Tanner Bergsma understands the importance of affordable living.
The Stratford native, now a second-year psychology student at Laurier University, was homeless for a while. He lost his daughter two and a half years ago and was diagnosed with autism late last year, but he has since found his way.
“I'm an award-winning author, an entrepreneur, and social justice activist,” Bergsma said. “I am also the co-founder of two global movements.”
Bergsma is now fighting for those who are voiceless in a fight to eliminate all sales tax, starting with all basic necessities. He has started a petition to aid with his cause, and will be headed to Ottawa March 14 to stand up for affordability while protesting the rising cost of living in this country. He's also joined up with the Unity Movement to help Canadians lower the cost of living.
“Canadians are getting taxed for utilities, certain foods, public transportation and other items deemed basic necessity,” Bergsma said. “So I am working with a group of other people to help eliminate this tax off of those basic necessities, because the government should not be profiting off of the people. The problem that we are seeing globally is that people are making decisions based off of control, greed and power, and that is destroying our future. That is affecting millions of people. So what I am trying to do is I'm helping to unify people and bring people together in the power of love, and to help bring and restore human rights across the globe.”
Bergsma's petition garnered 72 signatures in less than 24 hours on social media, and the initial momentum has him excited.
“We are gaining a lot of momentum, and we are continuing to spread the awareness,” Bergsma said. “More and more people are backing our causes because we are trying to fight for a sustainable world in helping people to thrive. We all have hearts and feelings, and yet, somehow, that gets missed in a lot of today's society.”
Spreading awareness about the issue at hand is a good first step, but he urges politicians to stand up to the affordability crisis. Bergma pointed to his own experience of homelessness as an example of why action needs to be taken before more people experience homelessness in the community.
“This is an ongoing issue that we are seeing in society. The cost of homes in Stratford alone has gone up immensely, and more and more people are becoming homeless,” Bergma explained. “I would encourage John Nader (Perth-Wellingtons Member of Parliament) to push for more affordable housing within the federal level. I am encouraging city council to choose for once to put the people of Stratford first, rather than focusing on things that are not deemed as necessary. More focus needs to be placed on getting the people of Stratford off the street so that we can thrive as a whole society. I have watched many people who should not be homeless, who are working full-time jobs in Stratford, become homeless and lose everything that they have because the cost of living is too high, and there are not enough resources that are available. We need to take action, and we need to take action now.”