action over academia

it's time for a reversal

When my grandfathers returned from the war in Europe there were too many people in need of homes and not enough houses. A simple solution was reached: Build houses. In the 1970’s here in Canada we experienced another housing crisis. That time creative solutions emerged including government housing, cooperative housing and collectively purchased lands so that middle class people could build equity based on sweat and effort.

These days?

Here in Canada we have an entire industry based on homelessness. A recent homelessness conference that took place in Halifax attracted over sixteen hundred people including academics, activists and members of the non profit sector from across the country. The registration fees alone were between four and eight hundred dollars per person. On top of that, people had expenses - hotel bills, per diems and other associated travel costs.

This annual event typically represents two point five million dollars of economic activity. Two point five million dollars - w…