25959 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

A community blindsided by shelter opening

 

Credit to Oak Bay council for reaching out to their citizens in a formalized manner regarding the future use of the Oak Bay Lodge site.

 

Contrast that with Saanich council’s approach to the use of Mount Tolmie Hospital as a temporary (perhaps) homeless shelter.

 

No survey, questionnaire or polling to determine where Mount Tolmie neighbourhood residents stand on this issue.

 

The neighbourhood was blindsided by the opening of the shelter with virtually zero prior warning or consultation. To be fair, Saanich states they had no prior warning from B.C. Housing.

 

Now that the shelter is up and running, there has been no effort to seek input from residents of the surrounding community in a quantifiable fashion.

 

This is an area with a high population of seniors, many living in ground-floor apartments who are living in fear due to recent break-ins.

 

Like in Oak Bay, local parents have concerns for the well-being of their children attending the various schools in the area. The concerns are justified.

 

 

Doug Branter
Saanich

 

https://www.timescol...rate-1.24365211

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 21 October 2021 - 05:45 AM.

[A Girl is No one]

A community blindsided by shelter opening

Credit to Oak Bay council for reaching out to their citizens in a formalized manner regarding the future use of the Oak Bay Lodge site.

Contrast that with Saanich council’s approach to the use of Mount Tolmie Hospital as a temporary (perhaps) homeless shelter.

No survey, questionnaire or polling to determine where Mount Tolmie neighbourhood residents stand on this issue.

The neighbourhood was blindsided by the opening of the shelter with virtually zero prior warning or consultation. To be fair, Saanich states they had no prior warning from B.C. Housing.

Now that the shelter is up and running, there has been no effort to seek input from residents of the surrounding community in a quantifiable fashion.

This is an area with a high population of seniors, many living in ground-floor apartments who are living in fear due to recent break-ins.

Like in Oak Bay, local parents have concerns for the well-being of their children attending the various schools in the area. The concerns are justified.


Doug Branter
Saanich

https://www.timescol...rate-1.24365211

Except many of those people supported this kind of housing when it wasn’t close to those homes, even if many seniors ans children lived there. They didn’t care about seniors and kids then.

[LJ]

How come it is noble for us to park our elders, especially dementia cases, in care homes when they can no longer look after themselves, but it is a crime to put  mentally ill people unable to look after themselves in a safe secure setting?

[Love the rock]

A community blindsided by shelter opening

 

Credit to Oak Bay council for reaching out to their citizens in a formalized manner regarding the future use of the Oak Bay Lodge site.

 

Contrast that with Saanich council’s approach to the use of Mount Tolmie Hospital as a temporary (perhaps) homeless shelter.

 

No survey, questionnaire or polling to determine where Mount Tolmie neighbourhood residents stand on this issue.

 

The neighbourhood was blindsided by the opening of the shelter with virtually zero prior warning or consultation. To be fair, Saanich states they had no prior warning from B.C. Housing.

 

Now that the shelter is up and running, there has been no effort to seek input from residents of the surrounding community in a quantifiable fashion.

 

This is an area with a high population of seniors, many living in ground-floor apartments who are living in fear due to recent break-ins.

 

Like in Oak Bay, local parents have concerns for the well-being of their children attending the various schools in the area. The concerns are justified.

 

 

Doug Branter
Saanich

 

https://www.timescol...rate-1.24365211

What’s happening with Penticton’s refusal to open  a shelter that Eby ordered.

Has it quietly gone away or is it still before the courts.

[Victoria Watcher]

Cool Aid Society declined to provide specific numbers, but agreed COVID-19 cases had risen over the last six weeks but have since decreased.

 

In an Oct. 1 media availability addressing the spike in cases, Island Health chief medical officer Dr. Richard Stanwick said an estimated 300 unhoused people and shelter staff had contracted the virus since the start of the pandemic. Despite sharing that number, Island Health said it cannot provide an updated estimate due to privacy considerations.

