I’ve just returned to BC from the US and I’m amused to confirm that in practice – in terms of absolute individual liberty – Canada is a far more Libertarian nation. Freedom in theory is not freedom; there is a very large economic component, and for it to exist meaningfully, it must be true for as many people as possible.

Let us not forget how much we each rely on the freedom of other people to make decisions and choices.

I think Canadians seriously underestimate the positive impact that social safety nets have on the economy. First, of course, it tends to keep the economy ticking over in depressed areas and maintains a workforce. Otherwise, you tend to get large population shifts, ghost towns and the like. This, in turn, is a prime source of entrepreneurial opportunity.

That safety net also permits degrees of entrepreneurial risk that would not be otherwise possible. If you KNOW that you won’t starve or be homeless, you will take bigger bets than otherwise. Combined with the general fiscal conservatism of our banks and our governments – compared to the US and other nations, at least – and a system that encourages continuing education and assumes serial careers, we are in much better shape to deal with these difficult times.

The arts play a large part; it all goes into adding value to the social environment, which in turn makes people want to come here, rather than somewhere else. Art is an amazingly entrepreneurial effort, although instead of risking capital, one risks time; building skills and contacts until one becomes an “overnight success.”

Homelessness and particular and poverty in general should be seen as indicators of the social and economic health of a society. There will always be people that for one reason or another, cannot quite manage to cope, and this will be to various degrees. The answer is in part economic – in terms of providing money. But more importantly, it’s a question of there being effective mechanisms in place for information and networking; practical ways in which people can effectively make a difference to one another.

he has a strong devotion to many justice issues. his primary hope is to bring peace between the chinese and the first nations people. he’s the one who brought me to the interior to investigate abandoned historic chinese workers’ sites.

you don’t have to agree with him on everything he says (i don’t). but our chinese community needs someone like him to act, not just to talk. he’s quite a rare animal in our community.

I’m hungry I need food or I need drugs, it’s a basic daily need for them and the homeless problem will continue to be there tomorrow again.

I would not be confident to say that on their incentives will go any further than that.

[For those newer Chinese immigrants who are trying their best to settle in BC, they should not be inflamed to feel jealous of the homeless because help is given.]
Chinese immigrants are not jealous of homeless people they actually struggling too … why should his sympathy be any different towards immigrants and homeless? everyone needs help regardless of their wealth. It’s little contradictory that he states homelessness is by choice yet he persists on giving them help that will only keep them homeless. The whole point of them going to the streets in first place was because they wanted to eject themselves out of society.

[Finally God is always with the marginalized. In Christ teaching of the judgment day in Matthew 25, mankind will be judged by how we treat the naked, the hungry, the thirsty, the sick , the stranger and the imprisoned. Only those mesmerized by capitalism will worry “future expenses on the homeless will be greater” rather than our alienation and demonization of our less fortunate neighbors.]

They need rehabilitation and work support services, God is not going to put food on the table or a roof over their heads.

Most of these homeless just simply give up they need to learn that there is no such thing as free living which is why immigrants are working hard so they don’t become homeless.

Can you check, sn? You can delete this message.

First of all, who is this Bill Chu person? Was he born and raised in Canada?

He said, “For readers who emigrated from the former colony of Hong Kong, we grew up in a colonial system where political participation or hope was absent. The only hope given was the freedom to make money for the colony. Under such colonial system, there was no social welfare or safety net to speak of and everyone was forced from birth to swim or sink, to save every cent or risk becoming poor.”

I don’t understand how he came up with that conclusion about “no social welfare or safety net to speak of.” Ignorance is the only possible explanation.

Beside that point, whether it was a colonial system with political participation or not has nothing to do with the social policy on welfare.

By that logic, all former communist countries should have the best social welfare policies. After all, that’s what communism means in theory.

Conversely, let’s look at the richest country in the world that proclaims all the crap about Freedom and “1 person 1 vote” Democracy and its homeless problems.

Where should I begin? Hollywood movies depiction of homelessness, Life on the Street to real life drama that happens every day in New York city, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dalla and etc.? Where is their socail welfare and safety net?

Let’s go back to Vancouver. Well, some people blame riverview hospital … but do they know that most of the homeless bums in Vancouver came from Alberta, Ontario and as far away as Newfoundland?