Ontario Court Refuses to Allow Waterloo Region to Evict a Homeless Encampment

In a dramatic decision, an Ontario court has refused to allow the Region of Waterloo to clear out a homeless encampment on regional land in Kitchener. The judge ruled that a bylaw prohibiting tenting on public land violated the Charter right to “life, liberty and security of the person” because the region did not have enough accessible shelter spaces to accommodate the 50 or so people in the encampment.

For news, see  https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/encampment-victoria-kitchener-region-waterloo-evict-1.6729433#pdf

The full decision is at https://www.thepublicrecord.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/2023-ONSC-670-Ruling.pdf