Ford's Safer Municipalities Act
A response from WR YIMBY
On December 12th, Ontario Premier Doug Ford introduced legislation, which, if implemented, will make it easier to dismantle homeless encampments. Community worker and advocate, Diana Chan McNally, shares her concerns about this legislation, here.
Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard (WR YIMBY) has also shared their response to the proposed legislation, which follows:
December 18th, 2024
On December 12th, Ontario Premier Doug Ford introduced the Safer Municipalities Act, 2024, which, if implemented, will make it easier to dismantle homeless encampments.
This move comes despite recent court rulings that such actions might violate the rights of encampment residents.
Instead of ensuring Ontarians have access to shelter, Ford has threatened to use the notwithstanding clause of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to prevent this new legislation from being challenged in court.
We stand against this legislation and any possible use of the notwithstanding clause to circumvent judicial review of government actions that could infringe on rights guaranteed by the Charter.
These threats are clearly meant to subvert the 2023 Ontario Court of Justice decision in Waterloo Region that decided evicting persons from encampments, without adequate access to shelter, violates Section 7 rights in the Charter.
To make matters worse, the homeless situation has only deteriorated since the court’s decision.
Recently, a more thorough 2024 homelessness point in time count for Waterloo Region recorded more than twice as many homeless people as the 2021 count which informed the court’s decision. There has not been a corresponding increase in shelter beds.
Premier Ford has utterly failed to address the root causes of the housing crisis and ensure that Ontarians have access to adequate shelter. The recently promised addition of $75.5 million for housing and shelter space is far too little to deal with the problem at hand, and too late in light of Ford’s continued failure to adequately fund affordable housing.
The province has also failed to address high market rental costs and low vacancy rates, which are related to higher rates of homelessness. Premier Ford has failed to prevent a drop in new housing starts, thereby fueling higher housing costs.
His unwillingness to require municipalities to allow the bare minimum of additional housing has been an abdication of provincial leadership, and his rhetoric has been cited by a Councillor to oppose affordable housing in Cambridge.
Premier Ford maintains that encampments are unsafe for surrounding communities and that this is a good reason to evict them. However, encampment evictions themselves lead to reduced safety for encampment residents and the communities surrounding them. Evictions without adequate alternatives will not end homelessness; they will only spread it out.
This further isolates homeless people, making it harder for them to connect with the service providers that Ford believes will play a crucial role in solving public safety issues. Homelessness itself is a form of isolation, and exacerbating this can make it harder for people to move forward.
It also increases the risk of overdose deaths and victimization as homeless people are further from potential support systems and protection.
There is an alternative to Ford’s focus on criminalizing homelessness: house homeless people. Finland has seen remarkable success with an adequately funded Housing First strategy, leading to a dramatic drop in homelessness. Ontario needs to take similar action.
We urge the Government of Ontario to replace the Safer Municipalities Act and the criminalization of homelessness with a fulsome investment in affordable housing and shelter space; and to work towards zero homelessness. That way there will be no need for homeless encampments or evictions.
Ontario should start by doubling the stock of non-market housing, as Scotiabank and the National Housing Accord recommend across Canada.
While Premier Ford appears set on creating these wedge issues as he seemingly marches towards an early election, I always try to end these posts with some opportunity for action. If you haven’t yet, take a look at the Homes, Not Handcuffs campaign.
Have Your Say:
As part of the expansion project at Mill-Courtland Community Centre, the City of Kitchener will be installing new public art. 11 proposals were submitted which have now been narrowed down to two finalists. Weigh in with your preference, before January 26th.
