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突發！多倫多宣布進入“緊急狀態”，25年首次！安省4市統統陷入這危機
多倫多市議會以24:1投票通過動議，宣布多倫多進入緊急狀態，以應對街頭流浪漢無家可歸者等問題，批準改變供暖中心的啟動時間。
在5月11日的多倫多市議會上，市議員們以24:1投票通過要求宣布無家可歸者的緊急狀態，並改變供暖中心的運作方式。這是多倫多25年來首次作出這樣的聲明。
1998 年，多倫多宣布無家可歸為“非自然災害”（unnatural disaster）。僅僅一年多之後，聯邦政府就宣布建立一項全加拿大無家可歸計劃，這導致了一係列支持無家可歸的個人和家庭的計劃創建。
多倫多代市長詹妮弗·麥凱爾維（Jennifer McKelvie）在一份聲明中說：“作為市政府，我們正在竭盡所能幫助無家可歸者。”
在審查了與緊急供暖中心相關的政策和程序後，議員們還批準了工作人員在報告中提出的建議。
除此，他們還著手研究 24/7 臨時停車位的可行性。
這些建議包括改變啟動供暖中心的標準，創建一個部門間和市政府機構工作組，負責製定供暖中心和其他冬季服務的長期戰略，以及確定供暖地點的年度計劃和24 小時供無家可歸者的臨時棲息的場所。
新的決議要求，當室外溫度降至 -5 攝氏度或更低時，或者當加拿大環境部發布冰雨、暴風雪、冬季風暴、降雪和暴風雪警告時，供暖中心將會開放。
而以前，僅當多倫多首席醫療官宣布極寒警報時，多倫多才會啟動供暖中心。
多倫多還將向省府和聯邦政府申請資金，以在下個冬季啟動更多的供暖中心，並幫助成千上萬的家庭從臨時庇護中心（ shelter system）搬到永久性住房。
工作人員指出，如果沒有兩級政府的支持，多倫多將無法維持臨時庇護收容所係統目前的服務水平。
該市補充說，如果得不到資金承諾，將無法從 2024 年開始開設和運營供暖中心。
除了多倫多外， 安大略省其他城市也宣布了類似的緊急情況。
其中首都渥太華的加拿大第一個宣布類似的緊急狀態令， 2020 年 2 月，渥太華率先宣布無家可歸和住房的緊急情況。
尼亞加拉地區3月份也宣布就無家可歸、心理健康和阿片類藥物成癮進入緊急狀態。
4月，漢密爾頓15:0一致投票通過，宣布全市進入緊急狀態，以應對該地區街頭流浪漢、阿片類藥物成癮和心理健康等問題，而哈密爾頓是麥克馬斯特大學所在地，該校華人學生比較多。
根據數據，70多萬人口的漢密爾頓有近 1,500 名無家可歸的街頭流浪漢。
位於哈密爾頓的麥克馬斯特大學教授吉姆·鄧恩（Jim Dunn）表示，可能需要大量其他城市類似的緊急聲明才能引起福特政府的注意。
回顧：15:0全票通過！安省又一城宣布進入緊急狀態，係名牌大學所在地
周五，加拿大最大城市多倫多也宣布進入緊急狀態，根據數據，多倫多街頭每天都大約有8500名無家可歸者，相當於每1000名多倫多人，就大約有3個人流浪街頭。
而在這些流浪漢中，超過 30% 心理健康有問題， 25% 是癮君子有毒癮。
對於目前的多倫多，不但越來越多街頭流浪漢，治安還一日不如一日，大家怎麽看？
Toronto city council declares homelessness an emergency
Council also agrees to change when warming centres activated in winter
Toronto city council has declared homelessness an emergency in the city and has agreed to change when warming centres are activated in winter months.
At its meeting Friday, council voted to open warming centres when the temperature falls to –5 C or colder or when Environment Canada issues freezing rain, snow squall, winter storm, snowfall and blizzard warnings.
Previously, the city opened warming centres when the temperature dipped to –15 C or the wind chill made it feel like –20 C, and when the medical officer of health issued an extreme cold weather alert.
The change means warming centres could be open an average of 19 more days per year, but opening them will depend on available space, staffing and funding, the city said in a news release on Friday.
According to the city's economic and community development committee, which approved the declaration before it went to council, deeming homelessness an emergency is symbolic. But it sends a message about the urgency of the crisis in Toronto and the need to do better.
"Council's declaration of an emergency does not trigger the immediate flow of additional funds or resources from other orders of government," the city said the release.
On its shelter system flow data web page, the city says a total of 10,811 people have been "actively homeless" in Toronto in the last three months. On its daily occupancy and overnight service usage web page, the city says more than 8,800 people used its emergency homeless shelters on Thursday night.
'More needs to be done together,' deputy mayor says
"We are doing everything we can as a city government to help people experiencing homelessness," Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie said in the release.
"Toronto will continue to be a strong partner with the government of Canada and the government of Ontario when it comes to getting housing built, providing safe shelter for those in need and helping residents move from homelessness into safe and supportive homes," she added.
A view of a warming centre in Toronto. (Submitted by the City of Toronto)
McKelvie thanked the provincial and federal governments but said "more needs to be done together— with our community partners — to ensure that those in need have access to shelter, housing and health supports."
Council also approved other changes recommended by staff to its winter services planning. The changes include creating a new inter-divisional city agency working group to identify publicly and privately owned locations for use as warming centres and 24-hour respite sites.
Warming centres, usually in city buildings or community recreation centres, are part of what the city calls a surge response when there is heightened demand for shelter spaces during cold or inclement weather. They're also there for people less likely to access traditional shelter spaces and can be accessed by walk-in, without a referral.
The city said it needs financial support from other levels of government to open and operate warming centres as of Jan. 1, 2024. Council also decided it will ask the federal and provincial governments for $5 million to allow the city to continue its winter services beyond Dec. 31, 2023.
And it decided it will ask the provincial and federal governments to add $20 million to the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) in 2023-2024 to help between 1,600 and 2,000 households leave the shelter system and move into permanent housing. The COHB, a portable housing benefit, helps people to access permanent housing.
A view of an entrance to a warming centre in Toronto.
Coun. Shelley Carroll, chair of the economic and community development committee, said she wants the plan passed by council on Friday to be realized in full.
"Everyone deserves access to safe and reliable shelter," Carroll said.
"We must secure more sites for warming centres. We must enhance access to the shelter supports we already have in place. And of course, we must be relentless in our push to build a wide range of truly supportive and accessible housing."
With its vote on Friday, Toronto joins other Ontario cities in declaring homelessness an emergency. On April 12, the city of Hamilton declared a state of emergency in its city related to homelessness, opioid addiction and mental health.
