Cortes Currents

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - The BC Liberals are calling for an immediate end to the tent cities that have sprung up in Campbell River as well as larger cities like Vancouver and Victoria.

BC Liberal press release

In a press release, Roxanne Helme, the BC Liberal candidate for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, said, “This is a matter of public safety. Each unsupervised 24/7 tent encampment is an extremely dangerous place to be.  We know people are smoking drugs in nylon tents; criminal elements have infiltrated the camps to prey on the vulnerable people within them; there is violent crime, in addition to drug and property crime, hiding within their walls; they are unsanitary; there is no compliance with public health directions in response to COVID 19 and so the list goes on. This not to mention that the 24/7 tent encampments are preventing the use of our parks as they were intended and that they are damaging their delicate ecosystems in the process.”

Ms Helme added, “the only ‘solution’ that John Horgan and the NDP have come up with is to warehouse some of the homeless population in derelict hotels without sufficient supports.”

Aside from the suggestion “they must be appropriately housed,” she did not explain where the people in these camps would go.

The BC Liberal candidate for North Island, Norm Facey, is not available for comment.

Homelessness in Campbell River

Campbell River’s homeless population is now probably closer to 100 than the 81 listed in 2018.

The city was thinking of setting up a better run camp, using protocols to protect them from COVID, last Spring.

Enter BC Housing

A provincial agency, BC Housing, came forward with a more permanent solution.

BC Housing, the City of Campbell River and the Vancouver Island Mental Health Society are partnering to build 50 new homes with support services for people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness at 580 Dogwood Street. 

The province is also funding two other Campbell River building projects that target specific needs. The Fir street residence will have 49 units for women and children fleeing violence. Linda’s Place will have 27 units for people with low to moderate incomes, including those with brain injuries.

In addition, BC Housing purchased the former Rose Bowl restaurant, in Campbell River, as a transition house with beds for 20 houseless people until more permanent accommodation can be found.

At a meeting last summer, Kristi Schwanicke, Coordinator of the Campbell River & District Coalition to End Homelessness, “All of these projects, coming online so quickly, will have a tremendous impact over the course of the next six months.”

BC Housing Projects on Quadra and Cortes

The projects BC Housing is currently funding on Quadra and Cortes Islands are for seniors rather than homeless people.

However a 20 unit project in Mansons Landing is, at least in part, a response to Cortes Island’s seasonal homelessness problem. Every year, tenants are evicted from their homes during the warmer months, to make way for the more lucrative tourist trade, are forced to set up tents, couch surf of find some other accommodation until the season is over. If their property is rezoned, the Rainbow Ridge project will be seeking founding from BC Housing.

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - One of the key issues in this election is British Columbia’s lack of affordable housing. Earlier this year, the NDP government stated that it built, or is building, 25,000 new affordable homes this year.

Some of these projects are in our region. Cortes Currents has posts about three projects, with120 homes, in Campbell River.

Kristi Schwanicke, Coordinator of the Campbell River & District Coalition to End Homelessness, says these projects will have a tremendous impact on the city’s homeless problem. 

In last week’s edition of Folk U, Manda Aufochs Gillespie reported:

“ … I also reached to get more specific stats from the BC Housing Research Centre on this very question and they told me get back in touch after the new cabinet has been formed. However the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing did issue this comment earlier, in preparation for this series.

“We know that for many years communities across the province, including small island communities, have been facing a shortage of affordable housing. Our Government is making the largest affordable housing investment in BC history, including thousands of mixed income affordable homes already underway around the province, with more to come.”

“Through the Building BC Community Housing Funds first intake, launched in 2018, we are currently working with non-profits to build new affordable rental homes on:

Cortes Island - 4 homes

Hornby Island - 26 homes

and Salt Spring Island - 80 homes.

“The province has also recently issued a second call for proposals under the community housing fund and communities are encouraged for more housing to meet their needs."

Photo credit: Construction site by Scott Lewis via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Roy L Hales/Cortes Currents - One of the key issues in this election is British Columbia’s lack of affordable housing. Earlier this year, the NDP government stated that it built, or is building, 25,000 new affordable homes this year.

Some of these projects are in our region. Cortes Currents has posts about three projects, with120 homes, in Campbell River.

Kristi Schwanicke, Coordinator of the Campbell River & District Coalition to End Homelessness, says these projects will have a tremendous impact on the city’s homeless problem. 

In last week’s edition of Folk U, Manda Aufochs Gillespie reported:

“ … I also reached to get more specific stats from the BC Housing Research Centre on this very question and they told me get back in touch after the new cabinet has been formed. However the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing did issue this comment earlier, in preparation for this series.

“We know that for many years communities across the province, including small island communities, have been facing a shortage of affordable housing. Our Government is making the largest affordable housing investment in BC history, including thousands of mixed income affordable homes already underway around the province, with more to come.”

