Mayor Robertson Meets Reality

I just heard a woman on the radio named "Lynne" talking about the situation of the two homeless shelters near Beach and Howe. She mentioned that there are now dozens upon dozens of street people living just a block from a preschool, how loud parties are going on all the time, how urinating and fornicating is going on, and how used needles are being found all around the area.

Our "beloved" leader, Mayor Gregor Robertson, was interviewed on the issue here @ 36:00. Listen to the naive twit and see if you gain ANY confidence from what he's saying. If you think I'm being too harsh then read what Alex Tsakumis has to say.

I will never forget when Robertson was running to be my MLA for the first time. He was on a radio talk show which I called and asked him this simple question:

My elderly mother and her friends are getting increasingly scared of being out on the streets. They are getting increasingly harassed by panhandlers. If you're elected, what are you going to do about it?

His answered floored me: "Elderly people like your mother should appreciate all they have and have more empathy for those without." His answer spoke volumes to me and why I'm not surprised one bit about his absolute incompetence on this issue.

---

With the world media soon to be descending on Vancouver in greater & greater numbers, this will clearly be a story they will (and should!) focus on!!

Victoria, BC: Proof Positive of the Downfall of Canadian Society

If Victoria, British Columbia is an example of where Canada is headed then we are all in deep trouble. Madam Justice Carol Ross, in her infinite [lack of] wisdom, threw out a city bylaw that restricted camping in public places. Now roving gangs of young "homeless" kids, many "homeless" by choice, apparently have the right to pitch tents wherever and whenever they want. You can read more about this Kafka-like decision here. One thing in the story that is not correct is that there are enough shelter beds in Victoria. These folks just don't want to sleep there.

---

This issue was being discussed on Roy Green's show on the Corus network. I sent the host this note:

Roy, As someone who lived in Victoria for 4 years [1997 - 2001] I have a pretty good handle on what is occurring there. Victoria, with its relatively warm weather, is a magnet for young people from across Canada to move out to. After arriving they generally have two lifestyle options:

1. Get a low paying job or two in tourism and live in shared accommodations with other kindred souls.
2. Live the drug-laden hippie lifestyle on the streets, camping out all day on Douglas Street, begging for money from tourists.

Many opt for #2. Are they really homeless? In a technical sense, yes, but it's more a matter of a lifestyle choice than any unavoidable poverty. In the process they have pretty much wrecked the downtown core. Tourists are afraid to venture too far away from the main tourist strip of Government Street and so the businesses beyond this narrow strip are hard pressed to stay alive. I absolutely object to the recent decision by the female judge because she has placed all the power in the hands of those who make zero contribution to society and instead just leech off of it, day after day after day. Is this the example that we really want to set for future generations of young Canadians? If so, then God help us!

Ever wondered about the crime in B.C.?

This is just downright frightening.
Clearly our politicians have been sleeping (or worse) for the past few decades.

David Berner on Vancouver's Misguided Drug Policy

Here's a video I shot of David Berner last Friday. Because of technical constraints, I had to break it down into 4 parts, though there's a new feature on YouTube that allows one to sequentially play connected clips. In any case, David's message is a very important one that I wish more people in Vancouver would listen to!

A New Requirement to Receive Welfare?

Today, I heard something very interesting that I'd like to throw out for open discussion. A fellow working up in the Alberta oil sands drives heavy machinery and, as such, must submit a urine sample once a month to prove that he his not taking any drugs. His company takes safety very seriously and anyone on drugs operating such equipment would put countless lives at risk.

So in essence, a requirement for him to be paid every month is to submit to a drug test. He earns well over $100,000 per year, a big portion of which is paid in income tax, which goes toward the services that all Canadians enjoy.

Now let's compare him with someone on welfare. Is not welfare a temporary measure that provides short term funding until a person can find a job again? That's what I always thought it was for. If someone is being paid by the government in this way, then what responsibilities do they have? If their primary objective is to find a job then wouldn't it be fair to say that being high on drugs some or all of the time would not be conducive to getting hired?

That oil sands worker strongly believes that everyone who agrees to receive welfare must also agree to a compulsory drug test. What say you?

John Les: Top Cop-Out

Vaughn Palmer has just written a subtle, but telling article about another Peter Principle candidate, BC's Solicitor General, John Les. I heard him on the radio today and it was nothing short of embarrassing.

One thing is crystal clear: We have Major League Organized Crime vs. Disorganized Double-A Politicians. It's no surprise who's winning, no surprise at all. :-(

David Berner speaks out about Vancouver's Misguided Drug Policy

"The sound quality is poor but the message is crystal clear: David Berner, a well known broadcaster, writer, and actor in Canada's West Coast city of Vancouver, speaks out about the city's misguided policy on drug use and drug users. Having started SUCCESSFUL drug treatment facilities himself, he knows of what he speaks and everyone, within and without of Vancouver should be listening."

I filmed this with my little digital camera at the October 31st meeting of the Chinatown Rotary Club. It took a while to clean up the sound quality to what is now legible. I filmed as much as I could until the memory card was full.

If you have your own blog, please strongly consider posting this video as well. We need to get the message out that the current drug policy in Vancouver is NOT working. You can obtain the HTML code here. And contact David through his blog if you would like to get him speaking at one of your events on the same subject.

Crime Rampage

Last night, 2 young drug dealers were shot to death in their silver Mercedes at 70th & Granville. A few days ago a high-end mobster was shot to death in front of his home in the prestigious Shaughnessy neighbourhood. This makes 10 people murdered in some sort of ongoing war in the past 2.5 weeks.

On today's 3pm CKNW news broadcast, Mayor Sam Sullivan was quoted as saying, "At least Vancouver doesn't have crime as bad as Detroit."

Oh my, isn't that wonderful. This will make me feel sooooooo much safer when I go out for a walk and bullets are whizzing by! Now that Paul Martin has retired, the "Mr. Dithers" moniker is free and Sam Sullivan seems like a prime candidate for it!

Late Update: Sullivan's office called into CKNW to correct the quote. He didn't say Detroit, he said Chicago. Whoooh, that makes it so much better. Not!

Finally, The Drug Debate Has Been Reopened!

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper signaled a major change in Canadian Drug Policy today. Here's a key point he made:

"I remain a skeptic that you can tell people that we won't stop the drug trade, we won't get you off drugs, we won't even send messages to discourage drug use but somehow we will keep you addicted but reduce the harm just the same," Mr. Harper said of the Insite program. "If you remain a drug addict, I don't care how much harm you reduce, you are going to have a short and miserable life."

That's EXACTLY my problem with Insite. Of course, our socialist friends like NDP MP Libby Davies is totally against what Harper is saying, which means, of course, that she is 100% HAPPY that drug addicts remain drug addicts. I consider her viewpoint to be uncaring and despicable.

I'm hoping that David Berner will be commenting on this on his blog soon.