PelhamToday received the following letters to the editor from readers responding to James Culic's recent column, The ‘hero shot’ is the wrong approach to the homeless crisis:
It is the use of the Not Withstanding Clause that is the 'hero shot' when it comes to dealing with the homelessness crisis. Invoking the Not Withstanding Clause will have no impact on reducing homelessness at all. Instead, a homeless person will, under extreme pressure, move their encampment a few hundred metres to another location. After all, they have to sleep somewhere; they will not disappear. Continuing with Culic's metaphor, the NWC gets us no closer to the green.
The Sideways Shot that Culic wants is to spend significantly on public housing asap. Spending on housing now is the most affordable way forward over time.
The Not Withstanding Clause does absolutely nothing to solve the homelessness problem. It is therefore an unaffordable approach - throwing money away that needs to be spent responsibly today.
Herb Sawatzky
Fenwick
James Culic's latest Hot Take is spot on. As we try do deal with the homeless persons in our midst and show compassion, more and more journalist use abstract phrases such as "unhoused persons' or 'persons experiencing homelessness'. Call it like it is, just as Culic has done. Fine reporting. Do I have anything to add to help? No, as like so many, other than through charitable donations, we despair and do what little we can to help.
Few of our governments, whether Federal, Provincial, Regional or Municipal, seem to have any answers at all. Gawd help us.
Gail Benjafield
St. Catharines
Great article—no slipping and sliding, bobbing and weaving (my boxing metaphor), excellent use of a useless game (I played poorly for 50 years), and imaginative phraseology. 'Lexocological bleaching' is an accurate descriptor for woke ideology which gives everyone a participation badge for being born.
To further Culic's point, each proponent of the strategy of fixing the problem by fixing the symptoms should learn to ask: 'Why?' Why are you homeless? I don't have a job. Or my wife left me. Or ... Why? I have no skills or education or was always late for work or ...Why? I didn't pay attention in school or I got into drugs or my parents couldn't afford it or ... Why? I'm sick or I like hanging out or....
Eventually you get to each person's reason for being homeless and then bring down the hammer: institutionalized education or retraining, institutionalized drug rehab, barrack/proctor life, or religious/military/work camp/mandatory reading/team community service/ or....
There are ways and means if the do-goods could get past the dignity/civil rights ditch and treat the homeless with the true dignity of requiring them to act like adults. Soup kitchens and warming centres have been here forever. They obviously don't work for more than a few hours. Time for society to entertain a huge cultural turn and get back on the fairway or it will be hacking away in the woods forever, never to break 100.
Larry Baswick
Stratford
