“Whereas there is a humanitarian crisis unfolding on the streets in our communities, large and small, urban and rural, across Ontario; and
Whereas the time for words is over, we need immediate action at all levels of government, starting with the Province of Ontario; and
Whereas the homelessness crisis and the mental health and addictions crisis continues to grow with 3432 drug related deaths in Ontario in 2023 and over 1400 homeless encampments across Ontario communities in 2023; and
Whereas the province has provided additional funding and supports, such as the recent investment of $378 million for HART Hubs and approximately 375 beds with wraparound supports, which does not adequately address the growing crisis and the financial and social impact on municipalities and regions across the province; and
Whereas municipalities and regions are stepping up and working with community partners to put in place community-specific solutions to address this crisis, but municipalities and regions lack the expertise, capacity, or resources to address these increasingly complex health care and housing issues alone; and
Whereas this is primarily a health issue that falls under provincial jurisdiction and municipalities and regions should not be using the property tax base to fund these programs; and
Whereas there is no provincial lead focused on this crisis leading to unanswered questions that span over a dozen ministries, and a lack of support to manage the increasing needs of those who are unhoused;
Therefore Be It Resolved That Northumberland County Council supports the SolvetheCrisis.ca Campaign, including the following requests:
- Calls on provincial and federal governments to commit to immediate action to solve the Humanitarian Crisis that Ontario is facing as the numbers of unhoused individuals and those suffering with mental health & addictions grows exponentially;
- That the province officially makes Homelessness a health priority;
- Appoints a responsible Minister and Ministry with the appropriate funding and powers as a single point of contact to address the full spectrum of housing needs as well as mental health, addictions and wrap around supports;
- That the provincial government strike a task force with broad sector representatives including municipalities and regions (of all sizes), healthcare, first responders, community services, the business community and the tourism industry to develop a Made in Ontario Action Plan;
- That this provincial task force reviews current programs developed by municipalities, regions and community partners that have proven successful in our communities, to ensure that solutions can be implemented quickly and effectively to tackle this crisis;
- That the federal government is included in these conversations;
- That both levels of government provide adequate, sufficient and sustainable funding to ensure that municipalities have the tools and resources to support individuals suffering with mental health and addictions, including unhoused people and those from vulnerable populations that may be disproportionately impacted; and
Further Be It Resolved That Northumberland County Council calls on the residents of Northumberland County to join in appealing to the provincial and federal governments for support by visiting SolveTheCrisis.ca and showing your support; and
Further Be It Resolved That County Council direct staff to send a copy of this resolution to the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister of Canada), the Honourable Sean Fraser (Federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities), the Honourable Doug Ford (Premier of Ontario), the Honourable Sylvia Jones (Deputy Premier and Minister of Health), the Honourable Paul Calandra (Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing), the Honourable Michael Parsa (Minister of Children, Community and Social Services), the Honourable Michael Tibollo (Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions), MP Philip Lawrence (Northumberland-Peterborough South), the Honourable David Piccini (Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and MPP for Northumberland-Peterborough South), Ontario’s Big City Mayors, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and Northumberland County’s 7 Member Municipalities.”