BC Homeless:NDP "Shocked and Flawed"

by Barry ORegan | December 2, 2007 at 07:33 am

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Opinion

Barry Artiste, Now Public Contributor

British Columbia's NDP Party Leader Carole James, may seem to some as a "Crack Head", who has definitely "Cracked her Head" once too often walking the hallowed halls of the provincial legislature where perhaps low hanging stone archways interfere with her Swollen Head and Ego.

Carole stating to the media her Parties shock and embarrassement to find that BC homelessness problem has reached stratospheric levels under the Provincial Liberal Government, seems to have suffered memory loss due to possible Brain Damage in her recollection of her Lefty Party's past non performance on homelessness for a decade or so, for someone like Carole to state to the media that she and her party are all of a sudden shocked by homelessness as Carole brags that she has 25 years community experience on important issues facing British Columbia, obviously "Sleeping Beauty Carole James" must have been asleep during those 25 years during this ongoing homelessness crisis only to awaken by the "Princely Kiss" of "Media Opportunism".

NDP 'shocked' at homelessness numbers across B.C.

By Stuart Hunter, The Province

Published: Saturday, December 01, 2007

The provincial NDP say they're "shocked" and "embarrassed" by a new poll showing there are 10,580 homeless people in B.C.

Party leader Carole James and homelessness critic David Chudnovsky held a news conference on Friday where they announced the poll figures, as well as the creation of a province-wide consultation on the issue called Finding Our Way Home: A Consultation on the Homelessness Crisis in B.C.

"The figure for the province is 10,580 and that is a very, very conservative number," Chudnovsky told The Province. "Shocking is a perfect word to use and embarrassing is a word to use, too."

Chudnovsky, MLA for Vancouver-Kensington, said two things surprised him about homelessness in B.C.

"There were two surprises," Chudnovsky said. "The first is the staggering size of the number, it's shocking. The second surprise is that in B.C. it is a provincial problem - too many people think it is a Downtown Eastside problem."

Chudnovsky said the poll suggests there are about 2,300 homeless living in the Downtown Eastside - about 300 people more than a recent poll done by the city.

Two of the communities where homelessness is growing the fastest are Abbotsford and Whistler.

"One issue that jumps out at you is suburban towns like Abbotsford . . . there is no stock of low-rental housing units," he said.

"In Whistler, just the existence of affordable housing is a big problem - there is no housing stock to deal with the problem."

The poll was conducted in 60 communities and the NDP plans to return to many of those communities during the consultation process, which will visit Nanaimo on Monday and Courtenay/Comox the following day.

Chudnovsky said the two keys to dealing with the issue of homelessness are protecting the current stock of low-income housing and building more low rental social housing.

Chudnovsky said he's awaiting a reply from Victoria about the issue.

shunter@png.canwest.com