December is said to be a festive time of good cheer, with the milk of human kindness flowing freely. But . . .
There’s a war in Ukraine and a war between Israel and Hamas that has Canadians divided as never before, with increased incidences of hate-fuelled behaviour among us. Climate change action is urgently needed in the world, including Canada, and yet not enough is in evidence. Housing affordability is down the drain – in fact, the affordability of everything. Mental health and addiction issues abound, and the unhoused are a growing population.
Here at home, there’s the dis-appointment of Lansdowne and the rising tide of homelessness and mental distress in the Glebe. The article by Roger Smith in this issue of the Glebe Report and columns by Councillor Shawn Menard and GCA president John Crump chron-icle some of the problems and efforts being made to combat them. Pieces in this and other Glebe Report issues bring to the fore the need for climate change action at the local and indi-vidual levels.
The health of the neighbourhood is of vital importance to those of us who live here – in that, we are all on the same page. Our ideas as to how to fix the problems may differ, but our hearts are in the right place. So, there is room for optimism.
Happy December to us all!
–Liz McKeen
That these problems are being acknowledged and that good and caring people are doing their best to find solutions, or at least find mitigat-ing measures, tells us that there is a good chance things can and will get better.
