Thoughts on BC Politics and More

. . . . “I just profoundly disagree with any suggestion that encampments are acceptable, decent, reasonable places for people to live because I have seen, and British Columbians have seen the violence, the fires, the brutality that can arise in that kind of environment,” he said. “At the same time, we know people are desperate, they need to set up a tent. So any kind of simplistic analysis around this is just that. It is a very complex and challenging issue — we have had experiences of decamping people directly into a motel where we had to ultimately close the motel because it was unsafe" . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story

. . . . In a piercing report released Tuesday, Marie-Josée Houle says the expansion of homeless encampments across the country is a national human rights crisis that requires immediate action and co-ordination involving all levels of government. Tent encampments, the report says, are the result of Canada’s “persistent failure” to protect people’s right to housing, which the federal government officially recognized in 2019. Governments must ensure that homeless people have permanent housing as soon as possible, and in the meantime, authorities need to equip encampments with basic services, such as clean water and garbage removal, so residents can live in dignity, the report says . . . . CLICK HERE for the full story