"It’s just to make things more manageable because it’s so bad in the streets." EO By Emma Ockerman
"I have heard from many of you asking me why I voted in support of City Council’s goal of zero encampments. I want to offer clarity and transparency as this is an issue I care about deeply. I will repeat that I unequivocally condemn the use of force that we witnessed at Lamport and Trinity. My vote for zero encampments was an aspirational vote to reaffirm support for housing for all, not an endorsement of police-enforced clearings. My vote was in support of Toronto’s Housing Action Plan, affordable, supportive, and transitional housing initiatives. Plans I have championed for years. There was no vote at City Council to endorse or support the actions we saw on Monday. I would have never voted to support that action. I hope people can understand my vote within the context of my voting history on this issue. I have tried unsuccessfully for years to have homelessness declared an emergency. I have advocated for safer conditions in our shelters. I have relentlessly lobbied all levels of government for expanded housing options, including affordable and supportive housing options, rent subsidies, and transfers. I have also called for a reduction in police services, and for the disarmament of police. The actions at Lamport and Trinity only reaffirm for me that we need a very different model of community safety and care. I want to be clear that I was never consulted or informed that there would be a militarized police response to the Trinity Bellwoods encampment. In fact, prior to the Council vote, I was assured by staff that there would not be a repeat of what we saw at Lamport. That assurance informed my vote. As someone who experienced homelessness as a youth, I recognize the importance of having safe and secure spaces, and wrap-around social supports to transition to permanent housing. I will continue to meet with staff and - with all the power and authority my position has - to urge them to take a very different response in working with residents in Alexandra Park and Moss Park. That will continue to be my priority and my focus. June 22, 2021 I am very frustrated and frankly horrified that the City continues to use a large police presence to clear encampments. Having dozens of police officers descend on people is a clear contradiction to the multiple statements that the City is prioritizing the care and safety of unhoused people. This is not reasonable or measured. We need dialogue and de-escalation if we are to support those most in need of shelter and housing. At City Council two weeks ago, my colleagues and I - the ones who represent the majority of encampment residents - had our motions defeated when we tried to pursue a compassionate, human rights-based approach to providing shelter and housing for encampment residents. For years - prior to the pandemic and well before the rise in encampments, I have been calling the housing crisis an emergency - and my motions have been defeated every time. I understand that some encampment residents do not feel safe in the shelters, for a number of personal reasons, but I simply cannot ignore the extreme risks for people living in encampments. In addition to fire risks, weather exposure, the lack of sanitary options, or regular meals, there is lateral violence and predatory behavior by some seeking to take advantage of encampment residents. We also know that there are significant long-term health risks associated with experiencing homelessness and living outside. From conversations I’ve had with encampment residents, it is clear that not all the tents or structures in parks are being used as shelters. I am concerned by the reports that many of these surplus structures are used to traffic unsafe narcotics, weapons, or human trafficking. For those reasons, I continue to believe that the safety risk of people living outdoors in encampments outweighs the risks within the shelter system. Within the hotels, people have access to regular meals, harm reduction services, and housing workers. There is overwhelming evidence that this kind of stability creates far better outcomes for long-term housing. A tent will never be a suitable home and that is why I will continue to support city staff in their efforts to encourage people to come inside. However, I absolutely condemn the current tactic of using an oversized police presence to intimidate and clear encampment residents. I feel very strongly that City staff must continue to work with encampment residents to find adequate and dignified emergency accommodation in the short term, while the City continues to ramp up permanent housing solutions. This use of police force makes the very hard and good work of our Streets to Homes and other outreach staff even harder. I know there is far more common ground between what residents of the encampments and City staff want. All parties agree that no one should live on a long-term basis in a park, putting their human dignity, safety, and security in peril. Ensuring access to adequate, secure, affordable housing for this population has always been my end goal."
