IN OUR OPINION: Blame game does not build housing

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An old adage says that the best time to plant a tree is 30 years ago. The second best time is now.

This applies to the situation surrounding homelessness and supportive housing in Maple Ridge.

When should we correct the situation by providing more low-income, subsidized housing for the ever-increasing number of people who lose their homes and end up on the streets?

Certainly before the Royal Crescent temporary modular housing complex reaches its expiry date.

Prior to its construction in 2018, homelessness was also well advanced at that time, in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows and the Lower Mainland.

It would have been nice if former Premier John Horgan had made building hundreds of new homes across British Columbia a top priority upon taking office in 2017.

Then again, it would also have been great if the provincial Liberal governments under Premier Christy Clark or Gordon Campbell, in power since 2001, had done more to stem the tide of the housing crisis.

And since 30 years ago, the federal Liberals absolutely should not have eliminated the programs that were building housing nationwide in the 1990s.

READ ALSO: IN OUR OPINION: Too dry for neglect

This week, British Columbia United Party Leader Kevin Falcon ripped a tape from NDP Premier David Eby about an unpublished report on Royal Crescent, which has been controversial since the day it was announced.

Falcon correctly pointed out that the mods were not popular with some nearby residents and that there have been a number of high profile issues with the site over the past five years.

He does not mention that he was a senior cabinet official in previous Liberal governments that failed to stem the dramatic rise in homelessness.

Eby, meanwhile, blames the previous Ridge City Council for not reaching an agreement sooner to move housing. New supportive housing is currently under construction.

Eby didn’t mention that homelessness hasn’t noticeably decreased under two NDP premiers since 2017, or that the province can override local governments if necessary.

Throwing and dodging blame is a fun sport for politicians.

But it doesn’t help build supportive housing, it doesn’t build subsidized housing, and it doesn’t build seniors’ housing.

The best time to create a sensible long-term plan to increase housing supply, build more co-ops and low-income units, and open more addiction and mental health treatment spaces was 30 years ago.

The second best time is now.

British Columbia PoliticsEditorialsHousing crisismaple ridgeOpinion

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