Free Silver

@tiffyleeson @JJ_McCullough Do you think California in the 1950s was thinking much about Mexican culture? I doubt it. Jusf because land was taken from Mexico doesn't mean Mexican culture was much on the radar of any American until recent decades.

Yesterday, I was in London visiting local Liberals. I wish I could say I enjoyed the day, but I didn’t. Not at all. I’m going to say it bluntly. The situation in downtown London is a total catastrophe. I live downtown east in Toronto. My family is in Hamilton. I’ve travelled to a lot of cities in the province. The plight of Ontarian’s suffering from severe addictions and homelessness has become a huge problem everywhere. Two years ago, when I last visited London, I thought it was getting rough. Just like so many of our urban centers under the Ford era’s provincial decline. But downtown London now? DYSTOPIA. I feel completely disgusted by what we’ve allowed to happen. It is totally immoral. It should be treated as a provincial and national emergency. And by the way, downtown London is otherwise GORGEOUS. Even if half the storefronts are closed. One of the regional MPPs, @RobFlackEML, is Minister of Housing and Municipal affairs. How can you let this happen to your city? How can we turn such a blind eye to the suffering? How do you tolerate the billions of dollars your government spends on scandalous priorities as this gets ignored? How can London possibly attract better jobs, people, and employers when its downtown is like this? - - - It also made me realize that my plans on this file are not enough. Money for supportive and transitional housing, secure rehab and mental health facilities, ODSP benefits, etc may be sufficient to stop more people from ending up on the street. But there are an estimated 2,300 people homeless in London. Many need shelter, treatment, medium-to-long term care. The new HART Hub has 60 beds. It’s inadequate by an order of magnitude. I met with a local shelter providing detox and transitional housing services (who is being shut down later this year, no less). Even when they form people (involuntary entry into hospital/ward to prevent violence or self harm), they are usually out in 24hrs. It’s not the hospitals fault… they don’t have the space. There is no space for people who voluntarily want rehab. Or those who don’t want it voluntarily. Police move people around blocks. There is nowhere for them to go. I left feeling sick and daunted. We have failed so many people.