The Ontario Housing Minister, Paul Calandra, has recently hinted that a previously proposed bill designed to address the issue of homeless encampments in the province may not be needed after all. The bill, which had been introduced in mid-December by the Ford government, aimed to eliminate encampments from parks and provide police with new tools to manage public drug use and recurrent trespassing.
The unveiling of this bill was a carefully staged event where 16 mayors advocated for the approach and discussed its potential to address the increasing problem of homeless encampments. However, Calandra now suggests that it might be possible to tackle this issue without the need to pass the bill into law.
“I’m thrilled that we might not necessarily have to pass legislation because it seems like the municipalities are stepping up,” Calandra shared during his address at the Rural Municipalities of Ontario conference. His hope is that the provision of resources and a commitment from municipalities will lead to the removal of these encampments, thereby eliminating the need for additional legislation.
The minister expressed his satisfaction with the progress made by the cities even before the distribution of funds. Just before Christmas, the government announced a $75.5 million budget for the encampment plan, which began to be distributed recently. The funding includes $50 million for affordable housing projects, $20 million for temporary accommodation, and a $5.5 million benefit increase to relocate people out of shelters and create new space.
Despite applying for parts of this provincial funding package, Toronto, Ottawa, and Hamilton have not provided details on their progress in removing encampments. However, Ottawa stated that it had only applied for a portion of the funding as it had already received money through a new deal signed last year.
The provincial municipal association recently warned that the homelessness crisis in Ontario is nearing a critical point, with over 81,000 people experiencing homelessness last year. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) reported that the number of homeless people is nearing 100,000, especially in the southern parts of the province.
Calandra emphasized that the funds, which do not require the legislation, will only be allocated to municipalities that commit to clearing the encampments. He warned, “Don’t ask me for funding if it doesn’t also include clearing out and cleaning up of encampments. Those communities that haven’t pledged to do that simply won’t be getting the resources from me to provide assistance.”
It is expected that the proposed encampments bill will be discarded when Premier Doug Ford requests to dissolve the legislature, regardless of the government’s ultimate decision on its necessity.
