Letter to the editor - The Toronto Star

Graeme Bacque (gbacque@idirect.com)
Fri, 05 Nov 1999 02:32:25 -0500 

Graeme F. Bacque
319 Dundas St. E. #408 Toronto, Ontario M5A 2A2 CANADA
V: (416) 368-3366 F: (416) 368-5984 Internet: <gbacque@idirect.com>
<http://webhome.idirect.com/~gbacque/gbacque.html>

Friday, November 5, 1999

To whom it may concern,

         It was with anger and amazement that I viewed how rapidly 
politicians were able to come to an accord on the proposed massive 
redevelopment of Toronto's waterfront to take place over the ensuing ten 
years, at a cost of some $2 billion dollars. This sentiment  is in light of 
the fact that it appears impossible for these same officials to agree upon 
the similar cash infusion that is a necessary first step to resolving the 
human catastrophe which is homelessness.

         A one percent increase in the annual budgets of all levels of 
government (representing, coincidentally, an amount of about $2 billion 
dollars) would likely be sufficient to house everyone who requires 
accommodation within a period of three to five years. In his autumn 
financial statement, Paul Martin boasted of a Federal surplus which is 
expected to approach $100 billion dollars over the next five years. Yet 
this  government apparently holds some lives in such low regard that even 
agreeing to  part with the small percentage of this enormous sum required 
to properly house poor people in this country is beyond their capability. 
This is a crime of the greatest magnitude.

         Any current government which refuses to make affordable housing 
their number-one priority is undeserving of the support of the people and 
should be driven from power at the earliest opportunity. Unfortunately, in 
the absence of any effective recall mechanism in this country, we are 
doomed to suffer the deliberate fiscal misconduct of this pack of fools for 
the forseeable future - at a terrible cost in human lives and suffering. 
This situation is unacceptable and needs to be challenged forcefully by all 
people of conscience.

Sincerely yours,

Graeme Bacque
Toronto, Ontario