Column: Government battleground mess

What a government mess. I’m referring to the recent implementation of a cold weather response plan aimed at saving the unhoused from freezing to death on the streets.

Hearing the conversations in city hall on Dec. 16 reminded me governments play well with others. 

Much of the discussion revolved around the city's inability to manage a warming shelter due to a lack of expertise and staff.

It might be worth reminding the public the city employs a total of 460 people with 312 of those being full-time. It made up over 40 per cent of our upcoming budget.

The city could easily hire a team of local experts and staff for a warming shelter, or a contractor if they so choose. They just put forward almost $100,000 for a mobile warming shelter. At the same time, they are approaching local groups asking for volunteers, despite administrative costs and positions being paid through the council motion.

In all fairness, plenty of social services are funded through the province and handled by the bigger bodies of government. That doesn’t change the fact the buck has been passed down the chain. It’s time to put some boots in the snow and get to work.

It doesn’t boil down to who has to handle it or who’s responsible; do you want to warm people at night or send in teams to recover bodies, spending money on city resources either way. 

I don’t think this is any body of government’s fault in particular; this is simply the result of a government system that is bloated and doesn’t function. It’s a stark reminder the best interest of the public is never at the forefront but rather the ongoing government finger-pointing.

I do hope we see a bus at night warming the unhoused, it’s time to remember those on the streets are people too not just a problem to be passed around. 

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