11| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,M ay 31,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca I always vote. My love of politics start- ed early, when my parents were among the only self- proclaimed Liberals in Saskatchewan, a province with a political left and right, but no discernible middle. Our dinner table was full of political chatter - they were devout politicos and loved the drama of the game. One year, my mom and dad temporarily strayed from the red team, when our neighbour was an NDP candidate in a provincial election. She didn't win the election, but my interest in politics went through the roof when she stepped for- ward and put her name on the ballot. Each and every time I had the chance to vote, I did. Because my parents walked their talk and I learned from them that po- litical participation was part of being a citizen. I moved to Ontario and found a very different place. There was a political middle in this province - something I had never ac- tually experienced! I found my political place in that middle, liking it because sometimes you could be or- angey-red and other times a shade of purple. I continued to vote, as an Ontarian, in every elec- tion. Years flew by, my chil- dren grew up and became eligible to vote. We would always vote as a family, in Waterloo, even when they lived elsewhere during their university years. It's simple: Voting is very important. And many people go to great lengths to partici- pate in our political pro- cess. My father was hospital- ized during the last federal election. Despite his fail- ing health, he was deter- mined to vote, so Elections Canada sent a volunteer to his bed side to help him cast his ballot. He was wor- ried that his candidate might lose by one vote so he was going to make sure it wasn't his fault. His can- didate won her race. A vote is a precious thing. Yet, many of us choose to discard it because we are too busy, disinterested or frustrated with the options we are presented with. On that last point, a re- cent IPSOS poll shared the reality that we are faced with - 42 per cent of us are unhappy with the leaders of the three main parties. Combine those feelings with a missing platform from the PC party, a fake sex scandal, some wacky candidates, a desire for change for the sake of change, and a bitter cam- paign ... no wonder people are struggling with the idea of voting in this elec- tion. I get it. But not voting isn't going to change any- thing. Wringing your hands won't either. Get involved. Do your research. Cast your ballot. It's our only hope. - Karen Scian is the co- founder of the Talent Busi- ness Solutions, an educa- tor and a community ad- vocate. She is also chair of the Waterloo Public Li- brary Board. You can email her at bein- scian@gmail.com or fol- low her on Twitter @ka- renscian. OPINION It's your job to get out and vote If you don't like what's going on work to change it says Karen Scian KAREN SCIAN Column Standing on the corner of Victoria Street and Westmount Road, Kymi Hobbs holds up a card- board sign that reads: "Anything Helps, Please? God Bless and Thank You." Hobbs recently caught my attention with her big blue eyes, strawberry blond hair, and unassum- ing frankness. "I find some people are snobby and look down on panhandlers," said Hobbs, 28, and decked out in a denim vest, blue jeans and black boots. "Some guy just drove past and yelled, 'Only los- ers beg for money!' and I yelled back, 'Only losers shout rude things from a car!'" Hobbs said with a chuckle. "Or people will yell, 'Get a job!' and I'll think, 'thanks, like I haven't thought of that.' It's hard to get a job when you can't take a shower and you smell like the in- side of a wool hat. But the worst are the men who tell me to go work downtown, implying I prostitute my- self." Hobbs told me how she has spent some time in jail, but later became a student at the University of Guelph, working to- ward a degree in biochem- istry, molecular biology and genetics. "I wanted to make cheaper vaccines for the world," said Hobbs, who was born in Halifax. "In Third World countries, just the polio vaccine alone goes for a hundred bucks a pop, and vaccines for things like mumps, measles and smallpox just aren't affordable in poor countries." Since losing her furni- ture repair job last year due to an injury, Hobbs has found it challenging finding affordable hous- ing. "My only choice is to live in a crack house or live outside, so I choose to camp in the warmer months," she said. "St. John's Kitchen, they have housing workers who try to find people in my posi- tion apartments, and they have a new program now where the government will pay for half your rent to try to keep you off the streets, but the wait list for that is insane. I got put on the list last year and I'm still at 104, so it could be a long time." After spending some time with Hobbs, I reflect- ed on the many street peo- ple I've come to know over the years, like Anatole Ry- bas, a fixture in uptown known for his "I Need One Dollar" sign (sometimes "I Need Two Dollars"), and the late Rob Michalofsky, an unobtrusive panhan- dler who died seven years ago this past week at the age of 56. My chat with Hobbs was a reminder that pan- handlers and street peo- ple deserve consideration and respect from those of us who are more fortu- nate. The quality of a per- son's character is not de- termined by wealth, and I'd rather share a curb with a street person than share a fancy meal with someone who looks down their nose (or shouts in- sults from a car) at pan- handlers. - Marshall Ward is a freelance writer and art- ist. Email is welcome at marshall_ward@hot- mail.com. Passing judgment while panhandler passes the hat Misfortune doesn't mean we should forget someone's basic humanity says Marshall Ward MARSHALL WARD Column Every morning we learn from the newspapers about conflicts in various parts of the world. What we rarely see is the devastating im- pact these crises have on children and youth, espe- cially girls. For a girl, a crisis can mean a devastating change in life choices - to flee vio- lence, or to be married for her own protection. Sup- porting a girl to stay in school and continue her ed- ucation means giving her another choice, one that re- stores dignity and hope. Kudos to Prime Minis- ter Trudeau for his recent announcement that invest- ing in girls' education in crisis situations is a vital part of achieving gender equality. Now Trudeau needs to enlist the support of the world's strongest and richest countries, whose leaders will be at the up- coming G7 meeting in Charlevoix, Quebec. A G7 Declaration to Ed- ucate and Empower Girls in Crises, along with solid financial commitments, would go a long way toward ensuring that powerful words translate into pow- erful action. Chitra Ramaswami Calgary, Alta. Need firm commitment to help girls in crisis zones Letters to the Editor See what our readers are saying about the issues that matter to them. www.waterloochronicle.ca/letters Please keep our community clean!