Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

‘The NDP government is moving people into housing without providing them with the proper onsite supports they need’, says Kamloops South Thompson MLA Todd Stone

When asked about the NDP’s poor record of providing full wraparound supports for people struggling with addictions in supportive housing units, Minister of Municipal Affairs Selina Robinson said: “there is someone on site who will sit down [with residents] and have a cup of tea.”

 

When you hear the term ‘wraparound supports’ concerning supportive housing, you think of a team of physicians, nurse practitioners, clinical staff, counsellors and outreach workers,” said Joan Isaacs, MLA for Coquitlam-Burke Mountain.

 

Unfortunately, Selina Robinson confirmed that’s not the case in many of the NDP’s so-called ‘supportive housing’ units.”

 

During budget estimates debate for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Isaacs asked the Minister to further define the “24/7 wraparound supports” the NDP claim they are providing to people in supportive housing. Robinson answered that it equates to someone to “have a cup of tea with” and does not include on-site clinical care.

 

The NDP has essentially admitted that they are not funding the 24/7 clinical wraparound supports and services that are required to help those with addictions,” added Thornthwaite, Critic for Mental Health and Addictions.

 

Simply moving people into hotels without these services will not get our vulnerable citizens the help that they need and, instead, it just moves the problems into another neighbourhood.”

 

Meantime in Kamloops ... after hearing from residents about the rapidly deteriorating situation on the West Victoria Street corridor, MLAs Todd Stone (Kamloops South Thompson) and Peter Milobar (Kamloops North Thompson) have been continuing in their efforts to ensure the government is aware of the situation ... and urging the NDP’s Housing Minister Selina Robinson to take action.
 

Kamloops S. Thompson
MLA Todd Stone


What we are seeing on the West Vic Street corridor is yet another example of NDP supportive housing failing to actually support people,” said Stone.

The NDP government is moving people into housing without providing them with the proper onsite supports they need to get better and as a result, negative consequences are also impacting the broader community. Small businesses are facing constant break-ins and worrying about the safety of their employees and customers, and many residents are now fearful in their own neighborhood”, the Kamloops South Thompson MLA continued.

 

Stone and Milobar commented that while they have raised the issue with Housing Minister Selina Robinson multiple times over the past week, they have been met with, according to them, dismissals and no promises of action.
 
I asked the Minister about West Victoria Street in Question Period today and she referred to our legitimate concerns for people’s health and safety as ‘moaning and groaning,’” said Milobar, MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson.

 

Milobar then continued ... “The Minister refuses to acknowledge the urgency of the situation and the need for real wrap-around on-site supports, so that people can get the help they need, and businesses and residents feel safe in their community.”

 

The term ‘24-7, wraparound service’ implies that clinical support is there when it’s not. Our province’s vulnerable populations in supportive housing don’t actually have that support and that’s disappointing and deeply troubling”, stated the Coquitlam-Burke Mountain Liberal MLA Joan Issacs.

  

 

 

MLA Todd Stone ... describing the situation on the West Victoria Street Corridor during a media availability at the legislature, July 13, 2020. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI9awDjQR9I)

MLA Peter Milobar ... asking Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Selina Robinson about the West Victoria Street Corridor in Question Period, July 13, 2020. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRTnL7gTwSg)

Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister ... defining “24/7 wraparound supports,” during budget estimates debate for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, July 09, 2020. (https://bcliberalcaucus.bc.ca/assets/media/robinson-tea3.mp4)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

GORDON F. D. WILSON: When The Trick Masquerades as The Treat

Thirty-seven years ago, Halloween 1987, I became the leader of the BC Liberal Party.   British Columbia was badly polarized. Social Credit held one side and the NDP the other. It had been twelve years, 1975, since Liberal MLAs Garde Gardom, Pat McGeer, and Alan Williams had walked away from their party to join Social Credit, one year after the lone Progressive Conservative MLA Hugh Curtis had abandoned his party to sit with Bill Bennett, the son and heir apparent to long-serving BC Premier, WAC Bennett.   An unwritten agreement by the biggest Canadian political shareholders, the federal Liberals and Conservatives, decided that if British Columbia was to remain a lucrative franchise from a revenue perspective, they couldn’t risk splitting the electoral vote and electing the real enemy, the NDP, so no resources would be used to finance either a Liberal or Conservative party provincially.   “There are two sides to every street,” I was told by a very prominent Canadian businessman who cont

FORSETH: As a BC Conservative member, and campaign worker, I will again state that the fact these errors were found -- AND brought to light BY Elections BC -- shows the system IS working

Sadly, two and a half weeks after the BC provincial election campaign, those who want to undermine our political process are still at.  PLUS, we also have one who doesn’t even live in our country, never mind our province. I speak of the buffoon running for President of the United States, who has poisoned the well when it comes to faith in the electoral process. Just today alone, comments such as the following, were being made of posts that I shared online: ... all the votes they keep finding has just favoured NDP on in all critical ridings and soon they will flip another riding in favour of NDP, Come on. ... Elections BC has ridiculed British Columbians, and I no longer have confidence or trust in their process and competence regarding the results Then there are others online, with comments like these – who are claiming fraud in the October 19th election: ... Who is the oversight for Elections BC? They should be investigated for election fraud! ... Fraudulent election ... should be red

Rob Shaw: Eby should be worried why mudslinging missed the mark in B.C. election

  Why did a BC NDP election campaign overwhelmingly focused on attacking the character of the BC Conservatives fail to prevent a blue wave that came within 27 votes of toppling the governing party? Partly because voters didn’t much care for, or about, all the New Democrat mudslinging. They were just hopping mad about some very specific issues ... CLICK HERE for the full story

Labels

Show more