Table of Contents Artists and Authors Against Encampment Evictions 3 Musicians Against Encampment Evictions: 23 Lawyers and Law Students: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 44 Legal Academics: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions from Academics and Researchers 61 Service Industry Against Encampment Evictions 83 Faculty Of Medicine Students: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 98 Anakbayan Toronto: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 105 University-Rosedale NDP Riding Ass.: Joint Statement Against Encampment Evictions 108 Bike Brigade: Statement against Encampment Evictions 109 Fair Change: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 112 Gallery TPW: Statement Against Encampment Evictions 113 Building Roots: Open Letter against Encampment Evictions from Building Roots 119 Friends of Chinatown TO: Statement Against Encampment Evictions 121 Health Providers Against Poverty, the Decent Work and Health Network, the Shelter & Housing Justice Network, and the Street Nurses Network call for a Moratorium on Encampment Evictions 123 CUPE 3903 Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 125 Parkdale Community Legal Services: Parkdale Legal Opposes Encampment Evictions 127 Japanese Canadians for Social Justice : Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 128 DMG: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions from DMG 130 Midwifery And Toronto Community Health (Match) - South Riverdale Community Health Centre: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 131 InterAccess: Open Letter Against Encampment Evictions 133 Civic Tech: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 135 CUPE Ontario: “No encampment clearings”: CUPE Ontario sends message of solidarity to unhoused Torontonians 137 Shelter & Housing Justice Network: Letter of Support for Encampments 138 Regent Park Community Health Centre: Public Statement against Encampment Clearings 141 Xpace Cultural Centre: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 142 Toronto Yoga And Movement Business Owners: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 144 Toronto Prisoners Rights Project: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 146 Showing Up for Racial Justice Toronto (SURJ TO): Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 147 Social Planning Toronto: Forced encampment clearings are not the answer 149 South Asian Visual Arts Centre: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions From SAVAC 150 Spring Magazine 152 Right to Housing: A Call for a Moratorium on Encampment Evictions 153 Pleasure Dome: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 155 Workman Arts: Workman Arts Stands in Solidarity with Encampment Residents... 157 Planner’s Network: Public Statement Against Encampment Evictions 159
"(December 6, 2020) Submission from Khaleel Seivwright, including a petition signed by 49,472 people (EC.New.EC18.3.3)"
A pandemic is no time to be hyper-partisan, but deputy mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong saw to it that last week's budget debate ended in the crapper BY ENZO DIMATTEO Feb 21, 2021
"The City of Toronto has a housing crisis. This pandemic has made it worse. The shelter system has left many people with no options. With winter approaching, I knew that without shelter people would die, as they do in Toronto every year. I started building tiny shelters so that some of the most vulnerable could have somewhere warm to go. The shelters I built are a small part of a temporary solution to keep people alive until they can access alternative housing. Each shelter includes a smoke and carbon monoxide detector and a fire extinguisher. I gave the tiny shelters to the community to decide how best to use them and who needs them most. Encampment residents tell me how important the tiny shelters have been – for safety, for privacy, for dignity. I hope there will be a day that the tiny shelters are no longer needed, but that day has not yet come. Instead of working with me, the City sued to stop me from building and relocating the tiny shelters. This is a distraction. The problem is not the tiny shelters. The problem is that Toronto’s most vulnerable people are falling through the cracks. Toronto’s emergency shelters are too often at capacity. People tell me they have nowhere to go. The money the City is spending to attack me could be put into safe housing for those that need it. This pandemic has been a nightmare – particularly for those who don’t have a home. For those who relied on a 24-hour Tim Hortons or McDonalds to get out of the cold. For those who call into the shelter system over and over and can’t find a safe place to sleep. People who rely on the shelter system no longer trust it. The City’s reputation is terrible when it comes to providing safe and available shelters. We need to work together to support our vulnerable residents. The City of Toronto should drop its application against me and focus its resources and efforts on what matters – getting people safely housed. It’s February. The City should not be removing or destroying tiny shelters until real alternatives exist and COVID-19 is under control. I am grateful for the outpouring of support from community members who want to keep these tiny shelters available. If you have any questions, please speak to my legal representatives or to some of the many individuals fighting to make the streets safe for Toronto’s most vulnerable people. Contact: Legal Representatives: Samara Secter t : 416-649-5063 e : ssecter@addario.ca Danny Kastner t : 416-655-3044 x1 e : dkastner@kastnerlam.com Vinidhra Vaitheeswaran t : 416-655-3044 x10 e : vvaitheeswaran@kastnerlam.com "
Toronto carpenter Khaleel Seivwright has been building ‘tiny shelters’ for the city’s many homeless people. The city says they are dangerous. He says the city is doing nothing to help the unhoused. Jake Kivanç
While new modular homes offer welcome supportive housing, Toronto’s hostility to encampments and temporary shelters threatens vulnerable residents.
