Category Archives: The Issues

Addiction, behaviour, Homeless, Issues, Municipal, Politics

It’s either Yes – or Kiss the Money goodbye.

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Bruce, John, Dave, Les, Patricia – you were paying attention weren’t you? You did hear what Finance Minister Mike de Jong stated so clearly?

Finance minister  Mike de Jong, in an November 28, 2013 interview with radio station 107.1, made it abundantly clear to Abbotsford’s citizens, mayor and council what the bottom line is for the proposed Housing First project at Abbotsford Community Services to help the homeless.

“It will be for the City Council to decide whether they want to accept the offer that the provincial government has made. I’m hopeful because I know how great the demands are. And if Abbotsford were to decide not to proceed then there are any number of communities that will be happy to take that money.”  Mike de Jong

Either the mayor and city council rezone the ACS property and the housing gets built OR the money will go to a community where the community, mayor and council actually want to do something to address homelessness and affordable housing in their community.

A community, mayor and council who are interested in doing, as in taking action, not simply uttering the right buzzwords or saying they want to do something but – wail, lament – Abbotsford has no money for the homeless; wealthy well housed, well connected old boy businessmen YES, but NONE for the homeless.

A community, mayor and council who, when the provincial government offers million$ of dollar$ for capital expenses and more million$ of dollar$ to fund operations and programs over the life of the project act quickly to do what is required to secure the funding for their community.

Unlike Abbotsford where the NIMBYs are guaranteed to say NIMBY you don’t; where far to many others in the community start coming up with excuses about how they are all for this type of project but……..it needs to be located in the ‘perfect’ location and this is not it; where council begins looking for excuses to say NO, to NOT take the provincial governments money as soon as the project is publicly announced; where the mayor stands at the microphone at a public forum wailing about how the city is to poor and the senior levels of government have to ‘step up’ with funding……while at his right hand sit three representatives from BC Housing with million$ of dollar$ for capital costs and more millions$ of dollars$ for operations on the table.

Clarification: the money will go to a community, mayor and council who are interested in doing something positive and effective.

After all, Abbotsford’s mayor and council are interested in doing something about the homeless – attacking them with a poor man’s biological weapon of chicken feces; using their police force*** against the homeless; destroying the camps and belongings of the homeless – in the dead of winter.

In fact, based on behaviour to date, Abbotsford’s mayor and council seem interested in any action BUT an action that would be positive and effective.

A council that squanders million$ of dollar$ on vanity projects, seemingly wants to squander the opportunity to receive millions of dollar$ of provincial money, squander provincial goodwill and squander future funding of projects by the provincial government.

Business as usual at Abbotsford City Hall.

*** A police force that Justice Kathleen Ker referred to as “a place that time forgot” and stated such actions are “inexcusable in the 21st century.” Justice Ker also stated “The treatment Mr. Moonie received while in the custody of the APD fell not only below general community standards of decency, but it also reflects treatment that denied Mr. Moonie any modicum of respect for his inherent dignity and value as a human being,”.

A police force where it was necessary to: “Resolution reached over police tent-slashing in Abbotsford”

Consider, Municipal, Politics

Could it be so Simple?

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I have never really been able to understand Abbotsford City Council’s spendthrift ways, council’s well demonstrated ignoring of the basic infrastructure needs of the city, ignoring even the most basic fiscally responsible or prudent behaviours or council’s wastrel squandering of taxpayer dollars on vanity projects.

I can understand the temptation of ego and the temptation of it being ‘free money’ because it is coming out of someone else’s (the long suffering taxpayers of Abbotsford who will be suffering long into the future) pocket.

One would have thought [hoped, prayed] the novelty would wear off and a sense of responsibility, of ethical behaviour, would have city council acting more as if the money was coming from their own pockets and not as if they had just won the lottery.

Hoped and prayed that council might focus on actions that would address, not worsen, the growing social issues the city is facing or focus on basics like roadways that don’t try to throw you off the road; or roads that are not cratered with holes that like to swallow small automobiles; how about roads with lane markings you can see on the dark, illumination challenged roadways of Abbotsford?

But No; Abbotsford City Hall continued to play with taxpayers money as if taxpayer’s pockets were bottomless.

What is, or could be, going on within the confines of  Abbotsford City Hall ? Low oxygen content? Environment contamination?

