As winter temperatures continue to drop below freezing and Torontos homeless shelter system is at capacity , Canadian comedian Colin Mochrie and other notable Canadians are using their platforms to ask the City of Toronto to stop evicting unhoused people living in encampments.
In a video shared on Mochries social media on Friday, the actor implored city officials specifically Mayor John Tory to put a moratorium on kicking out Torontonians experiencing homelessness from their tents and tiny DIY shelters.
Imagine being homeless and evicted from your encampment. Sounds like a Dickens novel, said Mochrie in the clip, referencing the societal heartlessness experienced by characters written by author Charles Dickens.
#NoEncampmentEvictions @ESN_TO @JohnTory @ pic.twitter.com/6MqOnzrNuo
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Crisis","slug":"coronavirus","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/archive/ca/topic/coronavirus"},{"name":"housing","slug":"housing","links":{"relativeLink":"news/housing","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/housing","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/housing"},"section":{"title":"Business","slug":"business"},"topic":{"title":"Housing","slug":"housing","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/archive/ca/topic/housing"},{"name":"Lifestyle News","slug":"lifestyle-news","links":{"relativeLink":"news/lifestyle-news","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/lifestyle-news","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/lifestyle-news"},"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"living"},"topic":{"title":"Lifestyle News","slug":"lifestyle-news","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/archive/ca/topic/lifestyle-news"},{"name":"homelessness","slug":"homelessness","links":{"relativeLink":"news/homelessness","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/homelessness","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/homelessness"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/ca/topic/homelessness"},{"name":"life","slug":"life","links":{"relativeLink":"news/life","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/life","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/life"},"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"living"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/ca/topic/life"},{"name":"colin mochrie","slug":"colin-mochrie","links":{"relativeLink":"news/colin-mochrie","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/colin-mochrie","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/colin-mochrie"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/ca/topic/colin-mochrie"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}">#NoEncampmentEvictions @ESN_TO @JohnTory @ pic.twitter.com/6MqOnzrNuo
Colin Mochrie (@colinmochrie) December 4, 2020
Made in solidarity with Encampment Support Network (ESN), Mochries video echoed the local advocacy collectives long-running anti-eviction stance and demands for the city to better support homeless people.
ESN volunteers have provided essential supplies to encampment residents since June, the Toronto Star reported , with volunteers telling the outlet they aimed to provide for the basic needs neglected by gaps in the citys social service systems.
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Imagine being homeless and evicted from your encampment. Sounds like a Dickens novel.
- Colin Mocherie
As a report by advocacy group Right To Housing found, the number of people living in encampments have risen since the pandemic started.
This is during a time when were supposed to be thinking about goodwill towards other humans, Mochrie added. At a time when were in the middle of a raging pandemic and health concerns should be top of our mind. It doesnt seem fair.
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In response to growing opposition and a court challenge , the city has maintained its bylaw enforcement on the grounds that the encampments which they believe are lived in by 400 to 500 people , far below Right To Housings estimates of 1,000 to 2,000 people are an alleged safety hazard and that their winter plan to offer people increased indoor sleeping options and provide notice before tearing down encampments is adequate.
Conditions in encampments create significant health and safety concerns for those living outside, as well as for the community-at-large. Lack of clean drinking water, access to showers and washrooms, medical care, harm reduction services, as well as safe heating sources give rise to dangerous conditions in encampments and the areas surrounding them, reads a statement on the citys website , posted after the court challenge.
Mochrie also asked for at least 2,000 downtown hotel rooms to be offered as an alternative to cramped shelters; critics have condemned the citys relocation efforts for sending people to shelter hotels in faraway suburbs where they cant access the social services they rely on. And as The Local notes, that shelter hotels located away from these services can be dangerous for people struggling with substance use.
Famous Canadians stand in solidarity
The Whose Line Is It Anyway? stars statements comes on the heels of similar videos made by other Canadian actors:
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This Is The End lead Jay Baruchel: Please stop kicking people out of their homes. Especially this year. Especially as we get closer to Christmas.
#NoEncampmentEvictions @JohnTory @cityoftoronto @ONgov @ESN_TO pic.twitter.com/pNDg3tNRbA
Jay Baruchel (@BaruchelNDG) December 4, 2020","type":"rich","meta":{"author":"Jay Baruchel ","author_url":"https://twitter.com/BaruchelNDG","cache_age":86400,"description":"#NoEncampmentEvictions @JohnTory @cityoftoronto @ONgov @ESN_TO pic.twitter.com/pNDg3tNRbA Jay Baruchel (@BaruchelNDG) December 4, 2020\n\n","options":{"_hide_media":{"label":"Hide photos, videos, and cards","value":false},"_maxwidth":{"label":"Adjust width","placeholder":"220-550, in px","value":""},"_theme":{"value":"","values":{"dark":"Use dark theme"}}},"provider_name":"Twitter","thumbnail_height":720,"thumbnail_url":"https://pbs.twimg.com/ext_tw_video_thumb/1334923604199436290/pu/img/j8H0zyDYEM4otUtL.jpg","thumbnail_width":1080,"title":"Jay Baruchel on 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News","slug":"lifestyle-news","overridesSectionLabel":false},"url":"https://action.news/archive/ca/topic/lifestyle-news"},{"name":"homelessness","slug":"homelessness","links":{"relativeLink":"news/homelessness","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/homelessness","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/homelessness"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/ca/topic/homelessness"},{"name":"life","slug":"life","links":{"relativeLink":"news/life","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/life","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/life"},"section":{"title":"Life","slug":"living"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/ca/topic/life"},{"name":"colin mochrie","slug":"colin-mochrie","links":{"relativeLink":"news/colin-mochrie","permalink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/colin-mochrie","mobileWebLink":"https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/colin-mochrie"},"url":"https://action.news/archive/ca/topic/colin-mochrie"}],"isLiveblogLive":null,"isLiveblog":false,"cetUnit":"buzz_body","bodyAds":["\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n","\r\n\r\n"],"adCount":0},"isCollectionEmbed":false}">#NoEncampmentEvictions @JohnTory @cityoftoronto @ONgov @ESN_TO pic.twitter.com/pNDg3tNRbA
Jay Baruchel (@BaruchelNDG) December 4, 2020
Carmilla actor Annie Briggs: This is a message for [Ontario] premier Doug Ford, mayor John Tory, and city councillor Brad Bradford ... seems to be costing the city a lot to criminalize and harass individuals living in these encampments.
Heyo @fordnation @JohnTory @BradMBradford!
Along w/ @ESN_TO Im asking for #NoEncampmentEvictions
-an immediate MORATORIUM on encampment evictions in city of TO
-opening of 2k (min) new shelter rooms ASAP
-basic services provided for those living in encampments
pic.twitter.com/6Fk7d8K7kM
Heyo @fordnation @JohnTory @BradMBradford !
Annie Briggs (@anniembriggs) December 4, 2020
Along w/ @ESN_TO Im asking for #NoEncampmentEvictions
-an immediate MORATORIUM on encampment evictions in city of TO
-opening of 2k (min) new shelter rooms ASAP
-basic services provided for those living in encampments
pic.twitter.com/6Fk7d8K7kM
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This campaign also includes open letters by ESN allies calling for a stop to encampment evictions. One letter, written on behalf of almost 400 Canadian musicians , was signed by Feist, and Kevin Hearn of the Barenaked Ladies.
Clearing life saving shelters which provide warmth is not a solution. Tiny shelters and tents are peoples property. People depend on their social ties and community bonds to survive, the letter states.
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