Poverty became a heated issued inside Toronto city hall Monday as protesters disrupted a council meeting to address the state of shelters in the city.
Two dozen members of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty stormed the chamber, forcing the speaker to call a recess.
"This is your fault," yelled one young female protester. "You can do something today."
One OCAP supporter was arrested for trespassing.
Protesters were hoping to speak with Mayor David Miller about the number of shelter beds that are made available to the homeless. They also wanted to sound off on the condition of shelters, which they say are filled with bed bugs and disease and are generally unsafe.
The city maintains that there are more than 200 beds available in the shelter system every night.
OCAP decided to take their complaints to city hall after holding a protest at Allan Gardens over the weekend. Late Saturday night, Protesters erected a number of tents to make a point about shelters.
Police moved in and asked them to take down the tarps they were using as shelters because they violated city bylaws.
A scuffle broke out when police began cutting down the tarps after people refused to remove them. One person was arrested.
OCAP officials say they will be stepping up their protests over the summer until the city takes action to improve the shelter system.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness
