Rose's Cantina

This is part of an ongoing series of stories and columns I wrote for newspapers across Canada. I am grateful to Postmedia, and the Ottawa Citizen, for permission to reprint the following articles which ran March 18, 2002.  LIFE ON THE STREETS: Earlier this year, Nick Gagnier, an Ottawa teen, left home after a fight with his mother. What he learned while living on the street has left him wiser -- and stronger. Meanwhile, his mother, Rose Simpson, experienced the heartache of a parent whose child has left. By Nick Gagnier What do you see in a homeless person? Do you see a low-life, huddled against a downtown building, panhandling for money to buy his supper? Or do you recognize a human being underneath the filthy hair and clothes? Society tends to see the first image. But personally after spending a week with no place to call home, I have warmed up to the homeless. I really should start from the beginning. I spent five hectic years living with my father and hi...