Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles promised Wednesday to end homeless encampments, calling them Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford’s “greatest failure.”
Stiles listed several steps she would take to accomplish that goal but would not say how much they would cost, saying only “that will all come” later.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has estimated that more than 80,000 people in the province were homeless last year and that $11 billion over 10 years would be required to end chronic homelessness.
Shortly before Ford called the snap election for Feb. 27, his government announced it was giving municipalities up to $75.5 million to end encampments by creating more emergency shelter spaces and affordable housing units.
People are simply moving from one encampment to another, and the last-minute pot of money will not solve the problem, Stiles said.
“After seven years of Doug Ford, encampments are the new normal,” she said. “Seeing tents in parks is a stark reminder of how utterly Doug Ford has failed. He has failed on housing, he has failed on health care, he has failed on creating good jobs, and he has failed to make life affordable.”
Stiles said an NDP government would create 60,000 new supportive housing units, have the province pay for shelter costs instead of municipalities, and double social assistance rates. She did not indicate how much the promises would cost.
“First of all, that will all come, but I will tell you this, we can’t afford not to do this,” she said.
– With files from Sharif Hassan
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2025.