Lynn Hunter

Dear Ministers;
I am writing to share my concerns regarding the Tuesday, October 14, BC Supreme Court ruling against the City of Victoria by-law which prohibits camping in city parks by homeless people.

The citizens of Victoria will not stand passively by and watch our public parks degenerate into crime-ridden camp grounds, putting public health and natural habitats at risk.

At best, the by-law, which has now been thrown out of the civic toolbox, was a stop gap measure allowing you and your federal colleagues the time to provide the housing, social services and mental health services for which your governments have constitutional jurisdiction. Premier Campbell, in his address to the Union of BC Municipalities in October 2006, acknowledged that “deinstitutionalization is a failed experiment” – that closing mental health facilities and forcing people on to the streets has contributed to an increase in homelessness.

You have failed to use the intervening three years since the by-law was put in place to provide those necessary services. We have seen only half measures from senior governments which have been wholly inadequate to address the depth of the problem.

The citizens of Victoria have lost all patience with federal and provincial governments’ unwillingness to address the underlying causes of homelessness. The issue was raised consistently in recent federal all-candidates forums and will continue to be raised if strong and proportionate action is not taken prior to the provincial election next May.

As a concerned community member and now as a candidate running for Victoria City Council, I have attended numerous meetings on this issue. I have been impressed with the level of compassion citizens have for those who find themselves at the fringes of our society. But that compassion is turning to anger directed at our senior levels of government who have failed to allocate sufficient funds to address these problems. What are our taxes for if not to provide for services for the most vulnerable?

Justice Ted Hughes, the respected Co-Chair of the regional Coalition to End Homelessness revealed recently the resources to support the work of the coalition have not been forthcoming. This must change.

Government action on housing, homelessness and mental health and addictions has never been more critical. I ask that you provide urgent funds to build supportive housing for the most difficult to house, treatment facilities for those suffering from addictions and mental health services, and facilities for the most vulnerable.

I look forward to working with you to address these issues.

Sincerely,

Lynn Hunter

c.c.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper,
Premier Gordon Campbell,
MLA for Victoria Beacon Hill, Carol James, Leader of the Official Opposition,
MLA for Victoria Swan Lake, Rob Fleming,
Member of Parliament for Victoria, Denise Savoie,
Dean Fortin, Acting Mayor and Mayoralty Candidate
Rob Reid, Mayoralty Candidate