Toronto Centre Encampment Update November 2024

On Friday, October 18, City staff cleared the remaining encampments from Allan Gardens after nearly two years of outreach and relationship building. Over that time, 98 people were permanently housed and a further 433 people were connected to indoor shelter accommodation. This is a huge milestone and I am proud of the humanitarian approach we took to get here, but the work does not end with Allan Gardens. Encampments remain across the ward, most notably in Moss Park, St. James Park and Trinity Square Park.

As part of the work in Allan Gardens, I assembled the Allan Gardens Task Force with leaders from key divisions including Shelter and Support Services, Municipal Licensing and Standards and Parks, Forestry and Recreation. Now that Allan Gardens has been resolved, the Task Force will continue to meet regularly as the Encampments Task Force for Toronto Centre. We will strategize to address challenges such as dangerous dogs and noise as they emerge, using knowledge from our experiences in Allan Gardens, and make decisions about how to allocate resources across the encampments in our ward. At this time, I am advocating for resources to be reallocated from Allan Gardens to St. James Park.

I am hopeful that as winter approaches, we will be able to move more folks from our parks to indoor space. Toronto’s Winter Services Plan will add approximately 1200 new shelter and housing spaces for people experiencing homelessness between November 15, 2024 and April 15, 2025. As lack of indoor space is the primary reason why encampments remain, these additional spaces should help to address the bottleneck we have been experiencing.

I would like to reiterate that addressing the homelessness and housing crisis is not the responsibility of the City alone. Recently, it was reported that the Federal government offered $250 million in support to provinces to create more shelter space over the next two years and that the Ontario government had yet to respond. This was incredibly upsetting to learn considering the tangible impact I know that additional support could make in our communities, allowing us to transition people from encampments to shelter space. I hope to see federal funding flow directly to the City if the Province is not willing to engage in these critical conversations.

As we await additional support, you can find more updates on my Encampments Dashboard.

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A Farewell to Dr. Eileen de Villa

November 18 was a day I had anticipated with a heavy heart since Dr. Eileen de Villa first announced her retirement earlier this year. That day, we sat at the table together for the final Board of Health meeting with her as our Medical Officer of Health.

Moss Park Cookbook Launch

On November 16, I gathered at the Toronto Public Library’s Parliament Street Branch to celebrate the Moss Park Community Cookbook launch. The event brought together residents, community leaders and food lovers to honour the incredible stories and recipes that make Moss Park such a vibrant place. Below, please find my recipe for banana bread with ginger and blueberries!

November City Council Highlights

City Council made progress in addressing the housing crisis at its meeting on November 13 and 14 by implementing a Rental Renovation Licence By-law and expanding incentives for purpose-built rental housing. They also had important conversations about the City’s economy and cultural plan.

Toronto Centre Encampment Update November 2024

Latest posts

A Farewell to Dr. Eileen de Villa

Moss Park Cookbook Launch

November City Council Highlights

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