Matthew Baran says he’s tired of watching from the sidelines.
Instead, he’s taking council to task after hearing what he feels were damaging statements from councillors on the homeless. The comments came as the city considered a housing project for local homeless in May 8 and 22 council meetings, ultimately shooting the project down.
Councillors argued they hadn’t cancelled the project outright, but rather pushed it back to find what they hope will be a better location. But that doesn’t sit well with Baran, the executive director of the Ooknakane Friendship Centre.
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“Every delay is a delay in response. We’re already in the 11th hour,” Baran said. “It’s one thing if the city said ‘you know what, we’ve already looked at this; we don’t think this is a suitable location’ — if they were a partner in that situation, they would have been able to suggest other sites.”
But beyond pushing the project back further, what really bothered Baran were some of the comments.
In one meeting, Coun. Max Picton prefaced the phrase “don’t feed the wildlife” by saying he wasn’t comparing homeless to animals. But Baran said that fell flat when Picton proceeded to compare homeless to animals, adding he was disappointed to see no pushback from other councillors.
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And the effects of those comments on the homeless aren’t simply theoretical, Baran said.
“Community members have taken it upon themselves in the past year to go out and assault them in their camps. That’s a travesty in itself,” Baran said. “Comments like what Max and other councillors have said further validates the aggressive behaviour in dehumanizing and assaulting these individuals. So now we’ve got angry people running through town causing more issues.”
In a follow-up phone call, Picton denied that he was comparing homeless to animals, but rather using a common metaphor.
Baran said he isn’t looking at a seat on council, but may endorse a candidate or two in the upcoming election. He said he sees work being done by “foot soldiers” (front line workers) and “sergeants” (police), but largely sees a void from the “generals” (politicians).
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“When I look at the individuals that are doing this work, that are preparing for this work, we’ve got some high-calibre people in the field. And if our generals are busy acting like a bunch of monkeys trying to fornicate a football, we don’t need them,” Baran said.
“Classism is the same as racism and it’s the same as sexism and it’s the same as homophobia. It’s the same tool that you use to dehumanize another person, devalue them.”
As an analogy, Baran pointed to flooding in the South Okanagan, where the communities were provided preventative tools like sandbags in advance of the floods.
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“(Councillors) now suggest that sandbags are attracting the water levels. And if we don’t use the sandbags, the waters will recede. It’s illogical,” Baran said.
“The concept that we’re enabling these individuals is absolutely radical. And it’s extremely disrespectful for the individuals that are engaging them,” he added. “When you start saying things that suggest that we haven’t seen results, that flies in the face of everybody that’s doing this work.”
Even when councillors don’t necessarily agree with Baran on the issues, he said he can respect those who go to meetings with workers involved in the issue. He added he doesn’t see Picton at many of those meetings.
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“I don’t have the time to be attending all the different meetings for all the different types of stuff that we deal with as a council,” Picton said when asked of his participation in community meetings on homelessness. “There’s certain councillors that do have the time, and I rely on their input and their feedback, because we can’t be everywhere at once.”
The “housing first” model has the support of effectively a unified voice from just about all of those who work directly with the homeless, including police, government and non-profits. The proponents say they see its successes.
Still, Picton pushed the notion that “too cozy” of a social safety net imbues a lack of motivation to contribute.
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Despite apparently not participating in the meetings with those who engage the homeless population, Picton said he felt well-equipped to make decisions.
“We’re all involved in different levels. For me, I don’t necessarily need to be at every committee meeting, but I can still read the minutes from that committee meeting and still understand what was being presented,” Picton said.
However, Baran said he hasn’t seen any alternatives coming from Picton on the issue.
“If he had a platform, he had four years to exercise that platform,” Baran said. “I’ll give him two weeks to come up and say what his strategy is on the homeless. And if it’s not lock-and-step with facts, figures, validated information, if it’s not supported by the federal and provincial strategies, then he’s talking out of his backside.”