Familiar Faces: Desiree Schell

There is one face that has been here from the beginning.

She was along side Grace, as she threatened a self-managed care worker for something she was not responsible for, and rather than put a stop to the threatening behaviour, Desiree manipulated blame to someone who was not involved at all.

When an AUPE Soprano's wannabe was being aggressive and intimidating towards one of the security people, she stepped in to lay blame on the person who was the target, rather than the instigator.

She was among those having a grand old time harassing one of our members for the crime of being a union member (not AUPE) and living in Artspace at the same time - and for daring to stand up for neighbours after they were physically assaulted.









Of course, she was right there with The Urinator himself, including when he was using the bull horn.

When Malka finally got thrown off the picket line for his Bad Cop routine (though that hasn't stopped him from coming back, despite repeated assurances to us that he wouldn't), she got put into the role of Good Cop.  In this role, she actually had the temerity to tell one of our members that she didn't know what Malka was doing (re: the use of the air raid siren and bull horn, etc.), but that when she found out about it, she put a stop to it right away.  This despite the fact that we have video of her standing next to him while he was using the bull horn.

So who is this person that is now apparently in charge of the picket line?

Her name is Desiree Schell and, unlike other picketers, she's rather more "famous", if that's the word that can be used.  She's the host of a radio call in show and podcast called Skeptically Speaking and, like Malka, is an AUPE organizer.

There's a youtube video of her speaking at an anti-religion event.  I tried watching it, but I couldn't make it past the boring and self-aggrandizing intro.

I found this little bit from the above linked interview telling;

Kylie Sturgess: How do you define the term skeptic? Do you consider yourself a skeptic?
Desiree Schell: To me, skepticism means basing decisions on evidence rather than emotion whenever possible. It means being aware of and trying to compensate for my own cognitive biases. It means trying to think critically, even after I’ve made my mind up on a particular topic. And it absolutely means being willing to listen if someone disagrees with me and [being willing] to change my position if their evidence is sound. 

Just so you know, this is what the term "skeptic" means.

skep·tic noun \ˈskep-tik\
: a person who questions or doubts something (such as a claim or statement) : a person who often questions or doubts things

Full Definition of SKEPTIC
1: an adherent or advocate of skepticism 2: a person disposed to skepticism especially regarding religion or religious principles

And skepticism means;

skep·ti·cism noun \ˈskep-tə-ˌsi-zəm\
: an attitude of doubting the truth of something (such as a claim or statement)

Full Definition of SKEPTICISM
1: an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity either in general or toward a particular object
2 a : the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain
   b : the method of suspended judgment, systematic doubt, or criticism characteristic of skeptics 3: doubt concerning basic religious principles (as immortality, providence, and revelation)

It takes a special kind of arrogance to redefine a word, then use that definition to define oneself and somehow expect the rest of the world to go along with it.  Especially when one's own definition contradicts the true definition.  If you've made up your mind about something, you cannot, by definition, be skeptical about it.

In my personal experience, people who insist on defining themselves as "skeptics" do so for two reasons; 1) they consider themselves intellectually and morally superior to the hoi polloi and 2) as a way to cast others as being closed minded or bigoted, when they are the closed minded bigots, themselves.

I have yet to find someone who defines themselves as a skeptic that is truly skeptical.

As an aside, I am curious to know how someone who claims to make decisions based on evidence and lack of emotion can be a smoker.

As for lack of emotion or trying to keep emotions out of things, I will quote one of our members who, I think, said it better than I would have;

...emotions are the key to empathy, and empathy is the key to getting shit done.  Telling people to keep emotion out of it is the defence of people who don't know what they are talking about.  The only reason people say that is to undermine others, to "feminise" them, and to imply that they are weaker for caring.

So how does the skeptical speaker handle things on the picket line?

Well, aside from being a really obvious manipulator who has been caught in many falsehoods, she has also revealed herself to be a truly disgusting human being.

Yesterday, this incident was witnessed and reported.

One of our members; a SAIL user member in a wheelchair who has difficulties speaking, was coming off of DATS. The creepers had their kids out again today, but instead of using them as human shields in the driveways, they were using them as human shields in front of the loading zone at the front entrance of the high rise.

This member went to Desiree to talk to her about the mess they were making.

Desiree responded by talking to her as if she were retarded (that word was used very specifically in describing Desiree's manner).  Then, as this member crossed the street, Desiree laughed and made fun of her.

The irony of this is that the woman Desiree was talking to as if she were mentally challenged is, in fact, quite brilliant.  However, like so many bigots, because of her disability, Desiree seemed to assume that being slow of speech means being slow of mind.

