Comments on: Public policy lessons on homelessness for Vancouver’s next mayor

By: Gregor Robertson is the new Mayor of Vancouver « Random Thoughts of a Student of the Environment

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:53:13 +0000

[...] wrote a post a few weeks back on homelessness public policy to which the lack of responses completely frustrated me, because I don’t think a lot of [...]

By: Andrew Kumar

Andrew Kumar — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:47:40 +0000

I think some commercial companies need to be involved in some aspects also. A lot of businesses will benefit from the goodwill.

By: Gölök

Gölök — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:08:41 +0000

I agree. It is rather nice to use the Downtown East Side as one place, but Granville Street is not the DTES, it’s the DTWE. Or DTWS.
Also this clean up, cleaning up in some regimes included murder and mayhem by the state, can we trust these people not to suddenly decide a cleansing means a secret police force murder or moving the problem around.
Also promices, one dick or two a few claiming in 3 years they will fix this massive issue.
A bit presumptious, maybe they think they have +4 wands and will be +6 Mayors.
Hey guys, magic is not for real.

To Liberty!

Gölök Z Buday (I)
“The first destroyer of the liberties of a people is he who first gave them bounties and largess.” — Plutarch (c.45-125 A.D.) Priest of the Delphic Oracle

By: Tris Hussey

Tris Hussey — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:16:05 +0000

The issue is even further complicated when you consider what other jurisdictions do about the problem. Let’s say Surrey decides on some kind of get tough policy, driving people out of there into say New West, or into Vancouver proper?

What if in an effort to “clean up the Downtown Eastside” homeless people become more common in areas like Kits or Kerrisdale? Imagine the stink raised when it isn’t a Downtown problem but a larger city-wide problem.

It is not a simple problem. And whatever solutions come out, they are going to need a lot of coordination, and money.