I write to express my grave concern with the motion carried at Barrie City Council on May 17, 2023 directing staff to use changes to the City’s By-laws in order to prohibit the use or distribution of tents or tarps in public parks or on public lands without a permit and to prohibit the distribution of food and grocery products in public spaces without the use of a permit.
Today, Federal Housing Advocate Marie-Josée Houle made a request to the National Housing Council to launch a review panel on the failure to prevent and eliminate homelessness amongst women and gender-diverse people, particularly Indigenous women, gender-diverse, and Two-Spirit people.
I write to express my grave concerns about the plan reported in the media to escalate the decampment of East Hastings Street.
I write to express my grave concerns about the new bylaw under consideration by City Council to establish a centralized homeless encampment at Moccasin Flats.
The newly unveiled Federal Budget is a sorry disappointment. It completely misses the mark on addressing the most pressing housing crisis this country has ever seen. There are no new ideas, and not nearly enough new money announced for housing. The homelessness crisis was not even mentioned. This is simply unacceptable.
The Federal Housing Advocate is one of a series of several accountability mechanisms created by the National Housing Strategy Act to promote and protect the right to adequate housing in Canada, along with the National Housing Council and review panels.
Today, Federal Housing Advocate Marie-Josée Houle launched a formal review of encampments in Canada, which have become a human rights crisis in cities across the country.
Speaking Notes of Marie-Josée Houle, Federal Housing Advocate, Office of the Federal Housing Advocate
This report is part of a series of reports on the financialization of housing commissioned by the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate (OFHA). The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the author.