Some time ago, in the comments section on the CBC’s website, an individual posed a ‘solution’ regarding Vancouver’s homeless problem – why not throw them all into labour camps?

Obviously forced labour is a bit of a stretch, but passing rather timely legislation that would grant local authorities the “power” to urge homeless people to go to shelters or jail them during “extreme cold – or wet – weather periods” isn’t. While it might seem unbelievable to those of you that actually understand the hypocrisy of such a move, that’s precisely what the Provincial government is currently proposing.

A friend, Dave Eby, was quick to respond…

“This comes after seven years of a lack of concern about sleeping on the streets.”

To the layman, who has absolutely zero experience regarding the realities of the Downtown Lower Eastside, such legislation might even appear gracious. That is, if it wasn’t introduced five months before the Winter Games. The truth, of course, is that Dave is right – no one’s cared for years, so why now?

Ironically, residents in Vancouver’s more ‘pleasurable’ neighbourhoods have actually be complaining about the existence of homeless shelters for a while. For example…

“Downtown resident Lini Evans describes what’s become everyday life in her neighbourhood since no-barrier emergency homeless shelters opened on Granville and Howe streets this past winter.

“The city decides to drop two homeless shelters in one block without consulting with the residents?” Evans said. “And six months later they say they still haven’t had time to consult with us. We’re beyond outraged.”

Evans and her neighbours are particularly upset now because they recently discovered that what began as “temporary” emergency shelters will likely remain open until at least after the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.”

When you’re forced to endure the sight of the homeless while en route to Starbucks in the morning to get your ritual double-foam-skim-milk-almond-chai-latte, any sane person can understand why someone would be “outraged”. After all, the likes of Lini Evans didn’t move to the utopian urban center of the universe to have to endure the sights and sounds of the homeless.

There are those that claim that Vancouver is set to shine during the 17-days of the Olympics. I, on the other hand, believe that those 17-days will finally reveal something about us that we’ve yet been willing to come to terms with. That no matter how compassionate we might like to think ourselves, we’re anything but.

Oh, and Lini, just so that you’re aware, the majority of the population of this Province, which will suffer the economic fallout from the upcoming games for years to come, weren’t consulted either. Only the people of Vancouver were allowed to vote on the issue. And given that only 50% of those eligible to vote even bothered to, you can bet that this city’s homeless weren’t lined up in anticipation of voting in favour of it. Mind you, they’re not actual ‘citizens’ are they, so what does that matter?