Some Ontario mayors have asked Premier Ford to use the notwithstanding clause to cancel the human rights of people experiencing homelessness and living in encampments.
The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness has organized a campaign to oppose this and push for real solutions to homelessness. At https://action.caeh.ca/homelessness-crisis-not-crime?utm_campaign=eml_071124_caeh_ont_notwithsta&utm_medium=email&utm_source=caeh you can sign a letter to our city council urging them to oppose use of the notwithstanding clause and to push for the actual solution, homes.
Court rulings have said that municipalities can’t push people experiencing homelessness out of parks if there aren’t sufficient places for them in shelters. Use of the notwithstanding clause would allow the government to override those rulings, using the full force of the law against some of our most vulnerable citizens. What they need is housing. Premier Ford should be providing funding for housing so people experiencing homelessness have somewhere to move to, and he should provide the health care to support those who need it to stay housed. Plus the federal government has just made an extra $50 million available to help municipalities tackle homelessness and gave Ontario $357 million to build affordable housing. The decision of Hamilton council to significantly increase the number of shelter beds and to allow tiny cabin villages at least addresses the need for shelter as the city pushes for federal and provincial funding and measures to preserve existing affordable homes and build more. Hamilton should have relatively few people continuing to live outside when the shelter beds and cabins are in place.