Rescind Bill 6! - Rallies Across Ontario, Thursday, May 29

Encampment Justice Coalition holds rallies across Ontario to protest Bill 6, the "Safer Municipalities Act", which would essentially criminalize homelessness, infringing on the human rights of people under both federal and international law.

The closest EJC rally to us is at Queen's Park in Toronto - there are also rallies in Ottawa, Kingston, Thunder Bay and Northumberland County

Details at a Glance

What

• Rescind Bill 6! Rally (Toronto)

When

• Thursday, May 29, 11:30am

Where

• Queen's Park, Toronto (south lawn)

Speakers

• Diana Chan McNally, Encampment Justice Coalition

• CCLA (Speaker TBD)

• Jennie Stone, Neighbourhood Legal Services

• Mskwassin Agnew, Toronto Indigenous Harm Reduction

• Lyndon Kermack, Toronto Underhoused and Homeless Union

• HAC Toronto (Speaker TBD)

• Brad Evoy, Disability Justice Network of Ontario

Organizers

• Encampment Justice Coalition

From the Organizers

Homelessness isn't a crime!

Join us for a rally on May 29th at 11:30 am at Queen's Park to send a message to Premier Ford:

Rescind Bill 6! Homeless people need affordable housing — not jail time and $10,000 fines!

Homelessness is not a crime

• Yet, Bill 6 punishes people who are homeless with jail time, a $10,000 fine, or both

• This is instead of giving people living in encampments what they actually need: affordable and supportive housing

More Ontarians will become homeless

• A recession, fuelled by American tariffs, is imminent, and people will lose their jobs and their housing

• Ontario should be protecting and expanding access to affordable housing — not punishing people by violating their rights

Evicting encampments is a violation of people’s rights

• The courts have already clarified that an encampment cannot be evicted in the absence of adequate shelter

• Bill 6 also targets people who use drugs on the basis of their housing status

  • With supervised consumption sites shut down, Bill 6 is now making it illegal for people to use drugs in public, even though they have nowhere else to go

Housing is the only solution to homelessness

• Instead of adopting American policies to punish homeless people, Ontario should learn from Manitoba, who are housing encampment residents

  • Housing people is human rights-compliant, healthier, safer, and less costly to the public

  • This approach is supported by the majority of Ontario municipalities, and is supported by the Ontario NDP, Liberal Party, and Green Party