'Where are we supposed to go?': Emotional reaction to Ford government’s hard line on encampments

There was no shortage of reaction to Premier Doug Ford’s plan to take a hard line on homeless encampments and public drug use.

“No one will help me. I’m *** starving and I’m freezing, and *** almost burned to death,” exclaimed Chris Sinclair, who has been staying at a London, Ont. park. He said he’s too busy worrying about how he’s going to survive the winter than he is about getting arrested for living in an encampment.

“Where are we supposed to go, right? This is *** ***. Excuse my language but we were told to come here. I thought the law said that until, between certain months we can come to these camps,” Sinclair told CTV News.

The Ford government says it will introduce legislation to help municipalities dismantle homeless encampments. Measures include fines up to $10,000, and up to six months in prison for people who repeatedly use illegal drugs in parks and public spaces.

The move follows requests from a number of Ontario mayors calling for the legal tools to crack down on encampments.

London Mayor Josh Morgan said he wants to make sure there’s a plan in place to get people help when they’re moved from encampments, but the new laws are necessary to deal with a growing concern.

“What I see here is the premier carving out a number of things. I look toward continued investment for creating spaces for people to come indoors is absolutely necessary. And continuing to find pathways to treatment and recovery. But allowing us some tools to deal with open drug use. It’s absolutely something that has to be dealt with,” said Morgan.

Sarah Campbell, executive director of Ark Aid Street Mission, on Dec. 13, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

Some who work on the front lines of the homelessness and addictions crisis say the plan effectively criminalizes people for being unhoused and sets monetary penalties with little chance of actually being able to collect.

Sarah Campbell, the executive director of the Ark Aid Street Mission, said supports have to be in place before making arrests and removing people from encampments.

“I lament public drug use,” exclaimed Campbell. “It’s a problem for our communities. And at the same time, until we have pathways to care and support, I think it’s very short-sighted. And I also think that the language around how we’re calling out addicts who are outside versus addicts who are inside is marginalizing and really setting up a system of oppression,” Campbell said.

The Ford government also says it will invest more than $75 million into homelessness prevention, including money for affordable housing and expanding shelter capacity.