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Nickels and Dimes:
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2026
When Politics Fail:
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Joining the Conversation:
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I had the priviledge of joining Laura Pin on Laura Mae Lindo’s ‘Everyday Politics’ show, where we unpacked some of the findings from our Realizing the Right project’s most recent report.
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As economic pressures (and 20 other things!) intensify, the strain on our systems deepens, further widening the gap between need and response. Service providers are left navigating impossible trade-offs, while those experiencing homelessness face prolonged instability and unmet basic needs.
The experience of homelessness varies significantly across different parts of the Region of Waterloo, this shaped in part by its complex governance structure of three cities and four townships under a dual-tier system.
When Doors Close... And Relief Is Scarce
Waiting or shifting responsibility to other levels of government won’t protect those within our community who need access to these vital resources now. It needs to be recognized that while, yes, we must pursue better support from higher levels of government, action can’t wait, and the responsibility to act falls on us municipally too.
Continuing to Evict Despite Knowing Better... Why?
I'm really feeling a need to to underscore that this action stands in direct contradiction to current case law.
I strongly urge the region to reconsider these illegal actions and focus towards ensuring the rights and dignity of the unhoused are upheld.
I strongly urge the region to reconsider these illegal actions and focus towards ensuring the rights and dignity of the unhoused are upheld.
January 7, 2026 Region of Waterloo
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Dear RoW: Your Bylaw Is Faulty
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2025
Why not let your experts do their work?The City’s eviction notice suggests that local services are actively working with the residents at these locations. These Regionally overseen services are experts in their fields, so why not allow them to continue their essential work, rather than evicting the very individuals they are trying to support?
A Human Rights Approach for the City of CambridgeThese decisions not only undermine the dignity and safety of affected individuals, but also stand in direct contradiction to the obligations inherent in a rights-based response.
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Cambridge City Council Meeting September 23, 2025
It is entirely reasonable—and even necessary—to expect that the City of Cambridge adhere to a Human Rights Approach in its policies and actions, particularly when responding to homelessness and housing insecurity. This expectation is not arbitrary...
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Across the Divide: Challenges of Navigating a Duel Tier SystemNavigating these situations in crisis moments can be, quite frankly, re-donkey-ulous.
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Extreme Heat and Health Impacts
For people living outdoors without ability to stay cool, these dangers are significantly heightened, making forced displacement during heat events a life-threatening act.
The need for elemental relief for unsheltered people is both ongoing and growing at an exponential rate. As the impacts of climate change continue to intensify—including extreme heat, unpredictable storms, and poor air quality—those without shelter face an increase of exposure (direct physical contact & frequency of occurance) to dangerous weather conditions.
The need for elemental relief for unsheltered people is both ongoing and growing at an exponential rate. As the impacts of climate change continue to intensify—including extreme heat, unpredictable storms, and poor air quality—those without shelter face an increase of exposure (direct physical contact & frequency of occurance) to dangerous weather conditions.
Eviction Notice Components
Choosing not to enforce displacement is not the same as condoning their use of the spaces and could at least avoid layering on further harm, disruption, and trauma to the individuals who are already in highly vulnerable situations.
The objective ability to choose from clear alternatives—including the option to at a minimum forgo enforcement—makes eviction unnecessary.
The objective ability to choose from clear alternatives—including the option to at a minimum forgo enforcement—makes eviction unnecessary.
$$ Crunching the Numbers $$:
Budgets & Resources
Evictions deplete local available resources that could instead be redirected toward other areas by all involved.
Evictions result in a significant (and repeated) waste of agency, volunteer, and community member contributions.
Evictions result in a significant (and repeated) waste of agency, volunteer, and community member contributions.
The Political Distractions: Procedural Bylaws
(& Cambridge Council Meeting September 2, 2025)
I do recognize that governance processes matter, but not everyone has the luxury of waiting.
The damage occurring does not pause for these political quibbles — however necessary these processes may sometimes be.
I witnessed the destruction of some of these peoples homes and possessions myself. To at all deny these occurrences is not only misleading—it’s an erasure of people’s lived reality and the added traumas as are being inflicted by these municipally led actions.
There’s a well-worn saying in technology and research: junk in, junk out. If you feed a system faulty information, you’re guaranteed a faulty outcome. The same applies to politics.
The damage occurring does not pause for these political quibbles — however necessary these processes may sometimes be.
I witnessed the destruction of some of these peoples homes and possessions myself. To at all deny these occurrences is not only misleading—it’s an erasure of people’s lived reality and the added traumas as are being inflicted by these municipally led actions.
There’s a well-worn saying in technology and research: junk in, junk out. If you feed a system faulty information, you’re guaranteed a faulty outcome. The same applies to politics.
Cambridge Encampment Evictions - Heat Wave 2025
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What this says of our own lacking humanity really frightens me... We should probably talk about this.
This self imposed status quo is failing us all.
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Why are we shaking our own jar? |
There appears to be a widespread failure to recognize the necessity of meeting every individual’s fundamental physiological and survival needs before expecting them to progress toward higher levels of growth or self-actualization. When access to basic needs is lacking, and day-to-day survival becomes a constant struggle, it becomes nearly impossible to move beyond these foundational stages.
Dear City of Cambridge (CC: Region of Waterloo) RE: Heat Wave Evictions
2024
Fall 2024 - Buses for Warming & Other Potential Concepts
We must do what we can, where we are, with what we have…
Our status quo, this method where we continue to allow our operations to knowingly include biased and flawed system functions must be changed. It is our collective role and duty to address the embeded systemic inequities as we identify them.
I see us all trying, I see us all worn.
I see us all trying, I see us all worn.
2022
Victoria and Weber encampment: My "nickel" June 2, 2022
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How can we choose to penalize those there for our own errors and lack of foresight? Instead we must adjust, evolve, collaborate, and grow.
There will be no good left in our world, nor community, if we cannot find balance and mutual care instead of tearing each other further apart. May we start here, at least for a moment? Because we could. |
As we start having more of the difficult conversations surrounding Unsheltered lives - January 2022
Our current ways seem to be failing to align with many of our communities values. Who and where we were situationally when these plans were implemented and developed seems to no longer reflect who and where we are now. We've collectively changed, grown, evolved. It's time to change our responses and approaches to better reflect these changes of mindset.
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Those with higher incomes are facing deep housing scarcity. Those with low incomes are facing a brick wall with but a few cracks.
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2021
Looking more at Unsheltered displacement
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Proposed November 17th, 2021 to Regional Council in seeking temporary solution to homeless displacement
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Today I ask that we own these actions, admitting that within our new awareness lay a clear responsibility for their effects, including the further harm and trauma caused via the displacement of these people. I ask that instead of the status quo, we make a different choice - that we choose change, that we choose compassion, that we choose community.
We can't keep shifting responsibility for issues that can have life or death consequences. |
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2020 & Earlier
Alliance Against Poverty Supports Local Grassroot Plea For Aid - 2020
Speaking with Bob Jonkman April 13th, 2020 at CKMS 102.7 FM - Topic: Unsheltered needs and COVID-19 Emergency
Speaking with Bob Jonkman April 13th, 2020 at CKMS 102.7 FM - Topic: Unsheltered needs and COVID-19 Emergency
Social Justice Housing Rally
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Affordable Housing Initiatives Funding Proposal - January 13, 2020
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