Dear editor,
Sheldon, a member of the unhoused population of Courtenay, stated in a recent Record article:
“The next morning, the bylaw came by (and threw) all our stuff away, which I didn’t get because (Connect) provides us with tents and then all of a sudden they’re (thrown) in the landfill and then we’re being given more tents. It’s just a stupid cycle.”
How is this by-aw still being enforced?! These citizens of the city have almost nothing to call their own and as punishment for finding a place in the elements to sleep at night, what little they have collected or been given is confiscated and thrown away?
Trying to survive should not be a punishable act. Buildings that are empty overnight should consider following the Native Sons Hall’s model of opening their doors. Think of all the empty heated, plumbed vacant space there is in the Valley that could be providing shelter.
Come on, Comox Valley, we can do better.
And get rid of that bylaw and use your resources to find accommodations!
Jennifer Moses,
Courtenay