, it’s a real win for everyone here at UBC.”

The CRED TALKS program is “exceeding expectations,” reports UBC’s administrative staff. “Despite being capable of handling more students with the self-directed studies program CRED TALKS we’re going to put a limit on the registration to keep prestige.”

UBC’s former sessional instructors were nowhere to be found for comment as many are taking the time off work as an opportunity to catch up on Netflix series. Sources report sessional instructors are taking more time for self-care, such as: spending time with family and scheduling romantic nights.

UBC’s 15th President Dr. Santa Ono commenting on the replacement of sessional instructors says, “the news may come as a shock, but this was a decision made from the bottom up.”