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突发！多伦多宣布进入“紧急状态”，25年首次！安省4市统统陷入这危机
多伦多市议会以24:1投票通过动议，宣布多伦多进入紧急状态，以应对街头流浪汉无家可归者等问题，批准改变供暖中心的启动时间。
在5月11日的多伦多市议会上，市议员们以24:1投票通过要求宣布无家可归者的紧急状态，并改变供暖中心的运作方式。这是多伦多25年来首次作出这样的声明。
1998 年，多伦多宣布无家可归为“非自然灾害”（unnatural disaster）。仅仅一年多之后，联邦政府就宣布建立一项全加拿大无家可归计划，这导致了一系列支持无家可归的个人和家庭的计划创建。
多伦多代市长詹妮弗·麦凯尔维（Jennifer McKelvie）在一份声明中说：“作为市政府，我们正在竭尽所能帮助无家可归者。”
在审查了与紧急供暖中心相关的政策和程序后，议员们还批准了工作人员在报告中提出的建议。
除此，他们还着手研究 24/7 临时停车位的可行性。
这些建议包括改变启动供暖中心的标准，创建一个部门间和市政府机构工作组，负责制定供暖中心和其他冬季服务的长期战略，以及确定供暖地点的年度计划和24 小时供无家可归者的临时栖息的场所。
新的决议要求，当室外温度降至 -5 摄氏度或更低时，或者当加拿大环境部发布冰雨、暴风雪、冬季风暴、降雪和暴风雪警告时，供暖中心将会开放。
而以前，仅当多伦多首席医疗官宣布极寒警报时，多伦多才会启动供暖中心。
多伦多还将向省府和联邦政府申请资金，以在下个冬季启动更多的供暖中心，并帮助成千上万的家庭从临时庇护中心（ shelter system）搬到永久性住房。
工作人员指出，如果没有两级政府的支持，多伦多将无法维持临时庇护收容所系统目前的服务水平。
该市补充说，如果得不到资金承诺，将无法从 2024 年开始开设和运营供暖中心。
除了多伦多外， 安大略省其他城市也宣布了类似的紧急情况。
其中首都渥太华的加拿大第一个宣布类似的紧急状态令， 2020 年 2 月，渥太华率先宣布无家可归和住房的紧急情况。
尼亚加拉地区3月份也宣布就无家可归、心理健康和阿片类药物成瘾进入紧急状态。
4月，汉密尔顿15:0一致投票通过，宣布全市进入紧急状态，以应对该地区街头流浪汉、阿片类药物成瘾和心理健康等问题，而哈密尔顿是麦克马斯特大学所在地，该校华人学生比较多。
根据数据，70多万人口的汉密尔顿有近 1,500 名无家可归的街头流浪汉。
位于哈密尔顿的麦克马斯特大学教授吉姆·邓恩（Jim Dunn）表示，可能需要大量其他城市类似的紧急声明才能引起福特政府的注意。
回顾：15:0全票通过！安省又一城宣布进入紧急状态，系名牌大学所在地
周五，加拿大最大城市多伦多也宣布进入紧急状态，根据数据，多伦多街头每天都大约有8500名无家可归者，相当于每1000名多伦多人，就大约有3个人流浪街头。
而在这些流浪汉中，超过 30% 心理健康有问题， 25% 是瘾君子有毒瘾。
对于目前的多伦多，不但越来越多街头流浪汉，治安还一日不如一日，大家怎么看？
Toronto city council declares homelessness an emergency
Council also agrees to change when warming centres activated in winter
Toronto city council has declared homelessness an emergency in the city and has agreed to change when warming centres are activated in winter months.
At its meeting Friday, council voted to open warming centres when the temperature falls to –5 C or colder or when Environment Canada issues freezing rain, snow squall, winter storm, snowfall and blizzard warnings.
Previously, the city opened warming centres when the temperature dipped to –15 C or the wind chill made it feel like –20 C, and when the medical officer of health issued an extreme cold weather alert.
The change means warming centres could be open an average of 19 more days per year, but opening them will depend on available space, staffing and funding, the city said in a news release on Friday.
According to the city's economic and community development committee, which approved the declaration before it went to council, deeming homelessness an emergency is symbolic. But it sends a message about the urgency of the crisis in Toronto and the need to do better.
"Council's declaration of an emergency does not trigger the immediate flow of additional funds or resources from other orders of government," the city said the release.
On its shelter system flow data web page, the city says a total of 10,811 people have been "actively homeless" in Toronto in the last three months. On its daily occupancy and overnight service usage web page, the city says more than 8,800 people used its emergency homeless shelters on Thursday night.
'More needs to be done together,' deputy mayor says
"We are doing everything we can as a city government to help people experiencing homelessness," Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie said in the release.
"Toronto will continue to be a strong partner with the government of Canada and the government of Ontario when it comes to getting housing built, providing safe shelter for those in need and helping residents move from homelessness into safe and supportive homes," she added.
A view of a warming centre in Toronto. (Submitted by the City of Toronto)
McKelvie thanked the provincial and federal governments but said "more needs to be done together— with our community partners — to ensure that those in need have access to shelter, housing and health supports."
Council also approved other changes recommended by staff to its winter services planning. The changes include creating a new inter-divisional city agency working group to identify publicly and privately owned locations for use as warming centres and 24-hour respite sites.
Warming centres, usually in city buildings or community recreation centres, are part of what the city calls a surge response when there is heightened demand for shelter spaces during cold or inclement weather. They're also there for people less likely to access traditional shelter spaces and can be accessed by walk-in, without a referral.
The city said it needs financial support from other levels of government to open and operate warming centres as of Jan. 1, 2024. Council also decided it will ask the federal and provincial governments for $5 million to allow the city to continue its winter services beyond Dec. 31, 2023.
And it decided it will ask the provincial and federal governments to add $20 million to the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB) in 2023-2024 to help between 1,600 and 2,000 households leave the shelter system and move into permanent housing. The COHB, a portable housing benefit, helps people to access permanent housing.
A view of an entrance to a warming centre in Toronto.
Coun. Shelley Carroll, chair of the economic and community development committee, said she wants the plan passed by council on Friday to be realized in full.
"Everyone deserves access to safe and reliable shelter," Carroll said.
"We must secure more sites for warming centres. We must enhance access to the shelter supports we already have in place. And of course, we must be relentless in our push to build a wide range of truly supportive and accessible housing."
With its vote on Friday, Toronto joins other Ontario cities in declaring homelessness an emergency. On April 12, the city of Hamilton declared a state of emergency in its city related to homelessness, opioid addiction and mental health.
