Old Market Autonomous Zone

The A-Zone will be a major host site for the upcoming “Spirited Anarchy Festival.”

Details, workshops, participants, book fair, and other schedule info can be found on the Spirited Anarchy website at http://www.festival.a-zone.org

The basic description of the festival, as posted there, is as follows:

“2008 is the birth year of the Spirited Anarchy Festival. It is a celebration of the anarchist and radical community in Manitoba, across “canada” and around the globe. The festival serves as a means for anarchists to come together and; discuss philosophy, tactics, projects, to socialize and have fun, re-energize and dance. Most importantly it is to educate the wider public on what anarchism means to each one of us and to try to dispel myths surrounding anarchism. The festival is organized by a consensus-based collective. To become involved please contact us.”

Most events will be held in Old Market Square, Mondragon Bookstore & Coffee House, as well as the Rudolf Rocker Cultural Centre — including a building-wide fund-raising party on Saturday night (May 10th).

The Old Market Autonomous Zone (or A-Zone), Mondragon Bookstore & Coffee House, CKUW 95.9 FM, and G7 Welcoming Committee Records present:

“Autumn Harvest” Fundraising Dinner (in benefit of the Winnipeg A-Zone).

Come Join Us — the members, workers, friends and supporters within and beyond 91 Albert street — as we celebrate the contributions of the A-Zone to the radical community of this city (as well as the delicious arrival of the autumn harvest.)

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28th, 2007 @ MONDRAGON

Seating at 5pm, Dinner served at 6pm.

TICKETS: $35 or $60/pair (to be purchased in advance at Mondragon — limited seating!)

Prepare for a five-course vegan meal, including complimentary alcoholic beverage, dessert, live entertainment, and a presentation on the past, present, and future of the A-Zone.

For more info, call Mondragon at 946-5241 or check out the A-Zone website at: http://www.a-zone.org

Are you looking for flexible hours in a largely self-directed work environment? Do you already support the kinds of work and politics behind the A-Zone and its diverse members (such as Mondragon, G-7 Welcoming Committee Records, Natural Cycle, Canadian Dimension Magazine, Junto Library, DWD, the Rudolf Rocker Cultural Centre, and others)? Do you believe in principles such as workers’ self-management, participatory economics, and community economic development?

If so, then please submit your resumé and a cover letter (outlining what the A-Zone means to you, and why you wish to get involved) to the A-Zone office by October 1, 2007.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Position entails learning and performing all tasks related to the day-to-day maintenance of the building at 91 Albert Street: including but not limited to rent collections and bill payments, to book-keeping, building upkeep, oversight of building-wide maintenance and repairs, to day-to-day trouble-shooting, fund-raising, applying for grants, and conflict resolution.

SKILLS:

• Computer (basic word processing, familiarity with Excel, and accounting programs such as Quickbooks or Mind Your Own Business).
• Literacy skills (good writing skills are required, and experience with public-speaking an asset).
• Excellent “people skills” and experience dealing with conflict resolution are assets (particularly for dealing with diverse A-Zone tenants and grievances, as well as meetings and negotiations with contractors, City officials, or the Exchange District BIZ, and so on).
• One or more “trade skills” (construction, plumbing, electrical, or furnace repair) is a definite bonus, but not required.
• A willingness to learn and perform both “managerial” and “empowering” tasks on the one hand, and more rote and menial tasks on the other.

HOURS & MONTHLY PAY:

Work hours vary but amount to “part-time” overall. Some weeks this will be less, and some more, depending on circumstances and emergencies (such as repairs). With respect to emergencies (such as frozen pipes, furnace or A/C repair, leaking roof, etc.) the position is “on call” as needed. Under normal circumstances, the position is relatively self-directed so long as the work gets done within agreed-upon parameters. Because of this up-and-down work, the position is salaried by month, not hours worked. At the moment, the A-Zone is only able to offer $500 per month for flexible part-time work.

