’WPC5 ‘#µčėĢńŻcC!ĒĢD’Õ2%Ķ­.śÄ󅿙ę]1juCĄtE¹™Ķ½#¹½X°½‹)”ķ$ų„gן÷ļŠ\q•­µ—‚ćß ­ŻóĄ5dJ.õ²Ć^u}Ńg_ePˆĮvf,#‚•„ø#÷&=<Ņ«óŽ”O@jOƒĆ\9Õk§5÷TĄ8‡CĻ1VPĄU›ŗ1į)©yĢw ū¶l¤_ę ų]Lžķ1…r@”¼»ŹūAćņŽbž™²(A…:˜†'”™äµģRŸ2Q ®U"`Ϧ­eĮ¤éˆ$‰Aß8YŁ#„«eķ’‡,%G6k ØHä^˜ź·Š‘ø\1ŸŚ©Œ©miųÄCI.c‡evEšĖČ“¼u lmšp „|]I֔TZä2VZ0ē²ŖŠUvŃU"ož•eUvł/ūŒL•Ó±/µüū†Ųśž›<Ļų~ü· -ż4SÄ\~–`œ¶ó"jžŹµH•ǽ^µź¬d_˜(P…..sēCčj߯Ō:+aų4Ł©pĆ`!#IB[šų}¾TMY±—™#s%O8łÜŲ‹ĄJ.*=††im·ĄNķ¦ SĆ¢,ANµ®²Sź[AÖåIÅw<±  #ĮšUN[ %© 0:Æ^ éwõ4ł  m˜Brother MFC-6000,,TT,,0(ÖĆ9 Z‹6Times New Roman RegularX(ö\$””ŌCEUS.,Ōņ¬;9 g3ź:i¢×+003|x’U‹’ĄĄĄŻ ƒö\!ŻŌCEUS.,ŌŻ  ŻŌ_ŌKeyššs€to€the€Kingdom?€-€or€another€attempt€to€demonize€the€Poor?€€A€short€history€of€schemes€toŠ ° Šsweep€the€poor€away€in€Canada.Š œģ ŠĢBy€Rodney€GrahamŠ tÄ ŠFor€Street€Sheet€CanadaŠ `° ŠĢWinnipeg,€Manitoba,€Canada€--€Were€the€ššmission€keyššs€an€idea€to€help€the€homeless€or€justŠ 8 ˆ Šanother€attempt€by€mean€spirited€businessmen€to€push€the€homeless€off€the€street?€€In€2002Š $ t ŠWinnipeg€took€the€example€of€Halifax,€Ottawa€and€Burnaby,€Ō_ŌB.C.Ō_Ō€where€both€ššdonation€boxesŠ  ` Šand€šškeysšš€were€used€to€manipulate€ššconsumersšš€into€not€giving€to€Ō_ŌpanhandlersŌ_Ō.€The€šškeysšš€(Š ü L  ŠPlastic€keys€with€a€missions€address€on€it)€were€bought€from€businessmen€for€one€dollar€and€givenŠ č 8  Šby€the€public€donators€to€homeless€who€then€could€redeem€them€for€..a€shower,€a€meal,Š Ō$  Šetc..missions€already€provided€free€at€certain€missions.€€The€idea€did€not€work.€€According€toŠ Ą  ŠššKatyšš,€an€employee€of€Union€Gospel€Mission€in€Winnipeg,€the€key€program€was€Ō_ŌdiscintinuedŌ_ŌŠ ¬ü  Šbecause€the€keys€were€€ššnot€neededšš€as€the€services€were€already€provided€for€free€anyway.€€SheŠ ˜č  Šalso€said€that,€šš..yes€€€businesses€did€see€the€Ō_ŌhomelesŌ_Ō€as€a€ššthreatšš.Š „Ō  Š€ĢSome€anti-poverty€activists€say€the€help€key€program€is€insulting€to€Ō_ŌpanhandlersŌ_Ō€because€itŠ \¬ Šassumes€they€spend€their€cash€handouts€on€booze€and€drugs.Š H˜ Š'It€does€reduce€their€dignity,€says€Linda€Ō_ŌLalondeŌ_Ō€of€the€National€Anti-Poverty€Organization€inŠ 4„ ŠOttawa.€'It€takes€away€their€self-determination.Š  p Š'If€I€decide€that€I€don't€want€to€have€chicken€noodle€soup€which€is€what€they're€serving€at€theŠ  \ Šmission€for€lunch€today,€can€I€not€make€that€decision€just€as€anyone€else€wouldŠ ųH ŠĢA€more€recent€scheme€to€Ō_ŌvillianizeŌ_Ō€the€poor€in€Ō_ŌWinterpegŌ_Ō€was€bus€shelter€ads.€€The€ads€showed€aŠ Š  Špicture€of€a€Ō_ŌhomlessŌ_Ō€youth€laying€on€the€sidewalk€(whether€the€youth€was€sick€or€tired€š!š€or€stonedŠ ¼  Šit€didnššt€say)€€the€wording€gave€a€statistic€(From€where€it€did€not€say)€that€a€large€number€ofŠ Øų Šhomeless€used€their€panhandling€change€for€drugs€and€encouraged€the€public€to€not€give€to€theŠ ”ä Špoor.€€How€such€an€ad€could€be€posted€in€a€democratic€society€I€donššt€know,€but€I€think€it€isŠ €Š Šscary!€€Such€Ō_ŌpretenciousŌ_Ō€and€self€righteous€propaganda€was€also€advertised€during€Hitlerššs€rise€toŠ l¼ Špower€and€in€totalitarian€regimes€š!š€but€in€Canada€?€where€we€boastfully€pride€ourselves€on€beingŠ X Ø Šso€much€more€moral€and€righteous€than€the€bad€Americans?€€When€governments€bail€outŠ D!” Šbusinessmen€and€the€wealthy€and€give€them€tax€shelters€and€such€š!š€does€any€of€our€citizenry€postŠ 0"€  Šads€š!š€Donššt€give€to€the€rich!€€They€use€it€to€buy€prostitutes,€Ō_ŌCaribeanŌ_Ō€vacations,€tax€shelters,Š #l! Šexpensive€sports€cars,€expensive€whiskey,€etc..€Ō_ŌetccŌ_Ō.