Study Calls for Repealing Safe Streets Act Toronto

Ontario’s Safe Streets Act is contributing significantly to the “criminalization of homelessness” and should be repealed, recommends a report by York University and the University of Guelph.

The study, based on information gained through the Freedom of Information Act, found that the number of tickets issued to homeless people in Toronto for panhandling and related activities increased by more than 2000 per cent between 2000 and 2010.

This was despite a decline from 29 per cent to 3 per cent in the number of street youth who cited panhandling and squeegeeing as their main source of income over a similar period.

Publication Date: 
2011
Volume: 
November 10, 2011
Journal Name: 
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