The Real Tragedy Of The Fire

Mea culpa.
As my BLOGging partner, Ginny, and another neighbour, Kate, quickly pointed out, the REAL tragedy of the big fire downtown is the loss of people's homes.
Can't agree more and I'm sorry that I failed to mention it in my initial, hasty posting.
So, to put the emphasis where it belongs, we are posting this letter to the editor that was forwarded by Kate, who had it cc'd to her by its author. It deserves to be published as much as possible:

Dear Editor,

While appreciating coverage of the Queen Street West fire, I am deeply troubled by the minimal comment on those who have lost their homes and possessions.

As a past City Planner with experience working with retail strips I am fully aware of the significant loss of architectural heritage as well as the devastating impact on local businesses and their workforce.

However, after two days of following radio, television and newspaper coverage I have been increasingly appalled by the failure of media to focus on and follow the story of the "faces in the windows."

In the depths of winter, in a city where affordable places to live are in short supply, I would have thought the first story would have been the human tragedy and struggle to rebuild lives faced by those who used to live in these buildings. It usually is in other fire related stories in other parts of the city. And what about the loss of affordable rental units in a time when such homes are known to be in short supply?

A "dart" to the media for this serious oversight and can we hear from our political leadership and perhaps our planners and community service folks on the fate of these unfortunate people?

Sincerely,
Larry King