MLA shed lights on homeless situation

The M-L-A for Kootenay-Monashee says a chance encounter has shed some light on the province’s homeless situation.

Steve Morrissette says he wasn’t expecting the meeting shortly after sunrise in Victoria.

“I was going for an early morning walk because we do a lot of sitting all day so I was walking through Beacon Hill Park and I saw this gentleman at the back of his van and he waved so I waved back and said hi, pretty soon we were having a conversation” explained Morrissette.

“We just talked really about the different birds and different animals in the park and how beautiful it was, just had a great conversation,” he added, describing it as a casual chat with someone living off the grid.

“He appeared to be unhoused and living out of his van, he was willing to give me a coffee out of the back of his van and really just a nice and kind person,” explained the M-L-A.

“He was just down on his luck, he told me he didn’t drink or use drugs, he just was there, just living life,” Morrissette added, stating that his situation proves this can happen to anyone.

“They’re (the homeless) people like you and me that have had some struggles, maybe financially, maybe lost a job,  who knows what brought them there,” surmised the new member of the legislature for former Mayor of Fruitvale.


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Drew Wilson
Drew Wilson
Drew brings more than four decades of experience to the Kootenay newsroom. His career has taken him across Ontario, the Northwest Territories and B.C. Drew combines his love of radio and community with his passion for sports.

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