Canada
What should we do about homeless encampments?
Over the past few years, homeless encampments have become a fixture in every major city across Canada. Governments of all stripes have been grappling with the best approach to dealing with them.
Is it best to clear out encampments, and push the people living there into the shelter system? Or is it better to take a hands off approach, and accommodate encampments as best as possible?
In the province of Ontario, the Ford government has taken the drastic step of tabling legislation to give municipalities more power to evict people living on public land, and shield authorities from lawsuits afterwards. Is that a step in the wrong direction?
Host David Smith speaks with Tim Richter, CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness, about why governments are struggling to effectively deal with chronic homelessness.
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