The federal government says it can’t wait any longer for Ontario to end encampments in its cities and will offer money directly to municipalities, including Toronto, to fix the problem.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Housing Minister Sean Fraser said he sent a letter to every province and territory on Sept. 18 asking them to partner with Ottawa to “urgently” find shelter for the unhoused or those living in tents.
The offer includes a total of $250 million in funding in exchange for matching contributions by the provinces and territories.
However, Fraser said since the offer was made, the feds have not heard back from Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
As someone who lives beside an urban park with a lot of people tenting in it, I do hear what you’re saying, and we do need to do both: house people who can accept it, and incarceration–humane, safe and rare–for people who can’t.