OP-ED: Why Toronto must act on Ombudsman’s recommendations on refugee shelter and housing
Toronto City Manager and City Council have made a mistake by refusing to endorse the recommendations brought forward by the Ombudsman regarding refugee shelter
By Alexandra Flynn and Elizabeth McIsaacOn July 2023, refugees from Africa, newly arrived in Canada seeking asylum and protection, camped and slept on the sidewalk in front of the City of Toronto’s Shelter Referral Centre on Peter Street. The city’s shelter system had surpassed capacity and city staff had decided, already back in 2022, to exclude refugees from base shelter spaces even where beds were available. City staff made this decision based on a lack of federal funding and a shelter system starved of the necessary... Read more
