how many chances do we give them?

 how many chances do we give them?

For years, we give politicians a chance.

Maybe this guy will do it.

Maybe this government will finally fix housing.

Maybe this leader will actually help people who are struggling.

Maybe the next budget will change things.

Maybe this time.

And then…

disappointment.

After disappointment.

After disappointment.

At some point, you have to stop asking people to wait.

We have given Ken Sim, David Eby and Mark Carney enormous opportunities to use their positions to make life better for millions of people.

And I keep thinking:

What could they have done with that opportunity?

Imagine having the power, the money, the staff, the influence and the microphone.

Imagine being able to leave office knowing you actually helped lift people out of poverty.

You helped people find homes.

You helped people stay in their homes.

You made healthcare easier to access.

You protected the environment.

You gave young people hope.

You made life a little less frightening for seniors.

You helped people get back on their feet.

That would be a legacy.

Instead, here we are.

People are still sleeping outside.

People are dying without stable housing.

Winter is coming.

And we still don't have enough affordable housing.

Meanwhile, governments announce billions in programs, infrastructure and economic initiatives.

The federal government says housing and homelessness are priorities, and its 2026–27 plan includes more than $1 billion in planned spending specifically under its Housing and Homelessness responsibility. But the government's own data also shows chronic homelessness among shelter users was 34% higher in 2024–25 than the 2016 baseline.

That number should stop us in our tracks.

Because behind every statistic is a person.

And then look at the safety net.

B.C.'s current disability-assistance table lists a maximum shelter allowance of $500 a month for one person.

Try finding a safe, decent place to live for that.

Go ahead.

I'll wait.

😪

This isn't about expecting politicians to perform miracles.

It's about asking them to recognize reality.

People cannot eat promises.

People cannot sleep in policy documents.

People cannot pay Vancouver-area rent with political speeches.

And we cannot keep building a society where people are forced to wait for help while their lives fall apart.

I believe in giving people chances.

But chances aren't unlimited.

At some point, we have to look at the results.

Not the slogans.

Not the photo opportunities.

Not the announcements.

The results.

Because leadership is an opportunity.

Power is an opportunity.

Public office is an opportunity.

And what you do with that opportunity matters.

I would love to see a politician leave office and have people say:

“That person made my life better.”

Not because they were perfect.

Not because they fixed everything.

But because they actually lifted people.

Helped people.

Built something.

Protected something.

Changed something.

That's what I want from government.

And honestly?

Winter is coming.

People are outside tonight.

People are hungry tonight.

People are wondering where they're going to sleep tonight.

So maybe it's time to stop asking:

“How much longer should we give them?”

And start asking:

“What are we going to do differently?”

Because people deserve more than another chance.

They deserve a chance of their own. ❤️

Teachers please educate the youth, they arecour future! 

Here are 10 questions that could work well as a high-school classroom discussion — open-ended enough that students can disagree and think critically:

1. If you were given the opportunity to lead a city, province or country, what would you change first — and why?

2. How many chances should voters give a political leader before judging their record?

3. Is a government successful because of what it promises, what it spends, or what actually changes for people's lives? Explain.

4. What responsibilities does a government have toward people who cannot afford housing?

5. Why might homelessness continue even when governments spend large amounts of money addressing it?

6. Should governments prioritize helping people today, preparing for the future, or finding a balance between the two?

7. What makes someone a good political leader: their intentions, their decisions, their results, or something else?

8. If a government gives financial support to a corporation, what should the public receive in return?

9. How should young people decide whether a politician deserves their trust?

10. Imagine you became premier tomorrow. What is one thing you would want people to say about your leadership when your term ended?

#PoliticalLeadership #GovernmentAccountability #HousingCrisis #Homelessness #CivicEngagement #YouthVoices #CriticalThinking #Democracy #PublicPolicy #FutureLeaders

Five Canadian provinces are raising their minimum wages again

 Five Canadian provinces are raising their minimum wages again.

And I want us to talk about what happens after the wage goes up.

Because I remember.

