Monthly Archives: December 2007

Municipal

A Big Hand – for council’s approval of Spirit Bear proposal!

Leave a comment

I had the distinct pleasure of watching council give approval to the Spirit Bear Centre Society proposal for a detox/recovery facility for female youth.

Personal experience has taught me that detox/treatment/recovery for youth is non-existent in this area. In truth, services for youth are virtually non-existent in this province.

Councillor Lowen was accurate about the quality of the people involved when he spoke in support of the proposal . Councilor Smith was correct when he said that we are deceiving ourselves if we do not think we have youth in our community who need this type of mentoring and recovery. He was also right that there is a need for a variety of facilities to address our communities addiction, recovery and homeless issues.

Councilor Smith was also quite correct in his statement that we want to attract and support responsible groups that are going to provide services that benefit our community. It is by welcoming and supporting people such as those at Spirit Bear that we ensure that our detox/recovery facilities are world class. As a city we have have seen what happens when you do not support good facilities and organizations.

It was positive to hear that Councillor Ross took the time to meet and inspect the premises. On the other hand it was unfortunate to hear Councillor Gill give in to the NIMBYs.

The citizens of the neighbourhood should not feel as though they have been singled out. The harsh, sad reality is that with the number of issues and thus facilities needed to address and reduce Abbotsfords social problems, all neighbourhoods in the city will be host to facilities. Reality is that the need for recovery and transition facilities in this city is deep and we want not only to put in place the structures needed, but to attract the best people and societies to be running these programs.

Bravo for council for approving this proposal and setting a precedent for approving projects filling community needs and involving good people. I would ask that council direct city staff to extend a welcome to Spirit Bear and to facilitate any needs they may have. I would also ask citizens who have the opportunity to both say “Well done” to council and lend support to Spirit Bear.

I do have a question/challenge for those who signed the petition against this proposal, a paraphrasing of John F. Kennedy. Ask not what your community can do for you, but what you can do for you community. What are you going to do to make this facility a success? They say it takes a community to raise a child. It definitely takes a community to reclaim a child or person from drugs.

This question/challenge is important not only for those of the neighbourhood, but as a question/challenge for all citizens. For in the answer lies the truth of whether Abbotsford is merely a collection of buildings? Or is Abbotsford a Community?

Federal, Hmmm, Homeless

Senate reform 101

Leave a comment

Senate reform seems to sink into a quagmire of complexity and political self interest. Is it not rational to change our frame of reference on the question of Senate reform?

Canadian citizens footing the cost of the senate need to get value for their money.

Canadian citizens need to derive benefit from the monies spent on the Senate, but Senate changes become lost in arguments about the form change should take. What we need is a change that requires no amendments to any legislation governing the Senate, but results in a Senate/Senators benefiting Canada.

Simple. We change who is to be appointed to the Senate, not the how, directing the Prime Minister to appoint Senators from a pool meeting the requirements the Canadian people feel will benefit the country.

I would like to propose that we use the Senate to support advocates, agents of change …. Use whatever label you choose for those who champion causes such as homelessness, poverty, climate change, child care etc.

As a country we face the need to address many social, economic fairness and environmental issues. Issues that we need to have a public debate on in order that we can formulate effective and cost efficient policies to address these issues.

Unfortunately we currently have no such debate taking place in this country. Currently we have politicians and their followers throwing around trite sound bites based on their ideology or what they think the public wants to hear – or both. Despite all the rhetoric, claims and promises these problems continue to grow and worsen.

These are complex issues containing far more gray than black or white, without nice neat solutions, often requiring multiple approaches to effect change. In other words – messy. The reality being that dealing with them will result in mistakes, some negative outcomes and someone, somewhere screaming out their upset. The type of issues that have politicians running for cover – or using trite phrases and telling the public what it wants to hear.

So we take those with a passion to address these issues, some brains, good communications skills, an ability to find compromise and consensus and other traits we think would be helpful and we appoint them to the senate.

Being a senator grants them financial security and independence, affording an opportunity to focus on the issues. It provides for travel, opens doors and provides a public platform to engage and address the Canadian public, a voice an ordinary citizen does not have. It provides an interesting and challenging group of peers to brainstorm with.

These senators can lead the public debate, generating ideas and feedback, building consensus on what course our country should pursue. This provides protection for the politicians while it ensures that the debates and policy decisions we need as a country take place.

By reforming the Senate in this way we create a Canadian institution that is focused on creating positive change, becoming a world leader in how to achieve change and growth