Category Archives: The Issues

Homeless, Municipal

Eradicating Homelessness … why not in Abbotsford?

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For my mental health we left Kamloops and the conference on community supported housing for the homeless and people with addictions, without attending the final session. The person I was travelling with felt that letting me sit through the panel: “Kamloops in Action: How to eradicate homelessness in Kamloops” would severely depress me. I am not sure if he was more worried about my mental state or facing the long drive back to Abbotsford with a severely depressed travelling companion. He was right though, listening to all the progress and positive things going on in Kamloops would have been depressing for anyone in the audience facing a return to the current status quo in Abbotsford.

As conferences are, this one was opened on Wednesday by a local politician, the mayor of Kamloops Terry Lake. As I expected, based on experience with conferences on housing in Abbotsford, Kamloop’s Mayor Terry Lake started out by laying out the tax and cash realities of municipal, provincial and federal governments. But from there … these fiscal realities were not used as an excuse for doing nothing nor for pointing the finger and stating “it was the responsibility of more senior levels of government to address these issues”. Rather than see fiscal reality as an excuse to do nothing, Mayor Lake and his council see fiscal reality as requiring them to form partnerships with provincial and federal governments in order to obtain the needed funds.

This attitude no doubt explains why it is that the City of Kamloops with a population of 80,376 (2006 census) has received millions of $dollars$ in provincial and federal funding; has completed housing projects, has housing projects under way, has a ground-breaking for a new project about to take place, has a new project to preserve affordable housing stock sitting there awaiting the City facilitating the right partnerships; why BC Housing is anxious to work more with and provide more funding to Kamloops; Kamloops is attracting so much money for affordable housing projects.

Such clear evidence that the only reason that Abbotsford, with its population of 123,864 versus Kamloops 80,376 (2006 census) does not have millions of $dollars$ to invest in affordable housing projects is that Abbotsford’s elected officials are to lazy or to bumbling to get off their keisters and perform the ridiculously simple task required to get those millions of $dollars$ of funding – ask – is depressing.

Undoubtedly Abbotsford City Hall and Council will claim “its not that simple”. The reality is that yes, it is pretty much that simple. It is really no more difficult for a municipality to secure funding for homeless housing initiatives than it is for a municipality to secure funding for capital projects undertaken by the municipality. I admit that Abbotsford City Council has demonstrated itself to be challenged in the area of capital grants/funding, but the successes of Langley, Chilliwack, Kamloops etc. demonstrate that this is quite doable. Kamloops demonstrates funding is not a function of size but of the fight, the leadership in the City Council.

Throughout the conference attendees were going up to Kamloop’s city councillors (yes there were Kamloop’s city councillors who attended the entire conference) and seeking their advice about getting housing projects up and funded. Boggles the mind does it not, people seeking city councils advice on a matter because of council’s demonstrated ability on any matter? Kamloops City Council is not arguing about the extent of homelessness, researching, awaiting a report from planning or social advisory committees reports. Kamloops City Council is working on “Kamloops in Action: How to eradicate homelessness in Kamloops”.

Sitting through the panel session, listening to Kamloops city council on eliminating homelessness, listening to the litany of all that had been accomplished, was being planned and would be accomplished in Kamloop’s would have been very, very depressing. To know that the only true reason progress is NOT occurring in Abbotsford, but is being made in communities all around us and around the province, is a lack of leadership and will. To know that with leadership we could have BC Housing fund the purchase and renovation of the housing stock in the Fraser Valley Inn, a start.

At least the next time city council begins to claim there is nothing they can do, we have merely to demand: “If Kamloop’s and others can accomplish all this, why can you accomplish nothing but excuses? Some leadership please.”

Federal, Municipal, Provincial

Politician Boot camp.

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I have started collecting the bits of paper that seem to be demanded these days for employment, such as First Aid level 1. While reading some of the recent comments by various politicians at all levels it occurred to me that it would benefit citizens immensely if politicians were required to complete a boot camp to reacquaint them with the reality most of their constituents face daily.

Instead of orientation that focuses on the ins and outs of bureaucracy and power, boot camp would ensure a solid understanding of the reality of life for the average citizen. All elected politicians would be required to be certified as having successfully completed boot camp in order to hold the position for which they were elected.

We would start by testing ingenuity, adaptability and fortitude by dropping politicians into an unknown city and requiring them to survive homeless and at the mercy of the systems they are or will be responsible for. By starting with the toughest challenge first we quickly weed out those wretches unfit to hold responsible office. This test also needs to be first because fairness requires we send the politicians onto the street with the highest reserves of stored energy (fat) and rest possible.