https://soundcloud.com/adamgolding/dear-john-tory
Thank you, Khaleel Seivwright and Toronto Tiny Shelters for building life-saving shelters for people like Sam, who is pictured in this article and is a long-time member of West Neighbourhood House's The Meeting Place drop-in. Mike Layton, Joe Cressy, Gord Perks, and Kristyn Wong-Tam: let her stay. We ask you to revoke the Notices of Trespass issued to encampments, and to repeal the by-laws that criminalize encampments in public parks. With COVID-19 making shelters wildly unsafe, Toronto's parks are where Sam and other encampment residents feel safe to be. Let them all stay.
"Khaleel Seivwright built himself a wooden shanty while living on a West Coast commune. Then he started building similar lodgings for homeless people in Toronto to survive the winter."
Trinity Bellwoods was already buzzing on Tuesday with enforcement — police and security, on foot, bikes and horseback, with a drone hovering overhead — when a line of uniformed officers roughly five dozen strong marched into the south half of the west-end park. As security nodded, officers passed through a line of blue metal fencing that city workers had built that morning around two homeless camps. They were met by hundreds of protesters, some trying to pull down the barriers as police pushed back on the fenceline and workers in bright vests fastened the links together with long black zip ties.
Enter story info here
TDIN Co-authors Letter RE: Encampments; 207 Organizations, Community Leaders Sign On Posted on: July 9 2021 UPDATE (July 15): City Council and specifically John Tory did not add A Path Forward to City Council's agenda. Read our statement here: https://www.change.org/p/john-tory-and-city-council-add-a-path-forward-to-city-council-s-agenda-and-adopt-it-as-policy/u/29340418 ___________________________________________________________________ With key input from advocates and people with lived experience in encampments and shelters, TDIN has co-authored a letter, A Path Forward, demanding that Mayor John Tory and the City end the forcible removal of encampments and police use-of-force against unhoused people, and commit to a human rights-compliant approach to engaging with unhoused people. This letter has been signed by over 200 organizations, community and creative leaders in Toronto, who are asking Mayor Tory to consider the letter at July 14th's City Council by adding it to Council's agenda. For more information, please contact Diana Chan McNally at engage@tdin.ca or tdintraining@tngcs.org. Sign the petition to get A Path Forward considered at City Council on July 14: http://chng.it/LZPHD5gk
The City of Toronto gave the public confusing and inconsistent information at the beginning of the COVID-19 lockdown about what people could and could not do in Toronto parks, says City of Toronto Ombudsman Susan Opler in her report released today, Enquiry into the City of Toronto’s Communication and Enforcement of COVID-19 Rules in City Parks in Spring 2020. “I deeply appreciate everything staff at the City of Toronto have done to keep people safe during this pandemic," says Opler. "Their efforts have been heroic, especially early on, when circumstances and provincial directions changed almost daily. But how the City communicated the rules about park use, how it trained by-law enforcement officers to enforce them and how it communicated ticket dispute options created a climate of unfairness that affected everyone who wanted to use Toronto parks.” The Enquiry found a number of problems, including: Public communication was unclear, including signs in parks that did not specifically say which amenities were closed, leaving people confused about whether they could sit on benches. When the City decided to stop ticketing people sitting on park benches, it didn’t make the news public for a week. When management directed a “zero tolerance” approach, by-law enforcement officers working for the Municipal Licencing and Standards division (MLS) were uncertain about whether they could exercise their usual judgement and discretion. The tickets people received contained outdated, inaccurate information on how to fight them, and it was hard for people to get answers to their questions about that. Toronto’s Ombudsman is also concerned that enforcement of the COVID-19 rules may have been felt disproportionately by the City’s poor, marginalized and unhoused. Two independent investigations found that City by-law enforcement officers had discriminated against racialized park users. Another by-law officer allegedly told a racialized woman he ticketed for using a picnic table, “You people need to learn.” Toronto by-law enforcement officers handed out at least 280 tickets while enforcing COVID-19 rules in City parks during the six-week period covered by the Enquiry. The Ombudsman has no jurisdiction over the Court system, so she did not comment on how the individual tickets should be