Council voted to spend money to move homeless camps away from schools and other areas
St. Catharines city council voting to put resources into a by-law that would move homeless camps away from schools, homes and parks by certain distances.
Part of the bylaw includes asking the federal and regional governments for more help, including getting homes built.
Councillor Caleb Ratzlaff voted against the by-law. "We all know that this isn't going to fix the problem, this isn't going to address the root causes of encampments, you need more supportive housing, Niagara needs more supportive housing in order to do that. It's not going to reduce human suffering."
Mayor Mat Siscoe expressed his frustration at the region for not getting homes built, adding that is a regional responsibility.
Resident Ashley Miller said children are being exposed to needles and other dangerous activity. "These are not just quality of life issues, these are matters of child endangerment. We must ask ourselves 'If these are things we would not allow our children to be exposed to within the walls of our homes, why are we allowing them to be exposed to this in public'?"
Councillor Greg Miller also voted against supporting the by-law, saying simply moving people around will not put them into their own home.
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