#st john's

"A Dickensian saga has unfolded in St. John's, ending in the eviction of an elderly woman from public housing, for no reason the city will talk about.

The move has left seniors and the disabled community scared and confused.

Offstage and invisible was Shirley Cox, a disabled 82-year-old woman whose mental and physical safety, access to shelter, material possessions and personal agency lay in the hands of at least 11 non-disabled people.

The tension in council chambers was palpable, as protesters waited, clinging to a tiny thread of hope that somebody, anybody, would move that this eviction be added to the agenda so someone could express dissent.

But there would be no hero, no plot twist, no happily-ever-after. 

Monday night's city council meeting included a dazzling performance of improvisational scripting, wandering narratives, ambient gaslighting, blame shifting, avoidance and scapegoating — backed by a chorus of echoes of the same oblique talking points, ad nauseam.

The mayor, resplendent in colonial regalia, dropped a gavel lest the name "Shirley Cox" be invoked in their presence.

Decorum must prevail, and anyway, they've done nothing illegal.

And just like that, a disabled senior woman was evicted from public housing without cause or explanation, and discarded into homelessness without any evident thought about the harm this will have first on Shirley Cox, but also on the disabilities community, and the BIPOC and LGBTQ communities who also are identified in the Human Rights Code as targets of discrimination.

The move is a signal to all of us that at any time, without disclosing why, even in the most dire of economic conditions, the city can and will evict."

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On Newfoundland's Waters

During Nature Canada's recent Board meeting, we spent an afternoon on the waters near St John's, Newfoundland.

I found the density of puffins, dolphins, and whales both delightful and moving.

It was a vivd reminder of the extent of Canada's natural blessings, and of the imperative for Canadians to steward our inheritance responsibly.