handled. During the Enquiry, the Ombudsman made several immediate recommendations, which the City quickly implemented. In the report released today, Susan Opler made a further 14 systemic recommendations, including that the City: Create an organization-wide policy to ensure timely, accurate, coordinated, and accessible communication to the public about changes to City services and facilities Immediately send clear and direct communication to all MLS staff that “zero tolerance” is an unacceptable, unclear, and unfair approach to enforcement Develop an anti-racism strategy within MLS to eliminate racial profiling from by-law enforcement. The City Manager supports all the recommendations and says the City will implement them. Ombudsman Toronto will review its progress quarterly. This is Susan Opler’s final report after five years as the City of Toronto’s Ombudsman. She is grateful to her dedicated team at Ombudsman Toronto, to the Toronto Public Service, to City Council, and to the people of Toronto. “It has been the honour and privilege of my career to serve my beloved city as Ombudsman, working to ensure our local government treats all people fairly and equitably,” says Opler. The Report, Enquiry into the City of Toronto’s Communication and Enforcement of COVID-19 Rules in City Parks in Spring 2020 and an Ombudsman Toronto backgrounder are available at ombudsmantoronto.ca. For more information, contact: Alex Kruger Ombudsman Toronto Office: 416-338-3023 Cell: 647-472-0873 Alex.Kruger@toronto.ca
"Read and share the statement below on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TODropinNetwork/status/1416100698832490504 ... There is no denying that the outcome of City Council is disappointing. John Tory, who yesterday declared A Path Forward "unwelcome," once again chose to ignore the letter by refusing to add it to Council's agenda. Nothing about A Path Forward is unreasonable or controversial: it advocates for a compassionate approach rooted in upholding the human rights of unhoused people. The failure of Tory to meaningfully acknowledge A Path Forward and bring it to Council for debate is a tacit statement that the City of Toronto does not consider unhoused people as rights-holders. It also represents tacit approval of the City's current approach: deploying millions of dollars in police and paramilitary enforcement resources to forcibly displace people ... to where? Today we also saw Council defer the legalization of multi-tenant homes, or rooming houses, across the City of Toronto until (at least) September. The cost of a room in a multi-tenant home is, on average, between $400 and $700 a month. A bachelor apartment, by contrast, is on average $1,100 a month. For unhoused and low-income people, rooming houses are critical affordable housing stock. Moreover, when licensed, they are also a safer housing option, avoiding many of the risks of unlicensed multi-tenant homes. Despite the clear need for rooming houses, Council — and specifically John Tory's own hand-picked Executive Committee, including Councillors Holyday and Minnan-Wong — did not vote to legalize them today. What does this all add up to? Posed as a slogan: "destroy tents, deny housing." John Tory may continue to argue that encampment locations like Alexandra Park must be made available to "needy" children to participate in summer camps. However, with broad swathes of Trinity Bellwoods fenced off for weeks, let alone former encampment locations in Moss, Barbara Hall, and George Hislop Parks for months, it seems that City government is disallowing all Torontonians reasonable enjoyment of, let alone living space in, our city parks. So where do people go? It's unconscionable cruelty to withhold accessible housing if John Tory and the City stay on the current path of deploying a paramilitary response against encampments. People will simply move to more remote locations away from grounding relationships and vital supports, which puts them at grave risk of harm or even death. And shelters? Without oversight into shelter services by residents of the system — a key component of A Path Forward — "safe, indoor spaces" are anything but. Don't take our word for it: listen to the voices of women living in shelters describing how their health and wellness is affected by being in the system. A Path Forward may not have been considered by Council, but it is still the only way forward, and the only way to bring people indoors safely. This petition will remain open until John Tory engages with us — and you — about what we are collectively demanding: a truly compassionate approach to supporting unhoused people. Until then, be vigilant and keep watch: we will continue to push the recommendations of A Path Forward, and we want you to watch John Tory and the City. If encampments continue to be forcibly and violently removed, it will only be because today, our Mayor and the City denied unhoused people their human rights."
