kingston protest planned in opposition to bill 6
kingston homeless advocates say bill 6 would criminalize being unhoused, plan protest thursday at noon in confederation park.
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homeless advocates are to protest the ontario government's safer communities act which they say will target the unhoused in kingston thursday.
elliot ferguson
/
the whig-standard
kingston — advocates for kingston’s homeless population are among the groups organizing a set of protests against the province’s bill 6.
protests are planned for thursday afternoon in kingston, toronto, ottawa and port hope to draw attention to the safer communities act, proposed legislation that people who work with unhoused people said unfairly targets and criminalizes homeless people and will make it more difficult for them to access housing and services.
the protest in kingston is set for noon thursday at confederation park.
the legislation, opponents said, could mean that homeless people believed to be in possession of drugs in public could be evicted from encampments, arrested and imprisoned or fined up to $10,000.
bill 6 follows the closures of encampments and drug treatment facilities and proposals to impose mandatory treatment for chronic drug users.
“the safer municipality act will lead to heightened policing in public spaces, criminalizing homelessness such as loitering or sleeping in public areas,” said pamela gray, spokeperson for the kingston encampment support network. “without housing where are our homeless meant to go? this could lead to fines and arrests rather than providing support and resources for individuals experiencing homelessness.
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“the act does not adequately address the root causes of homelessness, such as the need for affordable housing, wrap-around services, mental health services, and addiction treatment,” added gray, who said there are more than 633 homeless people in kingston, many of whom have severe mental illnesses.
“this bill will impose stricter regulations on public spaces, and our citizens will be displaced from areas where they have found some sense of stability, pushing them into less visible or more dangerous situations. this level of willful inequity raises significant moral and ethical questions about fairness in the application of the law.
“increased scrutiny and law enforcement action against homeless individuals will lead to additional stress, anxiety, and a deterioration of mental health,” gray said.
“we require long-term, sustainable solutions for our homeless. housing and meaningful wrap-around services for intensive supportive housing, supportive housing and independent housing are the starting point,” she added. “our city is in crisis and we need to collaborate to enact a bold solution.”
the groups organizing the protests, including the local kingston encampment support network and a coalition of 111 homelessness, housing and health-care organizations that signed an open letter opposing bill 6 earlier this year, are calling for the provincial government to rescind the bill.
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“bill 6 criminalizes unhoused people and those living in poverty, disproportionately harming already marginalized communities, including indigenous, black, and other racialized communities, women and gender diverse populations, members of the 2slgbtqia+ community, and people with disabilities,” harini sivalingam director of the canadian civil liberties association said in a statement. “rather than addressing the root causes of homelessness through rights-based solutions that uphold dignity and autonomy, it will deepen the crisis.”
“bill 6 is not only a cruel and ineffective response to homelessness — it’s a direct attack on the survival of women and gender-diverse people who are already facing extreme violence, poverty, and systemic discrimination on the streets,” added stefania seccia of the women’s national housing and homelessness network.
“this legislation doesn’t make communities safer; it makes them more dangerous for those with the fewest protections,” seccia added. “criminalizing homelessness, especially in the absence of adequate safe shelter or harm reduction supports, will push more women into hiding, into unsafe situations, and further away from help.”
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elferguson@postmedia.com
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