All posts by James W. Breckenridge

Consider, Homeless

Government/Big Business Conspiracy?

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I want to be a little careful here because I was speaking with some classmates the other day, in a mental health context, about people who see government conspiracies everywhere and about at what point they become delusional. Still …

In a later conversation, on the webcast the Fred Factor, I touched on the point that the current welfare system tends to beat you up, beat you down and abuse you.

The system strips you of your dignity, self-confidence and self-esteem. It hammers you into a little box, makes you dependent on the system and places multiple barriers to you getting off of welfare.

Having beaten you down it inundates you with all these messages about how much better your life would be with a minimum wage job. Despite the fact that in Abbotsford the minimum wage is not a living wage. That is to say – you cannot live and pay your bills working a 40 hour work week at or within a few dollars of minimum wage. Do the math and you will find that you need to earn $13.00+ an hour to afford housing and food in Abbotsford.

Consider the screams, moaning and carrying on that business does at the mere suggestion of raising the minimum wage even $0.50. $13.00+ is apoplexy range.

Many businesses, many big businesses, are built on low (slave) wage rates set by the current minimum wage rate as well as their ability to use and abuse employees by labelling them “part time”. Business needs a supply of people willing to accept this abuse and wages that do not pay the bills or enable employees to make ends meet – in order to make their huge profits.

Where is business to find such a desperate labour pool of compliant worker bees?

Enter big government with their “Income Assistance” system who also, conveniently, just happen to set the minimum wage rate.

They have a system, the welfare system, which takes people in need and transforms them. It strips them of dignity, of their confidence, abuses them, habituates them to jumping through hoops, renders them totally dependent on the system and then bombards them with advertising that extols the virtues/advantages of even a minimum wage job to escape the clutches of the fiends at Income Assistance.

Voilá! You have the labour pool so needed to run business and fuel the continuing transfer of wealth from those people who actually do the work and build the wealth to the wealthy business/ruling classes.

One would almost think that the Ministry of Employment and Income Assistance was a branch of business, not of the “people” government. Or one could see a conspiracy among the ruling politicians (and their bureaucrats) and the wealthy/business rulers (and their bureaucrats) to provide the needed cannon fodder fir business to thrive, earn undeserved, excessive profits and continue the transfer of wealth to the wealthy and ruling classes.

But that would be delusional – or would it? Keep in mind that you are only paranoid if they aren’t out to get you – and there is no conspiracy. But you might want to be careful – Mental Health is under the control of the politicians and their bureaucrats.

Just a little something to ponder.

Municipal

Plan A one year latter:

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Mr. Beck’s return to OZ.

In the Abbotsford News of November 22/07 revisiting of Plan A one year later, City Councillor Beck is at least consistent on one matter: he obviously still inhabits the utopian dream world originally conjured up for Plan A.

What else but living in a dream world would explain Mr. Beck claiming “The worst case in Abbotsford is that the building will be self-sufficient.” Facing over $3 million per year in interest payments, hundreds of thousands of dollars for maintenance and operating costs, Mr. Beck’s “worse case” is $0? It would seem that any prudent businessman or citizen with common sense would rationally see and be concerned about taxpayers easily being out of pocket a figure with up to six zeros behind it.

Living in a world of pipe dreams would also explain how Mr. Beck “highlighted Elton John, Billie Joel …” when speaking of other entertainment possibilities for the facility. I do not feel it appropriate to comment on a hockey tenant that at this time continues to be an insubstantial figment of the council’s imagination.

In reference to capital projects in Langley and Chilliwack, it should be noted that in cities other than Abbotsford, capital projects are part of a capital planning process and there is opportunity and time for the public to express concerns and get answers. Abbotsford is the city where major capital projects are hastily thrown together into one big lump and rushed through with out due diligence, care or public consultation.

Council and its members had a right to express a position on Plan A and to promote their position. It did not have a right to abuse the power and position of the city and council to deny access and expression of their point of view to those who opposed Plan A. It did not have a right to recklessly spend city a large amount of funds to win the referendum. Most of all it did not have a right to lie to the citizens of Abbotsford about the amount being spent to promote Plan A.

