The County of Northumberland has made a decision about the plight of the unhoused, the addicts on the streets and the mentally ill that populate the area. Read about it here. This decision can be interpreted by many people in many different ways. But the fact remains that this decision is purely political made to clear the mess from public opinion.

Coles Notes – the status of 310 Division St. will change from a ‘low-barrier’ establishment to ‘high-barrier’. That means that only ‘low to moderate-acuity’ clients will be allowed to stay in the place. This model excludes individuals with perceived active substance use or complex behavioural health needs. The warming centre and drop-in centre will close on July 4th 2025. If a warming centre is needed then one will be established – but not in Cobourg.

So the County hasn’t resolved a thing about the proliferation of “Street People” doing nasty things in public. In fact it can be argued that they have made the situation worse by removing the shelter support that the addicts and mentally ill have used for the last few months. The question not answered by anybody, let alone the ‘hang -’em-high” people on the Cobourg News blog, is where will the people denied entrance to 310 Division St. go?

In its wisdom this gang of naive and craven politicians have only granted relief, on paper, to the outcries of rage from some Citizens, but by acknowledging that the upper levels of governments have not provided enough funding to help the problems have only applied “tough love” to those levels of government and hope that guilt will solve their problems.

In the motion that governs these actions is a clause that reads: “County Council direct staff to provide a report at the July 30, 2025 Social Services Committee meeting regarding the timeline, budget, implementation plan, and operational expectations of transitioning 310 Division Street, Cobourg to serving lower to moderate acuity individuals”  This will be an interesting report to read as all of the County’s efforts to help lower and moderates acuity clients seems to have failed. Pull a rabbit out of your hats folks!

Two statements attributed to the County Warden – Brian Ostrander stand out as reality but no solutions:

“The situation in Northumberland lays bare that addiction, mental illness, and housing affordability are intersecting crises impacting communities across Canada—not just large urban centres,” said Warden Ostrander. “The reality is that small and rural municipalities like ours are increasingly on the front lines, with limited resources and limited authority to address what is fundamentally a health and housing crisis. While the operational changes we’ve made today may shift how local shelter services are delivered, the underlying issues remain.”

and:

“Municipal governments cannot effectively address these crises on the backs of the property tax base,” stated Warden Ostrander. “We urgently need meaningful provincial investments in addiction treatment, detox, supportive housing, and mental health care. We continue to join our municipal counterparts across the province in calling on our provincial partners to address these issues with the funding and solutions that are desperately needed.”

I wonder if Mr Piccini is listening??