Editor:
Many thanks to you and the team for the editorial and two-page report, A Vital Focus on Our Vulnerable Communities (Coast Reporter, Oct. 6).
I’m afraid that the situation is even more dire than this report suggested. Let me explain: John Gleeson mentioned that the number of immigrants is set to increase from 320,000 to 450,000 a year from 2018. To forecast the effect that this will have on all services, one must add refugees, asylum seekers, four-year work permit holders who apply for and are granted permanent resident status, inward investors, economic migrants who arrive and then claim asylum, spouses and other dependents who follow later, TFWs, and of course births minus deaths.
Nationwide our population will increase by over 700,000 each year irrespective of the state of the economy, levels of unemployment or under employment, levels of debt, the numbers of homeless or those using food banks or, in fact, the state of crisis in many of our basic services.
When I last took a look, Canada had over $5 trillion of debt (federal, provincial, P3 and household) and that level is now much higher. Ontario, for example, was paying more to service its debts than on all social services. Around 50 per cent of Canadians live paycheque to paycheque, have no savings and no private pension plan. We know exactly what net income is required to live a decent life – rent or servicing a mortgage is only one factor amongst many. An increase in the basic wage of a few dollars will not even cover inflation.
Under our present political system, this situation will continue or more likely deteriorate. Canada is no different from many other democracies. Our “dear leaders” must either go deeper into debt, cut budgets, sell off assets or hand over services to the private sector, just to keep the show on the road and to meet just some of their election promises. There is no golden bullet, and yes, there are limits to growth – but our politicians, at all levels of government, behave as if there are none.
Paul Rhodes, West Sechelt
