Dear City of Cambridge...
(CC: Region of Waterloo)
RE: Cambridge Encampment Evictions (Heatwave June 2025)
More of my thoughts and ramblings on this topic... Convieniently posted and published in no particular order!
Procedural Bylaws &
city of Cambridge Council meeting September 2, 2025
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Motion is mentioned at 1:20:36 of video above
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Agenda includes:
10.2 Motion re: Preventing the forced removal of unhoused persons during extreme weather events "Note: This motion will be introduced at the September 2, 2025 Council Meeting but will not be discussed until the September 23, 2025 Council Meeting." |
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Photo below: Cambridge, July 15, 2025
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"The controversy regarding procedural issues and the extent of authority of the mayor have distracted from the underlying concern about humane treatment of unhoused individuals during extreme weather events," he wrote.
"I'd like to see the focus return to the issues that originally prompted Coun. Hamilton to put forward his motion and for me to propose to second it." |
The Political DistractionsIn my view, recent disputes among Cambridge’s political leadership have (quite unfortuanately) focused more on process than on people — whether a motion should be debated, whether staff needed more time to provide ample information to council, and who holds the procedural upper hand. From where I stand, it feels like more leadership time is being spent sparring over rules than addressing the crisis at hand.
I do recognize that governance processes matter, but not everyone has the luxury of waiting. In my opinion, Cambridge must do better, and can, by quickly refocusing the conversation where it belongs: with those directly impacted, and on how best to ensure our actions don’t further contribute to nor escalate the risks already being faced. The damage occurring does not pause for these political quibbles — however necessary these processes may sometimes be. Despite these personal views, since we seem to be debating this topic, below you'll find a few more of my ramblings alongside relative resources and information (as I've best been able to collect). |
Municipality Type: Lower Tier
Municipal Website: Cambridge.ca Designated Housing Services Manager: Region of Waterloo City of Cambridge - Policy pointsThis is a non-exhaustive list, and other applicable bylaws may exist beyond those noted here.
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Seeking change - Nickels & Dimes:
yes, let's "set the record straight "
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.
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Junk In, Junk Out
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. When city leaders claim “no evictions” have taken place they are effectively "feeding our systems" poor data. When these same errors then inform impactful decisions and residuating communal views, the results are inevitably harmful. |
continue reading ...
"In this case, there was no urgency "
Respectfully, I disagree.
The notion that there was “no urgency” doesn’t hold up when we’re talking about encampments being evicted during an extreme heat wave. Extreme heat events are, by definition, urgent circumstances, where forcing displacement can endanger lives.
The fact remains that visible enforcement actions and municipally led displacement efforts occurred. Regardless of what we refer to these actions as, the potential harms and impacts they impose remain the same.
I also disagree that there was a need to “give council every opportunity to educate themselves and think about the direction they might want to go.”
This isn’t the start of the term — we’re quickly approaching the elections for the next term. By now, there should be no question that councillors are at least aware, if not well informed on these topics locally. Claiming a need for more time suggests a lack of attention, not a lack of information.
While not all City Council members participate at the Regional meetings, there are Cambridge representatives sitting at the Regional tables where housing and homelessness are frequent topics. For example, at a Regional meeting in May, the most recent PIT count data was presented publicly. This recently provided data alone leaves little room to deny the scale of the housing crisis our community is facing.
These aren’t abstract issues, nor are they new revelations.
To be continued....
I also disagree that there was a need to “give council every opportunity to educate themselves and think about the direction they might want to go.”
This isn’t the start of the term — we’re quickly approaching the elections for the next term. By now, there should be no question that councillors are at least aware, if not well informed on these topics locally. Claiming a need for more time suggests a lack of attention, not a lack of information.
While not all City Council members participate at the Regional meetings, there are Cambridge representatives sitting at the Regional tables where housing and homelessness are frequent topics. For example, at a Regional meeting in May, the most recent PIT count data was presented publicly. This recently provided data alone leaves little room to deny the scale of the housing crisis our community is facing.
These aren’t abstract issues, nor are they new revelations.
To be continued....
Procedural Bylaws - a few highlights (& perhaps some Ponderings)
Screenshot of Cambridge Procedural By-laws (Page 10)
Screenshot of Cambridge Procedural By-laws (Page 14)
Screenshot of Cambridge Procedural By-laws (Page 17)
Screenshot of Cambridge Procedural By-laws (Page 18)
Screenshot of Cambridge Procedural By-laws (Page 18)
Local News coverage
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Motion on encampment evictions during heat waves back on the table
Cambridge Today - Aug 29, 2025 |
City urged by federal housing advocate not to evict homeless encampments during heat waves
Cambridge Today Motion on encampment evictions taken off Cambridge agenda (35:48) - The Mike Farwell Show - August 1, 2025 Political R&D (1:28.01) - The Mike Farwell Show - August 6, 2025 Motion to discuss encampment evictions scrubbed from Cambridge agenda Record News via Cambridge Times Cambridge mayor responds to councillors’ criticisms in online video The Record News - Aug. 15, 2025 Opinion | A major discussion about encampments needs to happen soon The Record News - Aug. 12, 2025 More violence at A Better Tent City is just the beginning, if we keep looking the other way The Record News - Aug. 18, 2025 Opinion | How one faith community opened its arms to homeless people The Record News - Aug. 21, 2025 |
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Domicide (though dressed up as due process):
Definition: "... the deliberate destruction of housing by humans in pursuit of specified goals. It includes the widespread destruction of a living environment, forcing the incumbent humans to move elsewhere..." (Source: Wikipedia )
Property damage:
Definition: " ... is the damage or destruction of real or tangible personal property, caused by negligence, willful destruction, or an act of nature" (Source: Wikipedia) |
Eviction:
Definition: ... (Source <Linked)
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The City could also simply forgo forcing eviction under these bylaws, even if it is not willing to explicitly permit the encampments themselves.
*Intended* to be expanded on for this page (notes to self if nil else):
- Dual tier challenges involved in navigation of these situations can be quite re-donkey-ulous
- I personally object to the statements being made supposing there to have been no evictions by the City.... "Probably" gonna rant on that some more...
Other "nickels" in this "jar" :
City of Cambridge initiating
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