Homeless Recommendations

I wholeheartedly disagree with B. Mairs' misconception of the Mayor and Councils role in the City's homeless problem. Extending B. Mairs' opinion further could have the City of Kelowna taxpayers being responsible for providing recommendations to the Mayor and Council to forward cost effective solutions to operations and policy issues. Performance of this role is clearly in the jurisdiction of our elected Municipal and Provincial officials.

"The Last time B. Mairs checked" he stated that the City was not in the business of providing Social services, yet the City has a Social Development Department that has been very useful in providing recommendations to the Province and other agencies that provide social services within our community. Although I agree that the City cannot corporately operate a Social Service Agency at taxpayers cost, there may be creative solutions that our elected municipal official can offer to aid in the homeless situation.

Lobbying Provincial officials to increase social service spending in our community would be a start, but other creative solutions within Council's jurisdiction may also be possible. Exemptions from Development Cost Charges and reduced property taxes for developers of low cost housing. Hey what about a Public Private Partnership similar to that the City has with RG Properties? (Prospera Place). If the City can subsidize RG Properties to the tune of $1M a year why can't they do the same with a low cost housing project?

Council and other elected officials are placed in office to make difficult decisions on behalf of their constituents. Clearly from the amount of traffic that this issue gets in Castanet's letter forum, this issue is on the minds of many residents of Kelowna myself included. All I can say to B. Mairs is if you choose not to be part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

W.J.M.