Toronto guy who weirdly wants to be involved in politics for some reason. Bizarre. Still holding out hope to represent Bloc Québécois in Scarborough Southwest (call me le chef Blanchet) He/Him
![Statement from a Coalition of Municipal and Regional Councillors On the Use of the Notwithstanding Clause to Clear Encampments
On October 31, the Mayors of 13 Ontario municipalities publicly released a letter to Premier Doug Ford regarding provincial support for action on encampments.
This letter requests that the Premier use the Notwithstanding Clause to "[intervene] on any courtcase that restricts the ability of municipalities to regulate and prohibit encampments" - even when there is nowhere else for people to go. In 2023, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice struck down a Region of Waterloo encampment By-Law. The presiding Justice Michael J. Valente found that the By-Law violated encampment residents' Charter-protected right to life, liberty, and security of the person (Section 7) as a result of a lack of adequate shelter beds.
As individual Councillors in our respective municipalities, we know that Ontario municipalities are facing a humanitarian crisis that is affecting all of us. We see it every day in our communities. But no municipality should be above the law, and we are sworn to uphold democracy and human rights as Councillors.
We are also concerned that Councillors in the 13 municipalities named - now expanded to 15 - were not consulted prior to this letter being made public. We are elected by our constituents to represent their interests, but we cannot do this without the opportunity for input and democratic debate at the municipal level.
We also note that this letter represents a break among the 29 municipalities that comprise the Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM) caucus. The caucus did not support the use of the notwithstanding clause in the final draft of its motion requesting support for addressing homelessness and encampments from the Premier. As well, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) - which represents 444 municipalities - released policy recommendations advocating for evidence-based and effective solutions that address the 1/2](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:lx4lfme3lrcm6e246hotcntk/bafkreidecvdtmlidftnyvotu6qqx72jk24dshhqz3dgnkqvlxzucn67eqe)
Toronto guy who weirdly wants to be involved in politics for some reason. Bizarre. Still holding out hope to represent Bloc Québécois in Scarborough Southwest (call me le chef Blanchet) He/Him