FELDSTED: When cities have trouble meeting their obligations they go to their provinces for help. Federal funding then mucks up the responsibility chain
Liberals detail
homelessness program, set to unveil anti-poverty law -- Plan will set an
official poverty line for Canada for the first time
The Canadian Press / CBC News ~~ Nov
05, 2018
Cities looking for more federal cash and a more
regular flow of money to tackle poverty are being told that they will be able
to tap into $1.25 billion over the next nine years through the Liberal
government's cornerstone homelessness strategy … revamped homelessness
strategy, dubbed "Reaching Home," will come into force early next
year, which is when cities will be able to apply for new funding.
Municipal governments administer most of Canada's
housing programs but construction and rent subsidies are expensive so the
cities rely on provincial and federal governments to support them …
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PLEASE STOP …
… building more bureaucracies
… subsidizing cities
… pretending you can deal with poverty and
homelessness
… building future ghettos
Cities are created
by, and are the responsibility of, provinces. They are not a ‘third level’ of
government. They are the first level of government, closest to the people they
serve and most responsible to the people they serve.
When cities have trouble meeting their obligations,
they go to their provinces for help. Federal funding then mucks up the
responsibility chain, and encourages irresponsible spending.
Raise the personal income tax exception, and insist the provinces do the same. Allow the poor and working poor to keep their earnings tax free.
Stop building house and apartment complexes for the
poor and homeless. Non-government
agencies, who are helping the homeless, need provincial subsidies, not more
bureaucrats.
Establish rental rate averages for apartments and
homes, and then subsidize those who can’t afford 80% of the average rental cost
for a like apartment or house. It’s a
lot cheaper than building housing and apartments that turn into slums that
harbour criminals.
Stop stigmatizing people who are down and out. They need counseling to regain a sense of
self-worth that has been trashed for a variety of reasons.
Raise the personal income tax exception, and insist the provinces do the same. Allow the poor and working poor
to keep their earnings tax free.
And finally?
Invest in addictions counseling
and treatment.
Canada-wide, our efforts to treat addictions are
dismally and woefully inadequate, tying up justice, police and medical services
needlessly. The combination of addiction and poverty is horrendously expensive
and a root cause of property crime. Desperate people turn to desperate
measures.
John Feldsted
Political Consultant
& Strategist
Winnipeg, Manitoba
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