Dear Editor:
In regards to Jayne Williams-Aleck's letter to the editor in Thursday, June 12, 2025 edition of the Tribune I would like to respond to some statements she made.
Her comment concerning Scott Nelson, one of our fine councillors, being wealthy and stating that along with that "comes a responsibility to be part of the solution."
Really? I have watched Councillor Nelson try to come up with many solutions for many issues over the many years that he has served us well. To suggest that because he is wealthy he has an obligation to open his properties for the homeless?
For anyone who has spent time within the population of addictions and homelessness just opening up a place to live doesn't begin to address what the issues really are.
There is a YouTube Ted Talk video that everyone should take the time to watch called Everything You Think You Know About Addictions is Wrong by Johann Hari. When a population that are living on the fringes of our society begin to feel included in decision and sense the community wants to help perhaps we should all be trying to do our part.
The University of Victoria offers a online six-part certificate to education us on homelessness and all that is part of that issue. It is offered to those on Vancouver Island for free and a small fee for others in B.C. I am choosing to become more educated.
Unless we are willing to be part of the solution, we should not be expecting others to use their resources to help out.
Secondly, years ago I had the opportunity to take a course in mental health psychiatry with a professional from New York at the Justice Institute. He spoke at great lengths about the need for involuntary treatment for addictions. In New York it was legal to have someone involuntarily committed as they were not in their right minds and you were saving their life. Interestingly we all as health care professionals listened to the success of such treatment but it was never once implemented in our province... sadly enough.
The hours that are put in by law enforcement when chaos decides to visit a city sometimes calls for measures that may seem extreme but in fact diffuse situations that may get out of control of the staffing levels available.
Thank you Councillor Nelson for lending your voice and keeping us all informed to the issues so we can become educated and perhaps be part of the solution: after all this city belongs to those of us who care for it.
Submitted respectfully,
Linda Nordick, Fox Mountain
