Toronto city council declares homelessness an emergency
CBC
Toronto city council has declared homelessness an emergency in the city and has agreed to change when warming centres are activated in winter months.
At its meeting Friday, council voted to open warming centres when the temperature falls to –5 C or colder or when Environment Canada issues freezing rain, snow squall, winter storm, snowfall and blizzard warnings.
Previously, the city opened warming centres when the temperature dipped to –15 C or the wind chill made it feel like –20 C, and when the medical officer of health issued an extreme cold weather alert.
The change means warming centres could be open an average of 19 more days per year, but opening them will depend on available space, staffing and funding, the city said in a news release on Friday.
According to the city's economic and community development committee, which approved the declaration before it went to council, deeming homelessness an emergency is symbolic. But it sends a message about the urgency of the crisis in Toronto and the need to do better.
"Council's declaration of an emergency does not trigger the immediate flow of additional funds or resources from other orders of government," the city said the release.
On its shelter system flow data web page, the city says a total of 10,811 people have been "actively homeless" in Toronto in the last three months. On its daily occupancy and overnight service usage web page, the city says more than 8,800 people used its emergency homeless shelters on Thursday night.
"We are doing everything we can as a city government to help people experiencing homelessness," Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie said in the release.
"Toronto will continue to be a strong partner with the government of Canada and the government of Ontario when it comes to getting housing built, providing safe shelter for those in need and helping residents move from homelessness into safe and supportive homes," she added.
McKelvie thanked the provincial and federal governments but said "more needs to be done together— with our community partners — to ensure that those in need have access to shelter, housing and health supports."
Council also approved other changes recommended by staff to its winter services planning. The changes include creating a new inter-divisional city agency working group to identify publicly and privately owned locations for use as warming centres and 24-hour respite sites.
Warming centres, usually in city buildings or community recreation centres, are part of what the city calls a surge response when there is heightened demand for shelter spaces during cold or inclement weather. They're also there for people less likely to access traditional shelter spaces and can be accessed by walk-in, without a referral.
The city said it needs financial support from other levels of government to open and operate warming centres as of Jan. 1, 2024. Council also decided it will ask the federal and provincial governments for $5 million to allow the city to continue its winter services beyond Dec. 31, 2023.
Whitehorse city council has postponed its decision on an overhaul of its zoning bylaws that would, among other things, introduce short-term rental regulations in the city.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says he has reached a deal with China to allow tens of thousands of Chinese electric vehicles into the country in exchange for lower canola duties.
The Federal Court of Appeal is expected to give its decision Friday morning on whether the Liberal government unlawfully invoked the Emergencies Act to clear the convoy protests that gridlocked the capital city and border points nearly four years ago.
WARNING: This article describes allegations of sexual assault.
The average time for a 911 caller to connect with an operator is down to three seconds so far this year, according to Toronto police.
Emergency crews across southwestern Ontario kept busy on Thursday, responding to dozens of collisions, as a steady stream of snow squalls blanketed the region with as much as 30 centimetres of snow, prompting widespread school closures.
Woody Point — a picturesque community on Newfoundland's west coast — is reeling after the loss of what was a pillar of local business in the town for over 70 years.
A New Brunswick Mountie testified he punched a woman in the face twice, but only because she had punched him while he tried to arrest her.
The City of Winnipeg is halting work to clean up the Manwin Hotel site following a Wednesday fire, after officials determined there was asbestos in the rubble.
A Saskatoon judge has now heard about the hours just before and after Taya Sinclair's death.
Two people were taken to hospital after a fire tore through a unit in an apartment building just west of downtown Edmonton Wednesday evening.
B.C. Premier David Eby, who is on a trade mission to India, says that finding new trade partners is critical to ensure British Columbians' standard of living doesn't deteriorate amid the U.S. trade war.
A program aimed at preventing homelessness on Prince Edward Island that was halted last year due to funding issues is back up and running again with support from the provincial and federal governments.