Solution to homelessness is homes, not handcuffs

Ford pledges tough new legislation to dismantle homeless encampments, Dec. 5 Just before the holidays, Premier Doug Ford proposed an inhumane new approach to homeless encampments that punches down on people already suffering. It will do nothing to help them while making the problem of encampments worse.

The so-called “Safer Municipalities Act” would give Ontario cities unnecessary new powers to clear homeless encampments with police force and arrest our neighbours experiencing homelessness. No one believes a tent in a park is an appropriate place to live, but this is not the answer. It’s ineffective, it’s expensive and it’s cruel.



It’s an unserious plan for a very serious and urgent problem our most vulnerable neighbours are facing. I don’t support Premier Ford trampling the basic human rights of our neighbours when there are effective evidence-based solutions we can use instead to house people quickly. And it’s high time we got serious about addressing the root cause of this crisis, which is a lack of affordable housing, something the Ford government has done little to solve.

We need an urgent solution to encampments and that solution is homes, not handcuffs. Lorraine Barnaby, Toronto Auditor general slams Ontario Place redevelopment process as unfair, subjective, Dec. 3 I am concerned about the Ontario government’s plan to build a huge private spa at Ontario Place.

It is estimated every taxpayer in the province will pay at least $65 so a foreign-owned private spa can have an underwater parking lot. The deal with Doug Ford’s government also includes a 99-year lease to Therme, an Austrian company, with all the details kept secret. The plan includes removing hundreds of trees, an environmental assessment being deemed unnecessary for this project.

I am very concerned the government is wasting our taxes on something that will only be enjoyed by very few. Public money would be better spent on health care, affordable housing, roads and infrastructure for the benefit of the entire province. Please contact your MPP to oppose this wasteful plan.

Cathy F., Toronto Hometown minor hockey is at risk in Ontario. Is freedom to choose where you play worth it? Jan.

27 There has been considerable commentary recently about the mentality held by junior hockey organizations. One can see where that begins; right at the lowest levels of organized hockey . What happened to kids enjoying themselves, playing the game at whatever skill level, for fun and friendship? Now it seems some parents live in the hopes their child will be the next Connor McDavid if they could just play with the best teams.

Living vicariously, it seems. What parent in their right mind would actually move or pretend to move or get a divorce so that their wunderkind could play on a certain team? Sad. Ann Sullivan, Peterborough, Ont.

Why doesn’t Doug Ford care about funding colleges and universities? Because you don’t care either, Jan. 24 Thanks to Martin Regg Cohn for his column on post-secondary education. There’s more to say; namely, that underfunding colleges and expecting them to operate as market-driven entities betrays students and fails to serve the provincial economy.

Based on a 20-year experience as a college instructor, I saw large numbers of students pass through programs that are cheap to run and popular among students who are ill-informed about the job market. The most popular courses were flight attendant, fire protection and law enforcement. Graduates of these courses were often unable to find decent jobs.

Qualifications for the Toronto Police Service make no mention of a college diploma. Many law enforcement grads ended up as security guards. The flight attendant students had no idea about the working conditions and pay scale of their chosen career.

Some of the coursework consisted of memorizing the codes of airports around the world and learning the chief tourist attractions of select destinations. Airlines run their own training so the college certificate is a ticket to nowhere. The jobs for fire protection students were almost nil with the exception of the sprinkler system specialty.

In contrast, the public dental hygiene program, which runs only at George Brown, fills up quickly and turns down students. This program leads to a career that is promising and well paid but, because the program is more expensive to run, needing special equipment and space, not all students who want to participate can. Underfunding triggers this strictly “bums in seats” approach.

Colleges are supposed to keep statistics on graduates, but the stats are based on grads finding jobs that are “related to” their course. Quite possibly, a security guard position would qualify as a success for a law enforcement grad. Mr.

Cohn might do well to investigate college stats on grads of flight attendant and other courses. Thanks again for your attention to college education. Joyce Hall, Toronto So you want to live forever? Scientists reveal the secrets to a long, healthy life — it’s simpler than you might expect, Jan.

24 In listing the factors that may contribute to a longer life, I was struck by the comparison of the two photos accompanying the article. In the main photo you have a group of men sitting around a table, no phones, no electronic devices, just a bunch of elderly gentlemen socializing. The other photo is of three children sitting on a couch, each oblivious of the other, focused on their individual electronic devices.

Different generations, different life styles. But what will be the outcome for the children? The new technologies are creating significant challenges for healthy social development that will affect the quality and perhaps the longevity of the children’s lives. When the children are old, will they sit around and socialize or will they sit on a couch with their phones? David Gladstone, Toronto.