British Columbia, Canada-Wide, Central, Far North, Maritimes, Prairies

The concept of a basic income – combining several existing income and social supports into a single, income-tested but otherwise unconditional cash benefit – has been debated for more than 200 years. It has drawn support, and criticism, from across the political spectrum, attacked or praised as either utopian socialism or minimal-state libertarianism. But has the whole debate just been settled?

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Canada-Wide, Central

Belleville may soon have a program in its downtown helping the homeless and those with mental health or addiction challenges.

Wednesday’s virtual meeting of the Hastings County Community and Human Resources committee heard a staff report.

It indicates the main streets of the downtown district in Belleville are a refuge to many individuals with visible mental health and addictions challenges.

It says there are insufficient mobile resources to provide outreach support to this group of individuals on a day-to-day basis, which leads to many disturbances for local businesses and patrons.

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British Columbia, Canada-Wide

The pandemic has forced the cancellation of Vancouver’s annual homeless count.

A memo obtained by Glacier Media that was emailed Monday to city council and staff cited challenges related to social distancing, concerns about transmission of COVID-19 and mobilizing several hundred volunteers as reasons for cancellation.

“As a result of public health orders related to the pandemic, the training and deployment of volunteers and activities related to carrying out the count this March is not possible,” said the memo from Sandra Singh, the city’s general manager of arts, culture and community services.

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British Columbia, Canada-Wide

The icy weather in the Okanagan prompted the Penticton and District Society for Community Living (PDSCL) to open up a temporary emergency shelter for those experiencing homelessness to keep warm, but it is only open at night and is already overflowing.

The Church of Nazarene on Jermyn Avenue is being used as an extreme weather response shelter to bring people in from the frigid temperature.

“For this cold snap, we have 10 to 20 beds or so set up at the Church of Nazarene,” Tony Laing, the CEO of PDSCL said adding that it was in response to temperatures dipping below -10 C at night.

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British Columbia, Canada-Wide

“I would not be alive if I didn’t have a place to stay right now,” said Vince Bajer, a sobering admission from someone who is experiencing homelessness in Kelowna.

Bejar is staying at the former Daily Courier newspaper building, which has been transformed into a winter shelter.

“I hear there’s more room available for people, I’m just thankful I have a place to stay right now,” Bajer said.

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Canada-Wide, Maritimes

Last spring more than 50 members of the Senate of Canada urged the federal government to implement a guaranteed basic livable income program. At the same time, a special committee of the Prince Edward Island legislature called on Ottawa to join the province in creating a GLBI.

Doubters suggested a GLBI would be too costly, and too complicated. They’d prefer tinkering with the status quo. The GLBI idea seemed stalled. Faced with this hurdle, a group of Island Senators has written Premier Dennis King and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to suggest a way to end the stalemate. Why not start with a small pilot project in Prince Edward Island?

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British Columbia, Canada-Wide

The cold snap is squeezing capacity at Kamloops’s homeless shelters which are all now full, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association.

To meet the growing demand, a temporary shelter is opening tonight at the Memorial Arena with another 50 beds in addition to the 110 that are currently occupied.

“(We’re) hearing many people are going to the emergency room at the hospital, have no place to go,” CMHA Kamloops interim executive director Alfred Achoba says.

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