Author Archives: trasie

About trasie

Settler/Treaty7; Bi🌈; She/They; Radical Feminist Witch; Geeker Girl; Musician; Single Mom; Nonprofit Activist; Community Builder; Community Builder.

Proud to Be Pink

Posted on by
Reply
I confess, I’m a buton-a-holic – but that’s the topic for another blog post.

On today’s to-do list: order a button from Spacing Toronto.
If you missed it, here’s Don Cherry’s speech (at the Torontoist) that he delivered at Toronto City Council’s recent swearing-in, which explains why several people on my social media feed are also ordering buttons.
Oh, and insert celebratory “Our Mayor/Council Rocks” post here: they lowered the cost of low income transit passes! 
(Cross-posted at Zero-Fare Canada who kindly invited me to post with them. Go check them out!)

In the News…

Posted on by
Reply
(Twice in one week. I think that’s a new record!)
First, I’m quoted in the Calgary Dollars Newspaper (Winter 2010 issue, which is available in the FFWD on stands now) in the article “Connecting Bow Cliff”. For those who haven’t heard, the Calgary Dollars Markets are moving to Bow Cliff Seniors – join us on December 13, 6pm-8pm, when 32 local artists/sellers have tables and we’re celebrating the Hundred Dollar Holiday.
Second, I had a BCS member come into the centre yesterday to ask for an autograph. Yes, the Calgary Herald ran a great piece by Greg Williams (and an equally great photo by Dean Bicknell) on Calgary Carshare.

“When I was growing up, for me, a car represented freedom,” Braun says. “But now that I’m in the city, for me, having a car was a burden.”

We’ve already had new applications for membership (which you can do at the Calgary Carshare website) and that makes me happiest of all!

The Purple Revolution

Posted on by
Reply

For those of you just tuning in, yep, I’m supporting Nenshi for Mayor of Calgary. I don’t have time to blog about all the reasons (hey, blame the term paper schedule!) but this video pretty much says it all:


Purple Revolution Music Video from Chris Hsiung on Vimeo.

More info on Nenshi can be found at www.nenshi.ca – go check it out, then get out there on Monday and vote! (23,791 of us already have!)

CBC News Investigates: Your Charity Dollars (and mine)

Posted on by
Reply

I  just finished reading “Charities paid $762M to private fundraisers” (A CBC News Investigates piece) and I have to say, I’m incredibly disappointed. Why?

1. Numbers, numbers, numbers. We’re talking about a small number of charities: 651 of 85,0000. That’s 0.008% – less than 1% – of the charities in Canada. We’re talking about a small amount of money: $762 million out of $8.2 billion. That’s 9.29% – less than 10% – of the money raised by charities.That’s not what comes across; instead, the reaction in the comments is “Well, I’ll never donate to charity again.” There’s a lot of great charities who are going to have an even harder time fundraising now.
 
2. “The beatings will continue until morale improves.” Those of us working in charities – both paid and unpaid (and yes, I do both) – put our hearts into this work. We get there early or stay late (or both). We work evenings, weekends and holidays. We spend our time advocating and educating about social change. Sensational reporting doesn’t help get the job done, it makes the job harder.

3. They completely missed the big question: Why are charities having to focus so much on donations? Could it be because governments are downloading service expectations onto charities and then cutting the funding? What about the role that private foundations play in helping wealthy donors avoid paying taxes, which leads to those funding cuts? What about grants that don’t allow for admin costs, which means the staff have to be paid from other sources, or grants that are only open to “new” projects? How did the change from program to project based funding impact these factors? All of these impact far more than the 0.008% of charities using professional fundraisers.

I’m not going to stop donating to charities (obviously). I do my research and know which ones do good work (and which don’t).. I wish the CBC had thought about the long-term impacts before doing such a hatchet job on the charitable sector in Canada, because the work is only going to get harder from here.

How to Build a Brand New Blog: Day 6

Posted on by
Reply

Day 6’s challenge is to Link to a Blogger in Your Niche, and my recommendation is for the site CalgaryPolitics.com. This is actually a group of bloggers writing about the Calgary General Election (that’s #yycvote on Twitter if you’d like to join us). There’s been some great posts on the site, including today’s post “Does a new mayor matter if we ignore the other 14 races?” and details on the upcoming Twibates (that’s debates on Twitter for you non-tweeters out there). If you’re even nominally interested in Calgary politics, this is the site for you!

31 Days to a Brand New Blog: Day 5

Posted on by
Reply

Day 5’s challenge? Comment on Three Blogs You’ve Never Commented on Before:

Manhattan’s Non-Market Economy
It will be difficult to wean people off “free” parking, but it can be done with a carrot and not a stick. My city (Calgary, Alberta) tried to address the free parking situation at our local park and ride lots (located at train stations and major bus stops) by bringing in a $3 fee, and it caused a minor revolt amongst drivers. The difficulty was that they had not put any real alternatives to driving in place (such as frequent feeder bus routes to the park and rides or making transit more cycle-friendly) so most people felt they had little choice in the matter. If the investment had been made in good infrastructure, there might have been a different reaction to the fee. Instead, we have people who now drive downtown instead of paying the fee, even though it is more expensive, just to make a point. Very frustrating for those of us advocating for a better way!

Did Consumers Cause the BP Oil Spill? 
It’s not “just” about consumer choice, but that certainly is a factor in how we’re going to re-develop our future together. Point #3 and the development of car culture is accurate, but if know it was created then we know it can also be taken apart. Reducing the need for a personal automobile can be done in many ways: moving to a more walkable neighbourhood, taking transit or cycling, joining a carshare co-operative, etc. Yes, these are individual actions, but they also impact companies (less cars sold, less need for oil) and governments (more need for transit, more demand for high-density neighbourhoods) will act and how we will live in the future. That in turn will help create our next positive action and so on until we have something much better than the tarsands dependency we’re building on.

Monday Morning Rock Out
Happy Birthday Hildy! Great points about time and accountability. In the end, we all have the same amount of time (no one’s getting more than 24 hours in a day no matter how hard we beg!) and we’re ultimately accountable to ourselves for how we spend it. Now get out there and celebrate!

31 Days to a Brand New Blog: Day 9

Posted on by
Reply

Yes, it’s not actually Day 9 (Write a “How To” Post) but I’m catching up on posts* I’ve missed. Going back to the post on my purpose statement, I wanted to post something that covered “the personal is political” aspect of my writing. And so:

How To Help Your Kids Change the World

Xander helping Alderman Ceci cut the ribbon on the Calgary Peace Pole, September 2009.


Little Changes Add Up

Out of all the changes that happened when I became a single mom in March 2008, I didn’t think “not buying a car” would have the most impact. Joining Calgary Carshare has led to all kinds of changes: less shopping (especially in big-box stores), more transit/walking/biking (especially because Xander’s school and out-of-school-care are so close) and more volunteering (first as a member and then as a board member). Xander is a big fan of carsharing and we have a great time discussing alternative transportation models (including my “retirement home”: a rainbow-coloured school-bus that runs on recycled french fry oil – his proposal, not mine).

Take Them With You
Xander comes to board meetings with me, he volunteers at tables/events with me, and he comes to protests with me. He’ll be attending the Nenshi for Mayor orientation later this week and he’s requested his own tshirt so he can participate in events. He’s a familiar face at Bow Cliff Seniors, where his Wii-skills and weeding-skills are in demand. Sometimes I don’t attend things because he’s with me, or I reschedule them for times when he’s in school, after-school care or with his father, but most of the time he’s there with me. And I know this works first hand: I have several memories of volunteering with both my parents!

Xander and I at the Calgary Anti-Prorogation Rally, January 2010.

Explain Things So They Understand Why
Kids have questions and we (sometimes) have answers. Tell the truth, but in a way that your kids understand. Talk about why you feel something is right/wrong and why others don’t. And be honest when you don’t have the answers; kids can sense when you’re putting them on. Encourage them to do their own research and form their own opinions.

Have Fun!
Changing the world is hard work, but every revolution needs a dance party or two. One of our “new favourite” events is the Bow River Flow – a street party celebrating human-powered transportation. Next Sunday we’ll be volunteering for Calgary Carshare at the Bike Check-In and also wandering the streets looking for a game of snakes and ladders. Hope to see you there!

Come join the parade!