King-Victoria Transit Hub

[tomh009]

It is a shame that a small group of people can hold up a much-needed major project. They are not even the same group of people that were involved in the last court case.

So what? I think it's a shame the region has had over three years to address the issue and has basically done jack shit.

[/quote]

If you are referring to homelessness, I think the region is doing a reasonably good job improving the situation, given that the province is not exactly bending over to help.

One issue I have with most news articles is that they quote total homeless numbers and then effectively equate that to the (significantly smaller) number of people sleeping rough.

[tomh009]

Also because their passenger volumes are 10x ours or more.

Yes, but, this is why we need to work towards more frequency and quicker times.  I would much prefer to take a train to Toronto for event than the car.... Then we will get more buy in and more riders.

GO/VIA to the Habs game! 😊

[creative]

My neighbours grandson works as a social worker for the region. His job is to try and pair homeless people with available housing. He is constantly verbally abused by those that he is trying to help. He has coworkers that have been physically attacked. He moved to a different role but ended up going back to his old position because he wanted to try and help the homeless. I have an estranged brother who is very likely living homeless locally. We have tried to help in conjunction with social services but he refuses. Unfortunately you can’t help those that don’t want help.

[Bob_McBob]

My neighbours grandson works as a social worker for the region. His job is to try and pair homeless people with available housing. He is constantly verbally abused by those that he is trying to help. He has coworkers that have been physically attacked. He moved to a different role but ended up going back to his old position because he wanted to try and help the homeless. I have an estranged brother who is very likely living homeless locally. We have tried to help in conjunction with social services but he refuses. Unfortunately you can’t help those that don’t want help.

The region has offered little to literally nothing to most encampment residents, which is why they lost the court case. And it's nonsense that people don't want help. What they don't want is to give up all their possessions, pets, be separated from their spouses, etc. for things like a chance to line up every night for a limited supply of emergency shelter beds. It says a lot that region is incapable of offering housing that's more appealing than living in a tent slum. In 2022, almost all encampment residents took up the region's housing offers, because they had meaningful options like the Erb's Rd shelter back then. Nothing similar is available now, and the region also planned to evict many residents without offering anything at all.

[neonjoe]

My neighbours grandson works as a social worker for the region. His job is to try and pair homeless people with available housing. He is constantly verbally abused by those that he is trying to help. He has coworkers that have been physically attacked. He moved to a different role but ended up going back to his old position because he wanted to try and help the homeless. I have an estranged brother who is very likely living homeless locally. We have tried to help in conjunction with social services but he refuses. Unfortunately you can’t help those that don’t want help.

The region has offered little to literally nothing to most encampment residents, which is why they lost the court case. And it's nonsense that people don't want help. What they don't want is to give up all their possessions, pets, be separated from their spouses, etc. for things like a chance to line up every night for a limited supply of emergency shelter beds. It says a lot that region is incapable of offering housing that's more appealing than living in a tent slum. In 2022, almost all encampment residents took up the region's housing offers, because they had meaningful options like the Erb's Rd shelter back then. Nothing similar is available now, and the region also planned to evict many residents without offering anything at all.

Didn’t the region work with agencies to convert the old comfort inn in Waterloo as well as the tiny home community at the paramedic headquarters site since the encampment was first becoming an issue. In some cases the residents of the adhoc communities choose to not want to go into the structured communities due to certain rules and conditions that must be followed. So I wouldn’t go and say that nothing has been done. Is it enough, no, but it’s a start. The systematic problems really should be covered by the levels of government that provide health and social assistance rather than the level of government that is responsible for our physical infrastructure rather than our social infrastructure.

[Bob_McBob]

Didn’t the region work with agencies to convert the old comfort inn in Waterloo as well as the tiny home community at the paramedic headquarters site since the encampment was first becoming an issue. In some cases the residents of the adhoc communities choose to not want to go into the structured communities due to certain rules and conditions that must be followed. So I wouldn’t go and say that nothing has been done. Is it enough, no, but it’s a start. The systematic problems really should be covered by the levels of government that provide health and social assistance rather than the level of government that is responsible for our physical infrastructure rather than our social infrastructure.

