Latest news with #LindsayJones
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ontario anti-encampment law punishes the homeless, avoids long-term solutions: critics
A new provincial law that aims to clear encampments from public spaces does not address the root causes behind homelessness and punishes people who have no access to affordable shelter, critics say. The Safer Municipalities Act, which passed last Tuesday in the Ontario legislature, gives municipalities and police "enhanced tools they need to end encampments and clean up our parks and public spaces," according to a provincial news release from April. But the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), which represents all 444 municipalities in the province, says the law does not provide longer-term, permanent solutions for homelessness — an issue municipalities across the province have described as a top concern in recent years. "It doesn't really focus at all on the root causes of homelessness ... the lack of deeply affordable housing, the lack of mental health and addictions services at the levels that we need them, as well as some of these basic issues around income support," said Lindsay Jones, the AMO's director of policy and government relations. Under the legislation, the province will spend $50 million to help create 1,239 additional housing units, and $20 million to create 971 additional shelter and temporary accommodation spaces. It will also put $5.5 million toward the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit to "immediately free-up emergency shelter spaces for people living in encampments" by helping around 1,000 people living in shelters move into longer-term housing, the news release said. WATCH | Ford first introduced the legislation in December: While Jones called the spending encouraging, she said its "a drop in the bucket" compared to the nearly $2 billion the AMO estimates is needed to end encampments in Ontario. More than 80,000 people in Ontario were homeless last year, according to an AMO report. The association previously found there were about 1,400 encampments across the province in 2023. CBC Toronto has reached out to the province for comment. Jones said the Safer Municipalities Act is particularly focused on enforcement. The law strengthens penalties for people who "deliberately and continually break the law by adding the new aggravating factors of continuous trespassing and the likelihood to reoffend," the provincial news release said. People convicted of a trespass offence may face a fine of up to $10,000, according to the bill. The legislation also allows police officers to issue a ticket or arrest people who do not comply with an order to stop using illegal substances in public and to leave the public place. People found guilty of violating the legislation may face fines of up to $10,000 or up to six months in prison. The province will explore "judicial approaches" that provide rehabilitation as an alternative to jail time for minor or non-violent drug crimes, the provincial news release said. When Ontario Premier Doug Ford first introduced the Safer Municipalities Act in December, he said encampments "are taking over public spaces, with illegal drug use happening out in the open, creating huge safety risks for people and communities." "Enough is enough, this has to stop and it will stop," Ford added. But Diane Chan McNally, a community worker in Toronto who works with people who live in encampments, says the Safer Municipalities Act is punishing those who have no access to affordable housing. "We're misdiagnosing the actual problem. We're suggesting that the issue is people using drugs in public when the issue is actually that people have nowhere affordable for them to live," she said. McNally said there is a stereotype that people who live in encampments are heavy drug users involved in criminal activity. The reality is that "every kind of person" lives in encampments because they cannot afford housing, she said. The people she has worked with include an 84-year-old woman who started living in an encampment after her spouse died and she could no longer afford housing. WATCH | Ford has said he is prepared to use notwithstanding clause to clear encampments: Many people who live in encampments are concerned they will be targeted under the new legislation regardless of whether they use drugs or not, McNally said. Catherine McKenney, NDP MPP for Ottawa Centre, said the legislation could also fuel a cycle where people who have been imprisoned will struggle to get housing once they're released because they have a criminal record, McKenney said. "Prison beds are not housing," McKenney said. The legislation may also infringe on the rights of people who are trying to seek shelter, said Harini Sivalingam, director of the equality program at Canadian Civil Liberties Association. In Ontario, there is strong case law — meaning law based on previous judicial decisions — that establishes people have a right to seek shelter when there are no available shelter options for them overnight, she said. "'The government can't deprive them of that right by evicting them overnight when they have nowhere else they can go for safety and security," Sivalingam said. Last year, before the act was introduced, Ford pledged to use the notwithstanding clause that would override the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms if the courts were to "interfere" with the legislation. He made the pledge in a letter to 12 mayors who asked him to use the clause to clear encampments. In April's provincial news release, 16 mayors across the province indicated their support for the Safer Municipalities Act. Community groups and advocates in the province are exploring legal avenues to stop the enforcement of the Safer Municipalities Act, Sivalingam said. "The government is trying to seek shortcuts that will impact important rights and freedoms," she said.
