City council has voted overwhelmingly to move ahead with six new homeless shelters outside the downtown core, over the objections of some members and residents who complained of what they described as a lack of proper consultation.Ìý
And while the half-dozen shelters cleared a hurdle at council on Thursday, with the city planning to build 20 of the facilities by 2033 to address the growing homelessness crisis, there are lingering concernsÌýabout how the locations are chosenÌýfrom some councillors, who takeÌýissue with a previous decision that delegated site selection to city staff, rather than elected officials.ÌýÌý
The issue before council wasn’t the shelter expansion plan itself, which council approved in June 2024 and is expected to create 1,600 spaces in the permanent system, but zoning changes necessary to build the facilitiesÌýat six properties. But that was enough to open a wider, sometimes heated debate over shelter policy.Ìý
Coun. Brad Bradford (Ward 19, Beaches-East York) said the public “deserves to be heard†and that the current process gets things “dangerously, dangerously wrong.” He noted that dozens of people showed up to a city hall committee last week to speak to the zoning changes, many of whom either expressed reservations or outright opposition to the shelters.
“Communities are being torn apart right now,†he said. “It is not helpful for councillors or the mayor to go out and say, ‘Hey, I’m hands off, it’s delegated to staff, I have nothing to do with this.’â€
Bradford moved a motion that would have rejected zoning permissions for the proposed shelter at 66 Third St. in south Etobicoke and directed staff to hold more consultations on the site, but it was voted down.Ìý
Coun. James Pasternak (Ward 6, York Centre) said the process had “fallen off the rails.†Elected officials from all three levels of government oppose a proposed shelter in his ward at 1220-1222 Wilson Ave., he said, as well as 6,000 petition signatories.Ìý
“This shelter is the wrong place, it’s the wrong height, it lacks amenity space, it’s totally inappropriate for the site, there is a middle school to the west, a daycare to the east, there’s not enough green space and it’s right across from a hospital,†said Pasternak.
Coun. Parthi Kandavel (Ward 20, Scarborough Southwest), who hasÌýexpressed “serious concerns†about plans for a shelter at 2535 Gerrard St. in his ward because it’s near a neighbourhood with young families, told reporters council’s 2017 decision granting staff the authority to select the sites, which was intended to depoliticize the process, has instead led to “bad decision-making in some cases.”ÌýHe argued it “removed the opportunity” for staff to work more closely with councillors who know their communities and what concerns residents might have.Ìý
But Coun. Gord Perks (Ward 4, Parkdale-High Park) warned thatÌýcouncillors should be “careful” about calls for more consultation, “because ‘consultation’ is a very, very slippery word.”
“In certain mouths, it’s a dog whistle. It’s saying, ‘I will help you to veto this shelter,’” he said, arguing that an elected leader’s job is to find ways to engage with residents to make new shelters work.Ìý Ìý
In a speech that elicited applause from her colleagues and the audience in the chamber, Coun. Amber Morley (Ward 3, Etobicoke-Lakeshore) said she was “very disappointed” with Bradford’s motion that would have held up the shelter at 66 Third St. in her ward. She said that as the local councillor she had already had “umpteen conversations” with constituents over the phone and at town halls, and was committed to addressing concerns they have about how the shelter will affect their community.
“But to work against — from the comfort of your home — the opportunity for us to say ‘yes’ to people in need, that are vulnerable, at their worst times, for us not to show up and provide a glimmer of hope, with the resources and the responsibilities that we have — that is negligence,” she said.Ìý
Mayor Olivia Chow also backed the shelter plan. In a speech to council, she cited a recent city count that estimated there are more than 15,000 homeless people in ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, a 77 per cent increase from 2018, and noted that many of them are turned away from overcrowded shelters every night,Ìýforcing them to sleep in parks and ravines. Earlier this month, a person died in a fire at an encampment in North York.Ìý
A new process of selecting shelters was supposed to ease tensions with residents, but as the city quickly moves to open 20 locations — many
A new process of selecting shelters was supposed to ease tensions with residents, but as the city quickly moves to open 20 locations — many
“We have a housing crisis, folks,” Chow said. “We must act on homelessness, we have to build shelter, rebuild lives, and foster hope.”
In addition to the sites on Wilson Avenue, Gerrard Street East and Third Street, zoning changes approved by council were for shelters planned at 1615 Dufferin St., 68 Sheppard Ave. W., and a facility on adjoining properties at 2204-2212 Eglinton Ave. W. and 601 Caledonia Rd.
Although council voted individually on zoning for each address, the package as a whole passed 22 to 3, with Bradford, Pasternak and Stephen Holyday (Ward 2, Etobicoke Centre) opposed.Ìý
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