She's not the first to do this, of course, but that, too, is irrelevant.  She is the organizer of this group of "care" workers who treat the disabled with contempt, including those who claim to just "love our residents."

Several of our members with speech challenges have been targeted for this sort of discriminatory and bigoted behaviour, from taunting and harassment, to mockery and crude imitations of their speech mannerisms.

Every single one of the members they have mocked are exceptionally intelligent and accomplished people.  Not a single picketer that has ever shown up as part of AUPE's siege of Artspace can hold a candle to any one of these members, never mind all of them together.

This particular member's towering intellect is, however, irrelevant to the fact that Desiree treated her with such a level of contempt.  It wouldn't matter if she really were mentally disabled.  She should not have been treated this way.

The former organiser, David Malka, may be reviled for his abusive, threatening, aggressive, harassing and intimidating behaviour, but not even he stooped as low as Desiree Schell.

Letter to the Editor: the rest of it, and then some.

Going back to the letter written to The Edmonton Journal recently, here is the full, unedited letter that was sent.

Breaking a Not-For-Profit to Pave the Way for a Big-Box Homecare Provider?

Like many members of the disability community in Edmonton, I was interested to read the recent Edmonton Journal story about a group of care seniors’ care workers at the Revera Churchill securing a voluntary, employer-sponsored RSP plan, part of a three-year contract that also increased wages, changed shift premiums and added health and sick-leave benefits. The employees, represented by the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, negotiated for months and had assistance from an independent negotiator.

This successful negotiation stands in sharp contrast to the bitter, 4-month-long labour dispute which still rages between the AUPE and SAIL (Supports for Artspace Independent Living), a not-for-profit user-run homecare provider for people with disabilities who live in Artspace Co-Op. Throughout this conflict, AUPE picketers have routinely blocked/impeded everyone from residents, to DATS drivers, to mail carriers from entering or leaving the building. These picketers have caused public disturbances in a private, residential neighbourhood by chanting, singing and using bullhorns. All of this has resulted in Co-Op members with disabilities suffering stress-related illnesses. Yet, the intense conflict rages on, with no government minister, and no politician of any stripe, seemingly willing or able to work to broker a fair resolution and put an end to AUPE’s bullying and terrorizing of an entire community.

When further contrasting the ultimate resolution of the dispute between AUPE and Rivera with the ongoing conflict between AUPE and SAIL, one crucial difference becomes apparent. In the first case, the dispute was between Alberta’s largest union and a national, for-profit homecare provider. However, in the second case, Alberta’s largest union is demanding that a small, user-run, not-for-profit homecare provider, whose sole source of funding is Alberta Health Services, pay its healthcare aides the same wages as are earned by healthcare aides working for big for-profit companies and/or by healthcare aides working in large, long-term care facilities with exponentially larger client populations. Such a demand defies all logic. Even more baffling is AUPE’s apparent reticence to taking its demands for higher wages to Alberta Health Services, from which SAIL gets all its funding. Instead, AUPE seems quite content to simply continue to bully and terrorize the residents of Artspace.

This begs the question: What is AUPE’S real agenda in this dispute? Do they actually want a resolution with SAIL? Or, are they, in fact, doing all they can to make SAIL go under, so that AHS will bring in a big-box homecare provider, like Rivera, to take over the homecare contract at Artspace? In need of workers to meet the demands of the contract, the new homecare provider would have no qualms about rehiring AUPE members to provide intimate care to the very people that they have been terrorizing for months, regardless of the feelings or wishes of the homecare clients themselves.

It’s oft observed that a society is judged according to the way it treats its most vulnerable citizens. Considering the physical and psychological siege that AUPE is being allowed to wage, unhindered, against the residents of Artspace and the surrounding community, I’d say that Alberta has just hit a new low.

--
Heidi Janz, Ph.D
Adjunct Professor
John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre

It took a week for them to publish Heidi's letter, but in true Journal form, only 2 days for them to publish a response.

Two of them, even.

The first I will mention is written by someone in Sherwood Park, who is obviously uninformed.  That doesn't stop her from making assumptions and being really insulting.

Re: “A study in contrasts,” Letters, Heidi Janz, Aug. 26

Why aren’t SAIL Inc., Artspace and Ms. Janz, dealing with the Alberta Health Services’ failure to properly fund their care? Why do they think they should be an exception to the AHS failure to provide sufficient resources for home-care services?

It’s presumptuous of SAIL, and Ms. Janz, to assume they have a right to exploit their employees just because that seems to be easier than trying to get a fair deal from AHS. They would find they have allies in that struggle.

