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That @JohnTory would actively threaten cuts to homelessness services during a time when we have over 1,500 folks who have been surviving in encampments for months, as well as 1000s of tenants at risk of eviction, esp. in light of #Bill184. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-budget-deficit-covid-1.5648951
@cityoftoronto's priorities are deeply questionable and infuriating in light of their decision to NOT concretely #DefundThePolice. They would rather cut supports for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness instead of cutting the @TorontoPolice services that criminalize them.
That in-itself speaks volumes to how our municipal government is upholding racist, classist ideologies. After all, who's #homeless in #Toronto? 38% identify as Indigenous, 31% as Black. Cuts to homeless services would deepen systemic discrimination against #BIPOC Torontonians.
Obviously we need to concretely #DefundThePolice, as has been the call by Torontonians, and reinvest in social services — not the other way round. And, of course, @fordnation and @JustinTrudeau absolutely need to step up to address Toronto's dire economic situation.
However, @JohnTory should also use his emergency powers to declare a moratorium on evictions in T.O. in support of the (human) right to housing of tenants, which by extension would support equity for Indigenous & Black folks who are at increased risk of homelessness.
That said — and for those of you who love the fiscal argument — @JohnTory enacting an eviction moratorium would also circumvent significant unseen expenditures re: homelessness services that might deepen the city's deficit.
Of course, that would be predicated on a presumption that @JohnTory foregrounds the human rights of people in this city, and that the fiscal argument really matters (otherwise, defunding police surely would have been enacted).
