Minimize regulations is certainly part of the solution. Many of our left leaning politicians are now tripping over each other pretending to want just that. The fact that they are the ones that brought in most of these job stoppers seems to have escaped them. Some of the simple things like speeding up the permit process will be easy with a bit of political will. Our Regional District(county to you) is known by contractors to be the worst in the Province to deal with. 6 months to get a building permit for off the shelf house plans that meet zoning is simply not acceptable.
Homeless Tent Cities in Canada
- Thread starter Ron in Regina
- Start date
I would add trailer parks to that. Reasonable price, medium density and quick.
From what I've seen, any of the homes being built now are way over what the homeless can afford. Do government people have any common sense at all?
Everybody is overlooking the main issue. Domestication of the feral. Wild beasts don't do well in cages.
Most of the homes being built are way over what 80% of the population can afford…unless they have multigenerational mortgages…
Ashes In the Alley: Regina woman fears North Central fires might spread to her home
“People are fearing that we are going to come home and our house is going to be gone because the house next to ours, or the garage, has gone up in flames,” said Gloria Jlassi.
www.cjme.com
Yup. Enough is enough. It'll be another 20 years for gentrification.Ashes In the Alley: Regina woman fears North Central fires might spread to her home
“People are fearing that we are going to come home and our house is going to be gone because the house next to ours, or the garage, has gone up in flames,” said Gloria Jlassi.
City homeless report sees crisis, dismisses public with ‘lazy’ language
Author of the article:Justin Holmes
Published May 11, 2025 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 4 minute read
“The homelessness crisis in Toronto is worsening,” a recently released report says – and people are blaming immigration, drug use, NIMBYism, housing and affordability.
The “stakeholder engagement report” is meant to provide information about the City of Toronto’s upcoming five-year homelessness plan. While the full 84-page report sheds little new light on the state of homelessness, it does hint at some of the frustration and division in Toronto today.
“Overall, respondents agreed that the homelessness crisis in Toronto is worsening, with more people on the streets, inadequate support services, and significant impacts on communities,” said the report from consulting firm, SN Management. “There is an urgent need for effective solutions, including permanent housing and better mental-health support.”
Diane Chester has read the report, and said she didn’t participate in the consultation, and she doesn’t think anyone else in her organization, Niagara Neighbours for Community Safety, did either.
That’s not because they have nothing to say – they’re quite concerned about a soon-to-open shelter at 629 Adelaide St. W., near Queen and Bathurst Sts. – but because, she said, their input wasn’t sought.
The Toronto Sun reported last year on public drug use steps away at St. Mary’s Church, near a supervised injection site. Alexandra Park, notorious for its use as an encampment site, is just north on Bathurst, at Dundas St.
“The whole neighbourhood is kind of saturated with this,” Chester told the Sun.
Chester called the report “very upsetting,” and complained that its focus is too narrow to include the legitimate safety concerns held by Torontonians who live near shelters and encampments. She’s particularly rankled by the report’s use of the acronym “NIMBY (Not in my backyard).”
“It’s lazy,” she said. “It’s a lazy way to describe a very complicated situation.”
In a statement, the city officials said the 600 people consulted late last year for the report provided “invaluable responses” for the creation of a “blueprint” on addressing homelessness. It’s expected that plan will go before city council in the last quarter of 2025.
The report’s findings include results from a survey done by the city’s shelter services division. Of the 176 survey respondents, it appears more than half either belonged to a residents’ association or worked in health or homelessness services. About 8% of responses were from people who were or are homeless.
The survey found two-thirds of respondents said homelessness services in Toronto are worse today than five years ago. This group said the homeless population is larger and more visible, and blamed factors such as housing, funding and immigration as worsening the problem.
Only 6% of survey respondents said services were better. Of those, the report said, most represented providers of homelessness services, health services or housing. This group cited improvements in “trauma-informed initiatives,” the “use of an equity lens,” safety, pandemic response and access to other city services.
Nearly half of survey respondents – 47% – said the top priority should be reducing chronic homelessness, followed closely by increasing shelter spaces, which was identified as a priority by 43%.
