Monday Morning Musings

Posted on April 25, 2016 under Monday Morning Musings with one comment

Homeless in Victoria

No, this is not a campground. At least it`s not “ officially“ a campground.

Nobody is perfect… not even Victoria.

Amid all the beauty and prosperity that the city enjoys, it has challenges like every other town and city in this country.

The photo is a tent city that sprung up in front of the Provincial Court House in downtown Victoria about 6 months ago. It is occupied by hundreds of homeless people. The picture doesn`t capture the scope of the problem. There are hundreds of tents, cardboard boxes , shopping carts and every manner of shelter imaginable.

Homelessness is a huge issue here. Because of the moderate climate, Victoria attracts a lot of people trying to escape harsh Canadian winters. Most of the problems can be traced to the lack of affordable housing which is singularly one of the biggest issues facing our country . Many of the residents of this tent city have mental health issues .

The local and Provincial government are doing everything they can to deal with the situation. As you can imagine the neighbors are not very happy with the encampment, the fires and the noise at all hours of the day and night. Arrangements were made to move a large number of the homeless to other accommodations but just like waves crashing on the shore, another wave of homeless took their place.

I don`t claim to know much about homelessness but one would think that there needs to be a coordinated National Strategy . The solutions here in Victoria are bandaids and we all know that bandaids have a short shelf life.

Many of you will recognize the two faces in this week`s “ Faces in the Crowd.“ They are yet another young couple from far flung places in the world who have chosen Antigonish as the place they plan to put down roots. They will make a significant contribution to the cultural life in our community… and to its gastronomical life as well!!! Stay tuned for “Food For Thought.“

Have a great week.

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