Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart says it’s “devastating” to see the homeless count rise and the city needs more investment from Ottawa if it’s going to solve the problem. A statement from Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos disputed Stewart’s assessment of the federal response, saying Ottawa has spent $28 million over the past two years on fighting homelessness in Vancouver. Stewart’s office later clarified that Ottawa has in fact delivered millions but the city still needs more to stem the crisis. Duclos said Ottawa will spend another $83 million in Vancouver over the next four years. Some good news in the statistics, like a slight drop in the number of unsheltered people, show that the city’s policy initiatives are starting to work, Stewart said.

Source: National Post June 12, 2019 21:22 UTC