We write in solidarity with over 1000 unhoused people in the City of Toronto and the countless number of outreach workers and agencies advocating for their right to shelter in the city. We condemn the woefully inadequate response put forth by city officials, and we call on Mayor John Tory, Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão, Janie Tomoff (General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation) and Mary Ann Bedard (Shelter Support Housing Administration) to immediately place a moratorium on encampment evictions, and halt the seizure of basic survival equipment, Tiny Shelters, foam domes, and tents.
The City of Toronto has failed the residents of this city by refusing to utilize its emergency powers to ban all evictions. The encampments under threat today are a last resort for those seeking shelter, and their necessity is a direct result of a series of decades-long social policies that have consistently cut investments to affordable housing in this city. The city’s winter plan offers only 560 indoor spots for people living outside is grossly insufficient when over a 1000 people are currently unhoused.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the city’s plans to evict encampment residents from their communities flies in the face of evidence-based public health measures and basic human rights principles. The dispersal of unhoused persons not only risks increasing the community spread of COVID-19, but also severs their connection with service providers and supports in their communities. Encampment evictions also defy the recommendation of the National Protocol For Homeless Encampments by failing to engage in any meaningful consultation with encampment residents on their needs, thus dismissing their right to dignity, respect, and self-determination.
City employees have a duty to consult with encampment residents about their needs, rather than expending public funds to harass them and push them into untenable situations. As public servants, city employees also have a duty to provide basic survival gear and basic sanitation as per the recommendations of the 2018 Faulkner inquest and City Council’s motion passed on October 28, 2020.
Toronto is on Dish With One Spoon territory, which teaches us that the land should be shared to the mutual benefit of all its inhabitants. The forced displacement of Indigenous encampment residents through the city’s policies further intensifies the ongoing legacy of colonial violence.
We want to see a moratorium on encampment evictions and the provision of clean drinking working and sanitation facilities, and an immediate end to all threats of legal action against those actively supporting unhoused individuals in this city.