THEVOICE | 6 Winter shelters a short- term solution & By DUNCAN ANDERSON he City of Vancouver is closing nine cold weather shelters by the end of the month, forcing at least 250 people back to living on the streets. ‘The city justifies the closures by say- ing that they were emergency shelters for the winter months and are no longer necessary for the rest of the year. Last month, I volunteered for B.C. Non-Profit Housing Association and rationed goods into packages that were handed out to homeless people to figure out a count. The federal government funded these packages consisting of cigarettes, candy and forms for the homeless to sign to facilitate the count. On the one hand, the project is a rad- ical undercount because it is seasonal. It would surprise me if the result of this project was accu- rate. There are prob- ably better ways to monitor how homeless 7 many = ss} people there are A in Vancouver. For example, a OPINION DUNCAN ANDERSON byname list tool to provide coor- dinated access to housing. Once we know people’s personal information, we can pair them with appropriate services. The fact that the province collected anony- mous data does not help the cause. ‘The amount spent on counting peo- ple was enough to purchase a housing unit. That is not to say funding isn’t well managed or resourced, because it does take a lot of money to figure out how many homeless people there really are in Vancouver. However, homeless shelters the prov- ince provides in the winter is a response to a desperate situation. Shelters are a short-terms olution and on their own, they prolong the state of homelessness. While acknowledging that creating housing units is necessary to all of these issues, I think tackling mental health and addiction would be a longer-term solution. It all starts with a place that people can call home and once people are housed, then responses to mental health and addiction can be created. It’s disturbing that housing for mid- dle-income class people is sometimes seemingly prioritized over homeless- ness. It’s a real issue and we are going to continue to see fatalities if these bla- tantly obvious issues aren't addressed properly. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017 | EDITOR KRISTYN ANTHONY Viewpoints Legal heroin: the serious fix li By SAM MOWERS eroin-assisted treatment is a proven step in the right direction, but to end the opioid crisis in Vancouver, drugs like heroin should simply be legalized. These programs use controlled in- jections of phar- maceutical grade heroin to opiate addicts as a means ‘ OPINION of treatment. When _heroin- assisted treatment SAM was tried in Van- MOWERS couver between 2005 and 2008, it saw a 70 per cent reduction in illegal heroin use among participants. The treatment would be helpful in dealing with the opioid crisis, but legalizing all drugs would be a more comprehensive solution. were created and tax revenue increased. This same principle could apply when extended to other illegal substances such as heroin. Prohibition-era liquor was unsafe to During Pro- [— drink, — be- hibition in the “ os oo cause it was U.S., when the To end the opioid CY1S1S produced in production | in Vancouver, drugslike | *_ je" Pp ated — envi tion of alcohol was made ille- gal, there was a consequent rise in illegal liquor production (bootlegging) and unregu- lated drinking spots (speakeasies). This black market also gave rise to criminal activity and gang violence. Once Prohibition was repealed, crime and incarceration rates fell, new jobs heroin should simply be legalized.” ronment. This is not unlike — the unregulated production of heroin which has led to the deadly presence of fentanyl. If legalized, the production and dis- tribution of heroin could be regulated by the government, which could elimi- nate the risk of drugs tainted with fen- tanyl. One of the effects of legalization, however, would be the opening of the market to competition from new pro- ducers and sellers. Given that competition, in general, drives down the price of the product, this might actually encourage people to use dangerous substances. But the nega- tive effects of drugs are well known, and can be reinforced through educa- tion. After all, affordable alcohol causes many problems, but it is not comparable to Prohibition. Last year in B.C., 922 people died from overdoses and the number is look- ing larger for this year. Heroin-assisted treatment programs are undoubtedly effective, but if we really want to save lives and reduce crime, we have to se- riously consider legalizing drugs like heroin. Pole dancin Classes \ofalk-7ns VWhelceme KURTIS GREGORY COMIC Get on the pole, or stop judging the dancers who do = By KRISTYN ANTHONY have never I been the sort of per- son who enjoys sweating it out alongside chiseled bodies, in a sea of treadmills while TV’s flash unre- alistic images of bodies out at me. Needless to say, I’ve never been a gym rat. But, as I get older my fitness levels creep closer to the front of my mind each year. I grew up playing baseball and hockey OPINION KRISTYN ANTHONY and figure skating. Gliding across the ice never felt much sport and a fitness regime, has grown since it travelled from the stages of seedy like a ___ watering sport to holes to vgn “Pole dancing... has grown oe me work since it travelled from the on come enjyoye . muni y every stages of seedy watering centre secon activity of it and | holestobecomearegularon | boaras. it tapped * wo Stiema er’ | community centre activity | °°¢" es boards.” ae me that LO | of prog- wasn't re- ress. ally present elsewhere. The rise of pole dancing, both as a As we learn to relax stringent societal traditions around everything from gen- der to sexuality to artistic expression, activities like pole dancing give people the freedom to get fit and have fun while they’re doing it. While pole dancing isn’t exclusive to the female population, it is a commu- nity that values support, motivation and body positivity for women. The world is a cold place and often our harshest crit- ics are women — other women and the one we see in the mirror every day. In the same way figure skating pro- vided a creative and artistic sporting ac- tivity for me, pole dancing is providing that for others. It’s meant to be a safe space, where it’s okay to exhibit sexual- ity, creative expression, sport and fitness free of judgement or intimidation. Where else can you do all that? The Voice is pub- lished by Langara College’s joumalism government and administration. We welcome letters to department. Editorial — the editor. They may opinions are those be edited for brevity. of the staff and Your letter must in- are independent of clude your name and views of the student phone number. The Voice —= =— 100 West 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. 604-323-5396 V5Y 226 thevoice@langara. Caitlin O'Flanagan be.ca Stuart Neatby Room A226 Michele Paulse Clare Hennig Kristyn Anthony Alyse Kotyk Bonnie Lee La Madeleine Bala Yogesh Emelie Peacock Cheryl Whiting Melanie Green Rica Talay Duncan Anderson Sasha Zeidler Laura Brougham Christopher Thoroski Jason Gilder Shoji Whittier Kurtis Gregory Evan Hagedorn Violetta Kryak Sasha Lakic Tanner Bokor Cass Lucke Lauren Boothby Sydney Morton Sean Hitrec Sam Mowers Chelsea Powrie Cassandra Osborne CONTACT US Online at langaravoice.ca Twitter @LangaraVoice Erica Bulman - The Voice instructor ebulman@langara.be.ca