The "tiny home community" is the Erb's Rd shelter I mentioned. It's been at full capacity since before it opened in April 2023, and the region has no plans to expand it or build more. Many of the original encampment residents live there now. Contrary to popular belief, only 7 residents between the two large encampments on Victoria St and Roos Island declined alternate housing offers in 2022. The region is not making similar offers to current residents, and planned to evict some of them without offering anything at all.

These people aren't rejecting stable long-term housing, they're rejecting options that require them to give up their possessions, pets, be separated from spouses, etc. without even a guarantee they'll have a bed to sleep in every night. And with respect to "rules", the Erb's Rd shelter, A Better Tent City, ShelterCare (the Comfort Inn location), etc. do not require abstinence from residents or prohibit alcohol and substance use.

The Region has given assurances of alternate shelter to only those Cross- Applicants/Named Respondents (“Named Respondents”) who are among 40 persons it counted as present at the Encampment on April 16, 2025. However, this shelter is, for the most part, temporary motel or emergency shelter space, and the Region has made no provision for where persons may go if/when they lose these spaces. It has offered nothing to most of the Named Respondents, who are not among the counted 40, other than to “bring them within the Region’s housing stability system” - effectively, adding them to the waitlists they are already on.

[ac3r]

If they refuse to move because of pets that's their problem. Get rid of them. Downtown is a total dump because of the addicts, mentally ill and homeless.

[Bob_McBob]

If they refuse to move because of pets that's their problem. Get rid of them. Downtown is a total dump because of the addicts, mentally ill and homeless.

There's the usual shit take.

[KevinL]

Whether you like the residents or not, our Charter gives them rights and the region's current approach fails to respect those rights. The judge's outcome gives a pretty clear instruction - the region needs to find another piece of land that doesn't have an urgent infrastructure need but is not too far away, and let the encampment relocate there. Anything less violates basic, fundamental human rights.

Have the provincial and federal governments utterly failed to help municipalities with these issues? Absolutely. The region has been dealt a very poor hand. But they need to do something, and the bylaw approach was not it.

[neonjoe]

Big Douggie has hinted at using the notwithstanding clause ...

[danbrotherston]

Big Douggie has hinted at using the notwithstanding clause ...

Oh probably.

At this point, I question why we even bother having laws in this country.

Oh right...to bind the less conservative elements. Only them.

[Kodra24]

I'm just trying to understand the issue a bit better - so if the Region asked the residents to move to, let's say the GRT station downtown, and if the encampment residents said no, then what happens?

[panamaniac]

Big Douggie has hinted at using the notwithstanding clause ...

Which Charter right is removal supposed to violate?

[ac3r]

I'm just trying to understand the issue a bit better - so if the Region asked the residents to move to, let's say the GRT station downtown, and if the encampment residents said no, then what happens?

Bulldozers and a few paddy wagons for any woke clowns that decide to get in the way?

Honestly, not sure. Due to that judge who has nothing to do with the regon said we're violating the human rights of people and need to let them occupy public space, litter, use and sell drugs and stolen property, sex traffic and abuse children (in the past), commit violent and intimidating actions and more...their hands are tied. It has cost us hundreds of thousands (possibly millions at this point) of dollars, resulted in overdose deaths, the trade of stolen property etc but that's okay apparently.

These people cannot be saved until they decide to change, but most don't. So what they do is up to them, but it should be done somewhere else. Find a big field somewhere, build a fence and let them live in their own little hopeless paradise. Most in the region agree, but the people no longer have a say.

[creative]

You have indicated in the past that you are of aboriginal descent. Would you feel the same way if this was an encampment of native Canadians? Asking for a friend.