The federal government says it can’t wait any longer for Ontario to end camping in its cities and will provide direct funding to municipalities, including Toronto, to fix the problem.
in a statement Announced on Tuesday, Housing Minister Sean Fraser sent a letter to all states and territories on September 18 to “urgently” open shelters for people who are unhoused or living in tents. He said he has asked Ottawa to partner with them to find out.
The proposal includes a total of $250 million in funding in exchange for matching contributions from states and territories.
But Fraser said federal officials have not received a response from Ontario, Saskatchewan or Alberta since the proposal was made.
“Some have since entered the election period, but there was enough engagement before the letter was sent, and as the weather gets colder, there is no longer time to wait,” Fraser wrote.
As a result, the government said it is now approaching municipalities directly, including Toronto, to resolve the issue.
“We will first approach five cities that are ready to quickly adopt cost-effective responses: Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Regina, and Saskatoon. “This list is not exhaustive, as we plan to reach out to even more communities that have been demonstrated,” Fraser wrote.
The federal government says if Ontario decides to partner with Ottawa under Fraser’s proposal, it will be able to select specific communities to receive funding.
It’s unclear exactly how much of the $250 million total will be given to each state, territory and municipality.
Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra said in a statement to CTV News Toronto that the Ontario government “understood” until Tuesday that it was still working with Ottawa to address the issue. said.
“Now is the time for the federal government to express interest in discussing how Ontario will finance the hundreds of millions of dollars it is investing in homelessness. A meeting with Minister Fraser is scheduled for next week. I look forward to seeing you there,” Calandra wrote.
Calandra’s office said Ontario already invests nearly $1.1 billion annually in homelessness prevention programs, with an additional $720 million to specifically support Toronto and Ottawa.
The city of Toronto released its winter strategy on the same day Fraser announced it would expand shelter capacity to an additional 1,200 rooms once temperatures drop next month. But city officials said more help is needed.
“We will strengthen our federal and state governments as partners to ensure everyone has a safe and secure place to call home, including real efforts to increase affordable and supportive housing. There is a need,” said Coun. Alejandra Bravo said.
CTV News Toronto has reached out to the City of Toronto for comment on Fraser’s offer.