It is a matter of public record that Mr. Beck and council insisted that they only were spending $40,000 on promoting Plan A. It was only through the filing of a Freedom of Information request that the actual spending of $140,000, 250% more than claimed and attested to by Mr. Beck and fellow councillors, was revealed to the public as the actual costs.

The old scare tactic of Mr. Beck’s “an extra $6.5 million to build the facility” is, given the way the economy is going, looking less and less likely a realistic scenario and that in reality there will savings and bargains available to prudent project developers and builders as the peak building boom passes and construction companies search for work.

The real point is that in light of the increased cost we know of, approximately $23 million revealed so far, $6.5 million looks like a real steal of a deal. Because, despite Mr. Beck’s glib assurances otherwise, we have no solid or real idea of what the final bill for this botched mess will be.

One can only hope that the final cost of Plan A does not include paying the costs of boondoggles such as the trip for Mr. Beck and the approximately 50 businessmen going to the Everett Events Center. Whether those costs are paid directly by the City or an attempt is made to hide the costs in Global Spectrum by ignoring the fact the City is already paying Global Spectrum.

If those going to Everett are not paying their way, then we taxpayers are and those costs are part of the cost of Plan A. At least in the real world; in the utopian dream world conjured up by council for Plan A …??

Homeless, Municipal

Recognition and Blessings

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Monday evenings snowfall saw the first opening of extra shelter beds for this winter in Abbotsford. Again this year Dave Murray of the Abbotsford Food Bank is co-ordinator. The Salvation Army again serves as the hub to which those in need of shelter from the inclement weather go and from where the overflow is transported to the extra extreme weather shelter beds at other locations. Although the new Director at the Salvation Army, Pastor Andy Kwak, may well find extreme weather in the lower mainland pretty whimpy compared to his old home of Edmonton.

Welcome on board and thank you to Grace Evangelical Bible Church, who opened their gymnasium. Big thank you to Seven Oaks Alliance Church for returning to open their doors and floorspace again this year. With the increase in the numbers of homeless on our streets, especially the growing numbers of those with little experience surviving as homeless, these spaces could prove badly needed life-savers.

On other matters of helping the homeless and hungry poor we need to thank Bethel Reformed Church for coming out and serving lunch Sunday November 19th. I hope you found the experience and chance to meet people enlightening and that we will see you again.

Big thanks to the brother and sister-in-law who again covered for the Open Door who, through the gereousity of spirit of these family members, kept their commitment to be there to feed the hungry. Thanks also to the good people at Little Caesars Pizza who, having a large order cancelled, sent the pizza to feed the hungry rather than waste it in the waste.

A final thank you to the regular Monday volunteers kitchen/meal volunteers at the Salvation Army who choose to come in on the Remembrance Day holiday Monday so that the dining room could be opened and the hungry eat inside and warm.

Obviously there are good and compassionate people in Abbotsford, the support and help is there or can be found. What we need in order to end homlessness in Abbotsford within ten years is leadership and the will to end homelessness.

Homeless, Poverty

Balance? Fairness? – where did you go?

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I had dinner at Global Harvest and I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank the gentleman and his helpers who were responsible for a great treat of a meal – Thank you.

In spite of the great meal and generosity of our benefactor, the evening was disconcerting with a disquiet that began when I stepped through the doors and looked around the tables set out for diners. There were far too many new children in attendance, families with children in need of a meal they could not afford to provide for themselves.

Ask the good people at the Food Bank how many new families and children have been added to the ranks of families and children that already depend on them for food, for sustenance, for life. Lunches at the Salvation Army are attended by an increasing number of families with children.

Escalating housing costs in the lower mainland are dragging more people and families down into the class of the working poor. The poorest of this economic class are forced to choose between shelter and food; forced to depend on the food bank and soup kitchens for their daily sustenance.

The comfortable lives that people take for granted and often smugly congratulate themselves for achieving arise from the transfer of wealth from the working poor through the means of poverty wage levels and working conditions that in many ways are no better than the conditions we condemn sweatshops or China for. Never in Canada’s history has Canadian society been so economically unbalanced and unfair.