CBC
a day ago
- Politics
- CBC
Ontario anti-encampment law punishes the homeless, avoids long-term solutions: critics
Social Sharing A new provincial law that aims to clear encampments from public spaces does not address the root causes behind homelessness and punishes people who have no access to affordable shelter, critics say. The Safer Municipalities Act, which passed last Tuesday in the Ontario legislature, gives municipalities and police "enhanced tools they need to end encampments and clean up our parks and public spaces," according to a provincial news release from April. But the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), which represents all 444 municipalities in the province, says the law does not provide longer-term, permanent solutions for homelessness — an issue municipalities across the province have described as a top concern in recent years. "It doesn't really focus at all on the root causes of homelessness ... the lack of deeply affordable housing, the lack of mental health and addictions services at the levels that we need them, as well as some of these basic issues around income support," said Lindsay Jones, the AMO's director of policy and government relations. Under the legislation, the province will spend $50 million to help create 1,239 additional housing units, and $20 million to create 971 additional shelter and temporary accommodation spaces. It will also put $5.5 million toward the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit to "immediately free-up emergency shelter spaces for people living in encampments" by helping around 1,000 people living in shelters move into longer-term housing, the news release said. WATCH | Ford first introduced the legislation in December: 'Enough is enough': Ford details legislation aimed at dismantling homeless encampments 6 months ago Duration 2:02 While Jones called the spending encouraging, she said its "a drop in the bucket" compared to the nearly $2 billion the AMO estimates is needed to end encampments in Ontario. More than 80,000 people in Ontario were homeless last year, according to an AMO report. The association previously found there were about 1,400 encampments across the province in 2023. CBC Toronto has reached out to the province for comment. Law misdiagnoses problem: community worker Jones said the Safer Municipalities Act is particularly focused on enforcement. The law strengthens penalties for people who "deliberately and continually break the law by adding the new aggravating factors of continuous trespassing and the likelihood to reoffend," the provincial news release said. People convicted of a trespass offence may face a fine of up to $10,000, according to the bill. The legislation also allows police officers to issue a ticket or arrest people who do not comply with an order to stop using illegal substances in public and to leave the public place. People found guilty of violating the legislation may face fines of up to $10,000 or up to six months in prison. The province will explore "judicial approaches" that provide rehabilitation as an alternative to jail time for minor or non-violent drug crimes, the provincial news release said. When Ontario Premier Doug Ford first introduced the Safer Municipalities Act in December, he said encampments "are taking over public spaces, with illegal drug use happening out in the open, creating huge safety risks for people and communities." "Enough is enough, this has to stop and it will stop," Ford added. But Diane Chan McNally, a community worker in Toronto who works with people who live in encampments, says the Safer Municipalities Act is punishing those who have no access to affordable housing. "We're misdiagnosing the actual problem. We're suggesting that the issue is people using drugs in public when the issue is actually that people have nowhere affordable for them to live," she said. McNally said there is a stereotype that people who live in encampments are heavy drug users involved in criminal activity. The reality is that "every kind of person" lives in encampments because they cannot afford housing, she said. The people she has worked with include an 84-year-old woman who started living in an encampment after her spouse died and she could no longer afford housing. WATCH | Ford has said he is prepared to use notwithstanding clause to clear encampments: Is eviction the answer to Ontario's homeless encampment problem? | Canada Tonight 6 months ago Duration 12:38 The Ontario government plans to crack down on homeless encampments through new legislation, with Premier Doug Ford even pledging to use the notwithstanding clause if necessary. But is the dismantling of the encampments and eviction of their residents a long-term solution? Diana Chan McNally, community worker and advocate, and Cam Guthrie, one of the 12 mayors that asked Ford to use the notwithstanding clause to remove encampments from public spaces, discuss more. Many people who live in encampments are concerned they will be targeted under the new legislation regardless of whether they use drugs or not, McNally said. Catherine McKenney, NDP MPP for Ottawa Centre, said the legislation could also fuel a cycle where people who have been imprisoned will struggle to get housing once they're released because they have a criminal record, McKenney said. "Prison beds are not housing," McKenney said. Law could violate people's rights, CCLA says The legislation may also infringe on the rights of people who are trying to seek shelter, said Harini Sivalingam, director of the equality program at Canadian Civil Liberties Association. In Ontario, there is strong case law — meaning law based on previous judicial decisions — that establishes people have a right to seek shelter when there are no available shelter options for them overnight, she said. "'The government can't deprive them of that right by evicting them overnight when they have nowhere else they can go for safety and security," Sivalingam said. Last year, before the act was introduced, Ford pledged to use the notwithstanding clause that would override the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms if the courts were to "interfere" with the legislation. He made the pledge in a letter to 12 mayors who asked him to use the clause to clear encampments. In April's provincial news release, 16 mayors across the province indicated their support for the Safer Municipalities Act. Community groups and advocates in the province are exploring legal avenues to stop the enforcement of the Safer Municipalities Act, Sivalingam said.