I was a single mother, moving between Kitsilano and Nelson, B.C., trying to raise my child and keep a roof over our heads. I remember thinking: If only I could make $15 an hour, maybe I could finally afford the rent and still buy food.

Well, B.C. eventually went far beyond $15.

The minimum wage was $8 in 2001. It is now $18.25.

But look at housing.

In Vancouver, CMHC's average rent for occupied rental units went from $749 in 2000 to $1,006 in 2010, $1,394 in 2018 and $1,675 in 2022.

In Kitsilano, the average reported rent was already $1,470 in 2016 dollars — higher than Vancouver's $1,300 average.

And Nelson wasn't magically affordable either. Average rent there rose from $681 in 2006 to $904 in 2010 — a 33% increase in just four years.

Today, asking rents in Kitsilano are around $2,700 a month.

So please don't tell working people that raising the minimum wage alone solves affordability.

A higher wage is important. But if you cannot afford the rent, you are still not secure.

And I am warning governments now: don't measure success by the size of a paycheque. Measure whether a person can actually pay the rent, buy groceries and live with some dignity.

Mark Carney, B.C. government, municipalities — please look at the whole picture.

People don't live on wages alone. They live in homes.

And if the home is unaffordable, the math still doesn't work.

1. If wages rise but rents rise faster, how does that actually improve a worker's life?

2. Real estate agents: when housing prices and rents increase, who ultimately pays the price?

3. Property managers: how do you determine what rent is “affordable” for the people who actually live in your communities?

4. Landlords: when you increase rent, do you ever calculate what percentage of a tenant's income that increase represents?

5. Employers: if you know your workers cannot afford housing near their workplace, is the wage truly a living wage?

6. Mark Carney and policymakers: should economic success be measured by wages and GDP alone, or by whether ordinary people can afford housing and food?

7. Governments: what good is raising the minimum wage if a full-time worker still cannot afford a modest home?

8. Real estate investors and developers: where does housing affordability fit into the equation when property is also treated as an investment?

9. Everyone involved in the housing system: how many people must be pushed out of their communities before we admit that the math is broken?

10. And the hardest question: if someone works full-time and still cannot afford a safe place to live, what exactly are we asking that person to do?

#MinimumWage #AffordableHousing #Rent #CostOfLiving #Kitsilano #NelsonBC #BritishColumbia #HousingCrisis #WorkingPoor

 🏕🏡🏘🛴🚲🛵🦽🛹⌛️⏳️🧳🌈🌊🌞🔥🌂☂️☔️🖼🎨🧼🛒🩺💰🎵🖌🖊🛏

A Place to Sleep, A Place to Create

This morning I had a conversation with a friend about money, housing, and sleep. Neither of us could sleep, which somehow seemed fitting.

I told my friend that if I had my own place, I would probably get up in the middle of the night and paint or write. Creativity doesn't always happen between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Sometimes ideas arrive at 2 a.m. Sometimes inspiration appears when the world is quiet.

In Mexico, I can do that. If I had a small studio apartment of my own, I could do that here too.

Instead, we found ourselves talking about the reality of housing costs. A modest studio apartment can easily cost $2,000 a month in Vancouver. The number sounds shocking, but it has become normal.

In 1997, I paid about $630 a month in rent. That felt expensive at the time. Today, many people pay three times that amount while earning wages that have not kept pace with the rising cost of living.

Money itself seems different now.

A million dollars once represented unimaginable wealth. Today, headlines discuss billionaires, trillion-dollar companies, and wealth on a scale that is difficult for most people to comprehend. Meanwhile, many people struggle to afford a room of their own.

Housing is often discussed as an economic issue, but it is also a human issue.

A home is more than four walls and a roof. It is a place to sleep safely, recover from stress, create art, write stories, learn new skills, and dream about the future.

Without that foundation, life becomes much harder.

Perhaps the housing crisis is not only about affordability. Perhaps it is also about dignity, stability, and the opportunity to thrive instead of merely survive.