The second stage of training requires the aspiring politician to hold a minimum wage cleaning position and to survive on the wages earned at the minimum wage. This will reacquaint the aspirant with the concept of “working for ones keep” and provide direct experience with the difference between a minimum wage and a living wage you can actually live on. It also holds the promise of teaching the aspirant the value of a dollar and to clean up the messes they so often leave lying around the political, financial and spiritual landscapes.

The final stage is to hold a sales/service position at $15 an hour. This will hopefully provide instruction in the concepts of budgeting and avoiding wasteful spending. A sales/service position was chosen in hopes of giving experience and instruction in what is meant by service.

At the end of the process the politicians would be granted a certificate for a “Reality Check”.

I can hear the politicians claiming this would be a waste of taxpayers money. The certification already providing beneficial effects – the politicians have developed a concern for wasting taxpayers money! Further, with all the reality shows on television by filming and syndicating this process we can not only pay for the certification process but with skillful marketing make a profit.

Watching and listening to politicians these days it is clear they have no understanding of the reality most Canadians deal with and live in day to day, with no interest in gaining understanding. If they want to be in government of Canadians they should be required to have an understanding of all Canadians – not just the wealthy, big business, special interests and their own self-interests.

Municipal

City Councilor questions median income ranking

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An Abbotsford city councilor emailed to ask about my source for the statement about Abbotsford having the highest median income. The table included with the email was for families which I questioned. The second table the councillor sent, while for individuals, was not the data I had used. Unfortunately having become homeless again means my computers and notes are stored and not accessible.

But the few data points and notes I have access to make clear that the numbers from the councilor’s chart are much lower than the numbers I had used/calculated. My first thought when I looked at the chart sent by the councilor was that the income levels seemed far to low and against logic. In fact the median individual income from the chart supplied is barely above the salary paid to a councilor for part time work and thousands of $$$ lower than council’s salary after the approved raise takes affect.

Fortunately being homeless does not deny you access to your brain, nor does it mean you suddenly lost ability to cerebrate. Which is very good news as being homeless the ability to use and exercise the mind with one’s power of reason in order to make inferences, decisions, or arrive at a solution or judgments is a must if you have any hope of escaping the system and getting your life back.

My mind tends to chew over interesting facts or ideas as well as questions raised – would that our “leaders” minds worked that way. Apparently my subconscious has been chewing on this matter and when a quiet mental moment came tossed points up for consideration. I liked to review the “unsolvable” situation/problem then sleep with a pen and paper, beside the bed because my subconscious was so good at untangling complex puzzles and problems. I would wake up, write it down in detail and when I got up in the I had my solution.

Tonight as I was relaxing after my swim, with my mind quiet, up drifted the resolution. Leaving me shaking my head at how dense I had been. The table of individual income sent by the councilor had quantifiers applied to the table. I read the quantifiers and and simply failed to note what needed to be noted: “Government transfers represented the second largest source of income; All income data for individuals are … after the receipt of transfers”.

This is why there was such a difference between the councilor’s chart(s) and the data I had been using. Remember median is the middle, not the average. The more very low income individuals added to the bottom end of the “pile” the lower the median (middle point) moves on the pile.

The councilor’s chart included “… after the receipt of transfers”. Thus the councilor’s income pile includes individuals whose income is GST, OAS, CPP, welfare and any other government transfer which is classed as income and we have a situation where “Government transfers represented the second largest source of income”. This results in a very large number of very low incomes with the effect of pulling the median income to unexpected low levels.

The numbers I was working with were based on wages earned with the effect that the median income was several times higher since all the low “incomes” resulting from government transfers were eliminated moving the median (middle point) much higher on the incomes pile.

I think that it is reasonable to argue that individual median incomes based on wages is a more realistic chart to use when speaking of donations, rather than a chart distorted severely downwards by the inclusion of people whose incomes are solely government transfers. This is not to imply the poor are of less generous spirit, but merely acknowledges the reality that with the lack of affordable housing in this city the poor simply have no money to donate and must instead give of their time.

One of the other points that bubbled up is that in fact this number says nothing about the generosity of a city. What do you need for a median donation of $620? The median or middle income needs to be $620 so you could have a median donation with donations of $1 + $620 + $621 = $1242. Compare that to a city with a median donation of $1 made up of 50,000 $0.99 + $1.00 + 50,000 $1.01 = $100,001. Which city is “more generous”, the median of $620 and a total of $1242 or median of $1 and a total of $100,001? A median donation of $620 tells us nothing about the total the city gave or anything about the generosity of the city.