Carol Wodak, Sherwood Park

Ms. Wodak's accusation that SAIL and Ms. Janz have the "right to exploit their employees" is not only incredibly insulting, but pure AUPE.  She's spouting union talking points.

(BTW: Heidi doesn't have anything to do with the employees, but that doesn't seem to be stopping Ms. Wodak from assuming things).

It's awfully easy to just blame AHS, but it avoids the real problem, which is what AUPE is doing.

Also, the question of AHS funding is outside the scope of what's happening here at Artspace; that is an issue for the politicians, not SAIL.

Ah, but Carol is not just some concerned citizen from Sherwood Park.  She neglected to include that she is a Director for Senior's Action Liaison Team.  She's described as an "elder care activist."  A quick search finds that her focus is on institutionalized care.  Which is the complete opposite of what SAIL is about.  Perhaps the most interesting find is this letter to her, from the Legislative Assembly, written back in 2008, where the Sherwood Park MLA is defending people's preferences to receive health care without being in institutions.

For someone who has such personal reasons to be an activist for elder care, you would think she would be fighting for people to live independently as they age, rather than AUPE's attempts to control the independent living market.

You would also think she would be able to do so without insulting those same people and accusing them of exploiting employees (after all, some of the user members need home care, not because they have various obvious disabilities, but because they've simply gotten older and need a bit of help).  How incredibly offensive and degrading of the very people Ms. Wodak is supposedly fighting for.

(update: have been informed that Ms. Wodak actually used to live in Artspace many years ago, and was present when one of our members spoke on a panel trying to save SAIL - and those care workers' jobs - last year.  Which makes her accusation that SAIL is exploiting employees that much more disturbing.)

Speaking of offensive and degrading.

Here is AUPE's response.

Aiming for equality
Re: “A study in contrasts,” Letters, Heidi Janz, Aug. 26

Ms. Janz asks the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees if it wants a resolution to the ongoing labour dispute with Supports for Artspace Independent Living.

The answer is yes. That’s why staff voted to accept the independent mediator’s recommendations for settlement July 29. On Aug. 1, SAIL rejected those same independent recommendations, extending the employer’s lockout outside the Artspace Housing Co-op indefinitely.

AUPE has offered to partner with SAIL to assist in its funding negotiations with Alberta Health Services numerous times. Every offer of assistance was rejected. SAIL has even indicated it’s happy with the funding it receives from AHS.

AUPE’s goal is to have the women working at SAIL treated as equals in the industry. The independent mediator recommended that too, but SAIL continues to fight against fair compensation for staff. Those who question SAIL’s agenda have been subjected to scorn and ridicule on social media.

You’d think that in a community like SAIL, the belief in equal treatment would extend to those who care for disabled residents at Artspace, too.

Karen Weiers, AUPE vice-president

In typical AUPE doublespeak, Karen (who is at least honest about who she is) tries to make AUPE out as some sort of hero, rather than the villain they really are. Of course, she neglects to mention that the mediator's recommendation would have bankrupted SAIL - after all, AUPE has been busily accusing SAIL of fraud and "bad faith bargaining" to justify ignoring SAIL's financials.

As for her claims of AUPE's offers of help, I will have to leave that to others to respond to, but it's a bit like saying the lion has offered to "partner" with the lamb over what's for dinner.

Then she tries to go the "equality" route.  SAIL's employees were, of course, treated with equality, and they were fairly compensated for the work they did, but to AUPE, equality means something very different.  To them, equality is not about people being of equal worth, but of a forced equality of outcome.

Meaning, of course, money.

Oh, oh!!  And look!  She complains that "those who question SAIL's agenda have been subjected to scorn and ridicule on social media."

Suddenly, it's SAIL that has an agenda.  AUPE is very good at accusing SAIL of what they, themselves, are doing.

Scary, scary, SAIL, a non-profit run by a volunteer board, has an AGENDA people!  Run!  Run for the hills!

Those nasty people with wheelchairs and walkers and canes dare to want to live independently!

They want to have control over their own health care!

AAAAaaahhhh!!!  We can't have that!  We can't have people who *gasp* can actually THINK FOR THEMSELVES!!!

The horror!

Oh, yes, and how dare the plebeians question their betters!  Remember, only AUPE is allowed to heap scorn and ridicule on people.  Like... oh, Ms. Weiers herself.

Here's Ms. Weiers, on the picket line, just a few days ago. Moments before this photo was taken, she had her face plastered against the window, where she was busily heaping scorn and ridicule on the replacement workers outside.  She's been out here quite a lot, fully participating in the abuse of our community.

