Driving along in my car the argument in the papers last January concerning the income level in Abbotsford came to mind.

Listening to the radio one cannot help but hear the provincial government’s advertisements for their low income level rent subsidy program.

The income level the provincial government considers low enough to need rent subsidies? $35,000. The income level in the original report setting off our local kerfuffle? $26,000.

I have no interest in getting lost in a debate about the exact nature of those whose income levels are under $26,000. No matter how one argues that point, the numbers clearly highlight the fact that there are a significant number of people and families in Abbotsford below the $26,000 income level. This is $9,000 under the point at which the provincial government acknowledges the need for rent subsidization.

However much of an apologist or economist one may be, only a complete denial of reality would allow one to refuse to acknowledge the significant, disturbing and unacceptable levels of poverty and economic hardship these numbers evidence exists in Abbotsford.

If you are planning to stage a crime spree in Abbotsford, you might want to have it ready to go at a moments notice.

With Bob Bos and his Downtown Business Association demanding council move the homeless etc out of Jubilee Park into some other Abbotsford neighbourhood; with this being an election year with politicians needing contributions to their political campaigns; with council dragging a Pastor down to City Hall to demand he not be in the park, removing credible witness to police behaviour from the Park; it is obvious that the city will shortly be engaged in the money wasting and pointless exercise of chasing the homeless out of Jubilee Park with the Abbotsford Police.

This is not the first time this fruitless exercise has been undertaken and like the last time any rational human being knows they can expect the homeless to return when police stop sitting around the park all the time.

Hopefully this will be the last time this pointless, expensive waste will take place. Not because it will be any more effective that the previous times it was done, but because in November the citizens of Abbotsford will have the opportunity to replace the “if we keep doing the same wasteful things, maybe they will actually work one of these times” current councillors with councillors who are interested in ideas that work, not engaging in the same pointless, expensive behaviour over and over and over and over and….

In the meantime the police will be wasting their time and efforts in Jubilee Park. I say waste because when the police are forced to move on to dealing with all the problems that built up while they focused on the Park, the homeless and other problems will once again return to Jubilee Park as has happened before.

So if you are planning a crime spree in Abbotsford, the police will soon be navel gazing at Jubilee Park, leaving the city ripe for the pickin’.

And if you are one of the non-preferential treatment ordinary citizens Abbotsford, you will get your chance to express your displeasure in November.

Upon hearing the Smith-Beck-Harris Cheerios Theory, that serving Cheerios in the early morning even once a week results in the homeless and addicted flocking to that location and staying there, I was rather sceptical. Well truthfully, after seeing that Abbotsford city councillors Smith, Beck and Harris were serious, I was dumbfounded. I mean, HUH?

Just in case my reaction was influenced by having Councillor John Smith repeat almost verbatim the same excuse he has been using for the last two and a half years to absolve the city of any responsibility for acting on homelessness and rationalize their lack of leadership, I felt I needed to get feedback on the Smith-Beck-Harris Cheerios Theory.

Unlike councillors Smith, Beck, Harris and far to many other people, when I have a question an matters of homeless, addiction, mental illness or poverty I approach those with knowledge and experience.

In this particular case I took advantage of a dinner for the homeless and hungry to seek the opinions and input of those who were homeless, addicted or in recovery from addiction in evaluating the Smith-Beck-Harris Cheerios Theory.

Here is a representative sampling of their comments when asked to evaluate the Smith-Beck-Harris Cheerios Theory and the claims that it is this serving of Cheerios that is drawing people to Jubilee Park and that if only the serving of Cheerios was stopped the problems in Jubilee Park would end as well.

“What drugs are they on?”; “Horses**t!!”; “Ya Right!”; “that’s funny!”; “are they nuts?”; laughter was a frequent response; it was repeatedly necessary for me to give assurances that, no I was not kidding – city councillors were serious in promoting the Smith-Beck-Harris Cheerios Theory; a long time volunteer as a home owner and a taxpayer inquired as to whether it was possible to “get our money back”, a refund of salaries paid the councillors; numerous interviewees were left speechless by the Smith-Beck-Harris Cheerios Theory; and finally many just sadly shook their heads.

The one person I was able to find who had left Jubilee Park to get food at the supper when asked about the Smith-Beck-Harris Cheerios Theory nearly fell out of his seat laughing.

The fact that only one person had left Jubilee Park to get fed BBQ hamburgers, a walk of only 2 or 3 minutes, would seem to cast serious doubt on the councillors theory and claims that homeless and/or addicts are leaving downtown Vancouver to flock to Jubilee Park for Thursday morning Cheerios when they will not walk a few minutes for a meal of BBQ hamburgers.

Unless of course the homeless person hit the nail on the head with his statement: “those must be some powerful special Cheerios”.