City Council

3:38All right, good morning everybody. It's Wednesday, December the 11th, 2024. It is nine o'clock,

3:44so I'll call the meeting to order officially. And now I will ask everyone to stand if you're able,

3:52as we recognize our national anthem. Great, thank you. And I'm just a moment of silent

5:22reflection as we continue. Thank you. And for our territorial acknowledgement, as we gather,

5:37let us take time to reflect on the privilege we have to live and work here in Guelph,

5:41a city built over rich indigenous histories. We're guests here and we should reflect upon

5:46the responsibility to care for this land, the people who live here today and generations to come.

5:51For actions today can move us towards reconciliation and we should take pause

5:55and make the decisions with intention and gratitude. This place we call Guelph has served as

6:00traditional lands and a place of refuge for many peoples over time, but more specifically,

6:05the Aniwanderach and the Honoshoni. This land is held as the treaty lands and territory with the

6:10Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and Guelph lies directly adjacent to the Haldeman

6:15Track and is part of a long established traditional hunting grounds for the six nations of the Grand

6:19River. Many First Nations Inuit and Métis people who have come from across Turtle Island call Guelph

6:25home today. Thank you. Is there any disclosure of pecuniary interests or any general nature there

6:32of for the items in front of us? Okay, thank you. I do have a minute that this need to look to be

6:39confirmed. The minutes of the council meeting held November 13th 19th 26th and 27th 2024 and the

6:47committee of the whole meeting held on November 5th 2024 be confirmed as recorded and without

6:52being read. Billings and Gawler, thank you. Any changes on that or any edits? No. Okay, I'll call

7:01the vote. Is anyone against that? Nobody that's unanimous. Thank you. We'll move on. We do have

7:08the consent report which was the 2024 third quarter budget monitoring report and that's the only

7:15one. Does anyone need that poll? No, maybe Chair Caron could move it because it's under

7:24corporate. All right, perfect. And then Downer, second. Thank you. And anything on that? I'll

7:31call the vote. Is anyone against that consent? Nope. Okay, that's unanimous as well. And now

7:39we've got three items added to the agenda. The first one is impact from closure of the

7:45Guelph Consumption and Treatment Services site. Then we will get to the support of Charter

7:51Rights and Freedoms and then after that a motion for the solve the crisis campaign. In regards to

7:58the impact, the closure of the Guelph Consumption and Treatment Services site, this was asked to

8:03be extracted from Councillor Allt. Councillor Allt, I think maybe I'll just turn it over to you if

8:09you don't mind just because I think it's important for you to set the stage before the delegates

8:13come up. Thank you very much Mayor Guthrie. Do you wish me to read out the four motions in front

8:19of us that are on the paper? No, don't. I'm so sorry I interrupted you but no, Councillor Allt. But

8:24maybe just, I'll let you table them as soon as the delegations are done. Absolutely. You can

8:29just be high level right now as to why it's here. Very well. Thank you very much. The reason that

8:34I brought this forward is that I believe it's very important for this Council to reaffirm

8:38its support for safe injection sites similar to the unanimous motion that was passed here a time ago.

8:46Quoting from Guelph's own overdose prevention site, the Guelph Overdose Prevention Site offers

8:52consumption and treatment services to ensure supports are available long term. This was launched

8:57in 2019 and from all reports has been tremendously successful. I think it's really important that

9:05we also acknowledge that most opioids here and elsewhere and other life threatening substances

9:11are taken within a home setting. The safe injection sites admittedly do not dampen consumption.

9:18Only more money for mental health, support, addiction services and treatment can do that.

9:23But regrettably within the province there's far more words than there is action or money being

9:29put toward this similar to what is being done in housing. What concerns me is that by removing

9:35safe injection sites we are giving health care workers an opportunity to go into a battle

9:40with only half the tools. The example that I use, a metaphor, is it's like putting a boxer into a

9:46boxing match with one hand tied behind the individual's match as much as I dislike boxing.

9:53Though I do not agree all the time with John Tory, I think his points about the need for a value

9:58for money audit and to actually embrace evidence-based decision making is really important.

10:05And I liken this to how we dealt with HIV and we dealt with COVID and even earlier on how we dealt

10:12with reproductive choice and the dangers associated with that not so long ago. I also point out that

10:19Toronto Board of Health has made a recommendation to Toronto that despite what the province is doing

10:24Toronto Board of Health should continue to support financially safe injection sites.