The report identifies a number of housing- and affordability-related considerations, and often focuses on social factors such as racial and sexual identity. It also says a lot of blame has been assigned to other governments.
“Over the past five years, the number of homeless asylum seekers and refugees in Toronto has increased exponentially, placing a significant burden on shelter capacity and system flow,” the report said.
“Participants spoke of significant frustration with the lack of engagement by the federal and provincial governments in addressing refugee homelessness, and with the lack of funding that is required to deliver unique and specialized services and supports to homeless refugees,” the report added.
The report also found friction on the subject of drug use. “A significant number of people experiencing homelessness,” it said, “are also people who use drugs or have a history with drug use … some respondents voiced concern whether harm reduction is an appropriate approach to support the diversity of populations using shelters, including youth and Black clients. However, this perspective is contested in the sector.”
The report said one of the goals of the five-year plan will be to reduce “public stigma of homelessness.” It suggested NIMBYism is a hurdle for the city to overcome, in part through “broader public education” and by building a “community engagement function” into shelters.
“Participants were united in their belief that NIMBYism is growing, homelessness is highly stigmatized and there is low public support for shelters,” the report said. “Experiencing community connection and feeling a sense of belonging is a critical factor for the successful transition of shelter clients to community.
“As a result of the stigma regarding homelessness, (the city’s shelter services division) and shelter providers have experienced difficulty establishing new shelter and 24-hour respite programs in communities across the city,” it added.
Chester said it’s ironic that City Hall complains it’s hard to get buy-in from the public while it does everything it can to keep everyday Torontonians out of the decision-making process. She said top bureaucrats and her ward’s councillor, Ausma Malik, have kept her group in the dark on the Adelaide shelter. (Malik did not respond to a request for comment.)
“They’re just so locked down in their ideology,” Chester said. “The lack of consultation has created a lack of trust.”
jholmes@postmedia.com
BY THE NUMBERS
66%
— Survey respondents who say homelessness services are worse than five years ago
6%
— Survey respondents who say homelessness services are better than five years ago
200
— Approximate number of people “turned away from shelter every night (who) are sleeping in encampments, couch surfing or sleeping on public transit or in their cars.”
10%
— Portion of shelter-using population that are unaccompanied youth, according to City of Toronto shelter system flow data. The report warns this data “may not capture youth using adult or family shelters, or youth who are ‘couch surfing’ or residing in encampments.”
– Source: “What We Heard: 2025-2030 strategic plan to address homelessness stakeholder engagement report”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Justin Holmes
Published May 11, 2025 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 4 minute read
“The homelessness crisis in Toronto is worsening,” a recently released report says – and people are blaming immigration, drug use, NIMBYism, housing and affordability.
The “stakeholder engagement report” is meant to provide information about the City of Toronto’s upcoming five-year homelessness plan. While the full 84-page report sheds little new light on the state of homelessness, it does hint at some of the frustration and division in Toronto today.
“Overall, respondents agreed that the homelessness crisis in Toronto is worsening, with more people on the streets, inadequate support services, and significant impacts on communities,” said the report from consulting firm, SN Management. “There is an urgent need for effective solutions, including permanent housing and better mental-health support.”
Diane Chester has read the report, and said she didn’t participate in the consultation, and she doesn’t think anyone else in her organization, Niagara Neighbours for Community Safety, did either.
That’s not because they have nothing to say – they’re quite concerned about a soon-to-open shelter at 629 Adelaide St. W., near Queen and Bathurst Sts. – but because, she said, their input wasn’t sought.
The Toronto Sun reported last year on public drug use steps away at St. Mary’s Church, near a supervised injection site. Alexandra Park, notorious for its use as an encampment site, is just north on Bathurst, at Dundas St.
“The whole neighbourhood is kind of saturated with this,” Chester told the Sun.
Chester called the report “very upsetting,” and complained that its focus is too narrow to include the legitimate safety concerns held by Torontonians who live near shelters and encampments. She’s particularly rankled by the report’s use of the acronym “NIMBY (Not in my backyard).”
“It’s lazy,” she said. “It’s a lazy way to describe a very complicated situation.”
