By Mike Archer. It took Bruce Banman less than five minutes to shut down Henry Braun and demonstrate that his allegiance seems to lie firmly with the small group of business owners and wealthy people who own Abbotsford and that he seems to have no interest in hearing anymore nonsense about helping homeless people with alcohol dependence, mental illness, drug addiction or the resulting behaviour problems.
Councillor Henry Braun tried to have Abbotsford Council reconsider the decision it made two weeks ago to refuse $15.3 million in funding for the ACS/BC Housing Proposal to take 20 alcohol dependent men off the streets of downtown Abbotsford at Monday’s meeting but, before he could address council he was interrupted by Mayor Banman who told him that Abbotsford policy on motions to reconsider required a vote on whether or not to reconsider before Braun would be allowed to speak.
The same three councillors who opposed the ACS/BC Housing proposal two weeks ago (Smith, MacGregor, Barkman) voted not to reconsider while those who voted for the low barrier housing proposal (Lowen, Braun, Ross and Gill) voted to support Braun’s motion to reconsider.
Mayor Banman chose to vote with the minority of council thus creating a tie and defeating the motion.
Councillor Ross asked the Mayor why he and the three councillors refused to even hear what Councillor Braun had to say. She received no answer.
Banman’s decision falls only days after his statement at the University of the Fraser Valley screening of ‘The Chicken Manure’ documentary:Bruce Banman
“One of the reasons why homeless … we have the problem is because back in the day we used to do things like it was a never –ending prison sentence.
We got to use shock therapy, sterilization, frontal lobotomies. We behaved poorly and the Supreme Court of Canada said the right to freedom is more important than their right to be healthy.“The only time we lock people up is when they actually become a danger to others not themselves. I think, as a nation, we need to revise that. There’s something inherently wrong that we can’t put someone away for their own good.”