And then, in a Thrift Store, I came across an item that would explain mayor, council and staff’s behaviours.

Until I found it in a Thrift Store I did not know the Game of Abbey-Opoly existed.

But The Game’s play within the confines of Abbotsford City Hall explains so much!

Mayor and city council spend taxpayer’s dollars as if they were play money because mayor and council cannot understand the difference between playing the Game of Abbey-Opoly and managing the City of Abbotsford.

Explaining why the mayor and council cannot grasp the value of taxpayer dollars, the needs – not wants – of the city and its citizens or the reality of homelessness.

behaviour, Homeless, Issues, Politics

Leo Award for Abbotsford’s Mayor Banman

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Mayor Banman’s Leo awaits signatures of two members of  the committee charged with awarding the Leo before it can be placed into the mayor’s hands.

The Leo committee agreed with the nominators of Mayor Banman [The League of Unhoused Citizens of Abbotsford] that standing at the microphone at Cascade Church during the discussion held there on Abbotsford Community Services housing first proposal and crying how poor the city was and how it was up to senior levels of government to step forward with funding while, as pointed out by a citizen, to his immediate right were three representatives of BC Housing with $2,500,000 in capital costs and ongoing yearly funding for programs on the table that the Mayor is seeking to spurn.

As Forrest Gump would say about Mayor Banman: “Stupid is as Stupid does.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Issues, Municipal

Jubilee Park – this could be Interesting.

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This could be Interesting

When deputy city manager Jake Rudolph made the statement “I think we are at a stage now that it is going to have to end” about the camp in Jubilee Park you knew that the city, following its SOP [Standard Operating Procedure], would shortly issue 48 hour notice to the homeless in Jubilee Park to move somewhere else [hopefully somewhere far less public?] within the City of Abbotsford.

Under that SOP once the homeless have relocated from Jubilee Park to another location within Abbotsford the city will, at some point, turn up at the new camp and issue 48 hours notice to move.

Once the homeless have relocated elsewhere with Abbotsford the city will turn up at the new camp and issue 48 hours notice to move. Once the homeless have relocated elsewhere with Abbotsford the city will turn up at the new camp and issue 48 hours notice to move. Once the homeless have relocated elsewhere with Abbotsford the city will turn up at the new camp and issue 48 hours notice to move. Once the homeless have relocated elsewhere with Abbotsford the city will turn up at the new camp and issue 48 hours notice to move. Once the homeless have relocated elsewhere with Abbotsford the city will turn up at the new camp and issue 48 hours notice to move.

And so on and so on and…….

Until the city once again adds to its growing national and international reputation for uncaring incompetence and commits another amazing Stupid that attracts international press attention. Whereupon the city will go into damage control mode – burying its head in the sand hoping that, this time, the problem will go away.

Did you know that during hundreds of thousands of hours of research no Ostrich has ever been observed to bury its head in the sand when confronted with a problem? It turns out the myth about Ostriches burying their heads is just another example of humans anthropomorphizing.

Why it never occurs to the mayor or council or senior staff that repeating actions that experience demonstrated are pointless is …….well pointless, escapes me.

One would think any rational human being, having found themselves in a hole, would stop digging and adopt actions that have been shown to work in addressing homelessness around the world; such as rezoning Community Services housing first proposal.

But then we are speaking of Abbotsford’s mayor, council and staff.

As I said the city’s telling the homeless they had 48 hours to move elsewhere in Abbotsford is business as usual. Yawn.

Where things should get interesting is the city speaking of getting a court injunction.

Given the embarrassing amount of media coverage the city’s prior actions against the homeless have guaranteed will be present at the end of the 48 hours ‘move or else’, it is no surprise the city would try to turn this into a matter of the courts and the law instead of just another embarrassing example of the mayor, council and staffs intransigent incompetence in dealing with homelessness and other growing social issues.

Those who pay attention to history [it really does help avoid repeating mistakes, avoiding new errors and addressing issues] will recall the BC Court of Appeals ruling in December of 2009 on the appeal of a BC Supreme Court ruling where the Appeals Court held “B.C. homeless win right to camp in parks”.

Pivot legal society, the people working with the homeless in Abbotsford to protect the constantly violated charter rights and freedoms Abbotsford’s homeless have as Canadian citizens, are currently suing  Vancouver to assert the right of Vancouver’s homeless to camp in Vancouver city parks.

