On the front page of Tuesday March 10’s Abbotsford Times (story below) there was a picture of the City’s latest homeless victim and a story mindlessly parroting the City’s media spin, but there was no comment from the City’s victim himself nor were any of the obvious questions asked of the Orwellian horde from the City.

Watching the news during the first weekend of February was disquieting, raising questions and concerns about the Campbell government’s ability to address homelessness, mental illness, addiction, poverty and poverty reduction not only in a suitable but a just way.

Councilor John Smith still has not answered the most important question concerning the recovery house policy.  

“D’oh”

Forrest Gump was certainly correct with “Stupid is as Stupid does”. This point was thoroughly demonstrated by a Seattle radio host whom I had the misfortune of listening to on a CNN news report I had caught about a thoughtful approach to homelessness underway in Seattle.

I was speaking to someone I know about Abbotsford’s new recovery house policy. She told me that the intention was not to close the bad houses but to cause them to become recovery houses in fact, not just in name.

It transpired that the other day I was listening to Councillor John Smith bloviate the Legend of Compassion Park:  

It has been close to a year since Compassion Park with several city councillors recently quoted in the newspapers ballyhooing the strides made on the homeless front since the closing of Compassion Park.

Looking at Compassion Park in the spring of 2007 what changes in city behaviour do we find? Well, the notices posted to vacate the park now bear the date March 15, 2007 and …… that’s it. It is truly amazing what progress can be made on homelessness and other growing/pressing social issues with leadership, imagination and intelligent behaviour. Unfortunately for the citizens of our City, Abbotsford City Hall is lacking all three.