When Systems Fail: Housing, Jobs, Addiction, and the Urgent Case for Basic Income
Canada is facing a crisis — and it’s hitting ordinary people the hardest. From Surrey to Vancouver, long-time residents, young families, and vulnerable populations are being pushed to the edge as housing, jobs, and social support fail to meet basic human needs.
Fraud and Distorted Systems
In 2025, Canada uncovered thousands of fraudulent student applications, including over 14,000 fake applications and 1,550 fraudulent study permits flagged in one year. (Reuters)
While media in India often portrays these students as victims of housing shortages or job scarcity, the reality is more complicated: fraudulent letters and permits distorted housing markets, displaced local workers, and placed undue strain on social systems. Honest Canadians — students, workers, and seniors — are losing out because profit and exploitation came before people.
Housing Precarity Hits Surrey and Vancouver
The consequences are visible and devastating. In Surrey alone, over 3,500 women were turned away from shelters this year, leaving them vulnerable to violence and homelessness. Drive-by shootings, extortion, and organized crime have surged, creating fear in communities that once felt safe.
In Vancouver, neighborhoods like Kitsilano are undergoing rapid gentrification. Renovictions and tower developments are displacing residents who can’t keep up with rising rents. I know a young couple who were evicted after being late on rent three times, despite their efforts to stay afloat. 🥺
Housing insecurity doesn’t just affect shelter; it creates instability in jobs, mental health, and community cohesion. When people can’t secure a place to live, everything else in their lives begins to unravel.
Addiction: A Tragic Consequence
When people can’t find stable work or housing, many turn to addiction — not as a failure of character, but as a failure of the system. In September 2025, 158 lives were lost to unregulated drug toxicity in BC, with 137 in Surrey alone. (Global News)
The connection is clear: unstable housing and job insecurity create stress and trauma, pushing vulnerable people toward drugs or alcohol. Addiction isn’t an isolated issue; it is a downstream effect of policy failures, economic precarity, and social neglect.
The Role of Artists and Community Leaders
Artists, cultural workers, and community organizers do more than create beauty — they lift people from despair, give voice to the marginalized, and fight for justice. But when these individuals are forced into precarity themselves, society loses not only their work, but the impact they have on others.
This is why basic income is essential. Providing stable support ensures that people — especially those who lift others — can survive, contribute, and help strengthen communities.
An Urgent Call to Leaders
We are calling on decision-makers to act:
- Mayor of Surrey and Vancouver, BC MLAs, and Mark Carney: Implement a robust basic income program to ensure every resident has access to stable income, including artists and cultural workers.
- Housing Protections: Prioritize housing for those in crisis, especially women, children, and marginalized residents. No one should be turned away from safety.
- Address Exploitation: Tackle systemic fraud in student permits, recruitment, and housing that displaces long-term residents.
- Addiction Support: Fund and expand treatment, harm reduction, and prevention programs to prevent further avoidable deaths.
Canada has always prided itself on fairness, compassion, and opportunity. But when systems fail, the most vulnerable — and those who lift us all — are the first to fall. Justice, accountability, and basic dignity must come first.
Reflective Questions
- How has housing scarcity contributed to rising addiction and crime in Surrey and Vancouver?
- What mechanisms can hold fraudulent actors accountable while protecting legitimate residents and students?
- How can basic income stabilize lives for artists, cultural workers, and vulnerable populations?
- What immediate actions can prevent more deaths and suffering among residents impacted by systemic failures?
- How do we prioritize human dignity and fairness over profit and exploitation?
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