Toronto City Council Rejects the Call to Open Warming Centres 24 hours a day, seven days a week

By Ryan Field
Ryan is Community Journalist with FOCUS MEDIA ARTS CENTRE

Moss Park and the Downtown East Toronto is home to a significant population of the most vulnerable members of our society, namely the homeless and those suffering from mental health and addictions.  This is why it was important  to Jesse and Ryan, the hosts of Radio Regent’s News and Views, to tackle this issue in episode two of their show, which has also been covered by video.

Despite an open letter to City Council sent by the Health Providers Against Poverty and Shelter Housing Justice Network and a Board of Health motion  urging city council to provide around the clock access to warming centres for people living on the street,  Toronto City Councillors still voted (15-11) to reject  a call for council to declare a public health crisis and to open warming centres 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Councillor Michael Thompson, introduced amendments rejecting the motion from the Board of Health arguing that it will cost an estimated $400,000 to run a single 24/7 warming centre for one month.

Councillor Alejandra Bravo, was among those opposing Councillor Thompson’s amendments countering that the issue is one of priorities, not funds, given the city came up with the money to  deploy 80 Toronto Police Services officers  a day to patrol the transit system last month.

As a result of the vote, warming centres will continue only to open when the city’s Medical Officer of Health issues an extreme cold weather alert. An alert is issued if Environment and Climate Change Canada forecasts temperatures at -15 C   or lower.
Since the Board of Health motion last month, calls from advocates and healthcare providers to keep centres open 24/7 have only grown and among the recommendations advocated by the Health Providers Against Poverty and Shelter Housing Justice Network are:
1. Open warming centers between September 15 and June 1 every year when the forecasted
temperature for the day is 0°C or below, and ahead of inclement weather including freezing rain
or snow and create a minimum of 250 spaces downtown, with access to alternative spaces granted through TTC fare or taxi.
2. Reinstate low-barrier 24/7 respite space until the shelter capacity is below 90%, as per the
Toronto Shelter Standards (8).
3. Keep existing hotel-shelter spaces open, and add at least 2700 more non-congregate shelter
spaces.
4. Stop the eviction of encampments and the destruction of survival gear.
5. Collaborate with all levels of government to build 10,000 rent geared-to-income units
immediately and 90,000 additional units to address the growing waitlist.

In addition to the Warming Centres, the radio show also focused on Metrolink’s cutting of trees in Moss Park to make way for the new subway.