Since July 20th, the City of Winnipeg unilaterally ceased all garbage collection from 91 Albert Street, as well as other buildings in the immediate area. The alleged reason for this was violations of the Anti-Litter By-law, though no specific infraction was noted and no option to correct any possible infractions was given. No alternative solution was put in place before this happened, which predictably led to an increase in garbage on city streets, as countless businesses, studios, offices, and residences in the area were suddenly left without garbage pick-up! The City and BIZ Exchange are both promoting the “solution” that all businesses ought to share the costs of private sector collection. In effect, they have unilaterally privatized an essential service that the City ostensibly collects taxes to provide.

Simultaneously, the City Planning Dept., members of the BIZ Exchange, as well as City Councilor Pagtakhan, have been renewing their pressure on the building to consent to a zero-tolerance policy on graffiti. Pagtakhan (who also sits on the BIZ board) had previously launched a personal media campaign to single out 91 Albert, and he has apparently renewed his efforts, no doubt at the behest of the BIZ and those businesses which have an exclusively upscale vision of what the Exchange District ought to be.

Along with ongoing efforts to crack down on panhandlers and homeless people in the area, these recent actions related to garbage collection and graffiti suggest an intensified effort is underway to gentrify the Exchange District. The twin goals of cutting back on social services, and doing the bidding of the private sector, have led to a situation in which there is no longer an essential public service in the area. It has also led to a campaign to “whitewash” the area (both in terms of getting rid of graffiti and “unsightly” garbage, but also in terms of pushing out panhandlers and homeless people) to meet the aesthetic tastes of a vocal and upscale business community that believes it alone has the right to determine the future of the Old Market district.

Anarchist Black Cross (ABC) will be returning to the A-Zone, and sharing an office with the newly-formed Copwatch Winnipeg. They will be taking over office # 2F from Benoit, who is moving to Montreal.

The A-Zone’s wireless internet is now up & running. It is currently open access, and will hopefully remain that way. The A-Zone, Rocker, CD, G7, Cohort, Mondragon, and Natural Cycle have all agreed to share the conversion costs to get the necessary hardware installed, and will be sharing the monthly internet bill. Everyone else can simply enjoy!

A participatory course on the history of ecological thought within the anarchist tradition, being offered free of charge. To register, write to macho|at|resist.ca by July 15th.

Starts: Monday, July 23rd @ 6PM
Location: Rudolf Rocker Cultural Centre (3rd floor)

Topics may include:

Bioregionalism, Earth First! and the Earth Liberation Movement, Social Ecology, Green Anarchy, Green Syndicalism, Kropotkin’s “Mutual Aid”, Anarcho-Primitivism, the Diggers, Environmental Racism, Greenwashing, Veganism, Organics, and Food Politics, Eco-Feminism, Urban Planning, and “the Problem of Civilization,” among others …

Available August 1, or immediately, for less than $1.50 per square foot!!

Office #: 2A (Second Floor, 91 Albert Street)

Details: Approx. 500 sq. ft. office/studio space, newly re-finished & varnished hardwood floors, large windows overlooking Albert Street and Old Market Square, private bathroom, alarm system, plus optional access to building-wide wireless internet.

Rent: $700/month+6% GST (Electricity, Gas, and Water included.) 1-year (or longer) lease options available. CED businesses, worker-run collectives, and grassroots & social justice groups may negotiate more favourable terms on the basis of need, and conditional upon long-term commitment to the A-Zone.

To view the space, call the A-Zone office (944-9987) to make an appointment.

91 Albert Street is currently converting to wireless internet, and the A-Zone is discussing sharing conversion costs with the major “business” groups in the building (G7, CD, Mondragon, Natural Cycle, Cohort, and the Rocker Gallery). The plan is to have public, free wireless internet for anyone coming to the building, Mondragon customers, etc., and also allow smaller groups such as Junto, CanPalNet, and others to have free internet altogether. It is expected that this will be available by the end of July…Stay tuned!

G7 Welcoming Committee Records has moved from office 2A down the hall to 2D, scaling back their space needs. As a result, 2A is now available for any organizations wishing to join the A-Zone. The former G7 office is getting its hardwood floor re-finished this coming month (July) and should be available by mid-July. The space is approx. 500 square feet, has large windows overlooking Albert Street, and its own bathroom and alarm system. Monthly rent is $700 plus GST, and includes gas, water, and electricity. Worker-run collectives and social justice groups may negotiate more favourable terms on the basis of need.