I would like to support Marie Graydon’s idea (Jan. 22) of using the empty barracks at the Vernon Army Camp to house people in need during, not just the winter, but whenever the site is not needed.
I realize that the facilities may not be suitable due to a lack of heating systems possibly or water systems that are turned off to avoid freezing. However, I think these issues could be dealt with if the use of the facilities was planned for a number of years and not just as a temporary solution.
I do not think that the military personnel would be much insulted, affected or oppose such use as was suggested by Patti Mondor (Jan. 25).
I do agree with Mondor that we also need to reconsider our drug and alcohol addiction services. We need stiffer laws that stop the selling of pill-making machines, the importation of drugs from other countries and the rights of organized crime syndicates. We need to bring in programs that replace drug dealers with health care. We could provide drug maintenance in controlled environments and programs to quit when desired.
I know the fentanyl epidemic currently facing us and the new opioids coming online will bring new challenges that will require us to find ways to stop the proliferation of the drug culture.
We need to admit that past programs and directions have not worked and more of the same will not improve the situation. Families and society in general need to be able to ask for intervention for those who need help, even if that means help against ones’s own will and rights.
More importantly, I think that we need to reopen facilities that provided care for those who could not take care of themselves due to mental health issues. The closure of facilities like Tranquille have contributed to the number of people who are homeless. The issue has been under-funding. In the end, I think that the closing of these institutions has cost way more than anyone expected and the resulting homelessness is only one of the unforeseen consequences.
Concurrent disorders of mental health and drug addiction scream out for intervention and action. The police, medical personnel and social workers are tied up dealing with crisis after crisis. Emergency medical beds are needed due to situations that could generally be avoided. All of society is affected by our callous dismissal of these individuals who are struggling to survive and dying because they cannot take care of themselves.
Lastly, we need to find better solutions for the people who just need a helping hand. We need housing and programs to help people, including special help for families, get back into the workforce and back into homes with temporary support.
I agree that it is hard to believe that we cannot provide housing for everyone in Canada. However, I also believe that we need to deal with the issue on more than one front and soon.
That said, the army barracks would seem to be a good start. Of course new facilities, well staffed and supervised, with state of the art technology would demonstrate that Canada really is the country we believe ourselves to be.
Maybe, just maybe, this should become a federal issue, especially if one believes that much of this should be dealt with as a health care issue that should not be left to local or provincial politics.
Kirk Mallette
Vernon
