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  • Home
    • Information Pages >
      • Point In Time (PIT) Counts
      • February 1, 2023 Strategic Planning and Budget Committee
      • Court Decision - Victoria/Weber Encampment
      • January 18, 2023 Region of Waterloo Council Meetings
      • December 6, 2022 Region of Waterloo Meetings
      • 2022 Municipal Election Candidate Responses
      • Unsheltered Campaign 2022 Municipal Candidate Pledge
      • October 12, 2022 Region of Waterloo Council Meeting
      • Region of Waterloo Community Services Meeting October 4, 2022
      • August 18, 2022 Regional Council Meeting
      • August 9, 2022 Regional Community Services Comittee Meeting
      • June 22nd Regional Council Meeting
      • Living Rough: Victoria/Weber Encampment 1.0: Summer Recap
      • Living Rough: Washrooms
      • My "nickel": Victoria and Weber Encampment
      • Unsheltered: Living the Experince
      • Criminalization of Homelessness
      • Unsheltered Campaign Letters to Local Municipalities
      • How to help: Contributing to Unsheltered Needs & Shelter Supports
      • Housing: A Human Right
      • State of the City/Region by Local Municipalities
      • Substance Use and Homelessness
      • Housing Affordability Task Force
      • Info Page: Living Rough: Encampments
      • Housing First
      • May 9. 2022 -Region of Waterloo Community Services Committee Meeting
      • Region of Waterloo Council Meeting April 27, 2022
    • Where to find help in Waterloo Region
    • Advocacy Resources - Broad
    • Social Media
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We have received this afternoon’s decision from Justice Valente regarding the Region’s property at 100 Victoria Street North. Below is a statement from Chair Redman on behalf of the Region of Waterloo. pic.twitter.com/LJAtdk9DT0

— Region of Waterloo (@RegionWaterloo) January 27, 2023
​
  • ​​​​​Engage Waterloo Region: Interim Housing Solutions
  • ​​Housing and Shelter - Region of Waterloo​​
  • Media Release - Region Expands Warming Centre Access
  • ​Media Release - Regional Council: Making decisions that matter - January 25, 2023
  • ​


​The Courts Judgement (PDF): 