Vancouver at least can argue it is taking actions to provide housing alternatives.

But Abbotsford?

Well your honour, it is true that in the past year Abbotsford harassed the homeless until they congregated on Gladys Avenue and then used chicken feces as a poor man’s bio-weapon against the homeless. And it is true that council is currently stalling, stumbling and scrambling to find an excuse to refuse $2.5 million [plus hundreds of thousands of yearly dollars for services] from BC Housing, as it continues to claim – even with BC Housing present – that the city cannot afford to do anything about homeless housing crying that the provincial government needs to provide funds.

Pivot legal society has two issues to argue in challenging Abbotsford’s municipal government legal right to force the campers in Jubilee Park to leave the Park.

First: the Charter rights of Canadians to protest government actions – and inactions.

Second: that the ruling by the highest Courts in BC that the homeless, were municipal governments have failed to act on housing the homeless (or as is the case in Abbotsford blocked attempts to provide housing), have the right to camp in municipal parks grants the homeless-in-Abbotsford the right to camp in ANY park in Abbotsford including Jubilee.

Which means that mayor and council, with their zeal for ‘shooting themselves in the foot’, could well gain a pyrrhic victory in clearing the camp out of Jubilee Park.

After all why would the homeless camp in Jubilee Park when they have the Court of Appeals declared right to camp in any park in Abbotsford?

Mill Lake has not only lake front footage but plenty of space, gazebos to provide solid cover in the event of driving rain or snow, washrooms, running water……..

Homeless, Issues, Municipal, Politics

Earth to Mayor Banman

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Abbotsford  Mayor Banman:

“I don’t normally comment on these things, but the John Howard Society runs a tight ship and makes sure rules are followed. My guess is there will not be any problems. Studies I have looked at say inmates do much better in homes like these than leaving them to fend for themselves. As a result the public is safer, and just as important the inmates have a support group, find jobs and return to jail far less often.” 

 

Reading Mayor Banman’s comments on the halfway house had a paraphrasing of Mark Twain coming to mind: “Reader, suppose you were an idiot; and suppose you were the mayor of Abbotsford; but I repeat myself”.

The reality of halfway houses:

Vernon’s Mayor Sean Harvey said that the community has tolerated Howard House in its midst long enough. Three parolees at the halfway house operated by the John Howard Society have been accused of murder in the past eight years in Vernon.

In the third incident, Eric Norman Fish was charged with the first-degree murder of 75 year old Bill Abramenko during a home invasion.

In Vancouver high risk sex offender Mervin Walkus walked away from his halfway house. Police advised that Mervin was a high risk to re-offend. Also going missing from halfway houses in Vancouver were high risk sex offenders Owen Joe and James Patrick Benson.

In Kelowna Phillip Lyons, 36 walked away from a halfway house. His criminal record included “attempt robbery, arson for fraudulent purposes, attempt escape, theft, fail to comply, possession of property obtained by crime, utter forged document, fail to appear, fraud, possession of break in instrument, driving while impaired, utter threats and possession of a scheduled substance.”

Mayor Banman is fine with a halfway house in downtown Abbotsford, but housing for Abbotsford’s homeless? Not in downtown Abbotsford!

Moreover, how is it Mayor Banman can read studies “Studies I have looked at…” about halfway houses but cannot be bothered to read studies on Housing First as an approach to ending homelessness?

In light of the reality of halfway houses, Mayor Banman’s statements concerning halfway houses and about housing for the homeless show a degree of ignorance and prejudices that is appalling and totally unacceptable in a mayor or city councillors.

 

For the Record:

I support the John Howard Society’s opening of a halfway house and their chosen location.

It would be hypocritical to advocate the need for effective support for those dealing with mental illness, substance use and homelessness – and deny the need for the same effective support to prisoners seeking to find wellness and life.

It would be easy to argue this is not the ‘right location’ for a halfway house, but the reality is that for a halfway house – or homeless housing –  ‘right location’ is simply a way of saying NIMBY.

Halfway houses are a critical component in risk management and the successful reintegration of a parolee back to the community.

The ‘failures’ and ‘problems’ that arise with halfway houses owe far more to the failure of the corrections system to provide meaningful, effective rehabilitation, life skills and education before prisoners are processed out to halfway houses; and the lack of community based support for those dealing with mental health and substance use issues.