“Through the Building BC Community Housing Funds first intake, launched in 2018, we are currently working with non-profits to build new affordable rental homes on:

Cortes Island - 4 homes

Hornby Island - 26 homes

and Salt Spring Island - 80 homes.

“The province has also recently issued a second call for proposals under the community housing fund and communities are encouraged for more housing to meet their needs."

Photo credit: Construction site by Scott Lewis via Flickr (CC BY SA, 2.0 License)

Sam Dharmasena/ CJRU - Toronto - A coalition of human rights and housing advocates are taking the City of Toronto to the Ontario Superior Court for a hearing on Thursday, Oct. 1. Members of the public and media may observe proceedings via Zoom at 10 a.m.

The coalition is comprised of the Sanctuary Ministries of Toronto, Aboriginal Legal Services (ASL), Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO), Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC), Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), and HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO).

In April, the coalition filed a lawsuit against the City of Toronto alleging failure to protect those who rely on the shelter system during the COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition urged changes to Toronto shelter and respite standards in response to new information that COVID-19 spread quickly in shared living situations.

Sam Dharmasena/ CJRU - Toronto - A coalition of human rights and housing advocates are taking the City of Toronto to the Ontario Superior Court for a hearing on Thursday, Oct. 1. Members of the public and media may observe proceedings via Zoom at 10 a.m.

The coalition is comprised of the Sanctuary Ministries of Toronto, Aboriginal Legal Services (ASL), Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO), Black Legal Action Centre (BLAC), Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), and HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO).

In April, the coalition filed a lawsuit against the City of Toronto alleging failure to protect those who rely on the shelter system during the COVID-19 pandemic. The coalition urged changes to Toronto shelter and respite standards in response to new information that COVID-19 spread quickly in shared living situations.

Sam Dharmasena/ CJRU - TORONTO - In September, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced an $11.5 million investment in mental health support for Canadians. From this, $4.9 million will go towards the Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund. CJRU spoke with Dr. Valerie Borum, director of Ryerson’s School of Social Work, on the intersection of race and mental health.

“It’s impossible to separate the two. When we look at mental health, race is always a variable in a nation that is dominated by whiteness,” Borum says.

Borum’s work explores the role of ethnoculture in health, mental health and disability. She conducts research from a womanist and afrocentric perspective and was based in the United States before joining Ryerson University in early 2020. Reflecting on her research with hearing Black families with D/deaf and hard of hearing children, Borum shares the disconnect she saw between racialized families with which she worked and the narratives that were shaping social work literature at the time.

“The bodies of work pertaining to deafness, deaf children, and parenting were based in white, middle-class experiences and values,” Borum recalls.

Protester holding sign that reads NO JUSTICE NO PEACE

Photo Credit: Hybrid on Unsplash

She urges her peers in social work to recognize the ways that race, cultural beliefs, and language contribute to a person’s mental health and their relationship to mental health professionals. Borum adds that the impact of anti-Black racism should be considered.

“We have to begin to look at racism as a broader socio-cultural risk factor that impacts an entire population. That’s not to say that Black people are overwhelmed by racism, but it does have an impact,” Borum says.

When asked about the mental health impact of this summer’s social isolation, and continued protests around social inequities like police brutality, Borum says that this would make for an interesting research question. She says that isolation can generally contribute to feelings of depression and, while police brutality has a long history in North America, Canadians are grieving and responding to this summer’s publicized deaths without access to some of their pre-pandemic support systems.

To learn more about the latest recipients of the Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund, and the resources available through this $4.9 million investment, read the Sept. 2020 backgrounder on the Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund. In the Greater Toronto Area, funding will go towards Women's Health in Women's Hands Community Health Centre, Black Creek Community Health Centre, Black Health Alliance, and TAIBU Community Health Centre.

Sam Dharmasena/ CJRU - TORONTO - In September, the Public Health Agency of Canada announced an $11.5 million investment in mental health support for Canadians. From this, $4.9 million will go towards the Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund. CJRU spoke with Dr. Valerie Borum, director of Ryerson’s School of Social Work, on the intersection of race and mental health.

“It’s impossible to separate the two. When we look at mental health, race is always a variable in a nation that is dominated by whiteness,” Borum says.

Borum’s work explores the role of ethnoculture in health, mental health and disability. She conducts research from a womanist and afrocentric perspective and was based in the United States before joining Ryerson University in early 2020. Reflecting on her research with hearing Black families with D/deaf and hard of hearing children, Borum shares the disconnect she saw between racialized families with which she worked and the narratives that were shaping social work literature at the time.

“The bodies of work pertaining to deafness, deaf children, and parenting were based in white, middle-class experiences and values,” Borum recalls.

