VANCOUVER OLYMPICS ALREADY HAVE A LOSER; THE HOMELESS

Change - The city of Vancouver announced that they will begin ridding the streets of homeless individuals to prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics starting in February 2010. Despite repeated assurances that these individuals will be connected with services, something about this announcement doesn't jive. Maybe if our cities tackled the issue of homelessness with the same fervor as preparations for the Winter Olympics, there would be no homeless people on the streets in the first place.

It's an sad but common activity during high-profile events: city officials use law enforcement to remove homeless people from the streets or arrest them. Usually, they say these cruel tactics are necessary for security reasons. But with the eyes of the nation and/or the world descending on a city like Vancouver, many advocates . . . are suspicious of a city's ulterior motives. . .