Gimme Shelter!

While the Stones' concert will undoubtedly boost our devastated hotel and
tourism industry and create some SARS relief dollars, it will likely provide
only palliative relief to a city stung by federal and provincial neglect.

Organizers hope that the VIP pavilion will allow dignitaries to interact with
each other for the advancement of Canada and that the atmosphere will be similar
to a summit of business and government leaders searching for solutions to the
city's woes. Dennis Mills hopes for quality time to talk....about all our
challenges from tourism to beef.

Will the VIPs discuss our real challenges: a crumbling health care system, our
homelessness disaster, the devastation of urban hunger and unemployment, the
lack of free pools and recreation programs for children and families?  I doubt
it. These communities are constantly told "You can't always get what you want."

"Paint it black."

While the Stones rock, dozens of homeless people will lie down on pews and
benches in daytime drop-in centres craving much needed sleep, meanwhile,
hundreds will migrate from all night streetcars to coffee shops. They all well
may ask "Why reduce us to midnight ramblers? Can't you hear us knocking? Gimme
shelter!"

To the VIPs, why not Start Me Up! Why not a fully funded national housing
programme, a fully funded childcare programme, an increase to the minimum wage
and to welfare rates? Why not sing the song with meaning "This will be the last
time", that Torontonians and Canadians are forced to face abject poverty, hunger
and homelessness!

VIP guests Finance Minsiter John Manley, Defence Minister John McCallum and
federal leader in-waiting Paul Martin could do well to spend quality time in the
VIP pavilion with NDP leader Jack Layton to learn what real Canadians truly
need. Maybe Layton could provide them with a free signed copy of his book
"Homelesness. The Making and Unmaking of a crisis."

To be concrete, Minister McCallum could offer the surplus Toronto Moss Park
armouries as land for supportive housing. Finance Minister Manley could offer an
additional 1% of federal spending to a national housing programme, and federal
leader in-waiting Paul Martin could re-commit to his 1990 Liberal Task Force on
Housing report that stated " the federal government has abandoned its
responsibilities with regards to housing problems"

At least then, anti-poverty workers would not be facing their 19th Nervous
Breakdown.

And remember, if we Can't Get No Satisfaction, millions of Canadians will have
No Sympathy for the Devil.


Cathy Crowe

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1% 1% 1% 1% 1%....
For more information and to endorse the 1 % Solution,
visit our website at www.tdrc.net

Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC)
6 Trinity Square, Toronto, ON M5G 1B1
Phone: 416-599-8372 Fax: 416-599-5445
EMAIL: [log in to unmask] WEBSITE: www.tdrc.net

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