10:32So really what I'm stating is that we need to listen to the experts. We need to listen to

10:36frontline staff. We need to listen to the police. We need to recognize that this will have short

10:42and long-term financial and human resource implications if we do not reaffirm this and if

10:48we do not continue on safe injection sites. And this is clearly evident from such things that

10:54we could actually do which have not been done by the provincial government which is provide

10:59for money audits to determine how effective these are. I worry that Guelph could become

11:06an unsafe injection site if we remove a safe injection site. Right now there are people who

11:13choose to go to safe injection sites for many reasons. We have university students who wish to

11:18check the safety of their drugs. That's a fact. We have people on the street who use safe injection

11:26sites and dispose of sharps and other dangerous appliances safely. We have medical staff standing

11:36by. Our challenge is that we are going to raise our costs for paramedics, for police, for on-street

11:42social workers and increase workload stress significantly. It's imperative to me that we

11:50send a message that we need to put money into mental health, put money into housing, put it into

11:54the economy and security and well-being of people and that includes continuing to fund safe injection

12:00sites. The problem is not going to go away. It will go underground. We will have many individuals,

12:08good caring individuals who will set up what they consider to be safe injection sites and these

12:14will be not only dangerous, they will be illegal. This is something that needs to be left to medical

12:19practitioners so that we ensure that we are doing our damnedest to make certain that the fentanyl

12:28and the opioid crisis is dealt with effectively with all the tools at our disposal and all the

12:34tools that the provincial government should finance. Thank you for setting the stage of why

12:41you wanted this forward. We will go to delegations. We have a few, some in video, some in person so

12:48thank you for coming and just so everyone knows it's no more than five minutes and at the four

12:56minute and thirty second mark you'll hear a chime and that gives you the thirty second warning

13:01that your time is almost up. The microphone does get shut off at five minutes so just don't get there

13:07because we want to hear what you have to say in that allotted time. Brad, Evoi is here from

13:14Disability Justice Network of Ontario. Come on down Brad and Emilia, my story is going to join

13:23us after that on video. Yes, thanks Brad and yep the green light is on so you are ready to go.

13:33I'll turn it over to you and are you ready? All right thank you very much folks. My name as

13:40mentioned is Brad Evoi. I'm a member of the Hallaboo McMah nation and I'm the Executive Director

13:48with Disability Justice Network of Ontario. Some of you may remember me from when I was a Guelph

13:54resident a number of years ago and worked around the Ontario Public Interest Research Group so it's

14:00lovely to be back here in Guelph again today a place that I still consider very close to my heart

14:06and home. So I want to first start this by thanking Councillor Allt for bringing forward this motion.

14:13I think it's really important to continue the broad support of overdose prevention sites here in

14:20Guelph. The folks who run the Guelph OPS have been valiant in serving this community for so many years.

14:27I knew them when I lived here and their lives and the lives of the wider community are being

14:34upended to satisfy the anti-evidence and ideological positions of our conservative premier.

14:42Moving the violence and precarity of our systems then out of sight might temporarily

14:48appease some in business or in nimby crowds but it won't last. For those opposed to community

14:57supports in their neighborhoods it might be uncomfortable to see local police violence

15:03and violently arrest unhoused and folks and drug users to observe drug use in public due to closed

15:11or distant supervised consumption sites or you know all of the related pieces of violence

15:18that come from those realities. But this discomfort pales in comparison to the actual dangers faced

15:27by living through these conditions and for folks who are at higher risks for both structural

15:33and interpersonal violence. I'll remind folks that no one has ever died from an overdose

15:40at a supervised consumption site. That people in Ontario instead are dying alone from the toxic

15:48drug crisis and toxic drug supply in their homes all over this province. Further claims that these

15:57sorts of things will benefit children don't address the reality that children have loved

16:02ones who use substances and thus are putting their lives in health at greater risk as well.

16:09Aside from the fact that the unregulated drug supply also directly affects teens and young adults.

16:17The alternative then to these systems that's often being suggested by some a minority I would say

16:25is that a forced treatment. Harkening back to the days of the regional centers and asylum system

16:32where so many disabled folks have suffered throughout this province. And if you think that

16:39this is hyperbole or based in a distant past in another province, Manitoba, the last of these

16:46institutions closed literally yesterday. And this is to say nothing of sheltered workshops and

16:55questionable group homes that are targeting and exploiting disabled communities that are still alive

17:01and well here in Ontario. Ultimately friends the closure of the Guelph OPS is an open form

17:10of social murder. We know what's going to happen here. We know our friends and neighbors will die

17:21without these services. Instead we need expanded broad support for overdose prevention

17:29and social action. We need raising social assistance rates. We need building real accessible

17:37affordable housing. We need rent control. These are the things that will instead improve the lives

17:44of everyone including drug users and their families. The actions of this province again

17:51are open social murder. And I hope that Guelph continues in its long tradition of progressivism

18:00to take a firm stand against all fronts of Doug Ford's war on the poor and marginalized in this

18:07province. Thank you Brad for coming and thank you for your presentation. Is there any follow-up

18:13questions? There isn't so thank you again for coming and starting us off today. Amelia

18:20Meister is going to join us by video and then after that Sarah Bailes is Sarah here? No okay.

18:33Amelia we see you can you just check your mic for us. Yep can you hear me okay?

18:37Yep you're coming through perfect. I'll turn it over to you go ahead. Thank you council.

