Homeless face transit problems

By Dan Hilborn
Published May 3, 2006


Of all the obstacles that face the homeless in Burnaby, their inability to ride public transit is one of the most irksome, says Patricia Pedersen, homeless outreach worker for the Progressive Housing Society.

"It's ridiculous," Pedersen said of the ongoing crackdown on SkyTrain fare evaders, which has resulted in some homeless people receiving multiple fines worth $174 apiece.

"They get on the SkyTrain to get a free meal and they get a $174 fine," she said. "I think it's outrageous. They're not trying to harm anybody. They just want to eat.

The Burnaby NOW raised the issue with Pedersen after being contacted by Tom Graham, a long-term homeless person who once lived in a tent on the city-owned property at the corner of Kingsway and Edmonds.

In an e-mail sent late last year, Graham said that he had received five SkyTrain fare evasion tickets, with fines totalling $1,158. Graham, a self-confessed drug addict, had previously been evicted from the only two existing homeless shelters in the region - both located in New Westminster - and he admits to facing serious criminal allegations.

Pedersen said the crackdown on fare evaders is indicative of the lack of feeling society has for its most unfortunate members.

"It's crazy," she said. "We're so desensitized that most people can walk right past someone who says they're starving, even when we can see they're really thin. It's so wrong.

"We need to get food to these people. How can they feel any value for themselves when they're tossed aside like that?"