Well said. I was also very disappointed with this event. Its telling when we're in the middle of drug toxicity crisis and the conversation is dominated by the air quality of the Miller Addition. Who is impacted by the former? Predominantly poor, predominantly Indigenous community members. Who is impacted by the latter? Predominantly wealthy and predominantly white ones. I swear the average age of the room was 60+ years old.
It really does show who is prioritized in our political discussions.
I agree, 100%. For the purposes of this newsletter, I didn't want to come after the folks who showed up because the City can't really control that BUT I couldn't agree more that many felt A) extremely privileged and B) a bit out of touch as to what the actual issues are.
The demographic of the room was stark for sure but I'm rarely surprised at that any more. My generation's apathy is its own intense problem that I'm not sure how to tackle.
I noted all the grey hairs too, and realized I was one of them at some point. Specifically a 53 year grey hair bleeding heart, SJW, snowflake liberal that lives outside city limits and works and spends her money in town, and gets tired of people who want easy solutions to make complex societal problems go away.
Completely disagree...you know who's impacted by shitty air quality? The people that live in Mocassin Flats. Flat out classist, and awful commentary on your part.
Hey Brian - happy to have some discussion and disagreement in the comments but I'd ask we keep it chill and respectful. Mary's point is correct - the bulk of people who had (valid, imo) concerns about the air quality were not advocating for the residents of MF.
Why would that matter? Air quality doesn't discriminate.
Stop looking for ideological purity when it comes to questions. Who cares who is asking about air quality? Oh, because they are 'rich' I guess that means their concerns are not valid.
Great analysis. It's like some terrible 3rd year university seminar level thinking here.
No one said their concerns "arent valid." I said that their concerns are taken more seriously because of the political power that class of people holds.
I'll type more when I'm off work and home on my comfy laptop and not this tiny phone (I'm old too). I had to leave just as the RCMP started their presentation as I had a volunteer meeting but after reading the open house posters and noticing the lack of indigenous and social services representation on stage and panel, it was pretty clear how the messaging was going to lean. The poster in the open house that had four levels of government and their responsibilities, with a lazy footnote underneath about indigenous governments... followed by the city manager talking about government responsibilities again in his presentation and completely skating over any acknowledgement of indigenous governments, was all one big red flag for me. I'm waiting for the recording to get posted so I can catch the rest of it. I
I just typed more on this tiny phone than planned.
Yeah, I hope to reach out to Kyle and Cori directly and talk with them - they've always been great about making time for conversation and I'd like to understand their reasoning for who/what made the main stage.
I think Walter did his job which was to state the facts and timelines they control but, again, would have been REALLY well complimented to pass the mic off to Chief and/or Council to talk about their perspective and their path forward as it related to the City. I hear the words "we are partners" but it didn't really appear that way last night.
Thank you so much for this summary of what you heard and observed! The town hall was something that I wanted to engage on but felt there may have been pre-set narratives and solutions (focus on downstream interventions, enforcement) going into conversation so stayed away. That being said, I struggle to know how to change things without alternative voices at these meetings, maybe it is how you closed the newsletter with us supporting community organizations (e.g. The Pounds Project).
I couldn't go, so I don't really feel entitled to comment, but a quick glance at the picture you posted, and my first thought was, "Why is the entire audience white?"
Okay, I will comment, because this is a comment section and I can. I feel like this event was billed as a chance for community members to air grievances. Maybe that's just my take, but I had hoped that it would be a solution-focused event. For all of us who feel like we have a stake in how our city goes, for all of us who work downtown, or volunteer at places, or have loved ones who are unhoused, or even who are unhoused ourselves, I agree this was a missed opportunity to bring all of these voices together to talk about what we can do to make things better. Not just to hear about everything the city has done so far.
P.S. It isn't my intent to criticize the people who DID show up!! Just to wonder if the organizers could maybe have done a better job of encouraging others to attend as well.
As someone who is a frontline provider downtown AND a millar addition resident, I am sooooooo tired of the repeated misses from these types of events when it comes to actually engaging with the people who are doing the work and most importantly the people who are struggling to survive in these conditions. I felt like I should have gone but after reading your newsletter I don't feel like I missed much and am glad I spent time in my garden instead. These forums tend to be so predictable and frustrating. I wish people could think more deeply about the word 'safety' and really consider what it means, how it is used, and who is in fact categorically unsafe in this community and who just prefers to not have to look at human suffering and the effects of years of bad policy.