City staff and police began evicting encampment residents from the park near Bathurst and Dundas on Tuesday morning BY KEVIN RITCHIE Jul 20, 2021
Officers were filmed shoving, pepper spraying, and hitting people as they dismantled a park encampment of fewer than 20 residents. By Manisha Krishnan TORONTO, CA
"Last week, Toronto witnessed a needless, violent and excessive use of police force in the removal of 11 encampment residents of Lamport Stadium. What was the result of this exercise? 26 people were arrested (including one resident of Lamport Stadium), countless eye and bodily injuries were incurred by members of the public. Only two people were brought into the shelter system. ..."
The City of Toronto and Khaleel Seivwright have reached a settlement in a legal fight over temporary shelters BY KEVIN RITCHIE Aug 30, 2021
Encampments will continue as long as city shelters are only alternative, advocates say Samantha Beattie · CBC News · Posted: Sep 12, 2021 4:00 AM ET
Police arrested three people today.
The city breaks down the costs of enforcing trespass notices at Trinity Bellwoods, Lamport Stadium and Alexandra Park
Enter story info here
Toronto could have spent $2 million to house people — instead, it spent that much to evict them from parks
PeoplesDefenceTO @Peoples_Defence Our statement on the encampment clearings, the mass arrests and standing up to the city's housing agenda.
http://torch.help
Enter story info here
Enter story info here
Only eight per cent of encampment residents have made it to permanent housing since the pandemic started and the city began clearing parks
Since City Council adjourned last July, Toronto has seen incredible violence enacted against the residents of downtown Toronto encampments and their supporters. We have also learned that the collective cost of evicting Trinity Bellwoods, Alexandra Park, and Lamport Stadium’s encampments reached almost $2 million in public money. Beyond this financial cost, the cost to the lives of encampment residents has been deep and lasting trauma. That cannot be undone. These residents have endured injuries, police targeting, arrests, and the destruction of their homes and treasured belongings. These costs are untenable. And for what? We know that the outcome of these evictions was that not one resident received housing from the City of Toronto. Most people – nearly 60% – simply relocated elsewhere outdoors. Moreover, just 8% of encampment residents have received housing during the pandemic. This is to say that the approach to encampments inflicted upon our City this past summer was an abject, inhumane, and costly failure. While Mayor John Tory described our calls for City Council to deliberate on and adopt the human rights-compliant approach of ‘A Path Forward’ as “unwelcome,” we have not seen the forcible removal of Moss Park, Cherry Beach, or the growing encampment in Dufferin Grove. This has been a welcome outcome. Indeed, the latter encampment has, in the past month, been in receipt of exclusive supports, including housing offers, ID clinics, and offers of choice over indoor spacing options. While we applaud this approach, we also recognize that it is being deployed in Councillor Ana Bailao’s ward only. It should also be noted that when supporters of A Path Forward advocated for this approach this summer, Councillor Bailao did not support our calls. Instead, Councillor Bailao supported a motion for City of Toronto to adopt a goal of “zero encampments,” and voted against motions from Councillors Mike Layton and Josh Matlow advocating for a human rights-approach to supporting unhoused people and making shelters safer. It is imperative that the approach being utilized in Dufferin Grove, which reflects many aspects of A Path Forward, be adopted and expanded upon to include all encampments in Toronto, and that no encampment be subject to forcible removal ever again in our city. At the same time, we must have accountability for the approach used by the City in Trinity Bellwoods, Alexandra Park, and Lamport Stadium. On this, Councillor Wong-Tam has filed an