To me the concept of median donation has no real meaning or value outside of bragging rights. When it comes to bragging I was always told: “actions speak louder than words”. The proof of a city’s generosity or lack of generosity lies on the city’s streets among its homeless, among families, children and seniors who struggle to find food, clothing, shelter and other necessities and in the hunger of women, children and seniors. Do not be fooled by this meaningless number, median donation. Look around the city, see the need that grows daily in our city and then consider just how generous Abbotsford really is?

Consider, Municipal

Statistic – meaningful or empty of meaning?

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One of our city councilors sent an email asking the source of the statement that Abbotsford has the highest per capital median income. The coucilor cited a chart: Median total income, by family type, by census metropolitan area (All census families) showing Abbotsford ranking well below number one. I asked if going with a family chart when the donations were on an individual basis was proper.

I also acknowledged that due to my current homelessness I do not have access to my computer and the files on it, further my written files and notes are in storage with the computer. All I have is a workbook full of interesting data points. I do know that the data I was working with originally was in a much more “raw” or detailed format/state, but lacking access to my files I cannot quantify matters at this time.

Recognize that the experience of being homeless is one of the reasons I have serious questions about the generousity in this City. It is also why actions, not words or wasting time in self congratulations, is a priority from my point of view

Checking later I found the councilor had sent an email with a chart of individual median incomes. In reviewing the data in the chart sent to me by the councilor I was struck by all the qualifiers and quantifiers applied to arrive at the data in the form it was presented in the chart. In thinking about this list and its qualifiers and quantifiers I decide my pool ponderings had a large degree of truth to them.

I had gone to the pool after the original exchange of emails. The way my mind works it was unable not to ponder the questions raised by the councilor and the concepts of donations, median, individual income etc (and don’t you wish our politicians and leaders also could not avoid spending time thinking about questions raised and related questions/ideas?). For instance median means middle. You stack all the donations up and the one that is in the middle is the median. Many people confuse average with median. Which had me asking why are they using median instead of average? I spent all 2000 meters, showering and dressing contemplating the question of the meaning of the median donation and what it signified.

What does the median imcome of a population have to do with the median donations? The median donation is decided only using the donations themselves. Does it not follow that in determining a median income level we should only be considering the median incomes of those who gave donations? What about the question of how many donors were included in determing the median donation? There are very different implications if median of one is composed of 5 donors and the other of 5,000 donors. Can you compare Abbotsford with a 2006 census population of 123, 864 to Toronto with a 2006 census population of 2,503,281?

So at 1:30 AM as I mull over all these and the other thoughts/questions I am left wondering about what if anything this idea of median donations tells us or if it has any meaning at all. I can think of many other measures I would want to know in determining the most generous city in Canada. I am left with the conclusion that median donation is pretty much a null value point, meaningless other than giving the city of Abbotsford bragging rights and city politicians another excuse to hide behind in regards to taking no action on social issues such as poverty, homelessness and affordable housing.

What a statistic really means, or if it really has any meaning at all needs careful thought. It is why I recommend “How to Lie with Statistics”, Darrell Huff’s perennially best-selling introduction to statistics for the general reader.

I wiah to underscore my original assertion that this median donation number does not reflect the reality on the streets of Abbotsford where more families, children and seniors depend on charitable organizations and people for food, clothing and other necessities, where the streets become home to increasing numbers of homeless daily and adults, children and seniors go to sleep each night hungry.

If in fact Abbotsford is the most generous city in the country where do all the dollars go? Because being homeless and looking around Abbotsford it is clear the dollars are not going to help neighbours in need of help and other worthy causes.

Municipal

Should not a Greenway be green?

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Ok I admit it fits within the dictionary definition of “any scenic trail or route” but I still do not see how you can call an asphalt path a greenway even if you cleverly label the asphalt as “all-weather surface”.

Should not a greenway be somewhere you can get away from the asphalt jungle of the city to at least the illusion of nature?

I came across a big colourful poster singing the city’s praises last night for the new greenway and found myself wondering if a greenway should not involve more green and natural surface than asphalt?

I am reasonably sure that the purpose of the provincial grant was to make the greenway as green and nature friendly as possible. Not for the city to slap down some asphalt to do it as cheaply as possible so that leftover monies could go to feed City Hall’s voracious appetite for taxpayer dollars to waste on such things as nice big colourful posters telling citizens how wonderful the city’s actions are.

Or the next thing you know we will have a massive advertising campaign selling us the wonders of City Hall’s really big greenway – South Fraser Way.