Criticizing the police, and the RCMP in particular, has become fashionable of late, regardless of the facts.
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Criticizing the police, and the RCMP in particular, has become fashionable of late, regardless of the facts. We would like to set the record straight on three key points as BC moves towards engaging in the recommendations of the Special Committee for Police Law Reform.
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Firstly, it is important to understand that the municipal RCMP police services report to the local mayor and council to whom they are accountable. Second, the RCMP, like all police in our province, is subject to investigations and oversight by the BC Independent Bureau of Investigation, which is headed by a “chief civilian director” and employs a significant number of researchers.
Finally, police transitions are exorbitantly expensive. As just one example, the budget for Surrey’s proposed transition has been quadrupled so far and these costs will be borne by the taxpayers. Only a portion of the funds needed for such a transition would be more effectively spent on increasing resources and improving access to existing police and social services to improve the quality of life for all British Columbians. Isn’t that what we all want?
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Rob Farrer, Director, Pacific-North Region, National Police Federation
The purchasing power of households continues to decline
David Rosenberg’s recent editorial may be predictive. The last two decades have set the stage for rising consumer debt relative to income, an unprecedented rise in house prices relative to household income and GDP, and rising costs of household consumption needs, such as food and shelter.
The trigger? An unavoidable rise in interest rates to combat inflation could trigger a recession and a major housing correction.
Many families are already struggling to pay basic costs like monthly rent and food. If there is a major real estate correction, like the one in the early 1980s, the depth and duration of any recession could increase.
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Public housing and food banks are already struggling with existing demand. The CEO of Food Banks Canada described this summer as the most challenging time for food banks in the last 40 years. Nearly a quarter of Canadians experience some problem putting food on their tables.
Inflation will not suddenly disappear. The purchasing power of household wages will continue to decline. Mortgage and rent payments will continue to rise.
All of these issues, combined, can create unprecedented food insecurity and homelessness in our neighborhoods. It happened after the financial crisis of 2008-09, when millions of Americans lost their homes.
Will our governments and communities be caught off guard like during last year’s heat wave and floods?
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John Shepherd, Richmond
Use train cars for temporary accommodation.
I understand that no one chooses to live on the street. The situation with the tent city on Hastings Street is dire on every level. Where do you relocate them?
My suggestion involves the use of passenger cars to temporarily house these people. The railway is very close to the tent city and could provide safe, clean and sheltered accommodation on a temporary basis.
I’m sure social services could provide the staff to help. All we need is cooperation with CP Rail and the local government.
Al Munro, Delta
Another nail in the Vancouver coffin
RE: The city will destroy the historic neon while Balmoral blinks
John Mackie’s article exposes the group of liberal and awake thinking that has taken over City Hall.
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Do we really believe that it is possible to re-traumatize former (Balmoral) residents and their families, friends and community? I do not think.
The real reason city staff and council don’t want to restore the sign is to try to erase its monumental failure over the last several decades to force owners to properly maintain the building. It is his inaction, not the signal, that traumatized the residents.
We are at high risk of losing our tourism industry due to homelessness, violence, filth and mental illness.
Canceling this beautiful historic neon sign will no doubt further traumatize tourists and be another nail in the coffin for Vancouver.
John Davis, Vancouver
Broadway Construction Trouble
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Denise Ryan’s article is a good reminder of how severely affected residents and businesses are by this construction.
The BC government is hiding the real truth by having multiple organizations responsible, including the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the BC Transportation Financing Authority, the Transportation Investment Corporation, TransLink, the City of Vancouver, and the Spanish construction company .
Nobody wants to take responsibility for the mess they created. We had a bad experience building the Canada Line on Cambie Street, but the BC government didn’t learn from it.
The saddest thing is that our subway and Broadway stations are inferior compared to similar projects in Ontario and Quebec.
Nathan Davidowicz, Vancouver
Letters to the editor should be sent to [email protected].
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