​The Regional Municipality of Waterloo v. Persons Unknown and to be ​Ascertained, 2023 ONSC 670
COURT FILE NO.: CV-22-717 DATE: 2023-01-27
 - The Public Record (Source of scrollable document below)
Document Sub-Sections (Listed) 
  • Introduction- Pg. 1 - [1] 
  • The Parties and their Respective Positions- Pg. 2 - [2]-[6]
  • The By-Law - Pg. 3 - [7]-[13]
  • 100 Victoria Street North, Kitchener - Pg. 4 - [14]-[16]
  • Homelessness in the Region - Pg. 5 - [17]-[18]
  • The Encampment - Pg. 6 - [19]-[21]
  • The Encampment Residents - Pg. 7 - [22]-[23]
  • The Encampment Policy - Pg. 8 - [24]-[31]
  • Steps Initiated by the Region Pursuant to the Encampment Policy - Pg. 10 - [32]-[36]
  • The Risk Assessment - Pg. 12 - [37]-[46]
  • Adverse Impacts of the Encampment - Pg. 14 - [47]-[50]
  • Risk of being Homeless - Pg. 15 - [51]-[56]
  • The Region’s Efforts to Expand Resources for its Homeless - Pg.19 - [57]-[61]
  • The Region’s Current Emergency Shelter Capacity - Page  - [62]-[66]
  • Are the Shelter Beds Accessible? - Page  - [#] - [#]
  • Does the Charter Apply? - Page # - [#] - [#]
  • Section 7 of the Charter - Page # - [#] - [#]
  • Section 7 and the History of the “Right to Shelter” Cases - Page # - [#] - [#]
  • Does the By-Law Deprive the Encampment Residents of One of the Protected Section 7 Rights? - Page # - [#] - [#]
  • Is the Deprivation in Accordance with the Principles of Fundamental Justice? - Page # - [#] - [#]
  • Section 15(1) of the Charter Page # - [120] -[#]
  • Section 1 Analysis - Page # - [#] - [#]
  • Section 440 of the Municipal Act - Page # - [#] - [#]
  • Remedy- - [144]
  • Disposition - Page # - [#] - [#]
  • Costs - Page # - [160] - [#]​
REgional Council December 15, 2021 - Bylaw review
Regional Council - December 15, 2021
Video below set to begin at:
  • 2:12:50 PDL-LEG-21-70, Policy Review of Region Bylaw 13-050 – Use or Occupation of Region-owned Public Land​
​​
  • The Minutes of the December 15, 2021, meeting of Regional Council approving the Encampment Policy
  • Regional Bylaw 13-050, ​A ByLaw Respecting the Conduct of Persons Entering Upon Buildings, Grounds and Public Transportation Vehicles Owned or Occupied by the Region
Legal Cases Referenced
  • ​Victoria v. Adams - Law Sheet - Poverty and Human Rights Center
  • Nanaimo (City) v. Courtoreille, 2018 BCSC 1629 
  • Black v. Toronto - 152 O.R. (3d) 529 2020 ONSC 6398 - CanLii​
  • ​ Victoria (City) v. Adams, 2008, BCSC, 1363 - CanLii
  • Bamberger v. Vancouver (Board of Parks and Recreation) 2022 BCSC 49 - BCCourts.ca
  • Vancouver Fraser Port Authority v. Brett BCSC 876 - BCCourts.ca
  • Shantz, Prince George (City)  v. Stewart 2021 BCSC 2089 - CanLii
  • Quebec (Attorney General) v. 9147-0732 Quebec Inc., 2020 SCC 32 - CanLii
  • Victoria (City) v. Adams, 2009 BCCA 563 - CanLii
  • Committee for the Commonwealth of Canada v Canada, [1991] 1 S.C.R. 139 - CanLii
  • R. v. Heywood, [1994] 3 S.C.R. 761- CanLii
  • R. v. Monney, 1999 CanLII 678 (SCC), [1999] 1 S.C.R. 652 - CanLii
  • R. v. Michaud, 2015 ONCA 585, 127 O.R. (3d) 81 - Vlex.com
  • Abbotsford (City) v. Shantz, 2015 BCSC 1909​
  • ​Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation v. Williams, 2014 BCSC 1926
  • ​British Columbia v. Adamson, 2016 BCSC 584 
  • British Columbia v. Adamson, 2016 BCSC 1245 
  • ​Poff v. City of Hamilton, 2021 ONSC 7224​​
  • R. v. Morgentaler, [1988] 1 S.C.R. 30
  • ​R. v. Parker, (2000) 49 O.R. (3d) 481 - Vlex.com
  • Fleming v. Reid (1991), 1991 CanLII 2728 (ON CA) - Vlex.com
  • ​Godbout v. Longueuil (City), [1997] 3 S.C.R. 844​
  • Carter v. Canada (Attorney General), 2015 SCC 5, [2015] 1 SCR 331 [Carter]
Provincial Acts & Charter Sections

​Provincial Acts

  • Section 440 of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c.25 - "Power to restrain"​​
  • Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25
  • Trespass to Property Act, R.S.O. 1990



​Charter of Rights

  • Charter Rights: Section 7 (right to life, liberty and security of person)
  • Charter Rights: Section 15 (equality)
  • Section 32(1) Canadian Charter of Right and Freedoms -  "Application of the Charter"​​
  • ​Section 52(1) Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - "The Supremacy Clause"
  • Section 24(1)  Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - "Remedies"

“It’s an incredible decision for our clients and all the people in Ontario experiencing homelessness.” - Shannon Down, Executive Director of Waterloo Region Community Legal Services pic.twitter.com/EC9adozD9z

— Waterloo Region Community Legal Services (@WRLegalServices) January 30, 2023

(Below document sourced from link at top of page)

The region needs to be honest with it's staff and partners about how much pursuing this court case has undermined their work, wasted money and frayeded relationships.

— Wailing David (@ourjoymovement) January 27, 2023



​Additional Information: 

  • Project Willlow - The Feminist Shift​​​
  • Greater Sudbury Encampment Responses Guide - October 1. 2021​
  • Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network
  • Canadian Observatory on Homelessness - Homelesshub.ca
  • UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Affordable Housing - unhousingrapp.org
  • Pan-Canadian Women’s Housing and Homelessness Survey
  • 2020 Survey conducted by the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, titled “Focus on Safe Supply”
  • ​Jeremy Waldron, “Homelessness and Community” - HomelessHub.ca​​

​Local support Services:

  • Waterloo Region Community Legal Services ​
  • Mary's Place
  • St. John’s Kitchen
  • Consumption and Treatment Services - Sanguen
  • Saugeen Health Centre
  • The Working Centre
  • ​​Lutherwood Housing Services
  • YWCA
  • House of Friendship
  • Cambridge Shelter Corp. (Bridges)
  • oneROOF
  • Safe Haven​​

