With the provincial election just around the corner, the newly formed Ontario Coalition for the Rights of Homeless People (OCRHP) asked MPP candidates across the province to prioritize affordable housing and address homelessness during an online press conference on Friday, February 14, 2025.
The coalition, which is operating under the leadership of ten municipal councillors, including County of Brant Councillor Lukas Oakley, as well as Diana Chan McNally, a Toronto-based community worker, launched the campaign to encourage the next provincial government, regardless of the party, to make a true effort in providing a home for everyone one who needs one.
McNally stressed that with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) estimating that 80,000 people are currently experiencing homelessness across the province, the issue shouldn’t be ignored.
“Toronto sees over 300 homeless deaths a year. That’s nearly a death every single day.. …There are so many names, and behind each name is a person, someone who was cared for, who had joy and hope, and far too much trauma and sadness for any one person to bear,” said McNally. “… I want to say this, not one of these beautiful, wonderful people had to die, all of them long before their time, and on average, just 36 years old for women in Toronto and 50 years old for men. …This is a situation for 80,000 people without homes. There are 80,000 lives at imminent risk of death, all because Ontario lacks a political will to do what’s required, which is to build safe, affordable housing for everyone who needs it.”
The coalition stated that the next Ontario government needs to do more.
“For too long, governments have failed to provide affordable housing and address homelessness, which has led to a human-rights crisis of encampments across the province,” read the February 14 press release. “We believe that the next Ontario government must prioritize providing a home for everyone who needs one. They must also commit to upholding people’s human rights, regardless of their housing status. First and foremost, this must include explicitly condemning the use of the Notwithstanding Clause to remove homeless people’s Charter-protected rights.”
The Notwithstanding Clause, also known as section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, allows governments to temporarily override certain sections of the Charter. While no other Ontario government has ever used it in the past, Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative Party has used it three times since 2018 and considered using it again just this past December to put an end to encampment.
Oakley stated that use of the Notwithstanding Clause ultimately sets a dangerous precedent.
“The question is, does our society believe that we should suspend the right to life, liberty and security of the person for specific individuals?” he asked. “Should Charter Rights become privileges only for the comfortable, who don’t have mental health or addiction issues? I believe these rights are meant for everyone and that moving these rights to privileges is a dangerous precedent, and antithetical to the values we all share as Canadians.”
Rory Nisan, Deputy Mayor for the City of Burlington and OCRHP Steering Committee Chair, said that when it comes to ending encampments in Ontario, there is a better option.
“A second option that we want to see happen, is to pursue the housing first approach. Get people into homes as soon as possible, reap the financial rewards, respect human rights, save lives and support local economies.”
He continued to say that this means building tiny homes and purchasing housing on the market.
“That sounds expensive, right? Well, it’s actually a lot less expensive than managing the homelessness crisis,” said Nisan. “Research consistently shows that the cost of homelessness driven by emergency shelters, hospital visits and justice system interactions, ranges from $50,000 to $60,000 per person annually. In contrast, the cost of providing permanent supportive housing with wraparound services is much lower, $26,000 per person per year, resulting in savings of $24,000 or more per individual.”
Noting that Ford’s government has built the least amount of new detached housing in 70 years, the campaign asks MPP candidates to commit to a compassionate plan to reduce homelessness.
“We believe that homelessness is a non-partisan issue, and that every party should have a comprehensive platform with individual commitments from their candidates to address the issue in their communities,” read the press release. “We also understand that it costs more public money to manage homelessness, including through shelter, homelessness services, health care, and policing and justice costs, than it does to end it by building homes.”
Overall, the OCRHP encourages residents to do their research into each party’s plan to address the homelessness crisis, and vote in the upcoming election.
To learn more about OCRHP and what each political party is saying about homeless people’s rights and housing, visit: https://homelessrights.ca/
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
