To the editor,
The solution to Thunder Bay’s acute homeless crisis - and the summer encampments - is staring us in the face.
The LPH can be repurposed to provide short, medium and long term accommodation for those who need it the most. Yes, I know that the city does not own the building - so why don’t they go to the province with an imaginative vision that would see the LPH solving many of the city’s social problems. Yes, I know that there is asbestos in the building - so remove it or make it safe which has got to be better than knocking down the building and starting again. And, yes, I know that housing the homeless is not the city’s statutory responsibility - so make it their moral duty instead.
The city spends valuable time and money planning a sports facility when the clear and obvious need is to house the homeless. The ultimate irony - and shame - would be to see the LPH demolished and new homes built on the site. We don’t need more houses for people who already have homes. We need places of shelter and sanctuary for our most vulnerable community members.
The cost of not doing something creative with the LPH far outweighs the investment that can bring it back into useful life.
John Pateman
