Egan: At election time, what of the poor? Or ever?

The poor are always with us … except during elections, which are all about power and things grandly solvable.
This is in mind while touring Caldwell Family Centre in one of Ottawa’s old-school public housing “projects” — a couple of 14-storey highrises surrounded by tightly-built townhomes, a lot of asphalt and one Quickie store.
It is just after lunch. Things are a little chaotic in the centre, always are, as there is just no room to move. The centre began before