politics
Duly Quoted: John Tory, on Homeless Deaths
The mayor says "we need to redouble our efforts" on homelessness.
“The death of anyone on the streets of Toronto, any single person ever, is one too many and so I think that we have to sort of redouble our efforts.”
—Mayor John Tory responding on Tuesday morning to media questions about homeless deaths and warming centres after two homeless people died outdoors in a 24-hour time span. The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty protested at City Hall that not enough is being done on homelessness and shelter support, which is the subject of an ongoing City study that got underway in March 2014. There are an estimated 5,253 homeless people in Toronto, nine per cent of whom sleep outdoors, according to the April 2013 Street Needs Assessment [PDF]. From 1985-2013, around 700 homeless people died, with winter being the worst time of year (although not by as much as you may think).