CambridgeToday received the following letter to the editor about the response to issues such as addition and homelessness.
It has been years now that drug addiction, homelessness, and criminal behaviour in society have been a problem.
All attempts to reconcile these issues to benefit people suffering from addiction, society, and the rest of society have failed.
It's not just the rights of those afflicted with addiction we need to reconcile, but also the rights of society.
This can't be afforded locally for sure. It's too expensive.
It's at minimum a provincial matter and a federal matter if we are to expect a solution.
This might seem simplistic, but having one city doing one thing and another doing another is only increasing the cost and resulting in no solution.
- Federal, fits all the laws of the country.
- If criminal behaviour has happened create centralized treatment facilitieswith housing. Create a village environment, even if it's walled in so that the civil rights of the rest of society are being protected.
- For those who are not involved in any criminal activity, provide housing and support in a development which allows full-time treatment, food and counselling.
- When able, provide skill development. Encourage the Chamber of Commerce and businesses to participate.
I know what I am saying is rather simplistic and needs more expertise to ratify the ins-and-outs of the laws and costs. But to do this on a city level, I feel is impossible.
Patrick McCabe
Glen Morris
