Gordon Campbell received a grilling from the international media at a Beijing press conference yesterday as the Premier was trying to update/bullsh*t the gathering about preparations for Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympics. When confronted by Chinese reporters about the staggering amount of homeless, addicted, and mentally ill people in the city's Downtown Eastside, who will meet the world in just under a year and a half from now, the Premier said "In terms of some of the shelter issues, I think you will see a city and a community that has invested significantly in housing those who need support."
To quote a great B.C. sportsman of days gone by, Howie Meeker, this page says "Golly gee! Stop it! Stop it right there!" Notice how Campbell uses the term SHELTER 'issues' instead of focusing on the real issue: HOUSING? Anybody who trusts the Lieberals to do something about Social Housing needs to understand that a SHELTER is not HOUSING, and it's certainly not a HOME. What the homeless need is HOUSING, i.e. a STABLE and ONGOING living environment where one can can overcome mental health and addiction issues, and develop a base from which to reintegrate back into the society and the workforce. All SHELTERS do is keep the homeless out of the elements (and the attention of the global media) for a brief period, like the first eight to 10 weeks of 2010.
As for the Campbell's statement about the City of Vancouver investing significantly in housing, how is kicking tenants out of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotels, cutting the future Social Housing component of the South False Creek Olympic Village from 33% to 20%, the lack of a City Housing Authority, and ZERO construction of any dedicated Social Housing a significant investment? Either the Premier needs a new financial planner, or had one hell of a layover in Maui on the flight out.
No comments:
Post a Comment