‘I’m not willing to stand by and see people die’ – Oshawa mayor on asking Ford for help on health crisis

For Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter, the homeless crisis – “the worst health crisis of our generation” – is very personal as well as heartbreaking.

The two-term mayor, who once lived on the streets himself, has watched tent encampments grow larger and more people die on the streets from toxic drug use while the courts handcuff local municipalities from doing more to help the situation.

“We have a responsibility to show compassion,” Carter told INdurham. “I’m not willing to stand by and see people continue to die.”

The mayor would like to see city parks in Oshawa and other communities around Ontario that have been taken over by homeless encampments returned to its citizens – “our by-laws are for everyone” – since a court decision in early 2023 stopped municipalities from clearing the tent cities if local shelters were full because it was a violation of their human rights.

Carter, along with another 13 big city mayors in the province, signed an open letter to Premier Doug Ford to use the ‘notwithstanding clause’ to override the court decision and allow the parks to be returned to the people.

Carter believes the courts have gone “way off base” with their ruling and wants the provincial government to become an intervenor in any court case that restricts the ability of municipalities to regulate and prohibit encampments – a principle endorsed by the U.S. Supreme Court that courts should not be dictating government policy on homelessness.

But the Oshawa Mayor also wanted to make clear that the request to Ford was about a lot more than eviction powers. Finding a way forward to help solve the addiction crisis is the biggest ask of the Premier and his government.

“We need to take a different pathway. All we’re seeing is an increase in the homeless and an increase in the deaths. We want to find a model that is about saving people’s lives.”

The mayors want the province to implement a drug and diversion court system across the province and ensure there are necessary resources to allow a focus on rehabilitation as opposed to incarceration. Strengthening the system of mandatory community-based and residential mental health care and the expansion of service for those with severe addictions was also on the list of requests.

Carter also wants more power given back to the families involved and, as a recovering alcoholic, is a big believer in intervention.

“We offer everything we can to provide shelter but 97 per cent of the people don’t accept our help … but families don’t expect us to give up on their kids,” he said. “Millions of people have been saved because of intervention and we should intervene every possible time we can. That’s our responsibility.”

“They are all somebody’s kid and they are the most vulnerable people in our community. Families need to have a voice.”

Carter said the record number of homeless people and people with addictions put a major strain on city resources, especially as housing and health care are not municipal responsibilities.

“We don’t want anyone to die on our streets. But we need the province to step in and help us.”

The letter to Ford was in response to a challenge from the Premier to “actually put in writing” what they wanted him to do about the homeless situation and to be sure to include the somewhat controversial ‘notwithstanding clause’ in the letter.

“Let’s see if they have the backbone to do it,” Ford said last week.

Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter

Carter, Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe and Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster were among the signatures on the letter. Whitby Mayor Elizabeth Roy and Ajax Mayor Shaun Collier were conspicuously absent.

“We ask for your immediate attention to this matter … to realize positive changes to very complex issues,” the mayors wrote in the letter, which also asked for changes to the Trespass to Property Act to allow for increased penalties for repeated abuse and to enact legislation on the ‘open and public’ use of drugs being prohibited in the same way that open consumption of alcohol is banned.

Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall said municipalities need the tools to deal with encampments that are “rampant with prolific drug use and violence” and for the province to take action toward a long-term, permanent solution to treat addictions and “restore safety to our parks and streets.”

Carter said he expects blowback from the letter, with opposition already happening in the Legislature from opposition parties. “The solution to encampments and homelessness is housing. The housing doesn’t exist,” said Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles, while Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner said using the notwithstanding clause is an “extreme” action.

“I think people should understand what we’re trying to accomplish is to get people into the proper care,” Carter explained. “If this makes people uncomfortable then we need to have that conversation.”