More than 20 community advocates are calling for the head of Toronto’s shelter system to step down amid a worsening crisis involving refugees camped out on a downtown sidewalk with nowhere to go.
In an open letter released Monday, the group accused Gord Tanner, the general manager of Shelter Support and Housing Administration (SSHA), of “repeated mismanagement of the shelter system.”
About 30 refugees have been regularly sleeping on the sidewalk outside of the intake centre at Richmond and Peter streets for weeks since the city started referring refugees to federal programs rather than admitting them to the municipal shelter system in June.
“The City of Toronto is denying shelter to refugees,” the letter read.
“The City is feeding into a xenophobic narrative that refugees are a burden on the system and claiming misleading increases in the number of refugees.”
The city claims there were 2,900 refugee claimants in Toronto’s shelter system in May. According to the city, that’s an increase of 440 per cent compared to September 2021, when there were just 537.
The group said that when compared to 2018 data, the uptick in refugee claimants in May represents only an 11 per cent increase.
The letter noted that the city is “telling refugees seeking shelter to call Service Canada,” a move advocates call a “cruel wild-goose chase.”
In the letter, the group demands that Tanner step down immediately.
“Failing your immediate resignation, we call on new Mayor Olivia Chow to initiate your firing,” the letter continues.
Beyond the current refugee crisis, the group accused Tanner of decreasing transparency in the shelter system by changing how often shelter deaths are reported from monthly to every six months. The group also said Tanner “endangered the lives of unhoused people” during the COVID-19 pandemic when he approved “pushing together shelter beds” to create more space.
“While the collapse of the shelter system is not solely the General Manager’s responsibility – it lies with City Council – your key decisions have resulted in immeasurable harm and have further exacerbated the crisis.”
The city has accused the federal government of not providing enough money to house refugees, which is a federal responsibility.
City staff said $100 million more in federal funding is needed to keep up with demand.
“Without funding from the Government of Canada, the City will have to refer eligible asylum seekers to programs and services available to them through the federal government,” the city said in May.
Since then refugees have camped outside the intake centre hoping that an extra spot may open up, though few do. They’ve been forced to endure inclement weather, sleeping outside in the rain while they struggle to access facilities to clean themselves, often relying on frontline services and good Samaritans for food and clothing.
On Monday, Paramount Fine Foods Founder Mohamad Fakih pledged to donate at least $20,000 to house refugees in Toronto.
“It's our job. It's our Canadian dream for us to protect and to send the message that no that's not the welcome we want to provide them,” he said.
In a statement sent to CP24.com on Monday, Chow said the mayors of other big cities across the province are experiencing the same issue.
"We need all hands on deck right now to resolve this crisis. I am focussed on working quickly with the federal and provincial governments to find an immediate solution to get people into shelters and housing, and a long-term solution so refugees don’t end up unhoused in the first place. I have reached out to all big city mayors across Ontario and they are all experiencing the same challenges," the statement read.
"When senior staff meet on Tuesday, my expectation is tangible solutions from all three levels of government that we can implement right away."
Speaking to CP24 on Monday, Greg Cook, one of the advocates behind the open letter, accused the city of using refugees “as pawns.”
“The federal government should pitch in,” Cook said. “But for the city to use people who are refugees who are in crisis as pawns… is really, really concerning.”
He added that the city needs to adhere to its own Sanctuary City policy. As a sanctuary city, Toronto provides all undocumented residents with full access to city services, regardless of their immigration status.
“SSHA oversees the whole shelter system and so they are the ones operationalizing this decision to not allow people who are asylum seekers or with that status into the shelter system,” he said.
“That contravenes, or goes against, Toronto’s own Sanctuary City policy as well as shelter standards.”
In a statement, Paul Johnson, Toronto’s city manager, said he has “every confidence” in Tanner.
“Sheltering the homeless in Toronto has reached a crisis level. Our shelters are full. This is due to many complex reasons, but this fact remains. We know that addressing homelessness requires the expertise, insight and on-the-ground knowledge of many. No single person, group, or organization can do it alone,” the statement read.
“I want to acknowledge a letter shared with us and the media today by a number of homeless, shelter and refugee advocates. Their voices matter and many play a critical role in providing essential supports, knowledge, and advocacy work. So too has the City of Toronto team.”
He said the team at SSHA has been working “diligently” and “on an ongoing basis” with experts and community leaders, some of whom “are signatories of the letter.”
“The fact remains that the City does not have additional space and currently has no means to expand the system to keep up with the surging demand for shelter space,” he wrote.
“The need for urgent funding from other orders of government to support the current and increasing surge of new arrivals is needed, along with a long-term, sustainable strategy and logistical support.”
-With files from CP24’s Josh Freeman
