Four presentations were made last night at North Bay City Council’s Town Hall including one on homelessness.

A nurse with the AIDS Committee of North Bay and area Saskia Hildebrandt presented in support of people who are struggling with homelessness, substance use and mental health issues.

She says in the long term the solution for the homeless is more housing.

But in the short term she calls on the community to see homeless people as human beings.

“Our community is so good at coming together when there’s a need. Now more than ever there is a need for empathy and understanding as we navigate how to best serve those who are in need of much more concrete support,” she says.

Meantime, Steven Kudla a skateboard enthusiast called on the city to have a much better skateboard park.

He says there is one but it’s not good enough.

“It’s the ugly duckling in a collection of over 150 concrete skate parks in Ontario. It’s truly confusing why we have such an atrocity of a park in such a beautiful city when there’s a waterfront, parks and trails,” Kudla says.

There was also a presentation on the job city staff is doing and one on the need for more benches in different parts of the city.

(photo by station staff)

Filed under: homeless, skateboard park, virtual town hall