Turning Point Gala and Jim Belushi

I love the Turning Point Gala. Turning Point sets the standard for recovery housing and this small grass roots organization has done itself proud since it’s beginning in the 1980’s.  It’s a place where men and women can go and feel supported in their sobriety. They can get back on their feet from wherever they’ve fallen.  The communities where the Turning Point houses exist don’t suffer from their presence but rather their presence enhances the community.
 A few years back a home owner asked me about whether to fight a ‘recovery house’ going up in their neighbourhood. I told them I’d support a house like Turning Point any time but I’d stay away from some of the drug houses masquerading as recovery places because they really did attract  crime and depravity.  By contrast Turning Point Recovery Houses are good citizens and as such make good citizens. They don’t tolerate drug use or crime.  Their sole function is to provide a safe home for individuals to transition back into mainstream society.  Everyone wins.
I’ve been attending their gala for 8 years now. It’s best dinner and speaker event in Vancouver. The Four Seasons is a great venue and serves a fine meal.  The list of dignitaries who attend is always impressive. This year Member of Parliament David Wilks was there, along with Susan Anton, Atorney General and my personal favourite, Terry Lake, Minister of Health.
Randene Neill, News Anchor for Global BC, was again a most delightful mistress of ceremony. Brenda Plante the incredible Executive Director of Turning Point is the moving force who brings everyone together.  Howard Blank again was the most entertaining and quite hilarious auctioneer.  Thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars were raised by his hypnotic personality.  Added to that Terry Lake surprised us all with the Liberal Governments announcement of a million dollar donation to the building building restorations, renovations and making the homes transgender friendly.  Turning Point Recovery Society is also planning another home for men while the Turning Point Women’s Recovery House just opened in North Vancouver.
Jim Belushi was the guest of honour and truly an amazing speaker.  He asked that the media and bloggers like me respect his desire to keep the content of his talk intimate  I can only respect that given the vulnerability he shared speaking of addiction and how this had affected him and his family. He is a truly remarkable man whose wisdom journey I was blessed to hear.
Thank you Turning Point for another wonderful experience in sharing and caring.
I enjoyed sharing a table with George, Jane, and Laura. We were joined by Joanna, Quinten, and Lorinda from Orchard Treatment Centre,  and of course ,  David Berner.  It was also so very good to see Guseppe from Last Door as well as Michelle from Avalon.  Turning Point Gala is always such a very special night.

