More Money Needed for Emerald Centre

(Aired on October 6, 2010)

Doug Sage seems confident.  Me, not so much.

I was speaking with Sage today about the former Rendezvous Hotel, soon to be called Emerald Centre.  You may recall the property was purchased by the province earlier this year, with the promise that it would be turned into a homeless shelter, jointly run by ASK Wellness and Canadian Mental Health.  Sage, who runs CMHA locally, says the estimate on how much it will cost to renovate the property has risen by about $1.5-million.  The local organizations have to go back to BC Housing with open hands hoping that the government will pony up the dough.

As I said before, Sage is confident.  He says he knows that times are tight, and the government is not handing out money very easily these days.  If you listen to him, though, the province is committed to this project.  Any hesitation to hand over the money will only result in a delay in project completion, not a complete cancellation.

I'm much more reluctant.  I know the Campbell Liberals need to win some popularity points right now, and funding social projects is always a good way to do that.  But it's my thinking they'd rather do that on the right, by yanking the reins on spending and getting BC out of deficit as soon as possible, than on the left by spending more.  For the sake of the homeless in Kamloops, I hope I'm wrong.

Sage is certainly right about one thing, he says as long as people are forced to stay in shelters rather than their own housing, the fight must continue.  In that fight, he will soon find out whether the province is foe or ally.