B.C.sa国际传媒檚 housing minister has slammed a Vancouver Island city for its sa国际传媒渁ttacksa国际传媒� on the unhoused.

The Vancouver Island city of Campbell River is poised to remove tax exemptions from a pair of community service organizations in response to their policies and practices regarding homeless people.

This move against the Campbell River Art Gallery (CRAG) and the Overdose Prevention Site (OPS) is not the way to resolve the communitysa国际传媒檚 homelessness crisis, Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon said in a press conference with provincial media Thursday, Oct. 12.

sa国际传媒淲ell, you know, first off, its Homeless Action Week where we recognize the non-profit providers that are actually doing this very difficult work,sa国际传媒� the minister said in response to media questions about councilsa国际传媒檚 declaring the CRAG and Vancouver Island Mental Health Society (operators of the OPS) as sa国际传媒渂ad neighbourssa国际传媒� because of their lack of action in dealing with unhoused around their property.

sa国际传媒淭his is not easy work to go in and support people who are very vulnerable, who are struggling, and to have a city attack people because theysa国际传媒檙e trying to do their best to make sure people are housed is not the way you address this.sa国际传媒�

Kahlon was speaking in Kelowna Oct. 12 where he announced an agreement with that city to help house homeless individuals. He also committed that the province would find 120 units for individuals experiencing homelessness.

Campbell River council is expected to pass measures that will remove permissive tax exemptions from the two community organizations at the Thursday, Oct. 12 general council meeting, inflicting a $10,000 financial hit on CRAG. The OPS has been called a sa国际传媒渘uisance propertysa国际传媒� because it provides programming for the unhoused and is accused of having lenient attitudes towards people sheltering on their property. Threats have also been made to the organizationssa国际传媒� much more lucrative grants-in-aid, worth $80,000 in the case of the CRAG, the loss of which is likely to shut the gallerysa国际传媒檚 doors.

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Kahlon said he met with Campbell River officials at this yearsa国际传媒檚 Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM) convention and talked to them about acquiring more supportive housing.

sa国际传媒淲hich I said I would work with them to do that. But attacking people who are trying to be good neighbours and trying to address that challenge in the community is not the way to go about it,sa国际传媒� the minister said. sa国际传媒淏ecause in the end, Campbell River may get more supportive housing units, but they may not find any willing partners, to staff, or to actually operate them because they feel theysa国际传媒檙e being vilified for doing the work that they do.

sa国际传媒淎nd so, you know, my recommendation to the Campbell River council: work with your partners. Wesa国际传媒檙e willing to be at the table, letsa国际传媒檚 find solutions. I know itsa国际传媒檚 not easy. I know people get frustrated and theysa国际传媒檙e tired and they want the problem just (to) be solved. But the only way to address it is by working together.sa国际传媒�

City councilsa国际传媒檚 actions have resulted in a deluge of letters in support of the CRAG and VIMHS being included in the agenda for the Oct. 12 council meeting.

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| editor@campbellrivermirror.com
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