This Thunder Bay shelter is helping unhoused people so they can cast Ontario election ballots

An overnight shelter in Thunder Bay is helping prepare unhoused people so they can get to polling stations and have what they need to cast their ballots in Thursday's Ontario election.

Staff at Shelter House are signing identification confirmation letters for people who don't have a permanent address or piece of identification. Clients can take these letters to a polling station in lieu of a voter information card.

"We've also been working with some of the other low-barrier access points throughout the city to develop a plan for where to vote, how to register to vote, and transportation to and from all of the respective polling stations, which has been incredibly helpful," said Champagne Thomson, development manager at Shelter House.

Shuttles are being arranged with help from NorWest Community Health Centres, which runs the Care Bus in town. The bus serves as a mobile warming centre that offers support and essential supplies on board.

To be eligible to vote, you must be at least 18, and be a Canadian citizen and Ontario resident. But eligible voters with no permanent address can face obstacles in the process. 

In Thunder Bay alone, over 550 people are known to be experiencing homelessness, according to the latest point-in-time count. Of those, 78 per cent are Indigenous.

"I think that a lot of the individuals that were accessing our services were a bit surprised by the fact that we were bringing them this opportunity because again, this population is so used to being excluded from using their voice, and for their voice being heard in these spaces and arenas," Thomson said. "I think it was refreshing for them."

An Elections Ontario officer visited the shelter's cafeteria to provide more information. Candidates from the Thunder Bay—Atikokan riding were also asked questions on relevant issues — namely encampments, housing, harm reduction and health care. Their responses were shared with shelter clients.

Thomson said they were "able to really help our residents make informed decisions about who they're going to vote for, get them involved and share with them that their voice does matter, which is something that can be really challenging for a lot of folks who have been excluded from the system for long periods of time."

"I think that now more than ever is when we need to be engaging this population because it's their lives that are being the most impacted, and so to exclude them would be incredibly disrespectful."

One concern shelter clients shared was misplacing their identification confirmation letters before Election Day, which is why Shelter House has filed them away "until tomorrow when they hop on one of the co-ordinated transportation points, and then they're able to go straight to and from and don't have to worry about losing anything in the mix," said Thomson.

Another important part has been ensuring clients know which polls are accessible ahead of time, she added.

While many of the people she works with have had negative experiences with institutional systems — namely day schools and residential schools — Thomson said it's been helpful to talk with them about challenges that come with engaging in a governmental process. 

She said it's important to "have those conversations with individuals around [how] this is the time to vote, this is the time to try to engage in the system in the ways that are available to us, to try to make that change — recognizing that it still won't be perfect, but at least it's a step in the right direction."