Poor Get Poorer:
Toronto Calls Out the Cops!
Poor people are getting poorer thanks to the economy, rising gas prices that affect the cost of housing
and food. Have the welfare and disability rates been raised to meet these rising costs? No. McGuinty offered
a measly 2% increase in the budget. For those wondering why that didn't help: it doesn't happen until November.
Food costs have increased by almost 40% worldwide. Mexico, Morocco, Senegal, Uzbekistan, Guinea, Mauritania and Yemen
have all seen food riots. Surely not even the Liberal spin machine can effectively argue Canada is
and will be immune; though don't be surprised when the Fiberals try to do so.
The government of the day (Federal Conservatives; Ontario Liberals and Toronto NDP) aren't about to actually
do anything to help. Breaking the mold isn't in their MO: just keeping their jobs next election.
It's the anti-poverty activists that bring awareness to the impact of the food crisis, housing and issues
facing the poorest of the poor.
The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty points out that
in the last three years, the number of Safe Streets Act tickets has
increased 288%. Last year alone, the police handed out 10,584 tickets
under the Safe Streets Act, which has resulted in tens of thousands of
dollars in fines laid against people who are destitute. What a waste of our public resources. Court time,
cop time gets paid through taxes. So the cops lay tickets that can't be enforced except maybe through jail
sentences and where does city council get the money for jail? Taxes!
The cops' attack on the poor adds insult to injury.
Last year Toronto shut down more than 350
shelter beds in the downtown core which also resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of meals.
OCAP believes "that poor people in our community must have access to safe, supportive and
affordable housing. They must also have access to an income that meets
their most basic needs. Welfare rates are too low and there is no social
housing available for people. The existing social housing stock in the
city is not being repaired, and these buildings are being left to
deteriorate. People living without housing struggle on a daily basis to
secure shelter and food."
OCAP isn't alone in its belief. It's shared by Canada; though through her actions
against the poor one might not know it.
Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
- Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including
food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
- Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Allan Gardens was the scene OCAP selected to bring this point home to the politicians interesting
in their own petty agendas rather than truly helping those most in need: despite their babble to the contrary.
On Saturday June 21, OCAP organized a gathering in picturesque Allan Gardens Park
to protest the lack of shelter and food, and
to call attention to the increased crackdown on poor people, under the
'Safe Street' Act.
John Clarke spoke after the event, "It was extremely successful. We held it over night in the fact of an
attempt to drive us out of the park by the Parks and Recs people and the cops." Apparently Toronto has
a by-law that says parks are to be closed after midnight. It only tramples all over Canada's Charter
of Rights guaranteeing freedom of assembly. Found in section 2C of the Charter; the section following the one
guaranteeing freedom of the press and the media (2B).
It was a success as far as OCAP was concerned despite petty power hungry bureaucrats more worried
about grass than whether the homeless have adequate food and shelter.
OCAP announced after the event that, "two to three hundred people came for the final event, a meal. The next day
we went to City Hall, Miller wasn't available. We were told he was in the
Council Chambers, so we headed to the chambers and he fled. Then we shut down their meeting. When the
meeting had come to a standstill and made a few statements : "We are
demanding adequate services for the homeless; restoration of the lost beds
within the shelter system and an end to the enforcement of the safe streets
act and we left."
Gaeten Heroux received a no-trespass order as he was entering City Hall. Clarke added,
"Gaetan was arrested on ridiculous grounds. They issued a ban on him [Heroux]
attempting to enter City Hall. He was briefly arrested and released very
quickly. Previously we had fought this issue out in the courts with them and won."
OCAP went to City Hall to demand that Mayor David Miller immediately
restore shelter beds in the downtown east side.
"Last February when a man died on the streets, you told us you would
address this crisis," Danielle Koyama told the remaining city
councilors. "You patted yourselves on the back for replacing 60 of the
350 shelter beds lost. Well now we've lost another 65, so thanks for
nothing!"
What is the impact on those most affected by these cost cutting measures? Members of the homeless
community spoke at the event bringing awareness to the daily difficulties they face to meet the
most basic of human needs: food and shelter.
"They closed University Settlement for renovations today, so where am I
supposed to sleep now?" asks Chris, a homeless man living on Toronto
streets. "I'm sleeping in parks, under bridges.
They got empty rooms here in City Hall though, maybe we should stay here?"
"We need housing for people - too many shelters are getting closed down.
There is not enough housing and nothing has changed yet," says Karl
Schmidt, a homeless man who as been on and off the streets for years.
"The city has to do something - the shelters are over crowded... A
bachelor apt costs $500 to $600. How are we supposed to get by?"
Karl asks a good question. One that won't be answered by city council anytime soon if at all.
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