In response to “Put homelessness on election agenda”, Winnipeg Free Press article By: Brian Bechtel Posted: 5/10/2010
Brian Bechtel’s Oct 5th editorial position that our civic candidates have failed to address the city’s homelessness epidemic needs Winnipeg’s response. We are calling upon citizens of Winnipeg to press their candidates in the upcoming civic election to address this issue.
That Winnipeg could have among its citizens anyone without a home is shocking; that Winnipeg should do so little about it is shameful. Despite the failure of the federal government to establish a national housing policy, municipalities across the country are creating housing policies and actively pursuing innovative and workable solutions. Winnipeg City Hall repeatedly evades the issue, passing the buck to other levels of government.
If we want to be more like Calgary or Edmonton, we should do it by imitating their homelessness initiatives instead of by buying police helicopters.
As Bechtel notes, sustainable housing strategies save taxpayers money and address a whole host of problems faced by metropolitan centres. It is time for our city to recognize that homelessness is an intolerable assault on fundamental human dignity.
Council of Canadians – Winnipeg Chapter