{"id":108403,"date":"2026-06-29T11:35:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T11:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/108403\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T11:35:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T11:35:10","slug":"ottawa-councillors-call-for-more-data-supports-for-unsheltered-encampments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/108403\/","title":{"rendered":"Ottawa councillors call for more data, supports for unsheltered encampments"},"content":{"rendered":"

The City of Ottawa<\/a>\u2018s homelessness outreach program will include a standardized reporting system for encampments designed to improve supports and to collect data while maintaining the privacy of the city\u2019s unsheltered homeless<\/a> population.<\/p>\n

A motion from Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Rawlson King received unanimous support from fellow councillors and calls on city staff to implement a standardized reporting framework for encampments as part of its unsheltered homelessness outreach model, which is to roll out in the fall.<\/p>\n

Councillors will receive updates from staff on the status of service requests for encampments, including what response actions are taken, \u201cin a manner that maintains the privacy of residents experiencing unsheltered homelessness,\u201d according to King\u2019s motion.<\/p>\n

\u201cBehind every data point and every reporting channel we\u2019ll discuss today are people \u2014 unsheltered residents living in encampments across the city, often in unsafe and precarious conditions,\u201d King told fellow members of the community services committee. \u201cThey face real risks to their health and safety \u2026 The human cost of encampments is significant, and it\u2019s the human reality that makes timely, accurate, and accessible information so (important.)\u201d<\/p>\n

Residents of surrounding communities are also questioning their local councillors \u201cto understand what\u2019s happening and what needs to be done,\u201d King said.<\/p>\n

\u201cEncampments are among the most complex challenges facing municipalities across Ontario and across the country today. They involve multiple city departments, community partners, outreach teams \u2026 Information exists across several systems and is not always easily accessible in a consolidated format. At the same time, councillors and the community are regularly seeking answers about encampments, service requests, response actions and available supports.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Rideau-Rockcliffe Coun. Rawlson King introduced the motion that received unanimous support from fellow councillors. It calls on city staff to implement a standardized reporting framework for encampments as part of its unsheltered homelessness outreach model, which is to roll out in the fall.<\/p>\n

Municipalities are also treading in uncertain legal waters with encampments following court decisions in the Waterloo region that upheld unsheltered residents\u2019 rights to maintain a long-standing encampment in downtown Kitchener.<\/p>\n

The May 21 decision from Justice Michael R. Gibson quashed a proposed \u201csite-specific\u201d bylaw to clear the encampment on the grounds that it violated Charter rights. The Ontario government and the municipality of Waterloo are appealing that decision.<\/p>\n

Gibson\u2019s decision reaffirmed earlier court rulings that stated eviction from the encampment would place residents at greater risk of harm and suggested establishing an alternative lawful encampment site, pointing to other Ontario cities like London and Thunder Bay that had created lawful designated encampment zones.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one should romanticize or be starry-eyed about the encampment,\u201d the judge wrote in his decision. \u201cIt is a miserable and desperate place. But it represents the only remaining safety valve for the region\u2019s homeless as a refuge of last resort.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Ottawa, the city\u2019s unsheltered task force and its community partners will not carry out any enforcement \u201cuntil all other supportive solutions have been exhausted,\u201d according to Clara Freire, general manager of community and social services.<\/p>\n

The city has been receiving legal guidance since the first court rulings out of Kitchener-Waterloo in 2023, Freire said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince the first court ruling coming out of Waterloo, we have been applying more of a human rights approach, ensuring that there\u2019s adequate shelter space because that was part of the initial ruling \u2026 not being able to take away someone\u2019s right to housing if there was no other option for them,\u201d Freire said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe now have enough shelter space for anyone who wants to come in, and our unsheltered task force takes a human rights approach, with 84 per cent of encampments resolved with that approach before a enforced dismantle is required.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bay Coun. Theresa Kavanagh said collecting data on encampments was an important first step.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo just sweep it under the carpet is just not possible and we have to truly understand what\u2019s going on and what we can do about it,\u201d she said. \u201cOne of the biggest problems is that we do not have supportive housing that would be the ideal situation for many of these residents.\u201d<\/p>\n

As of March 1, 2026, there were 664 families (2,212 people) being served through the city\u2019s family transitional housing system. That represented a 76 per cent increase since January 2023, when 377 families were being served, according to the community services department.<\/p>\n

Somerset Coun. Ariel Troster said the dismantling of a large encampment near the Bayview O-Train<\/a> station in May pointed to deepening signs of crisis.<\/p>\n

Cleanup crews discovered about 2,000 discarded needles and other drug paraphernalia along with dozens of propane tanks amid piles of garbage.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe profile of people who tend to choose an encampment over shelter, we know what that looks like. It\u2019s typically people who have significant trauma, who have experienced trauma in the shelter system. It\u2019s often couples, it\u2019s often people with a pet,\u201d Troster said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we push people more and more to the margins, as things like supervised consumption sites are closed \u2014 and then people don\u2019t want public drug use on the street near them \u2014 it\u2019s a natural inclination that people are just going to move farther and farther away, deeper into wooded areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freire said staff were fully supportive of King\u2019s motion.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does reflect work that we have committed to doing as part of our encampment strategy,\u201d she said. \u201cIn the last couple of years, we\u2019ve been incrementally improving the access to information on shelter statistics, and then last year introduced a dashboard for reporting encampments. So this is part of an evolution of work that we\u2019re committed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

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