In a statement, the city officials said the 600 people consulted late last year for the report provided “invaluable responses” for the creation of a “blueprint” on addressing homelessness. It’s expected that plan will go before city council in the last quarter of 2025.
The report’s findings include results from a survey done by the city’s shelter services division. Of the 176 survey respondents, it appears more than half either belonged to a residents’ association or worked in health or homelessness services. About 8% of responses were from people who were or are homeless.
The survey found two-thirds of respondents said homelessness services in Toronto are worse today than five years ago. This group said the homeless population is larger and more visible, and blamed factors such as housing, funding and immigration as worsening the problem.
Only 6% of survey respondents said services were better. Of those, the report said, most represented providers of homelessness services, health services or housing. This group cited improvements in “trauma-informed initiatives,” the “use of an equity lens,” safety, pandemic response and access to other city services.
Nearly half of survey respondents – 47% – said the top priority should be reducing chronic homelessness, followed closely by increasing shelter spaces, which was identified as a priority by 43%.
The report identifies a number of housing- and affordability-related considerations, and often focuses on social factors such as racial and sexual identity. It also says a lot of blame has been assigned to other governments.
“Over the past five years, the number of homeless asylum seekers and refugees in Toronto has increased exponentially, placing a significant burden on shelter capacity and system flow,” the report said.
“Participants spoke of significant frustration with the lack of engagement by the federal and provincial governments in addressing refugee homelessness, and with the lack of funding that is required to deliver unique and specialized services and supports to homeless refugees,” the report added.
The report also found friction on the subject of drug use. “A significant number of people experiencing homelessness,” it said, “are also people who use drugs or have a history with drug use … some respondents voiced concern whether harm reduction is an appropriate approach to support the diversity of populations using shelters, including youth and Black clients. However, this perspective is contested in the sector.”
The report said one of the goals of the five-year plan will be to reduce “public stigma of homelessness.” It suggested NIMBYism is a hurdle for the city to overcome, in part through “broader public education” and by building a “community engagement function” into shelters.
“Participants were united in their belief that NIMBYism is growing, homelessness is highly stigmatized and there is low public support for shelters,” the report said. “Experiencing community connection and feeling a sense of belonging is a critical factor for the successful transition of shelter clients to community.
“As a result of the stigma regarding homelessness, (the city’s shelter services division) and shelter providers have experienced difficulty establishing new shelter and 24-hour respite programs in communities across the city,” it added.
Chester said it’s ironic that City Hall complains it’s hard to get buy-in from the public while it does everything it can to keep everyday Torontonians out of the decision-making process. She said top bureaucrats and her ward’s councillor, Ausma Malik, have kept her group in the dark on the Adelaide shelter. (Malik did not respond to a request for comment.)
“They’re just so locked down in their ideology,” Chester said. “The lack of consultation has created a lack of trust.”
jholmes@postmedia.com
BY THE NUMBERS
66%
— Survey respondents who say homelessness services are worse than five years ago
6%
— Survey respondents who say homelessness services are better than five years ago
200
— Approximate number of people “turned away from shelter every night (who) are sleeping in encampments, couch surfing or sleeping on public transit or in their cars.”
10%
— Portion of shelter-using population that are unaccompanied youth, according to City of Toronto shelter system flow data. The report warns this data “may not capture youth using adult or family shelters, or youth who are ‘couch surfing’ or residing in encampments.”
– Source: “What We Heard: 2025-2030 strategic plan to address homelessness stakeholder engagement report”
Niagara Neighbours for Community Safety
Residents in Toronto downtown west opposed to the City's plan to convert 629 Adelaide St W into a 24hr low-barrier respite centre next to a school
niagaraneighbours.org
City homeless report sees crisis, dismisses public with ‘lazy’ language
A report says Toronto’s homelessness crisis is worsening – but a residents group is upset that safety worries are written off as “NIMBYism.”
How I love watching those little ones yell for their daddies!! It's precious!!
Daddies are a dime s dozen. Fathers are rare. I'm a father.
I get what you're saying - one can be a dad without any involvement with the child.