Yesterday I had to drive to Ottawa in a truck without a functioning radio so I did what I sometimes do open up my podcasts and listen to observers that I like to listen to. One of my favourites is Robert Washburn, a person who I am proud to call a friend. A consummate professional with an impeccable reputation for impartiality and fairness, something that is lacking in this world of partisan media. One of his latest pods is an interview posted on his site here – turn on the volume with Alicia Vandine, Executive Director of the Northumberland United Way, where she discusses the controversial letter that responded to the Mayor’s statements about “inflammatory language” in the released Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Listen to it and perhaps you will understand why the five local Agencies signed on to the letter. Also when you listen go to this page which outlines the activities of the United Way, Ontario, that involved themselves in the Homelessness Problem.

In the light of this activity by the United Ways it is sad to see comments like this one below, and it is not the only one, on the local blog site (Cobourg News). Various posters have posted on this blog, in its comments section, their opinions about the homeless, addicts and the mentally ill. It is fair to say that there is little sympathy for any of the afflicted. This comment may be one of the more extreme but it reflects the sentiment of many. “This is about criminal drug addicts who destroy property, steal, do open and illicit drugs in front of children and seniors and who accost and harass people on street corner and in bank vestibules!” 

The comment that prompted this post:

Scottie posted on 28th June

“It bothers me greatly, that Alicia Vandine, Executive Director of the Northumberland United Way, has condemned the changes to the Parks Master Plan by Mayor Lucas Cleveland, eliminating the use of the parks by criminals using illegal drugs. (These changes were ultimately approved by Cobourg Council). That she, supposedly on behalf of the Northumberland United Way, is endorsing the use of the “unhoused” (namely the drug addict criminals), to use Cobourg’s parks for their drug use and the provision of “sharps bins” for the disposal of their used drug paraphernalia is absolutely disgusting. The Northumberland United Way depends upon the donations of thousands of tax-paying, law abiding citizens in Cobourg and Northumberland County, as well as, in many cases, the companies they work for in matching donations.
If the NUW Board of Directors supported her in this statement, then shame on them — if she did it on her own, the Northumberland United Way Board of Directors should immediately take steps to correct this misuse of her position of Executive Director of the NUW.”     

Well we at the BR are more than bothered by this suggestion made by a person who calls him/herself Scottie. First of all any quote made by a person who uses an alias or refuses to sign a real name is usually refused publication by any reputable print/web organisation and is not considered to be valid. Secondly this suggestion is done in ignorance of the knowledge about the United Way’s work in this field. Read this and educate yourself Scottie, in fact we suggest that all of the posters on the Cobourg News site read it and get educated. That means you Countrygal, Jade, Sonya, Kathleen, Jet, Bruce, and many others.

This debate about social problems in Cobourg has to be resolved and if the Mayor and his ‘enablers’ refuse to accept that there are other solutions than criminalising the afflicted and banning them from public spaces then we would say to them – “Accept reality the problems are here, whether you like it or not – let’s work on solutions”