Call for national housing policy
Canada’s housing crisis won’t end nor will Canada’s overheated real estate market cool, two peas in the same pod, until Canada adopts a national housing policy, akin to the Canada Health Act, that guarantees housing with dignity as a universal right for all Canadians. Federal and provincial agencies will need to coordinate housing supplies to match demands so nobody is left behind. An adequate supply of affordable housing from coast to coast to coast is needed for seniors on fixed incomes, the chronically ill, the working poor, single parent families, Indigenous People, the abused, the disabled, the mentally ill, the addicted, refugees. One size won’t fit all. Such housing must be a public asset managed by a Crown corporation. Only then will we see an end to squatters under bridges, tent cities in ravines, deaths behind dumpsters, and inflationary pressure on privately owned homes. Publicly owned, affordable housing requires accessible supports: schools, healthcare, parks, libraries, social services, safe injection sites, policing, but most of all, a long-term commitment to love our neighbours.
Robert M. Macrae
Castlegar, BC
RELATED: REPORT: City of Castlegar has immediate need for more than 450 housing units
Call for action on wildfires
Can Pierre Poilievre do more than try to impress the Freedom Convoyites with donuts, feigned indignation, and his “blame it all on Justin” shtick? If Pierre can demand a public inquiry into foreign interference in Canadian elections, why not demand a public inquiry into why Canada’s forests are burning? Wildfires are starting sooner, spreading further, burning hotter, and costing Canadians hundreds of millions of dollars to contain. Wildfires are destroying forests, shuttering mills, killing jobs, and turning Canadians into involuntary smokers. What’s causing them? What can we do to stop them? Pierre, stop fiddling while our forests burn!
Robert M. Macrae
Castlegar, BC
RELATED: Donnie Creek Wildfire now the largest in B.C.’s history
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