“It’s an incredible decision for our clients and all the people in Ontario experiencing homelessness.”
- @shannon_down of the exemplary @WRLegalServices

fyi: @pivotlegal @cathyacrowe @ZoeDodd

Full decision c/o @JoeyColeman : https://t.co/xQAxZmtDPc https://t.co/MeH1ezJQZH

— michael parkinson (@Parkinson4WR) January 27, 2023

In the News: 

  • ​Warming centres at Waterloo Region buildings open seven days a week - TheRecord.com
  • Judge rejects region's request to evict Victoria Street encampment - City News
  • Court rules Region of Waterloo can't evict people from encampment due to lack of shelter space - CBC News
  • Court ruling blocking Kitchener, Ont., encampment eviction could affect cases across Canada, say legal experts - CBC News
  • 'I'm very happy about the decision': Resident reacts to judge dismissing region's bid for encampment injunction - CTV News
  • Opinion: An Ontario ruling defending those living in encampments is only a partial victory - The Globe and Mail
  • Judge dismisses Region's bid for encampment injunction - CTV News
  • ​Court rules Waterloo Region cannot evict people from camp due to lack of shelter - Canada Today
  • Judge says region cannot evict encampments - Cambridge Today

An Ontario ruling defending those living in encampments is only a partial victory https://t.co/9UqFbzzPia

— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) January 31, 2023
​​
  • A ‘precedent-setting’ decision halts encampment clearing - The Star​​
  • ​Judge says region cannot evict encampments -CambridgeToday.ca
  • City of Kitchener finding best options for supporting residents displaced by development - City News Kitchener
  • ​Displaced by development: Kitchener to explore ways to help tenants who lose their homes  - TheRecord.com​​
  • Concerns linger over recent Cambridge encampment fire as rebuilding begins - Cambridge Today
  • Despite frigid temperatures, many still choose tents over shelters - Cambridge Today
  • Regional bylaw may need more than a rewrite to allow eviction of encampment residents - CityNews Kitchener

UPDATED: Judge says region can’t evict tent city residents, for now https://t.co/RGhwyaPeeK via @wr_record

— Paige Desmond (@DesmondRecord) January 27, 2023

  • ​​Hybrid shelter near Waterloo-Wilmot border causing concerns for close neighbours - CityNews Kitchener
  • ​Regional bylaw may need more than a rewrite to allow eviction of encampment residents - CityNews Kitchener
  • ​Judge rejects region's request to evict Victoria Street encampment -CityNews Kitchener
  • "Neighbours raise concerns over drug use at managed encampment on Erbs Road (42:03)" - Tuesday January 31st, 2023- The Mike Farwell Show - CityNews Kitchener
  • "Court rules Region can't evict encampment residents (20:09)"- Monday January 30th 2023- The Mike Farwell Show - CityNews Kitchener
  • ​Opening of region run outdoor shelter in Waterloo moved to March -CityNews Kitchener​
  • A really difficult case to win': Southwestern Ont. judge rules encampment can stay in Kitchener - CTV News

Shannon Down and Ashley Schuitema spoke to CTV News about the encampment court decision as "a significant precedent" and "first of its kind in Ontario."https://t.co/4lt0s0qJQB

— Waterloo Region Community Legal Services (@WRLegalServices) January 31, 2023

"Around here" related Info Pages
  • Victoria and Weber encampment: My "nickel" June 2, 2022​
  • Regional Community Services Committee Meeting October 4, 2022
  • Regional Council Meeting August 18, 2022
  • August 9, 2022 Regional Community Services Committee Meeting
  • Regional Council Meeting June 22, 2022​​
  • As we start having more of the difficult conversations surrounding Unsheltered lives
  • Proposed November 17th, 2021 to Regional Council in seeking temporary solution to homeless displacement - ​Content and related links
    • Looking more at Unsheltered displacement - Blog Post 25/11/21
    • Love, compassion, and positive action! - Blog Post 28/11/21
    • Regional Council discusses the recent encampment displacement - Update - 29/11/21​
  • November 9, 2021 Committee of the Whole Regional Council
    • Point In Time Count​
  • December 8th, 2021: 2022 Region of Waterloo Plan and Budget meetings
  • December 15th, 2021: Plan & Budget Development meetings
  • ​Unsheltered Campaign: Letters and Recent Engagements
  • Living Rough - Encampments
  • Living Rough: Washrooms​
  • ​​The Criminalization of Homelessness
  • Housing: A Human Right

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