May 11, 2006

Homeless issue a tough one

Editorial appeared in Fort McMurray Today May 9, 2006.

Evicting homeless people from various sites around Fort McMurray is fraught with problems.
Municipal bylaw officers, who work in concert with the RCMP, seem to have little choice in the matter. Their job is clear.
When it comes to the law, the action may be a little unclear, however. There is always a question of whose property it is (private, municipal, provincial or federal) and what level of permission they have to be there — perhaps implied.
Some of the homeless people who contacted Today about their plight put forth the argument that the land they’re occupying is either provincial or falls under some ancient regulation that opens it to aboriginal people.
Then there’s the reality that homeless people have squatted on land in this region for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years — long before there was a municipality or regulations to bar them living there.
Add to this spotty enforcement of the rules — many people have been occupying spots near downtown for years, undisturbed.
It would take legal beagles to sort everything out, but unenforced laws could be ruled unworkable, depending on an individual judge’s interpretation. It’s not enough to pass laws or bylaws. Officials must make sure they’re followed.
Police and bylaw officers are given hard and fast rules. They have discretion, too, but it’s clear that camps on the banks of the Clearwater River are unsafe. People are living in a place that could quickly become engulfed in a grass fire. They might become the victims of assaults (it has happened in Fort McMurray, with deadly results), and the lack of cleanliness encourages the spread of disease and illness.
To be clear, however, clearing out every homeless person in Fort McMurray is akin to shutting down prostitution or ending illegal drug abuse: it’s simply not going to happen. Wishes will not make it reality.
Does that mean the authorities should not try? No.
Does that mean any enforcement must be tempered with access to social agencies to give homeless people another option? Yes.
The situation in this region screams with unintended irony. The Centre of Hope was preparing gifts to the homeless to assist them with their struggle against the elements: new material to erect tents. The irony lies in the fact that bylaw enforcers are seizing some tent material and hauling it off to the dump.
The other ironic — or sad — fact is that some of these people may likely be homeless because of the incredibly high cost of living in this region. How do entry-level restaurant and food workers make a go of it in Fort McMurray today?
Some may be taxpayers, too.
It’s easy to not care for homeless people. Some drink to excess, many don’t work or even wash regularly, and they eke out an existence without conforming to society’s norms.
The trouble lies in criminalizing behaviour that doesn’t fit within the accepted mould. It’s behaviour that few have any sympathy for, but it’s also a way of life lived by hundreds of people in Fort McMurray year-round.
Are there absolute answers to homelessness?
No. Otherwise, the situation would be solved long ago.
In the meantime, this situation must be handled with the greatest discretion. Those who live on the riverbank are not criminals, despite their alleged crime of trespass.
They’re society’s castoffs, but they’re still human beings.

1 Comments:

Blogger Generic Barbarian said...

Homelessness in Fort McMurray? To many of the affluent individuals that reside here, I am sure that they are astounded that this condition even exists. Those that acknowledge the existence of the homeless do so by the rant "GET A JOB!" After all, is there a more simplistic Albertan response available? (other than the Newfie response,"GET A JOB, BYE!). Much of the affluence is exiting this scenic region of the world. Many of the "do have" individuals that spew venom at what they do not understand are themselves one paycheque away from the street. Most of us(on the street) are "Johnny on the spot" to help with your transition,but beware of those that have taken your words of digust and distain to heart. They will remember you. They will feed upon your carcasses.

Life is funny that way.

That is the nature of life on the street.

1:35 PM  

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