Patrik Kapuscinsky qualified for re-training and medical employment insurance several years ago due to a spinal condition that prevented him from plying his trade as a carpenter.
For two years, during which time he was repeatedly promised EI payments, he lived off next to nothing. Help from family members in eastern Canada prevented him from living on the street. Instead of re-training, he eventually received disability payments of $13 a day, which does not pay bills and buy groceries.
“It’s one or the other,” said Kapuscinsky, who has suffered from addiction but has been sober for nearly six years. “Disability was never a viable option for me.”
Kapuscinsky lives in a trailer in Courtenay but said he has not slept properly for more than four years due to his back and a lack of nutrition.
“Not sleeping for four years — you can imagine how thin sanity can be at times,” said Kapuscinsky, who needs $2,300 a month to eat, pay bills and manage his spinal condition. “Basically the system has destroyed me, put me in a position where I’ve lost everything.”
Kapuscinsky participated in a peaceful weekend protest at the corner of Harmston and Sixth in Courtenay where the city plans to build a police station. He and other protesters suggest the site should be used to build affordable housing to help alleviate homelessness in the Valley.
“They build a cop shop and a jail instead on this piece of land,” said Ernie Yacub, organizer of the Homes Not Jails protest. “We wanted to focus attention on this piece of land, the fact that the community was never consulted, the downtown businesses were never consulted. The opportunity is still here for people to collectively come up with the best possible use.”
Yacub envisions a car-free community — akin to an expanded Tin Town — within walking distance of downtown.
“This is a huge piece of land,” he said. “You could get a lot of people living here, without cars, and they would be shopping downtown.”
Along with affordable housing, Kapuscinsky would like to see public servants held accountable for “refusing to fulfil their duties.” He points the finger at North Island MP John Duncan and Comox Valley MLA Don McRae for not expediting EI payments to he and others in need.
“It’s his (McRae) job because it’s provincial,” Kapuscinsky said. “This is a simple thing. If you forgot to issue the EI to this man and destroyed his life, give him the EI. Throw him some money so he can have his life back, especially when it’s a guy who has contributed to the system all his life and is down over a physical injury.
“What’s happening to a lot of these people is the EI or re-training that’s confirmed is never issued,” Kapuscinsky added. “They get the runaround and wind up homeless…You can’t just throw people on the garbage pile after they’ve spent a life of servitude. With the MP and the MLA not fulfilling their duties, the problem of homelessness is growing. This is all over the place.”
The city gave the protesters until noon Wednesday to pack up their tents. At Monday’s meeting, Courtenay council directed staff to determine whether a bylaw can be enacted to empower the city to take action against protesters and overnight campers on city-owned and public property.
While the protesters were violating the Trespass Act, police chose to tell participants to vacate the site.
“We’re not going to start throwing people in jail for no good reasons,” Cpl. Tori Cliffe said Tuesday.
The protesters later moved the tents and placards to the park across the street.
