Council candidate aims to advocate for those who don’t have a voice
By Tim Kalinowski on September 10, 2021.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDtkalinowski@lethbridgeherald.com City council candidate Chris Rowley says he would be a voice for the disadvantaged and low income people in the community if elected this fall.“I am running for city council because I feel the homeless and the low income (people) don’t have a voice on council,” he says; “especially this last term. So I want to be that voice going forward. I have a disability; so I am on AISH. That is where a lot of my advocacy comes from. Advocacy for those who don’t have a voice.”
Rowley also volunteers with many organizations in the community including the SAGE Clan, the United Way and the Lethbridge Overdose Prevention Society also known as LOPS.
Rowley said he believes in harm reduction, but also understands as a councillor he would have to accept that others do not.
“For me, harm reduction is only one piece of it– it’s not the end-all,” Rowley states. “So we need to come together on the things we agree on. So other pillars like detox beds, the counselling and all that. We need to work together on what we can come together on.
“So yes, I was a part of the harm reduction (pillar), but if I am going to work together with someone who disagrees with that I am like, ‘let’s advocate for those other pieces.'”
Rowley feels a big problem with the way policies in the city around homelessness have evolved is the way they have led to the institutionalization of poverty and addiction in the community, and he would seek to advocate to change that.
“These (social service) organizations have an investment to keep people homeless because they make money that way,” he states bluntly. “And that’s why The Mustard Seed has been doing this for how long and they haven’t been able to fix homelessness? Is it because they want to keep them homeless? I ask the question. I don’t know if it is true, but that’s the question that I ask.”
Rowley says councillors need to listen directly to those on the streets to determine what they need, and council needs to be open to having an ongoing dialogue with people on all sides of the issue who may differ greatly from one another, including those who may have a very negative view of those dealing with addiction and homelessness on the street.
“When you start to get to the bottom of why people feel that way, it’s not about the individuals on the street– it’s more about ‘the cops aren’t doing anything to protect my property,'” he says. “Well, it’s about your property then; it’s not about the individuals on the street. If it’s about property then let’s talk about that: is it a funding thing for the police? Where does that come from so we can try to figure that out? Because when we hate on people, or not like a demographic of people, there is usually a reason for that. So let’s talk about that. Let’s have an open dialogue.”
Rowley says Lethbridge is not truly “A Gateway to Opportunity” for many of its citizens, particularly those who are low income, have disabilities and belong to local First Nations. He would like to see that change through good policy development at the city council level. Public transit is one obvious area, he says, where this lack is readily apparent. Public transit serves mainly low-income riders in Lethbridge, but council this term, he says, has been focused more on the needs of seniors, students, and the bottom line when it comes to routing and transit policy.
“Right now it is all about saving money,” he says. “It is not about the service given to the people that need it; it’s about the money … As we get bigger as a city we are going to need more transit, and that obviously comes with a cost. Every transit (system) around the world runs at a deficit, but you need that as a service for your citizens.
“Your city is only as good as how you treat the low income or disabled people,” he concludes. Follow @TimKalHerald on Twitter 4
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