Well said. I was also very disappointed with this event. Its telling when we're in the middle of drug toxicity crisis and the conversation is dominated by the air quality of the Miller Addition. Who is impacted by the former? Predominantly poor, predominantly Indigenous community members. Who is impacted by the latter? Predominantly wealthy and predominantly white ones. I swear the average age of the room was 60+ years old.
It really does show who is prioritized in our political discussions.
I agree, 100%. For the purposes of this newsletter, I didn't want to come after the folks who showed up because the City can't really control that BUT I couldn't agree more that many felt A) extremely privileged and B) a bit out of touch as to what the actual issues are.
The demographic of the room was stark for sure but I'm rarely surprised at that any more. My generation's apathy is its own intense problem that I'm not sure how to tackle.
I noted all the grey hairs too, and realized I was one of them at some point. Specifically a 53 year grey hair bleeding heart, SJW, snowflake liberal that lives outside city limits and works and spends her money in town, and gets tired of people who want easy solutions to make complex societal problems go away.
Completely disagree...you know who's impacted by shitty air quality? The people that live in Mocassin Flats. Flat out classist, and awful commentary on your part.
Stop making this a competition.
Hey Brian - happy to have some discussion and disagreement in the comments but I'd ask we keep it chill and respectful. Mary's point is correct - the bulk of people who had (valid, imo) concerns about the air quality were not advocating for the residents of MF.
Why would that matter? Air quality doesn't discriminate.
Stop looking for ideological purity when it comes to questions. Who cares who is asking about air quality? Oh, because they are 'rich' I guess that means their concerns are not valid.
Great analysis. It's like some terrible 3rd year university seminar level thinking here.
No one said their concerns "arent valid." I said that their concerns are taken more seriously because of the political power that class of people holds.
Correct: its not a competition. Toxic drugs are KILLING PEOPLE in record numbers RIGHT NOW.
Do you really think people care about air quality over toxic drugs unless they have the privilege to not?
I'll type more when I'm off work and home on my comfy laptop and not this tiny phone (I'm old too). I had to leave just as the RCMP started their presentation as I had a volunteer meeting but after reading the open house posters and noticing the lack of indigenous and social services representation on stage and panel, it was pretty clear how the messaging was going to lean. The poster in the open house that had four levels of government and their responsibilities, with a lazy footnote underneath about indigenous governments... followed by the city manager talking about government responsibilities again in his presentation and completely skating over any acknowledgement of indigenous governments, was all one big red flag for me. I'm waiting for the recording to get posted so I can catch the rest of it. I
I just typed more on this tiny phone than planned.
Hahaha a solid phone rant.
Yeah, I hope to reach out to Kyle and Cori directly and talk with them - they've always been great about making time for conversation and I'd like to understand their reasoning for who/what made the main stage.
I think Walter did his job which was to state the facts and timelines they control but, again, would have been REALLY well complimented to pass the mic off to Chief and/or Council to talk about their perspective and their path forward as it related to the City. I hear the words "we are partners" but it didn't really appear that way last night.
Thank you so much for this summary of what you heard and observed! The town hall was something that I wanted to engage on but felt there may have been pre-set narratives and solutions (focus on downstream interventions, enforcement) going into conversation so stayed away. That being said, I struggle to know how to change things without alternative voices at these meetings, maybe it is how you closed the newsletter with us supporting community organizations (e.g. The Pounds Project).
I couldn't go, so I don't really feel entitled to comment, but a quick glance at the picture you posted, and my first thought was, "Why is the entire audience white?"
Okay, I will comment, because this is a comment section and I can. I feel like this event was billed as a chance for community members to air grievances. Maybe that's just my take, but I had hoped that it would be a solution-focused event. For all of us who feel like we have a stake in how our city goes, for all of us who work downtown, or volunteer at places, or have loved ones who are unhoused, or even who are unhoused ourselves, I agree this was a missed opportunity to bring all of these voices together to talk about what we can do to make things better. Not just to hear about everything the city has done so far.
P.S. It isn't my intent to criticize the people who DID show up!! Just to wonder if the organizers could maybe have done a better job of encouraging others to attend as well.
Excellently put Darren.
As someone who is a frontline provider downtown AND a millar addition resident, I am sooooooo tired of the repeated misses from these types of events when it comes to actually engaging with the people who are doing the work and most importantly the people who are struggling to survive in these conditions. I felt like I should have gone but after reading your newsletter I don't feel like I missed much and am glad I spent time in my garden instead. These forums tend to be so predictable and frustrating. I wish people could think more deeply about the word 'safety' and really consider what it means, how it is used, and who is in fact categorically unsafe in this community and who just prefers to not have to look at human suffering and the effects of years of bad policy.