To the editor:
It's been clear for a while now that there is a problem - well, *a few problems* with our previously bustling little town; not the least of which is the exponentially increasing homeless population and equally diminishing available services to help mitigate and solve said problem.
And while there are mixed feelings on the why, the when, and the ephemeral *what* caused it, the consensus on the "how" is pretty unanimous.
Communities are sending their troubled to us - either mistakenly or with irresponsible intent - with the belief that we have the resources to help them. The reality is, that we do not. Not even figuratively close. That said, what if...
We did? What if we take our troubled lemons, as it were, and made economic and humanitarian lemonade? We turn some of our derelict structures into treatment and social service facilities, and either privately or publicly dispense invoices for services rendered?
You want to house the homeless, you want your addicts clean, and your economy jump-started?
Then I say we start squeezing lemons and go all-in on the lemonade southern Ontario seems to think we make.
If we don't, I fear it's our town that'll end up a lemon.
Christopher Hall
