To Mayor Tory, Councillor Cressy, Mary Anne Bedard

Request by the undersigned to shut down the Strathcona Hotel as a Homeless Shelter

The decision to turn the Strathcona Hotel, located at 60 York Street in the heart of the financial and tourist industry, into a temporary homeless shelter, has had a huge detrimental impact on the residents, small businesses, tourists and those returning to work and commuting from the go train.

The security and health of all citizens that live, work or visit the area has been threatened  daily by continued incidents, including but not limited to, physical attacks, personal and sexual harassment, trespassing, vandalism, drug deals and drug use in plain sight, littering of drug paraphernalia and even attempts to burn buildings down.

By calling it a homeless shelter the implication is that it is housing those without a home. In fact homeless shelters are being used to house those with severe mental health problems and addiction that require special help that this location cannot offer and creates problems for the community that they cannot resolve.

Not having a home does not excuse bad behaviour that affects everyone. The downtown core has been flooded with such shelters and the situation has now reached the breaking point for those living and working here. It is time to end the leases on these temporary shelters and allow the neighbourhood to return to normalcy and safety. Leases must not be extended past the end of this year as they clearly compromise the health and safety of others and are in breach of our rights under Section 7 of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.