Doug Ford pulled no punches this week when speaking at a news conference in Port Colborne, Ontario, on Monday about people living in encampments and not working.
"If you’re healthy, get off your A-S-S and start working like everyone else is,” said Ford.
When pushed further about what many call a controversial comment, Ford showed little sympathy, and little inclination to soften his words a day later.
"You’re young, you’re healthy and you can work, you have to find gainful employment. That’s what you need to do.”
Ford was responding to questions from reporters about waitlists for affordable hosuing. He did say that his government would support those with mental illness and addictions.
But his solutions to get people out of homeless encampments were met with disbelief and criticism.
"Ten percent of people who are in Ottawa’s shelters, are actually employed and they just can’t find housing they can afford," said Meg McCallum, interim executive director for the Alliance to end Homelessness Ottawa. "This is a human rights issue and we need inclusive neighborhood-friendly approaches, not this Pull-yourself-op-by-the-bootstraps type of comment."
Homelessness and encampments have become touchy political issues. Last year, cities and towns across Ontario were the sites of about 1400 homeless encampments in their communities. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has come to the Ford government for help.
"We are in crisis proportions when it comes to a lack of deeply affordable housing, a lack of shelter spaces, a lack of addiction support and mental health supports and we need the province’s help to help us deal with and take action with the crisis," said AMO’s Policy Director Lindsay Jones.
Jones says normalizing encampments is not a sustainable situation. And the people living there must be met with the same level of compassion and service that any other resident deserves.
"But it’s also the case there are long-term and broad impacts to having encampments on public land," said Jones. "There’s impacts from an economic perspective in communities across the province, downtowns are really experiencing significant impacts."
Ford says his government has invested more than one billion dollars in programs to provide food and shelter for those in need.
But some, like opposition New Democratic lawmaker, Chandra Pasma, say far more is needed.
“It just shows how out of touch the Premier is with what’s happeing with people on the ground," said Pasma. "I have constituents who are working two jobs just to stay housed. People in my riding are working full time and still needing to use food banks."