administrative inquiry to city staff, which will be answered at Council on Oct. 1. As well, and importantly, the Ombudsman of Toronto has announced that his office will also be launching an investigation into City of Toronto’s encampment evictions this summer. We applaud this, but note that the Ombudsman will not be investigating the actions of Toronto Police. We believe their actions must be investigated. Because of this, we urge you to submit letters of support to a motion being presented to City Council by Councillors Layton and Matlow on Oct. 1. Their motion is requesting a public inquiry by a judge of the Superior Court of Ontario who has the authority to investigate Toronto Police. This motion must be passed by Council. How Can You Help? Continue to sign and share our petition! Continue to demand accountability by: Writing letters of support to Councillors Matlow and Layton’s motion requesting a judge of the Superior Court of Ontario to investigate encampment evictions, and specifically the actions of Toronto Police. You can submit comments here: http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2021.MM36.25 Contacting the Mayor and your City Councillor (find their contact info here), and in particular Councillors Bailao and Bradford, who both have encampments in their wards (Dufferin Grove and Cherry Beach) and previously voted against motions to provide human rights-compliant approaches to encampments. Ask them to support Layton and Matlow’s motion, and expand upon the approach being used at Dufferin Grove. Be vigilant and keep watch! Your support is deeply appreciated, and collectively we can realize a just and equitable city where everyone belongs, regardless of their living situation. Diana Chan McNally Training and Engagement Coordinator, Toronto Drop-in Network engage@tdin.ca
28 September 2021 Toronto's Ombudsman Kwame Addo today announced that his office has launched an investigation into the City of Toronto's clearing of encampments from some of the City’s parks. "We have received complaints that raised concerns about the City's approach to the encampment evictions," said Ombudsman Addo. “I have formally notified the City Manager of the launch of our investigation.” The investigation will focus on how the City of Toronto planned the encampment clearings, engaged stakeholders, and communicated with the public, as well as the policies and procedures that guided its actions. It will not review the conduct of Toronto Police officers, as this is beyond the mandate of Ombudsman Toronto. As part of its investigation, Ombudsman Toronto will be speaking to people involved in and affected by the clearances. Members of the public can write to Ombudsman Toronto at EncampmentsOmbudsman@toronto.ca or contact us by phone at 416-392-7062. Ombudsman Toronto is an independent, impartial office that operates at arm's length from the City of Toronto. It investigates public complaints about the City of Toronto administration to make sure the City treats all people fairly. All complaints made to Ombudsman Toronto are confidential. An Ombudsman Toronto backgrounder is available at ombudsmantoronto.ca. For more information, contact: Alex Kruger Ombudsman Toronto Office: 416-338-3023 Cell: 647-472-0873 alex.kruger@toronto.ca Ombudsman Toronto listens to and investigates people’s complaints and concerns about City administration and the fairness of City services. We are a free and impartial office that operates independently from the City, holding it accountable to the people it serves.
For months throughout the pandemic, Toronto allowed people to live in encampments in its parks. Then, suddenly, it did not. MM By Mira Miller
We'd love to hear from you. Please send questions or feedback to the below email addresses.
Before contacting us, you may wish to visit our FAQs page which has lots of useful info on Tiki-Toki.
We can be contacted by email at: hello@tiki-toki.com.
You can also follow us on twitter at twitter.com/tiki_toki.
If you are having any problems with Tiki-Toki, please contact us as at: help@tiki-toki.com
Close