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Unethical, inhumane decisions are not unusual in Toronto’s history of providing shelter, writes columnist Cathy Crowe.

Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider may have been following orders from above when he made the controversial decision to pull pitching ace Jose Berríos from the Jays second wildcard early in the fourth inning. Berríos had been cruising on the mound through the first three, then after throwing one ball in the fourth he was yanked. The move resulted in two runs and the Jays lost to the Minnesota Twins ending their playoff hopes.

Jays’ fans on social media were incensed. A major theme of the chatter was the issue of whether managers (in this case baseball team managers) must follow orders from above. In this case, possibly direction from the front office or the analytics department.

Some argue yes, if he wants to keep his job or be hired anywhere in the future.We may never know the full backstory.

We probably all know managers who follow directions or make choices that are influenced by funders’ goals, or who the government is at the time, or the bottom line in the budget. The decisions often don’t reflect the needs of people.

This is most evident in large bureaucracies like city governments.

Case in point: the City of Toronto’s decision in May to close its shelter doors to refugees and asylum seekers. The face of that decision was Toronto’s acting mayor Jennifer McKelvie, who stepped into the role after John Tory’s resignation.

Why did McKelvie or the decision makers not call for the federal armouries to be opened for shelter or for Red Cross assistance or something better than locking doors? Who made this decision? The deputy mayor? City council? The city manager? The general manager of the shelter division?

The result was brutal. Hundreds of asylum seekers – including pregnant women – were literally left for weeks to sleep on a sidewalk in front of Toronto’s shelter referral centre during a hot and smoky summer. An enormous relief effort to provide what can only be described as refugee camp necessities (food, water, tarps, blankets) was undertaken by frontline workers, not the city. Ultimately church groups sheltered hundreds in their places of worship, but the conditions were grave.

It’s worth noting that public outrage to the city’s decision was substantial resulting in a Toronto Ombudsman investigation. Hopefully, that will provide answers.

Unethical, inhumane decisions are not unusual in Toronto’s history of providing shelter.

During my career as a street nurse, I witnessed:

• A Salvation Army shelter for couples that would not allow same sex couples to share a room;
• A shelter that replaced bath towels with paper towels;
• A Salvation Army shelter that made people pick up their personal needs allowance (money intended for personal needs not covered in the shelter – for example bus tickets, personal hygiene supplies) at an exact time every week and if people were not there to pick it up, they would lose out;
• Warming and cooling centres operated in the lobby of a public government building for years without provision of mats, cots, pillows, sufficient blankets, shower access or meals;
• Seaton House, the city’s largest men’s shelter, proposed to check men’s urine for alcohol before admission;
• Multiple shelters that had the practice of no doors on washrooms or shower stalls;
• and the shelter division and public health department repeatedly holding back information on tuberculosis, Norwalk virus, and Strep A outbreaks in shelters “to not discourage homeless people from entering the shelters.”

These decisions were not made by frontline workers. Managers made them.

All the above were resolved due to the activism of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee (TDRC) through protest and media exposure that included secret video footage to expose the conditions.Last week I was asked to present a mock media conference to students in the Masters Journalism program at Toronto Metropolitan University. This is the essence of my presentation.

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We are the founding members of the TDRC, and we are enraged that 25 years after we declared homelessness a man-made national disaster requiring a federal response.

In 1998 we called for all levels of government to increase their social housing budget an additional 1 per cent. On the national scene this would have translated into $2 billion annually.

That did not happen and there is not a community in this country that is not facing a housing and homelessness emergency. We now witness cities such as Kingston, Peterborough, Hamilton and Waterloo forced to develop emergency plans including tiny shelters, tiny homes and sleeping cabins for their unhoused.

Toronto’s response has been negligent. For decades, homeless people, frontline workers, advocacy groups, even coroners’ inquests have called out the living unacceptable conditions for homeless people.

In August I wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Trudeau outlining the seriousness of the situation and imploring his government to step up. I have yet to receive a response. (I did send it to him personally)

I asked: “Is this what we should expect for years to come? Refugees and unhoused people sheltered in unhealthy church basements, reliant on volunteers, food, and clothing donations?”

While we applaud Mayor Olivia Chow’s efforts to bring the provincial and federal government to the table, and we will pursue those demands as well, in the absence of aid, the city must initiate its own emergency measures.

We demand that Toronto take a new direction and apply a war-time effort. Toronto should follow their own city council declaration that homelessness is an emergency and enact the Emergency Operation Centre.

This should have been initiated within the first three months of the pandemic in 2020.

These are the immediate measures needed. As you read this, think about natural disasters such as a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, flood and what we would expect from our local government.

Safe shelter

1. The city must request the Ministry of Defense for use of the Fort York and Moss Park Armouries for emergency shelter for refugees, replacing the current churches that are operating shelter. Staffing and operations should be managed by the Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders, the latter who should ensure safe COVID precautions are implemented including vaccinations, HEPA filtration and K/N95 mask provision;
2. The city should request additional funding for refugee organizations to support people onsite with the paperwork and access to supports including housing;
3. The city should partner with a trusted community agency to create a campus of 100 tiny shelters that can be installed inside the Better Living Centre and the Queen Elizabeth building for people unhoused. In addition, shower trailers, a communal food and social area should be set up. Doctors without Borders and the Red Cross should collaborate to ensure COVID prevention measures. Encampments should also be supported with tiny shelters and similar supports;
4. If the above is inadequate the Rogers Centre should be considered for mass emergency shelter.

Housing

1. The city should partner with Mike Holmes and Home Depot to oversee the immediate restoration of the hundreds of empty Toronto Community Housing homes with the goal of move-in by December 1;
2. The city should issue an RFP to faith organizations who are willing to establish 2-6 modular or prefab permanent homes on their property;
3. The city should expropriate 214-230 Sherbourne from KingSett Capital. The 59 modular homes delayed on Cummer Avenue in North York because the province will not issue a Minister’s Zoning Order should be relocated to this site.

Supports

1. Metro Hall rotunda should be converted into an emergency triage area to provide fast-track access to ID, OW, ODSP and other supports. Toronto’s PAID project should receive funding for the ID component. City and provincial government staff should be seconded for the application process for social assistance;
2. City staff seconded from various departments to staff temporary shelters during the pandemic should be reallocated as necessary for staffing.

Community partnership

1. The city should create a funding table including Maytree, Metcalf, Atkinson, Donnelly and Toronto Community Foundation and the United Way to raise $2 million to finance the above;
2. The city should declare November 22 as National Housing Day and both fund and support a housing rally at Nathan Phillips Square.

Bottom line. This is a humanitarian disaster.

Now, I’ll be happy to take your questions.