€Etcš8šŠ $X" ŠĢMy€opinion,€and€the€opinion€of€many€activists€is€that€it€was€just€another€attempt€to€demonize€theŠ ą%0!$ Šless€fortunate€who€already€are€feared€by€the€public€at€large€and€keep€them€away€from€theirŠ Ģ&"% Šbusinesses.€€Poor€people€are€bad€for€business€š!š€aesthetics.Š ø'#& ŠĢInterestingly,€in€the€late€90s€ššChange€for€the€Betteršš€boxes€were€given€to€businessmen.€€The€ideaŠ )ą$( Šwas€to€have€the€public€give€change€to€little€yellow€boxes€in€businesses€instead€of€to€those€whoŠ |*Ģ%) Šcould€directly€benefit€from€cash€money.€€An€employee€of€a€business€in€the€trendy€area€ofŠ h+ø&* ŠWinnipeg,€Osborne€Village,€told€me€she€was€sure€that€the€owner€was€pilfering€the€boxes€after€theyŠ T,¤'+ Šwere€full€of€money.€€Interestingly€as€well,€the€boxes€seemed€to€disappear€after€being€filled.€€SeemsŠ @-(, Šthere€is€no€record€of€anyone€getting€caught€stealing€any€though.€€The€scheme€was€discontinuedŠ ° Šalso.€€Perhaps€ššChange€for€the€Betteršš€actually€meant€not€ššchange€for€the€betteršš€to€change€theŠ œģ Šlives€of€the€poor,€but€rather,€€ššchangešš€(As€in€pocket€change)€for€the€better€-€the€better€meaningŠ ˆŲ Šthe€ššbetteršš€human€beings€š!š€the€businessmen€who€possibly€stole€the€boxes!€Š tÄ ŠIn€my€early€years€of€social€activism€I€learned€a€few€things€from€some€American€activists€š!š€thereŠ `° Šare€people€and€organizations€out€there€that€thrive€off€the€charity€of€the€public€š!š€and€they€are€notŠ L œ Šhomeless€people.€€My€American€cousins€called€them€ššpoverty€pimpsšš€and€ššfund€suckersšš.€€No€needŠ 8 ˆ Što€delve€into€that€too€much...€€The€average€income€for€a€director€of€a€social€agency€in€Canada€isŠ $ t Š$150,000.€€The€average€income€for€a€social€worker€is€between€$35€to€$60,000!€Š  ` ŠĢIn€1997,€Winnipeg€ššcriminalizedšš€a€group€of€individual€citizens€who€were€underprivileged€andŠ č 8  Švulnerable.€€Homeless€youth€called€squeegee€kids€(Who€wash€car€windows€at€intersections€forŠ Ō$  Šchange).€€A€lengthy€whitewash€was€done€by€city€hall.€50€ššexpertsšš€representing€social€agenciesŠ Ą  Šlined€up€at€the€through.€€There€were€several€meetings€concerning€the€squeegee€ššproblemšš€VeryŠ ¬ü  Šfew€squeegee€kids€went€to€the€meetings,€although€they€ššfoundšš€one€supposed€squeegee€kid€whoŠ ˜č  Šwas€not€a€real€squeegee€kid€at€all€and€was€not€homeless€but€lived€in€River€Heights€with€his€niceŠ „Ō  Šmiddle€class€family!Š pĄ ŠĢNeedless€to€say€after€talking€about€ššalternativesšš€several€ššsocial€organizationsšš€actuallyŠ H˜ Šrecommended€that€squeegeeing€was€actually€a€good€idea€and€it€didnššt€send€mega€funds€into€socialŠ 4„ Šorganizations€and€their€high€paying€employees/fund€suckers€š!š€but€money€actually€went€into€theŠ  p Šhands€of€those€who€needed€it,€and€who€needed€it€sometimes€in€urgent€situations,€such€as€whenŠ  \ Šhaving€to€escape€abusive€parents/social€agencies€such€as€foster€care,€group€homes€etc€of€whichŠ ųH Šthere€are€many€which€are€abusive€in€Canada.€€But€after€all€these€ššexpertsšš€and€politicians€sat€onŠ ä4 Šthe€Ō_ŌassesŌ_Ō€for€months€talking€š!š€the€inevitable€occurred€and€the€decision€that€the€chamber€ofŠ Š  Šcommerce€and€city€hall€knew€would€happen€š!š€a€whole€new€law€criminalizing€a€group€ofŠ ¼  Šunderprivileged€was€implemented.€€The€ššalternativesšš€were€all€bullshit€and€didnššt€work€outš8šŠ Øų ŠĢWouldnššt€it€be€nice€if€we€could€so€easily€criminalize€in€a€few€short€months€crooked€politicians,Š €Š Šclergy,€brutal€discriminating€cops,€and€mean€spirited€businessmen?€€What€a€day€š!š€glorious€day€-Š l¼ Šthat€would€be!Š X Ø Š€