Denial of this reality is so much more comfortable than to accept our part in benefiting from and at the expense of the working poor economic class. Denial also lets people avoid any thoughts of giving up any of their luxuries so that the working poor can afford the basic necessities of life.

Thus I expect to continue to be disquieted stepping through doors and viewing increasing numbers of families and children in need of food to sustain life, while wealthy and comfortable Canadians continue to dwell in the comfort of their lives and the land of denial.

Homeless, Municipal

Eradicating Homelessness in Abbotsford … a matter of Leadership.

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I felt a little like Alice in Wonderland as I listened to Kamloops Mayor Terry Lake speak about how many $dollars$ the homeless cost the City of Kamloops, noting also the $dollars$ the provincial government spends on dealing with the homeless. I cast a quick glance around to check for the Mad Hatter when Mayor Lake went on to speak of the money to be saved by city and province in providing affordable and accessible housing to the homeless. One could only wish Abbotsford politicians had such a good grip on the fiscal reality of what it costs to deal with the homeless on the streets – but then if Abbotsford’s politicians had any grasp of fiscal reality we would not be mired in the quagmire of Plan A’s escalating costs.

That reality, that leaving the homeless without housing is more costly than providing housing, is why Gordon Campbell and the BC Liberals are investing heavily in housing. Although given Abbotsford councils attitudes and lack of action one would never know there is funding for housing for the asking from BC Housing. Mayor Lake noted the irony that Mr. Harper’s aping of President Bush does not extent to the one area Canadians wish he would copy, the great success that American cities have had in making solid reductions in homelessness. Mr. Harper is apparently to much of an ideologue to let basic common sense or reality get in the way of how he believes the world should be.

I read the advertisement for “Expressions of Interest/Offers” by ebenezer home of “approximately 1.7 acres of developable land that are zoned P4 Special Housing” which is the zoning needed to build housing for those suffering addiction and homeless. I noted with regret that the advertisement spoke of “with rezoning, significantly higher density use is possible”, although the mention of rezoning was not surprise. After all in Abbotsford everyone knows that planning and zoning have no real meaning, being changed or ignored at the City’s whim. Unlike the city of Kamloops where council has a plan to ensure that affordable housing is included in the housing mix. More importantly they stick to their plan.

Of course Kamloops is also a city where it is considered a no-brainer that if a non-profit organization is engaged in activities that are good for or benefit Kamloops then property taxes are waived. Sounds pretty much like a no-brainer doesn’t it? When one of the not for profit societies that support people with severe and persistent mental illness in our community asked Chilliwack and Abbotsford, in light of the good they do both communities, to waive the property taxes on their facilities in both communities it was a no-brainer for Chilliwack which said yes. In Abbotsford’s case it was a matter of NO. When a phone call was placed to ask why and a message left … there was not even the courtesy of a reply. They are left to send a delegation to council to present their case in hopes that council will see fit to provide the permissive tax exemption for 2009.

If Abbotsford council will not waive property taxes for a non-profit organization that is demonstrably a good citizen I do not think there is much chance of them following Kamloops and waiving development cost charges or selling land at reduced prices to encourage the development of affordable housing or homeless housing projects. If cities the size of Chilliwack, with less than $33 million dollars in annual tax revenue they are extremely supportive in foregoing developmental costs to support affordable housing initiatives and annual property taxes to both not-for profit societies and BC Housing projects, Abbotsford should be expected to come to the table with similar support to subsidized housing projects as well as for not-for-profit service providers.

Concepts such a lenient suite policies, resisting NIMBYism and fast tracking these projects while common practice in Kamloops, as part of their affordable housing and housing mix strategy, seem beyond the grasp of Abbotsford’s council.

Across Canada we are seeing increasing numbers of families with children, seniors and people employed full time who cannot afford housing and groceries. This changing face of homelessness is why citizens need to demand that all levels of government come to the table to deal with this growing crisis. It is also why Mayor Lake is right, affordable housing must be treated as infrastructure, and city councils cannot sit around but must be pro-active, fully engaged and providing leadership.