Mayor feels human rights approach to homelessness isn’t working
After retracting comments he made earlier this week, Mayor Ken Boshcoff said on Thursday that he personally feels the city’s human rights approach to homelessness isn’t working.
Boshcoff said he understands why council took that approach and he “wishes it was working.”
“I unfortunately have to deal with neighborhoods who are having an extraordinary amount of problems with people crossing across their yards and . . . instilling a sense of unease.
“So just try to imagine that without this issue, I could spend 60 per cent more of my day working on economic development.”
Boshcoff wants people to understand how much of a problem homelessness is in Thunder Bay.
“The issue is so, so huge – it covers a lot of ground,” he said.
“We do have people working on it. They are spending a lot of time. So the focus is let’s make sure the public understands the immensity of the problem and how difficult it is to deal with.”
Boshcoff said it’s important for the public to know a large part of his day is spent working with neighbourhoods, businesses and families impacted by homelessness – “as well as those who are having trouble getting police service because they’re doing things related to this.”
When he was asked what the city should do instead of taking a human rights approach, Boshcoff said he won’t go against the work of council.
“I want it to work better and I’m certainly not going to undermine. I will be fully supportive of what we have to do and will support any initiative that can lead to people getting themselves on a healthy path.”
On Thursday, Brian Hamilton, chair of the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board, issued a response to Boshcoff’s comments from earlier in the week.
“In an article shared yesterday, Mayor Boshcoff is quoted as stating that Thunder Bay is participating in a “safe supply city” pilot. It is then incorrectly stated that ‘provision of this pilot is within the purview of the District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board [TBDSSAB], which has been mandated by the province to handle the file.’
“To be clear: This statement is not correct.”
“TBDSSAB is not involved in the safe supply of drugs. TBDSSAB does not manage any part of the mental health and addictions service system.”
Hamilton’s statement said the retraction didn’t mention TBDSSAB.
Boshcoff’s retraction described the safer supply program run by NorWest Community Health Centres, which is funded by Health Canada. This small program has less than 25 clients who receive a prescription for safer supply with the oversight of health-care providers. – tbnewswatch.com
article and video website here
It isn’t. Boshcoff is right. The only people who believe the present approach is working are the gutless city councilors who do not have the courage to do what needs to be done to actually help the people living in those encampments and the groups who have monetized the unhoused problem and are making a comfortable living feeding on the taxpayers’ teats.
Right now, all that’s being done is kicking the problem down the road. Every year there will be more people coming from all over. Its becoming a full service camping experience. Just show up. All equipment and food will be supplied. Life is good.
Where are the Indigenous leaders? Many of the unhoused living in encampments are Indigenous. Why is it that the only people that Indigenous leaders seem to care about are the dead and the missing. Unless you fall into either of those categories, you do not exist.
Where are the families of the unhoused? Where are the communities they come from? They have no responsibility?
I still believe that all of the encampment supporters should adopt a unhoused person. The problem will then be solved. Step up or shut up. Sounds like something that needs to be on a poster or t-shirt.