Toronto's homeless community demands better winter plan from city
Toronto's homeless community and their supporters are demanding a better plan from the city for the coming winter.
The Shelter Housing Justice Network, which represents members of the homeless community and those who work with them, issued a report Tuesday with several recommendations.
The group wants the city to extend leases it holds on hotels that are used to house the homeless during the pandemic.
The group also wants to city to allow the homeless to camp in public spaces.
"The city must repeal the no-camping bylaw," said Greg Cook, an outreach worker at Sanctuary Ministries Toronto. "People have the right to exist."
Homeless encampments popped up throughout the city when COVID-19 hit in March 2020. Hundreds fled shelters for fear of contracting the virus.
The city won a court battle last year that upheld its powers to enact and enforce the no-camping bylaw.
This past summer, the city cleared three encampments in public parks, some of it by force from the police riot squad. The city said the encampments were not safe.
The overdose crisis in the province is also hitting the homeless at a much higher rate than the general public.
On Tuesday, advocates added 16 names -- many John Does -- on a memorial for homeless people who have died on the streets and in shelters during August and September.
"We are in the middle of an escalating overdose crisis," Cook said at the memorial outside the Holy Trinity church.
"Our loved ones and fiends are dying. Half of the people who die without housing die of drug toxicity -- this is alarming and must be addressed."
Jennifer Jewell, who lived in an encampment before taking the city's offer to move in to a shelter hotel downtown 10 months ago, said safe housing should be the city's highest priority.
"We need housing now, people need to be provided safe spaces to heal, they need homes," Jewell said.
While shelter hotels provide a room, she said the city needs to offer more harm reduction because she's seen many die in her hotel alone. She said it took the city 11 months to set up a peer-support program to help with the overdoses.
"Please help us," Jewell said. "Police are no solution."
The city did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the groups' recommendations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 12, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.