NO FUN CITY.......................8 INSIDE LOOK Despite winning the Grey Cup at home, coach Wally MLA GETS A TASTE OF WELFARE........2 Buono and the B.C. Lions get no outdoor parade Jagrup Brar to live on $610 for a month HOT DATES FOR COLD WEATHER........5 Romantic winter plans to warm your sweeties’s heart Check us out online the at langaravoice.com DAILY oice PRODUCED BY LANGARA JOURNALISM STUDENTS V November 29, 2011 • vol. 43 No. 9 • vaNcouver, b.c. Students Canada could ‘scuttle’ Kyoto: frustrated by Suzuki Foundation tight window for U-Pass Climate scientists urge federal renewal government Transit users going home for the holidays may have not to toss difficulty getting their Kyoto protocol January passes By LYNDA CHAPPLE angara students will have to act photo courtesy flickr creative commons, Gerard Van der Leun fast if they need their January U- With climate talks continuing at an international conference in South Africa, questions swirl about Canada abandoning Kyoto. LPasses over the holidays. The passes will be available during a By JEN ST. DENIS has a real chance of scuttling any prog- pulling out of Kyoto and doing nothing four-day window Dec. 19-22, when the ress that could be made short-term is really just an invitation to create a college closes for holidays until Jan. 3. anada could derail international with respect to these negotiations,” huge experiment.” That means out-of-town students re- climate change negotiations if it said Marshall. But Hadi Dowlatabadi, a professor in turning after Christmas will likely be pulls out of the Kyoto Protocol, Most developing countries and the sustainable development at UBC, said For“ without a valid pass until they get back Caccording to the David Suzuki European Union support the Kyoto Pro- that Canada’s participation in the cli- Canada to to the school. Foundation. tocol, said Matt Horne, climate policy mate change agreement was problem- Raymond Yeung, Langara’s U-Pass It was reported Sunday that Canada director at the Pembina Institute. atic from the start because the United pull out, and transportation coordinator, said would pull out of the Kyoto Protocol at “Although bigger countries and big- States, the largest emitter of green- basically it the pick-up dates are the same every the end of December. However, Envi- ger sources of emissions [than Canada] house gas emissions and Canada’s larg- month, and the college didn’t want to ronment Minister Peter Kent would not are always going to be important [in est trading partner, did not ratify the has a real change them just for December. confirm or deny the reports. Countries negotiations], Canada playing a non- agreement in 1997. chance of “If [students] don’t want to lose use are meeting now in Durban, South Af- constructive role has impact,” said “What the Harper government is do- on the first, second and third of Janu- rica to try to come to an agreement on Horne. ing now is putting that right and then scuttling ary they need to come by December 22 cutting emissions. Kent has called the Kyoto Protocol they’ll just trot on behind their bigger any to pick up their passes,” said Yeung. “It’s been very clear from the devel- outdated. Canada has not met its Kyoto brother,” said Dowlatabadi, “and what- But students aren’t happy. oping countries, especially […] India, emissions targets for the period be- ever the big brother decides to do, the progress “It is kind of annoying. I start work South Africa, Brazil and China, that the tween 2008 to 2012, which called for an- Harper government will decide to do.” that could through the holidays and my last exam negotiations have to include the Kyoto nual emissions to fall six per cent below The Conservative government an- is the 13th, now I have to come back Protocol,” said Dale Marshall, an ana- 1990 emissions levels. Instead, they nounced Monday that they would be be made sometime in that window,” said Whit- lyst at the David Suzuki Foundation. “It have risen 17 per cent. investing $600 million over five years to DALE MARSHALL, ney Brennan, a second-year arts and doesn’t bode well for an international “The science is pretty settled. We renew the Clean Air Regulatory Agen- spokesman for science transfer student. “It is kind of agreement that has all countries mov- know that the climate is sensitive to da. According to a government press the David Suzuki inconvenient for people.” ing in the same direction to tackle cli- C02 levels,” said Philip Austin, an earth release, the money will be used to Foundation Brennan would have preferred the mate change. and ocean sciences professor at the “align greenhouse gas regulations with cards were available earlier than Dec. “For Canada to pull out, basically it University of British Columbia, “so the United States where appropriate.” 