Global News
13-05-2025
- Business
- Global News
How 2 foes came together to pitch Ontario a new approach to the housing crisis
At the beginning of the year, a lobby group representing Ontario's developers released a comprehensive report laying out how the fees homebuilders have to pay have increased, making it harder to kickstart new homes that people can afford. The Ontario Home Builders Association released its development charges study in January, advocating for a more uniform approach across the province to provide stability. The 65-page document caught the attention of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, a group which has often fought against suggestions by developers that the fees they pay to cities should be reduced. The group viewed the latest report — on modernizing rather than scrapping development charges — as a chance to compromise. 'This was much more targeted and focused on improving the current regime and really recognizing the importance of the development charge,' Lindsay Jones, the AMO director of policy and government relations, told Global News. Story continues below advertisement The municipal group reached out to set a meeting with the homebuilders and, over the course of a few months, worked on a compromise. After years of fighting over how the Ford government should solve Ontario's worsening housing crisis, the two opposing groups sat down to try and work out some kind of common ground. By the end of March, days after new Housing Minister Rob Flack was appointed to the portfolio, the groups had signed a joint letter. It contained a series of recommendations for how the government could tweak the fees developers pay. 'I think there were some people in the ministry that never thought they would see AMO and OHBA signatures on the same letter, saying, 'We want the same thing,'' Ontario Home Builders Association CEO Scott Andison said. 'I think that gave the government the confidence that they could move forward.' That sentiment was echoed by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, which indicated the joint letter had allowed it to make changes that it may not otherwise have been able to consider. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy On Monday, Flack unveiled the housing bill, which included a number of wide-ranging changes to how developers and cities would work together. Among the changes in the new bill, which came from work between AMO and OHBA, is work to create more universal and interchangeable definitions within the development charges framework, to delay when developers have to pay the fees to municipalities and to create rules around what costs can actually be recovered through the process. Story continues below advertisement When it proposed the bill, the government was at pains to point out many of the changes were enthusiastically supported — and even recommended by — municipalities. 'The legislation we're tabling today responds to recommendations and requests from municipal leaders, and will help build the homes and infrastructure Ontario needs,' Flack said in a statement on Monday. He presented the legislation at a news event attended by AMO and the mayors of both Mississauga and Vaughan. The latter pair were also mentioned in the Ford government's recent speech from the throne. The attendees were more than symbolic in the Ford government's struggle to meet its goal of 1.5 million homes. Over several rounds of legislation, successive housing ministers have attempted to speed up housing approvals, only to be met by fierce backlash. Two bills presented under Steve Clark — Bill 23 and Bill 109 — were met with intense municipal opposition for limiting development charges; many of the changes were eventually walked back. Andison conceded developers had seen the strength municipalities can mount, and realized working together could be more productive. 'I know what the power of municipalities is and the force that they are in terms of how they work with government,' he said. Story continues below advertisement On the other side, AMO had found itself confronted with several pieces of legislation it believed would bring municipalities to their knees financially. The organization decided to try and work on changes it could definitely support. 'This is not another Bill 23,' Jones said. 'This is a bill that was developed with prior collaboration with both the municipal and development sectors. And it also takes quite a measured approach.' While the two primary opponents of changes one way or the other in municipal development are on board with the latest changes, it remains to be seen if it can achieve the Ford government's goal of boosting housing starts. The province is still struggling to meet its goal of 1.5 million new homes by 2031. The target was introduced after recommendations from an expert housing panel ahead of the 2022 provincial election and was a cornerstone of the government's campaign. Projections in last year's budget showed it continuing to fall short. The government's expectations, based on private sector projections, show 87,900 housing starts in 2024, 90,000 starts in 2025 and 94,000 housing starts in 2026. While the numbers represent an improvement, they would still see Ontario fall well short of its goal. Over those years, Ontario is projected to build 274,000 new homes; the province's housing goals are set at 300,000. Story continues below advertisement Data published recently by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation showed that housing starts in Ontario in March were down 46 per cent, year over year, for communities with 10,000 or more people. The OHBA suggested spreading the cost of development charges out over several years — one of the tweaks in the bill — could help to spur construction. AMO, however, said the changes wouldn't be the thing that fixes the housing crisis. 'I think that it's important to improve the DC regime, but that is never going to be the silver bullet in terms of solving the housing crisis,' Jones said. 'We do think that there are contributions, that making the DC regime more standardized, more transparent can improve things. But we really need a much broader conversation on this question of how we are going to pay for all of the infrastructure that communities need to be able to accommodate growth in a way that's sustainable.' — with a file from The Canadian Press
