Category Archives: The Issues

Consider, Life, Thoughts

Celebrate Literacy

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Whether in the Zone……

……or at Home.

 

 

 

 

At James W. Breckenridge.ca on a daily basis we practice, hone and strive to improve and enrich our language skills. Taking joy journeying to wondrous lands born of words and imagination. 

Parent’s actions, what parents give, have a profound effect on who their children become. Yet seldom do parents or their children consider this important reality.

I know that I never appreciated what a magnificent gift my parents gave to me when they gifted me with a love of reading.

Reading, all that flows from the ability to read and a love of reading (a love of words) may be both the most useful and most joyful gift parents can give to future generations of their offspring.

Raise a reader.

 

behaviour, Issues, Municipal, Politics

No Apology Intended

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A citizen of Abbotsford who had some ideas and questions about dealing with homelessness tracked me to converse. Included in the conversing was Mayor Banman’s apology to the homeless.

I pointed out that saying “Sorry” did nothing but acknowledge the City had harmed the homeless; that a true apology required the mayor and council to change the behaviours and attitudes that led the city to weaponize and deploy chicken feces against the homeless.

Noting that mayors and councils of Abbotsford have a well established history of saying “Oops, Sorry”, tossing around some politically correct statements – then returning to the same behaviours and attitudes that led to the City being forced by media scrutiny to say “Sorry”.

If Mayor Banman and council had any real intent to apologize, the property Abbotsford Community Services wants to use for first stage housing would already be rezoned and construction begun.

Instead we have Mayor Banman’s stated opposition to the ACS proposal and the silence of council on the housing project; a project that would be a positive step in changing behaviour from pointless, to behaviours proven to lead to sobriety, housing and wellness for homeless.

“I think Abbotsford Community Services and the ADBA and residents need to get together in one room and talk about their positions and come to a compromise,” said Banman.

Exactly where does Mayor Banman see room for compromise?

ACS either complies with the terms of their agreement with BC Housing and Abbotsford City Council rezones the property OR Abbotsford does not get needed first stage housing AND loses $millions$ of dollars of funding from the provincial government.

Given mayor and council’s demonstrated lack of backbone on matters that do not involve development or the waste of million’s of taxpayer dollars, why would those among the ADBA and residents who support a mythical and unspecified ‘Right Location’ somewhere, anywhere, Not In Their Back Yard compromise?

The mayor said “smart” developers work with neighbours to address concerns.

Such as happened with the 26 story Mahogany at Mill Lake?

Where the rezoning was voted down, but then snuck back before council (while one of the councillors opposed to the development was out of town) and approved. Interesting definitions Mayor Banman has for “smart” and “working with neighbours”.

“It would make council’s decision a lot easier.”

I see. It is not about reality (there are homeless in Abbotsford) or facts (first stage housing has proven to be a first step to sobriety, housing and wellness) or the needs of the City and its citizens (we need to use what has proven effective elsewhere in addressing homelessness and associated health issues) or ending council’s policy of worsening the problem.

It is about the easy way out. How very………nice for the mayor and council.

Abbotsford Mayor Bruce Banman said the community division and polarized nature of the debate over the project is counterproductive.

NIMBYism is always divisive, polarizing and counterproductive.

Or at least it is in leadership vacuums such as the one created by the mayor and council’s choice of the path of least resistance, a path abundant with missed opportunities.

If we want outcomes other than the pointless and often negative consequences that flow from council’s wilful denial of reality, we have to get out of our comfortable mental ruts, stop doing what we are doing and blaze a trail going where there is no path.

We need to choose the path that leads us where we need to go. Not to where we want to go, but to where we need to go.

Citizens need to instruct Mayor Banman and city council – email, phone call, letter or face to face – that enough is enough that it is far past time to put an effective strategy in place and as a first step to rezone the Abbotsford Community Services property – Now.

Citizens also need to instruct mayor and council to adopt a rational strategy for managing  the challenges and problems of homelessness until resources are in place and beginning to offset the consequences of years of counterproductive behaviour by mayors and councils.

Homeless, Issues, Life, Municipal, This is so Stupid

‘Right Location’

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There is no ‘Right location’; I would even be leery of suggesting that a ‘best location’ exists.

There are good locations and bad locations; locations that have good points and bad points, strengths and weaknesses, advantages and drawbacks.

But a ‘Right location’ for Abbotsford Community Services proposed first stage housing does not exist, and to pursue the ‘Right location’ is to chase a mirage.

The only actual existence the ‘Right location’ has is in the context of the ‘Right location’ being a location anywhere Not In My Back Yard.

“I am not against [insert name of project under discussion] it is just this is not the ‘Right location’ for __________, sounds so much more politically correct and so much less egocentric than NIMBY.

It has been repeatedly stated that Abbotsford has a critical need for the proposed housing and that those who oppose the ACS proposal are not against this type of housing in the ‘Right location’ – said  ‘Right location’ being in somebody else’s back yard.

Which is why no doubt it has not been stated where this mythical ‘Right location’ is. Given the people in the stated ‘Right location’ would find (and support) that the proposed location behind ACS was the ‘Right location’

The truth is that if you choose any location in Abbotsford for the proposed housing, I can give you ten solid reasons that the location is not the ‘Right location’.

Abbotsford has a critical need for first stage housing – assuming the city and citizens want to pursue an approach to reducing the number of homeless on the streets that has been demonstrated to be effective.

An assumption I freely admit has a high probability of being wrong given the reaction by city council and citizens to the ACS proposal.

A reaction which provides no evidence of any desire to stop chasing the homeless around Abbotsford until……………what??….the homeless fall down a rabbit hole and join Alice in Wonderland?

An outcome which, sadly, is no more insane than council’s chasing of the homeless around Abbotsford year after year after year after year…………in the hope that this time something different will occur and the homeless will……….disappear?.