 

At the time, Stanwick also estimated 30 per cent of the unhoused population had been vaccinated. Four days later, on Oct. 5, Island Health media relations advisor Andrew Leyne told Black Press Media that estimate had risen to 43 per cent. Since then, Leyne said they can’t share cluster-specific vaccination data.

_______________________

 

Island Health also introduced an incentive program on Oct. 4, offering unhoused people $20 grocery store or quick-serve restaurant gift cards in exchange for getting a dose. As of Oct. 20, Leyne said 72 gift cards had been distributed.

 

 

https://www.vicnews....sed-population/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 22 October 2021 - 05:30 PM.

[Sparky]

I have it from a reliable source that half of the residents at 844 Johnson are sick with Covid.

[Victoria Watcher]

they will probably be fine. just like the 1.7 million other Canadians that have had it.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 23 October 2021 - 11:10 AM.

[Nparker]

Perhaps not. Their comorbidities make them more likely to struggle with COVID.

 

https://www.health.c...s-meaning-covid

[Jacques Cadé]

What’s happening with Penticton’s refusal to open  a shelter that Eby ordered.

Has it quietly gone away or is it still before the courts.

 

Most recent news appears to be that BC Housing applied in September to have Penticton's lawsuit thrown out of court, arguing that under B.C.'s Interpretation Act (and the doctrine of "paramountcy"), the provincial government is not bound by municipal zoning bylaws: https://www.penticto...785e579bd8.html

 

Case is titled CITY OF PENTICTON v BRITISH COLUMBIA HOUSING MANAGEMENT COMMISSION, Vancouver Law Courts file 216288.

Edited by Jacques Cadé, 23 October 2021 - 11:53 AM.

[Nparker]

And people wonder why I have no faith in any government.

[spanky123]

^^ This is not news. BC Housing has had the ability to override municipal zoning for a while now. They usually try and get buy in but if that fails then they can do what they want.

[spanky123]

I have it from a reliable source that half of the residents at 844 Johnson are sick with Covid.

 

Can't be or else we would have seen a bump in infection counts in the lower Island. :-)

 

I have been told that the Ministry has covered up outbreaks in sensitive locations like social housing, reserves, etc where they argue disclosure would lead to negative attention. Fair enough but they also don't tell the people who work or contract in those settings putting them at higher risk.

Edited by spanky123, 23 October 2021 - 03:55 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

if disclosure in “sensitive locations” leads to negative attention, what is the reason for disclosure in other locations?

The Vic News runs many stories per week about school exposures. And flight exposures. But the rest of local media is uninterested.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 23 October 2021 - 03:58 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

stigma alert:





The co-author of a recent North American study into the health of the pets of people experiencing homelessness hopes to challenge the stigma that those animals are not well cared for by their owners.

"I think there has long been a discourse of saying, 'If you can't care for yourself, how can you take care of a pet?'" said Michelle Lem, founder of Community Veterinary Outreach (CVO), who conducted the study with the University of Guelph.

https://www.cbc.ca/n...uelph-1.6216441

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 23 October 2021 - 04:03 PM.

[spanky123]

if disclosure in “sensitive locations” leads to negative attention, what is the reason for disclosure in other locations?

The Vic News runs many stories per week about school exposures. And flight exposures. But the rest of local media is uninterested.

 

By negative attention I mean stigma

[Victoria Watcher]

Stigma!

[A Girl is No one]

Can't be or else we would have seen a bump in infection counts in the lower Island. :-)

I have been told that the Ministry has covered up outbreaks in sensitive locations like social housing, reserves, etc where they argue disclosure would lead to negative attention. Fair enough but they also don't tell the people who work or contract in those settings putting them at higher risk.

Meaning they really are not that concerned about COVID cases… it’s all BS IMO

[Nparker]

It's about control. Keeping the masses afraid is a great way of achieving that.

[Dr.Zarkov]

Stigma!

Stigmata!

[Nparker]

Stigmata!

There's some holes in your theory.