While Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps counsels “patience and compassion” with respect to the proposal for a tent city for the homeless in Topaz Park, there’s little of either from most City of Victoria residents.
Visit the ‘resident incomes’ section of the municipality’s website and you will learn that Victoria itself has the lowest median household income by far in the 13-member Capital Regional District. It is also lower than the B.C. median. That’s remained fairly consistent across the 2001, 2006 and 2011 census.
It begs the questions as to why Victoria residents are picking up the tab for what’s more a regional, and therefore, a provincial and federal responsibility. Seems fairer to set up a tent city on the legislature grounds.
It’s time for a taxpayers group.
Stan Bartlett
Victoria