The Calgary Street Talk newspaper will go to the presses for the last time in July 2010. As a result, I've decided to take my "From Where I Stand" column and publish it in blog format. This step is easy enough for me to take, but losing Calgary Street Talk silences the voices of many people who are not often heard in society. The vendors of the newspaper made their living off the sale of Street Talk to Calgarians in the downtown core, but the free publication provided daily by Metro News made Street Talk a more expensive and less relevant option for many readers. Sadly, sales declined and the vendors could no longer make the revenue needed to keep the paper in production and it was forced to shut down.
Losing Calgary Street Talk as an independent newspaper is a huge blow to those experiencing poverty in our city. I hope those who write for the paper are able to find other ways of communicating their messages whether it be online or as personal advocates for the homeless in their communities. I also hope the vendors are able to find other jobs that help them earn the money they need for survival. Lastly, I hope everyone who lives in Calgary and is able to donate to agencies that service the homeless or who can volunteer their time will do so. Your contributions make a bigger difference than you realize.
Going forward, I intend to keep writing on this blog about the issues I think are important related to homelessness, poverty, disability issues and our community in general. Feel free to leave a comment and help me get started on this new chapter for "From Where I Stand."
Jon
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