Protester holding sign that reads NO JUSTICE NO PEACE

Photo Credit: Hybrid on Unsplash

She urges her peers in social work to recognize the ways that race, cultural beliefs, and language contribute to a person’s mental health and their relationship to mental health professionals. Borum adds that the impact of anti-Black racism should be considered.

“We have to begin to look at racism as a broader socio-cultural risk factor that impacts an entire population. That’s not to say that Black people are overwhelmed by racism, but it does have an impact,” Borum says.

When asked about the mental health impact of this summer’s social isolation, and continued protests around social inequities like police brutality, Borum says that this would make for an interesting research question. She says that isolation can generally contribute to feelings of depression and, while police brutality has a long history in North America, Canadians are grieving and responding to this summer’s publicized deaths without access to some of their pre-pandemic support systems.

To learn more about the latest recipients of the Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund, and the resources available through this $4.9 million investment, read the Sept. 2020 backgrounder on the Mental Health of Black Canadians Fund. In the Greater Toronto Area, funding will go towards Women's Health in Women's Hands Community Health Centre, Black Creek Community Health Centre, Black Health Alliance, and TAIBU Community Health Centre.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Cortes Currents/Folk U - The first podcast features Sandra Wood and Ian Scott discussing the options and challenges for creating affordable housing that they have encountered in pursuing the creation of four affordable rental units for seniors and 20 units for all ages on Cortes. That podcast is almost two hours long and includes a number of questions and answers from local community members. Please listen to the podcast for more in-depth explanation of the Seniors Village expansion and the Rainbow Ridge project.

Manda Aufochs Gillespie/Cortes Currents/Folk U - The first podcast features Sandra Wood and Ian Scott discussing the options and challenges for creating affordable housing that they have encountered in pursuing the creation of four affordable rental units for seniors and 20 units for all ages on Cortes. That podcast is almost two hours long and includes a number of questions and answers from local community members. Please listen to the podcast for more in-depth explanation of the Seniors Village expansion and the Rainbow Ridge project.

Roy L Hales/ Cortes Currents - Alexandra Morton is now the official Green candidate for North Island. She described her reasons for entering politics, and what needs to be done, in a quick ZOOM interview.

“The reason I’m running is that, over the last twenty years, I’ve seen that the politics and policies that are killing off the wild salmon of this coast are also destroying our communities.”

“At this point, I think everyone is very worried as to what we are leaving to our children, the ones who come after us. They aren’t going to nearly as much as we got. I think it is time to figure out how to do things differently … We need to figure out how we can thrive and the environment around us can thrive. So our kids get a chance.”

“There has to be solutions.”

“Obviously I am very informed about salmon and I know there is no reason to lose these fish. It is so frustrating to watch the mismanagement just go on and on.”

“In fact, we can have an aquaculture industry. We could have a very successful, cutting edge aquaculture industry. We have people that know how to grow fish, but it has to get out of the ocean and get onto land - like it is elsewhere.”

“Then with the wild salmon, the ones in the ocean, there is some phenomenal science in DFO that can actually read their immune systems. So the fish then start to ‘talk’ to us and tell us what is going on. That is so exiting, it goes back to the legends of the people who were here first. They always said the salmon could talk. Now we get a chance to catch up with them and be able to do that as well. We can ‘hear’ the fish say, ‘this is what is going on with us.’ Then we can try to change our behaviour and go back to the fish and say ‘did we make it better for you or not.”

“Now I know that salmon aren’t the only issue for the North Island.”

“So I’m going to be on a steep learning curve. I want to hear from people. I don’t really want to complain. We’re past that. I want to know the issues and what people think are the solutions.”

.

“I’m a hard worker. I’m ready to learn. I have a very open mind.”

“For the people who are worried about splitting the vote, I know, I hear you - I’ve been one of those people.”

“We have seven years to change climate change around. I don’t really know what we are saving ourselves for.”

“As far as I am concerned, the current NDP Government has done some really good things. They’ve taken us through COVID as much as is possible. A lot came at them, things that governments have never faced before. I watched a government actually listen to science, which to me - was astonishing. I appreciate that they have spoken to us as adults because we are adults. We can take it. Also, the NDP government - when the First Nations in the Broughton Archipelago said salmon farms are going to get out, there is no two ways about it and here is how it is going to work - they went along with it.”

“But on many other issues, I think they need help because if there is one thing I know, it is how hard it is to deal with these big corporations.”

[Corporations] “ … have a model, which is growth. They are based on share price, not even necessarily the sale of the fish, they are based on share price. They are have toi simply get bigger and bigger and bigger - and that is not going to work in the natural world.”

“They just need strict rules from government and I am sure they will comply. They will carry on under new rules that have to do with sustainability - because we are all heading for the cliff.”

“This effort to become MLA of this fabulously rich North Island riding where I have lived for 37 years is very exciting to me.”

“I’m really looking forward to hearing from people.”