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Your source for local news, sports, weather and entertainment. www.thenownews.com
Teen plans walk for homeless
Farnworth focuses on child poverty
Simone Blais
Jennifer McFee jmcfee@thenownews.com
sblais@thenownews.com
Port Coquitlam MLA Mike Farnworth outlined a plan Monday to combat poverty if he’s chosen as the BC NDP’s next leader. To start, Farnworth would appoint a single cabinet minister to implement a family and child poverty reduction strategy. This minister would report directly to the premier’s office and would be responsible for setting and achieving legislated targets. Farnworth would also expand childcare and early learning programs in B.C. Brad West, Farnworth’s deputy campaign manager, said this issue will hit home for many local families. “This is critical. There’s a lot of working families in Port Coquitlam and in the TriCities, and no one has to tell them how difficult it is to find childcare space these days,” West said. “We’ve heard this from many, many parents, and it’s critical to help families break the poverty cycle.” Farnworth’s strategy also aims to reduce homelessness, with targets for social housing units and short-term shelters. West said families need more access to affordable housing instead of relying on rental supplements. “You talk to people who have been in the situation, and they’ll tell you that those supplements get eaten up by increasing rents. So what we’re saying is that the province needs to be involved in building affordable social housing,” West said. “There’s a number of people in Port Coquitlam and in the Tri-Cities who are waiting on wait-lists that can stretch on
It’s time to shine the glow stick on homelessness. So says a Port Coquitlam teenager, who is organizing a guided walk of homeless camps to raise funds for a Tri-Cities shelter. Danielle Morneau, 17, is organizing Light Up The Night, a 30-minute tour on Sunday, Feb. 13 through areas where Port Coquitlam homeless people live to show residents the other side of the story. With 15-minute rallies planned before and after the walk, Morneau said the event was named Light Up The Night to shine a light for those forced to sleep outside in the dark. Walkers will be given a glow stick for their tour of the Coquitlam River. The Heritage Woods Secondary student said she had been considering the idea after reading Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by twin authors Alex and Brett Harris, and listening to her father, Rhino Marketing’s Doug Morneau, who always encouraged her to follow her passions. As part of a class philanthropy project, Morneau decided to speak with Tri-Cities Homelessness Task Group members and Hope for Freedom Society workers about where homeless camps are located. “A lot of young people don’t see homelessness. We assume it’s not in our area,” Morneau said. “I thought walking would be a good idea to show people this is where the homeless are. This is where they sleep. This is where people live.” So far, she says 50 people have registered for the walk, including some from municipal government and the non-profit sector. Morneau said she is hitting the ground this week armed with posters and pamphlets to recruit teens who are interested in attending, and interest is beginning to swell at several Tri-Cities high schools. “I’m wanting to get about 500 people out. That’s what I’ve ordered for glow sticks and bracelets,” she said. “People who didn’t go to the event, I want them to wonder, ‘What did I miss out on?’” While the event is about offering financial support, Morneau also hopes participants will just become inspired. That’s why information booths on various local eco-projects and non-profits will greet walkers as they arrive. “I’m wanting to mainly raise awareness for homelessness more than anything else, have a change of heart in our community,” she said. The Feb. 13 walk starts at 7:30 p.m. from Leigh Square, with registration starting at 7 p.m. Admission is by $5 donation to support the shelter
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POSITIVE ENERGY: Brazilian music and dance performing group Aché Brasil visits Eagle Ridge Elementary in Coquitlam. The word “aché” means “the positive energy that moves the universe” or “everything that is positive,” according to the group’s website. The group is based out of the Capoeira Aché Brasil Academy in Vancouver, one of seven spread around the world.
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