19, as they are in every other month. “The pick-up dates in Decem- ber are there and available but U-PASS may require stu- dates: Robertson calls out province on housing dents to plan ahead,” says Vancouver By DANIEL PalmER There are currently 1,106 year- Yeung. Nov. 30 round shelter spaces in Vancouver and If students are November U- Passes expire not happy ayor Gregor Robertson said the 44 seasonal spaces. For the past two under a crunch with tardy B.C. government is not acting years, the province had funded an ad- to get the card, Dec. 19 ditional 160 seasonal spaces through funding Mfast enough to carry its share of there are three First day to get funding for critical homeless shelters the winter, but that funding is not be- dispensers they January U-Pass from the this winter. ing offered this year. can turn to on Robertson made the remarks yester- “The city provides the buildings, and campus; the li- Dec. 22 province, day after holding a joint press confer- we’re happy to do that,” Robertson brary, the book- Last day to get calling B.C. ence with B.C. Housing Minister Rich said, “The operating costs are the re- store and the January U-Pass, Coleman at the McLaren Housing Soci- sponsibility of the province. That is Students’ Union College closes for Housing’s ety. Coleman and Robertson were on their jurisdiction.” Building. holidays extreme hand to announce the construction of a BC Housing has noted that addition- The bookstore Dec. 31 supportive housing project for individ- al funding is being allocated to Ex- or the library weather December U- uals who are HIV-positive. treme Weather Response shelters, dispensers may Passes expire response “At this point, we don’t have a com- which are opened when the tempera- be best the best shelters a mitment of any funding for the winter DANIEL PALMER photo ture is cold enough to cause death. option as the Jan. 3 shelters,” said Robertson. Robertson calls for faster funding. But City of Vancouver housing advo- Langara SUB College re-opens ‘Band-Aid Robertson said the city has no means cate Judy Graves called the extreme closes Dec. 21. for spring semester that capacity the last two winters. The fix’ of funding the shelters without provin- weather response shelters a Band-Aid The January cial help. housing is coming, but it’s not coming fix to the housing crisis. U-Passes are Source: Langara.bc.ca “We’re still hopeful and talking to fast enough,” Robertson said. “The extreme weather strategy is available from the premier about this as well because Coleman was not available to com- not sustainable for more than a few Dec. 19 until Jan. it’s a critical need for the city. We had ment on Robertson’s remarks. days,” Graves told TheVoice by email. 16. Printed on recycled paper Check out our web exclusives at http://langaravoice.com/ news & features EDITOR DEREK BEDRY THE VOICE, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2011 2 Surrey MLA to try welfare Viaduct Jagrup Brar will live on $610 for a month, impel gov’t to raise rate By MATT HYNDMAN who spent time living in the Downtown voting Eastside in 1986. Barnes’ daughter is Surrey MLA will live on $610 in supporting Brar, and hopes the chal- January to draw attention to lenge will result in change she says the struggles of people surviv- never came from her father’s attempts. WELFARE Aing on welfare. “The sad thing is that 25 years later Responding to a challenge from wel- we’re having to go through this again,” breakdown ends fare advocacy group Raise the Rates, she said. MLA for Surrey-Fleetwood Jagrup “Emery Barnes lived on $350 a Vancouverites given a Brar will attempt to live within the cur- month,” Brar said. “Today I will be $610 per month rent B.C. monthly assisted living rate. challenged to find a place to live and voice in viaduct makeover, “I’ve decided to accept the welfare survive on $610 per month.” but may not see changes challenge to experience firsthand what Back in 1986, Barnes concluded that $375 for rent life is like for 180,000 B.C. families who welfare for a single person should be for another 15 years live on welfare,” Brar told reporters $700, equivalent to about $1,250 today. $7 left to spend Monday at the Surrey Urban Mission. Brar and Swanson rejected the sug- per day By SHAWN GILL Raise the Rates wants to pressure gestion that with the one-month chal- the B.C. government to reduce poverty lenge he would simply be a tourist in he best idea for Vancouver’s con- MATT HYNDMAN photo by raising welfare compensation.