Mayor Nicole Read and City Council are currently in talks to plan the building of a permanent low barrier shelter in Maple Ridge. 

By signing this petition I am stating that I do not want more low barrier shelter beds of any kind in this city. I do not want the temporary shelter beds to become permanent. 

I am not ignorant of the needs of the homeless, but I do not feel that increasing the number of low barrier shelter beds is in the best interests of this city, it's people or the homeless themselves. This is per the Mayor and council's own admission that the vast majority of this city's homeless have addiction and mental health issues and that available addiction and mental health services and resources are at their limit.

"Warehousing" people who have no hope of accessing adequate treatment helps no one and guarantees the continued misery of drug addicted and mentally ill homeless people. 

I do not support any action or activity that essentially enables drug addiction, while ignoring the needs of other marginalized people in this community. 

I want the temporary shelter to close at the end of March as planned. I do not want any new permanent or temporary low barrier shelter beds in this city.