Research Methods:
Identifying Municipal Bylaws and Protocols
Rethinking Municipal Policy Responses to Encampments: Building a Human Rights Approach in Ontario
We examined all municipalities in Ontario with more than 70,000 residents, irrespective of whether they were upper or lower tier, or designated housing service providers (28). The only category of municipality we excluded was counties, because we found that they have few bylaws and a limited role in land regulation or social service provision.
This resulted in 38 municipalities of interest. We reviewed each municipality’s bylaws in 2023 and 2024 to document the presence of neo-vagrancy bylaws preventing loitering, obstructing, sleeping/resting and sheltering in public, as well as any other bylaws we noted as criminalizing survival behaviours of people experiencing homelessness.
This resulted in 38 municipalities of interest. We reviewed each municipality’s bylaws in 2023 and 2024 to document the presence of neo-vagrancy bylaws preventing loitering, obstructing, sleeping/resting and sheltering in public, as well as any other bylaws we noted as criminalizing survival behaviours of people experiencing homelessness.
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To identify encampment protocols, during the same timeframe we reviewed municipal websites, staff reports, and council meeting materials for authoritative documents that provided direction on how municipal staff and service providers should respond to encampments.
We conducted an initial search from Sep 2023 to Dec 2023 and updated this search between July 2024 and Oct 2024. It is important to note that project data provides a window into municipal bylaws and encampment protocols in Ontario as of October 2024, but does not reflect any more recent changes, which is a limitation given the dynamic nature of municipal policy development concerning encampments.
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Encampment site in Waterloo Region
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Encampment Protocols in Ontario Municipalities over 70,000
(as of October 2024)
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City of Brantford
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City of Cambridge
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City of Greater Sudbury
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City of Guelph
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City of Hamilton*
* As of January 2025, the City of Hamilton has repealed its encampment protocol. This report reflects the protocol that was in place prior to this time.
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City of Kingston
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City of Kitchener
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City of London
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City of St. Catherines
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City of Thunder Bay
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City of Toronto
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Region of Niagara
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Region of Waterloo
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