Portland Hotel Society Scandal

Portland Hotel Society Scandal reminds me of the phoney doctor who worked in a community. He gave all the criminals letters of recommendation. He flew anyone anywhere on tax payer money. He doled out narcotics and benzodiazepines.  He was everyone's friend.
No one got well.  The truly sick people were highly suspicious. Within months there was a realization that what he was doing was extremely, extremely expensive and odd.  He was caught.
Crack pipe dispensers and 3 million dollar a year drug club to shoot up street bought heroin.
Mark Townsend and Liz Evans have made a lot of friends by 'buying them stuff'.   He's given heroin addicts a place to shoot up. He's not interfered with the DTES gangs who haven't had to worry about  losing customers by their getting off heroin.  With all the 'high life' going on while the old heroin users are dying, off the young are stepping up to lead this 'life' or death. The drug dealers have always supported Mark Townsend. They're his biggest fan. All of his programs  promoted a 'culture of addiction'. 
He's even ?'bought'? politicians, though I don't know if that's politically correct to say.  Bought is such a telling word .  However the Canadian media wouldn't think twice about using such language for this sort of thing outside Canada.  In a similar Asian or US scandal , every Canadian reporter would be "asking questions' about  'extortion' and 'kickbacks' because the 'people need to know." .  This would be especially true if "mismanagement" occurred  in the evil 'energy industry'.  But aren't this self proclaimed 'do gooders' even more wrong when they're caught doing serious wrong.
The NDP Jenny Kwan appears before the camera paying back what she says her 'husband', she's 'separated' from 'misinformed' her about. "I never knew" she said.  And all the reporters go, "oh, she never knew. See she's crying. " Yet, only last year for weeks CBC hounded the Prime Minister's office claiming shrilly in every manner that PM Harper must have known what was going on with the Duffy expense 'scandal'.   Did Mulcair know Jenny Kwan was using tax payer money to go to Disneyland?  Now Jenny Kwan is going home to be with her children. Ahhhhh, ooooo.  I'm surprised there wasn't a stuffed animal or a bunny rabbit.
Was the attack on Harper 'racist' or 'gender biased' or the lack of attack on Jenny Kwann, racist or gender biased.?I never can tell anymore with the media so obviously partisan.
It struck me as the most two faced deceitful presentation for a feminist. If Duffy had 'cried' would he have got off more easily? This isn't the age of chivalry, yet there we still accept 'tearful'  presentations by women blaming their husbands  and everyone 'coos'.  Does that mean a man can blame his wife now?
Thank God, Christy Clark doesn't do that silly shit.  Already sick by what this bozo group was  doing  the Kwan pathos nearly made me spew.  I actually could have accepted 'mismanagement' and 'misappropriation' but when this drama queen act came on it really screamed 'cover up'.  With all the conspiracy theories out there, I never take notice until there is an actual cover up. You can't see the conspiracy theories but the cover ups seems to stick out like a sore thumb.
Am I the only one that asks, were any of  these persons connected to the gangs and drug pushers downtown?
Am I watching too many episodes of  Criminal Minds?
The CBC skewered Duffy and the Senate for their 'mismanagement of funds ( ?theft" - I love white collar language. If the rest of us do mismanagement or misappropriation it's called theft)   Martha Stewart and Conrad Black went to jail for that sort of thing but I sure didn't see the media getting all soft and sweet with either of them.  The comedians have however done as good a job with Mark Townsend and Liz Evans as they did with Mayor Ford.
Maybe I listen to CBC going on and on about Ottawa too much.  Then watching Law and Order and CSI and NCSI  I couldn't help but ask, if Jenny Kwann got  $35,000 from one business, were there any other business 'shook down' for money. Oh, sorry, was it possible 'her husband' was 'shaking down' others or, damn, there goes the language problem again.  "Inviting donations', is that the term?   Naturally, the NDP should be with the RCMP looking into the overall finances of Jenny Kwan as a public 'servant' like they did with the senate. Shouldn't they? Will the tax department be looking into Mark Townsend and Liz Evans like they certainly would look into me or you?
But obviously I watch too much tv.  They seem so willing to do 'financial audits' of 'individuals' when those individuals are involved in 'extortion' or "theft" or "kickbacks" or sorry, there's that language problem again.  I can't help but think of thieves thieving.  Mismanagement Mark Townsend.
I just can't figure how you can spend $800 on a hotel room running a supposed 'charity' and 'non profit' business. I asked a few of my profit based "dirty capitalist" friends and none of them had ever spent more than $150 on a hotel room. $800. Wow. That boggles the mind.
So how come we have so much 'mismanagement' in government. This 'unprofessionalism" and lack of 'morality' or even better lack of 'basic ethics' is not tolerated among doctors, accountants or believe it or not, lawyers.  So why should these 'managers' for government funded businesses get a pass on their 'books' when my lawyer and accountant must 'pass' mine.  Is the accountant for the Portland Hotel Society going to be speaking to his professional body about his 'oversight' or 'lack of oversight'.  Is the lawyer for the Portland Hotel Society going to be speaking to the Law Society about his or her 'oversight' or lack of oversight.
Mark Townsend, Liz Evens, Small and Kwan are just a small part of the 'nest' that makes up a 28 million dollar business.
There were doctors involved in the Safeless Injection Site. As a physician I couldn't help but wonder if those physicians will be at very least asked to confirm their 'innoscence' in this thoroughly repugnant scandal. 
Terry Lake, our Health Minister is to be admired for the extraordinary political risk he has taken making sure the provincial audit saw the light of day .  My question is when the RCMP will be tasked to address what really is missing.  Hundreds of thousands or  millions.  We  only got a peak at what the public purse was paying for.
I just can't help but think that the Canadian Tax Department would be all over me if I didn't even keep records as the audit shows over and over again these folks failed to do.
The darkness of the Portland Hotel Society and how far down the management chain the corruption and taint goes is appalling.
 Now that said, the front line workers are awesome. This is what is so sad about the DTES. The workers down here are truly amazing.  The homeless and addicts are also trying very hard to get help in a tough economic climate in a very expensive fast changing city.
And I know with regard to 'all the usual suspects', the Mark Townsends, Jenny Kwans, and Liz Evans, I'm supposed to think, "live and let live". That's why I'm thankful for the Terry Lake.
Thanks to Terry Lake there's more likelihood today the money will get to those who need it most.