LONDON, Ont. — Sean Horrell walked into the woods holding a basket filled with hot meals, water bottles, juice boxes and snacks for a group of people living in a small London, Ont., homeless encampment.
When he approached the camp, he was greeted by a brown dog that barked and wagged its tail. As Horrell called out names, four people left their makeshift shelters to grab the lunch he'd brought.
"Not only does it make them feel very valued but often if you're sick out here, that's when you need energy and a warm meal the most." Premier Doug Ford's government recently introduced legislation to give more powers to police and municipalities to clear encampments out of public parks, a move critics say would further marginalize an already marginalized group.
The premier also announced an additional $75.5 million funding toward homelessness prevention programs, including $50 million for affordable housing and $20 million to expand shelter capacity. Although 65 per cent of respondents said they were concerned about encampments in their community, only 12 per cent supported stronger law enforcement measures.
In Canada's most populous city, there are around 450 tents across more than 100 parks, according to City of Toronto officials. "These are human beings and clearing people that are residents of our city for me is not a reasonable or respectful thing for us to be talking about."
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