Debate over Toronto’s COVID-19 response to homeless to hit court

A court challenge by six national, provincial and local legal groups plus Sanctuary Toronto argues that Toronto’s treatment of the homeless during the pandemic violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

"Since the beginning of the pandemic, activists have raised alarms that achieving the recommended two metres of physical distancing was impossible in the city’s crowded shelters. Before the pandemic, beds were routinely placed as close as 75 centimetres from each other. Mr. Johnson Hatlem and other activists accuse the city of moving too slowly to address the issue.

As of Friday, 346 homeless people in the city had tested positive, up tenfold from a month ago. Two men, one in his 50s and another in his 70s, have died. Activists charge that testing has been sporadic and too slow." Read more by Jeff Gray Globe and Mail.