Read and share the statement below on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TODropinNetwork/status/1416100698832490504

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There is no denying that the outcome of City Council is disappointing.

John Tory, who yesterday declared A Path Forward "unwelcome," once again chose to ignore the letter by refusing to add it to Council's agenda. Nothing about A Path Forward is unreasonable or controversial: it advocates for a compassionate approach rooted in upholding the human rights of unhoused people. The failure of Tory to meaningfully acknowledge A Path Forward and bring it to Council for debate is a tacit statement that the City of Toronto does not consider unhoused people as rights-holders. It also represents tacit approval of the City's current approach: deploying millions of dollars in police and paramilitary enforcement resources to forcibly displace people ... to where?

Today we also saw Council defer the legalization of multi-tenant homes, or rooming houses, across the City of Toronto until (at least) September. The cost of a room in a multi-tenant home is, on average, between $400 and $700 a month. A bachelor apartment, by contrast, is on average $1,100 a month. For unhoused and low-income people, rooming houses are critical affordable housing stock. Moreover, when licensed, they are also a safer housing option, avoiding many of the risks of unlicensed multi-tenant homes. Despite the clear need for rooming houses, Council — and specifically John Tory's own hand-picked Executive Committee, including Councillors Holyday and Minnan-Wong — did not vote to legalize them today.

What does this all add up to?

Posed as a slogan: "destroy tents, deny housing." 

John Tory may continue to argue that encampment locations like Alexandra Park must be made available to "needy" children to participate in summer camps. However, with broad swathes of Trinity Bellwoods fenced off for weeks, let alone former encampment locations in Moss, Barbara Hall, and George Hislop Parks for months, it seems that City government is disallowing all Torontonians reasonable enjoyment of, let alone living space in, our city parks. So where do people go?

It's unconscionable cruelty to withhold accessible housing if John Tory and the City stay on the current path of deploying a paramilitary response against encampments. People will simply move to more remote locations away from grounding relationships and vital supports, which puts them at grave risk of harm or even death.

And shelters? Without oversight into shelter services by residents of the system — a key component of A Path Forward — "safe, indoor spaces" are anything but. Don't take our word for it: listen to the voices of women living in shelters describing how their health and wellness is affected by being in the system. 

A Path Forward may not have been considered by Council, but it is still the only way forward, and the only way to bring people indoors safely. This petition will remain open until John Tory engages with us — and you — about what we are collectively demanding: a truly compassionate approach to supporting unhoused people.

Until then, be vigilant and keep watch: we will continue to push the recommendations of A Path Forward, and we want you to watch John Tory and the City. If encampments continue to be forcibly and violently removed, it will only be because today, our Mayor and the City denied unhoused people their human rights.