December 31, 2019
DurhamRegion.com
Ontario
Alyson E. King
Homeless and addiction epidemic must be solved now
At the dawn of the 2020s, Canada has much to do when it comes to taking care of its own ‘house.’
As we enter a new decade, consider: are we living in healthier and stronger communities than in the past?
In the 1990s, Canada’s homelessness problem was labelled a disaster. In the early 2000s, one United Nations (UN) agency called Canada’s situation a “national emergency.”
In 2008, Ontario’s Human Rights Commission called on the provincial government to recognize housing as a basic human right. In 2016, another UN committee criticized Canada for its “persistent housing crisis.”
The country’s housing problem is not new…