Reflective Questions

1. What does "home" mean to you beyond shelter?
2. How have housing costs changed during your lifetime?
3. Do you think wages and assistance rates have kept pace with the cost of living?
4. How does having a safe place to live affect creativity, learning, and mental health?
5. What changes would help make housing more affordable for future generations?

The Goalposts Keep Moving

 The Goalposts Keep Moving

I often hear politicians and employers talk about labour shortages. They say there are jobs available and that employers cannot find workers. Yet many Canadians have a different story to tell.

I know I do.

After high school, I worked hard physical jobs on farms and in labour positions. It wasn't glamorous work, but it paid the bills. Then I was injured and had to rethink my future. Like many people, I was told that education was the answer.

I took photography and digital imaging courses. I learned new skills and dreamed of building a career doing something I loved. The dream job never really appeared. Instead, I spent years adapting, taking whatever work I could find. Retail. Nanny work. Freelance projects. Social media. Photography. Writing.

I kept reinventing myself because that is what society told me to do.

Then COVID arrived.

Almost overnight, opportunities disappeared. Families were hesitant to hire nannies. Many jobs became difficult to access. I eventually found janitorial work one summer. It was physically demanding, but I was grateful to be working. When the season ended, I wasn't hired back.

Now I am 64 years old.

I still want to contribute. I still have skills. I still apply for jobs. Yet many applications disappear into online systems without a response. Sometimes I wonder if employers even see them.

At the same time, we are told there are labour shortages and that more workers are needed.

Perhaps there are shortages in certain occupations and regions. I don't doubt that. But there is another question that deserves attention:

Why are so many capable people struggling to find work while employers report vacancies?

Maybe we are not training people for the jobs that actually exist. Maybe wages are too low for the cost of living. Maybe hiring systems are broken. Maybe experienced older workers are being overlooked.

Whatever the reason, the conversation needs to include the voices of those who have spent decades adapting to changing economic realities.

I have worked hard. I have retrained. I have learned new skills. I have accepted jobs outside my field. I have adapted again and again.

Sometimes it feels like every time I reach the goalposts, they get moved farther away.

I know I am not the only Canadian who feels this way.

Reflective Questions

1. Have you ever trained for a career that did not lead to the opportunities you expected?

2. How many times should a person be expected to retrain during their working life?

3. Are labour shortages always caused by a lack of workers?

4. What role does affordable housing play in employment decisions?

5. How has COVID affected your work opportunities?

6. Do older workers face barriers that are rarely discussed publicly?

7. Are online hiring systems helping employers find talent or creating new obstacles?

8. What skills do experienced workers bring that may be overlooked?

9. How can governments better align training programs with actual labour market needs?

10. What would a fair and inclusive job market look like?

#Employment #JobSearch #LabourMarket #Vancouver #BritishColumbia #OlderWorkers #Workforce #CareerChange #CostOfLiving #CanadianVoices #COVID19 #EmploymentChallenges #SocialIssues #Blogging #PersonalStory

Keywords

employment, labour shortages, job search, retraining, older workers, COVID impact, Vancouver, career change, workforce challenges, cost of living

HUMAN RIGHTS

Did You Miss Human Rights Day? You can still write a Letter!

If you missed it, it's okay, you can still take time to do your part. Yesterday Dec 10th was Human Rights Day and it was such a busy day, will the arrival of some of the new refugees coming to Canada to make this their new home. I hope they enjoy it and it works out for them.  I know it's hasn't been easy for other refugees but most seem happy but they work so hard. Just like me. I have worked with many refugees over the years. And I have heard many stories of the terrible hardships they faced.

I am deeply grateful that I have been blessed and that with the new government we have rights again. I was truly afraid for a long time but I have hope again. I do not know what is in store exactly, I can only hope, meditate and pray that all will work out for the better. 

We've had hard times too! Canada hasn't been an easy place to live, my parents and grandparents all worked hard, and so did I, and sadly I really did not know my rights well enough or have not had the courage or conviction to pursue them. That happens when you get overwhelmed by the loss of your rights. 

http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2015/11/article-25-right-to-adequate-standard.html

http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.ca/2015/11/poverty-in-bc-where-is-social-justice.html