Related Stories and Links
A group of protestors have been removed by police after spending the day outside Mayor Rob Ford’s office at city hall on Friday.
The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) set up a makeshift homeless shelter to protest what it says is a lack of shelter beds.
The group converged outside of the mayor’s office around 1 p.m. with sleeping bags and other supplies. Shortly after 10 p.m. they were told by officials that police had been called and that if they did not move they would be escorted out or arrested under the trespass of property act.
Around 10:30 p.m. police came in and one-by-one escorted the demonstrators out of city hall. The majority of protestors went peacefully but continued to chant “no more deaths.”
Insp. Howie Page said no protestors were detained but they were issued trespassing tickets.
Meanwhile, Mayor Ford claims the problem of lack of shelter beds doesn’t exist.
“The position that the city is taking, that there are adequate shelter beds available, is, I’m sorry to be un-parliamentary, a lie,” OCAP’s John Clarke said at city hall. “What must happen, is that there must be a response.”
“We are demanding that the City stop lying about the situation and pretending that there are enough beds to meet the needs that exist,” an OCAP statement said.
“Lives have been lost because the shelters are full, many more are at risk and OCAP is taking the necessary action to challenge this appalling neglect.”
When Ford was asked about the protest while visiting the Canadian International Autoshow at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the mayor said: “The shelter beds aren’t even full.”
OCAP said it planned to keep its city hall homeless shelter in place until the city provides an “adequate alternative.” It also wants council to hold an emergency session on the issue.
- with files from Christine Chubb
So Mayor Ford wants a lot of things but they can’t get passed council. Don’t these people realize the mayor has no power in the city. Why don’t they sit outside all the anti-Ford council members to get results?
Perhaps, the OCAP folks feel it’s useful to have symbolic demonstrations, regardless of the reality of the situation?
Maybe, just to add a bit of reality to the demonstration, it would be useful if the demonstrators had a fact sheet? — Something written down with the names and addresses of all of the homeless shelters in Toronto (including the ones run by charities), with the number of beds in each shelter, and the number of people actually occupying the shelter on an average night.
They should have worn costumes like them Indians and then they would have not been escorted out by our scared hypocrite police.
So you WANT to give Harper a legitimate reason to build mega prisons then? This would only make our over-crowding issues worse. As any parole officer will tell you, putting a potential rehabilitative case in a cell next to a hardened criminal only makes him into the mirror image of his cell mate. Bad idea dude, try again.
Apparently you have posted this to the wrong news story. And then too, just as a reminder, this is the Citynews website in Toronto.
I bet there are a lot of empty shelter beds. There are many charities that provide shelters, like the Salvation Army, for example.
The problem may be that the homeless people may not know where those empty beds are located and may not be able to get themselves to where the beds are.
It would seem to me that the The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP) could be providing a valuable service by locating homeless people and transporting them to a shelter that has empty beds.
Maybe OCAP only does political “action” like demonstrations ???
But why would the City of Toronto make a good environment for homeless people in the first place? What are the homeless people supposed to do here?
Would the homeless people be better off on a subsistence farm in some rural area? At least they could do a few things for themselves, get a little bit of exercise, maybe get away from the ususal city vices, maybe spend some time trying to educate themselves?
So it is illegal for people to protest in the City Hall but it is legal to protest and block a high way and rail way?
Treaty rights.
They were able to walk to Fords office so they should be able to walk to a job.
Get this crap off the streets once and for all.
People. Are. Dying. Why does no one realize this? Human beings are human beings regardless of income level and those people. are. dying. and the mayor of Toronto continues to ignore those people, and their suffering. He doesn’t give a fuck about anyone unless the make $100,000/year. Bottom line.
And what do you propose the city of Toronto do? How did you come to the conclusion that mayor Ford doesn’t care about those not making 100k?
Dizzy, don’t ask for facts or proof from someone just spouting a social agenda with little to no actual thought put into it. You will end up smashing your head against a wall.
The real problem here is that Toronto is a place to flock where everybody comes and tries to look for a job.The thing they sould do is lower rent in this city.Why should somebody pay 750 dollars for 500 square feet.Some get lucky when they get here and some fall in the cracks.They need more affordable housing.
Damn the city for not providing enough free housing!
I am fully aware that there are some really unfortunate individuals that came upon some of the worst circumstances. The people that are trying to work hard towards having a place to live again, the ones who truly need a homeless shelter to rest their weary head after a day of trying to get back on track.
I’m sorry but most of the homeless people I’ve seen seem to be more concerned with how to get some beer or drugs for the day than actually trying to get back on track. If that’s the path in life you chose and don’t want it to change where you have to constantly leech off of the warm hearted who help out then so be it, but why the hell should the city be held responsible for people that gave up on themselves?
Why doesn’t Mr. Clarke simply take them home to his mansion in the burbs?