More than two-thirds of Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) delegates have supported the Burnaby Board of Trade’s (BBOT) resolution that the federal government commit more resources to ending homelessness.
“Homelessness is an increasing problem,” BBOT CEO Darlene Gering told Business in Vancouver in August. “Financial institutions are finding that homeless people are causing problems with automatic teller machines. Loitering in front of storefronts is causing customers to walk away.”
The BBOT had submitted a resolution at the CCC’s September 25 AGM in Gatineau, Quebec calling on the federal government to develop a national plan to end homelessness. If supported by at least two-thirds of delegates, the CCC would be responsible to lobby the federal government to take action.
“Canada is the only G8 country without a national homelessness plan,” Gering said. “Last year the federal government spent $3.57 billion in direct spending on homelessness and affordable housing initiatives, but without a national plan to manage and co-ordinate the effort, Canada’s capacity to end homelessness is significantly diminished.”