The more extreme opponents of the supportive housing block proposed for School Road in Gibsons have been warning of impending doom if the project goes ahead. Some of their predictions are based on anonymous claims supposedly coming out of Sechelt, where a similar project opened about 12 weeks ago on Hightide Avenue. This week, in a story on page six, Sechelt Mayor Darnelda Siegers debunks many of those claims, calling them “misinformation that is being repeated and becoming accepted as fact.”
Among the unproven assertions or absolute falsehoods are reports that the new building has strained RCMP resources, that it’s been a source of noise complaints and domestic disturbances, and that its tenants have been involved in drug dealing. Exploding the myth that homeless people have been “brought in” from off-Coast to live in the new facility, Siegers states that 39 of the 40 units are occupied by Sechelt residents and that the same is true for the 20 beds in the RainCity homeless shelter.
Whether people are making things up or simply misinformed, the result is the same: some of the most vulnerable people in the community are being falsely and cruelly painted in the most unflattering light. Rather than hardening the opposition, the strategy is bound to backfire, and we have seen indications of this in recent letters to the editor that are increasingly supportive of the School Road proposal.
Prior to the mayor’s disclosures, Gibsons resident Audrey Owen was skeptical of the rumours she was hearing about the Hightide project – that it was “a disaster” and that locals were obliged to clean up used needles outside the building. Ms. Owen took it upon herself to investigate the claims. She called up the building manager, who “strongly disputed” them. In a letter published Aug. 2, Ms. Owen urged her neighbours to similarly check out the rumours circulating about the project and to use common sense – and common decency – before drawing rash conclusions.
Opponents of the Gibsons proposal have expressed valid concerns about the top-down site-selection process and the impact the project could have on the immediate neighbourhood. If they expect to be respectfully heard, however, they should take great care to avoid dehumanizing the people who may soon become their neighbours.