Then she whines that AUPE's drones are getting flack through social media?

HelloOOOooo.  Welcome to teh internetz.  

And then she hits the low blow.

You’d think that in a community like SAIL, the belief in equal treatment would extend to those who care for disabled residents at Artspace, too.

How utterly insulting and degrading to the people who fought to be treated like human beings, worthy of living independent lives, in their own homes, and capable of having a say in their own care, rather than being farmed off and hidden away in institutions.  You know, for REAL human rights, not entitlements and unearned privileges. What gall for a woman, who has condoned and participated in the abuse of our community, to make such an offensive statement.

Sorry, Deary, but you don't get to play the victim card when you are the villain.  Especially when the people who are supposedly so oppressed just held a woman hostage for 4 hours only 2 days ago.

Oh, and Karen, SAIL is not a community.  SAIL is a company.  A company run by a volunteer board that are also Artspace members.  A company that is consumer driven by people who are Artspace members. Some of the board members are also SAIL users.

Which makes it laughably ridiculous - and dishonest - for her to suggest that SAIL, the company, doesn't have an interest in the care of Artspace user members.

Spoken like someone with utter contempt for the disabled - a contempt we have seen from AUPE throughout this entire ordeal.

You can wail away about how it's all about "equality" all you want; AUPE's actions speak louder than their talking points.

It's about money - for AUPE.

It's about power - for AUPE.

It's about control - in the hands of AUPE.

Control over the lives of those least able to defend themselves against the AUPE juggernaut.

The elderly and disabled.

I wonder if Ms. Wodak would be so supportive, if she saw just what AUPE picketers have been doing to our community?

Video of the day: a blast from the past

Yesterday's video showed the picketers engaging in targeted harassment of a care worker who is doing self-managed care of a member who is disabled, but does not use SAIL.  This person also worked for SAIL, but she is not a replacement worker.



It's a fascinating glimpse of the cultish indoctrination that takes place; there's a very religious feel to this.

This person, and the Artspace member she cares for, have been the unrelenting targets of abuse from the picketers.

More info

Have been getting some interesting information after putting up videos in this post.  Particularly about what's going on in this video.



At about 0:25 a woman in a red shirt begins going "blah blah blah" and makes some other noises.

It turns out that she was mocking one of our SAIL user members, who has speech difficulties, and has been targeted a number of times.  Yet another example of AUPE picketer's targeted discrimination and bullying of people with disabilities, not just Artspace members in general.  This individual is one of several of our members with visible disabilities - not all of whom are SAIL user members - targeted for harassment, sometimes quite public, and bullying based on their disabilities.

Then comes the interesting part.

This woman has been identified as one of the few striking care staff that have been showing up on the picket line.  (Of the 30 care staff, 18 have not been seen since the strike started.)  She is quite likely to have been one of the care staff assisting the member she is showing such contempt for in the video.

Hmmm...

“Our members love their jobs and care deeply about their clients,” said Smith.

Yet, right from the start, the few striking care workers that showed up on the picket line (other than for photo ops, that is), as well as AUPE imports, have shown nothing but hatred and contempt for the "clients" they supposedly love and care for so much, as well as for all Artspace members.

If our striking care staff really did care so much for SAIL user members, they would not have joined AUPE paid imports in their abuse of Artspace members and SAIL user members.  They would have defended the people they claim to care about.  Instead, they have fully engaged themselves in the abusive behaviour.

No wonder our user members don't want them back; I mean, aside from the fact that they are now receiving the care they actually deserve, thanks to the replacement workers.  How could anyone feel safe allowing people who behave this way, in their homes?

Many of the striking staff have already found other jobs (though it turns out that for many, SAIL was already their second job, where they got paid full time wages for part time work, on top of their regular jobs), and that's partly why they're not on the picket lines; to which I say, good for you.  Keep and enjoy your new jobs.  SAIL users are doing much better without you.

The other bit of info about this video is a confirmation.  The man heard talking about shoving the toy horn up his a$$ did indeed say this in front of a 5 yr old.  As they are also heard verbally harassing the child's mother almost a minute in, it is clear they did know that child was there.

The picketers have shown nothing but abuse and contempt for Artspace; our members, our property and anyone in our surrounding community.

Like today.

Here they are again, abusing Artspace private property.

There is a 4 ft easement that allows picketers to step off the sidewalk for a few moments without being charged with trespassing.  Raised beds are not a surface to walk on, making room for passing pedestrians.  They are Artspace structures, on private property, and not built to be used as seating.

They have no respect for people, so I guess it's a bit much to expect them to respect private property, too.