18:43I want to tell you a story about a friend of mine who died on November 8th because of tainted

18:49supply. This was a death that could have been prevented if he had had adequate access to a

18:54CTS site at the time of using. My friend's name is Miles. He was 20 years old when he died.

19:01He was an incredibly caring person, a brilliant visual artist and he often talked about his

19:06dreams to make art for a living or to become a social worker so he could help people who were

19:11in the same position he once was. He was so silly and he could always make me laugh. He would send

19:17me silly selfies and nonsense memes and videos and joke around all the time. I always found this

19:22incredible because his life had been so hard. People don't just fall into addiction because

19:27they want to. They do so because life feels so hard that the only escape, excuse me, feels through

19:34that brief moment of getting high and he was no exception. On the street at 14 living in shelters,

19:41vulnerable without a consistent loving adult to guide him to ensure he had food, shelter or education.

19:48It's no wonder when someone offered him meth he accepted. Despite that he wanted to get sober. In

19:54the 18 months that I knew him he had gotten sober countless times. Sometimes for a week, sometimes

19:59for over a month but without proper housing, mental health and community support needed it was

20:04nearly impossible to stick to it. I tell you all of this because I want you to understand

20:10that people who use drugs are people with loved ones, friends and community who care deeply about

20:17them. They are people with hopes and dreams. Many of them want to get sober but a lack the

20:22ability to do so because there aren't social systems in place to properly support them and even

20:28if they didn't want to get sober they should still have access to safe supply. It may feel easy to

20:36think of folks using drugs as numbers or some far removed idea from your life but they are all humans

20:42and I urge you to see their humanity today. I also want to remind you that we already have tons

20:49of safe consumption sites downtown. One right next to the CTS site that is being shut down.

20:56Alcohol is a drug and bars are safe consumption sites. They are staffed by people who are legally

21:03mandated to be trained in identifying the signs of alcohol poisoning and refusing service to anyone

21:09who exhibits it and yet we allow and even celebrate the existence of these safe consumption sites

21:16despite alcohol abuse being a major cause of health issues and death in this country and community.

21:22A 24-hour accessible CTS site would have saved my friend Miles' life. I often think of what his

21:30life could have been had he been able to access this life-saving service. I don't want any L1Ls to

21:38die because of lack of access to safe supply. I want to see those who use drugs in our community

21:45to be treated with respect and care and their lives valued. I urge you to vote for this motion

21:52to protect people like my friend Miles as I see any vote against it as a vote for death

21:59of our community members. Thank you. Thank you, Amelia, for your presentation. Is there any follow-up?

22:07There isn't so thank you again for joining us today. Now is Sarah Bayless here? No? Okay and

22:15what about Paige Hutchinson? Okay come on down Paige. Yep, I'll allow it. This is Paige but Paige

22:33is going to read Sarah's message and then we'll count to two and then Paige will do their own

22:42presentation okay? So I'll just... Pardon? This is Mars. I'm so sorry. I'm a different person.

22:49No, it's okay. There's no pushback so you're here on behalf of Sarah Bayless. So go ahead and we'll

22:54listen and go... We might not have any questions just because it's not Sarah but we'll let you do

23:01your talk. Okay go ahead. So thank you. My name is Mars Russell and I'm reading on behalf of Sarah.

23:08Dear Mayor Guthrie and Council, I'd like to start by expressing my sincere gratitude to

23:12Councillor Phil Alt for this motion. I'm consistently impressed by his ability to speak to truth to

23:17power, to engage with us in earnest, and to show what is to be an advocate in his community.

23:23For maybe the first time in my life I feel completely speechless. I don't know what to

23:27say to make those with power withhold another blow to our community. Closing the CTS sites is

23:31an act of social order, labeling its ineffective replacement a heart hub is rubbing our noses in

23:36it. Every individual on this council knows that the war on drugs is ineffective and a waste of

23:41our money and time. If it was effective we wouldn't be having the same conversation that we had during

23:45the Reagan administration. To quote Dr. Carl Hart, it is impossible to talk about drugs without

23:50addressing the elephant in the room or more aptly the albatross around the necks of the vulnerable,

23:55the war on drugs. As we as with previous drug crises the opioid problem is not really about

24:00opioids. It's mainly about cultural, social, and environmental factors such as racism, draconian

24:07drug laws, defunded police, apologies, defunded public health and social services, resistance to

24:12evidence-based practices, and a grossly bloated police budget. I, Sarah, have met with multiple

24:18of you, shown you the data, given you academic and personal stories, and begged for municipal aid.

24:23I know this is a provincial decision and that you're sending a letter that you're hoping to get a

24:27few scraps for the heart hub that you think you're doing the most you can, but you must do more.

24:33We are still in chambers discussing the threat looming over our community as if it is a far away

24:37notion. Those of us who have known the pain of an overdose begged to higher power when resuscitating

24:42a community member or had a loved one killed by the drug poisoning crisis knows that we are

24:46staring down the barrel of a gun. In essence, the war on drugs is not a war on drugs. It is a war

24:51on all of us. Instead of following the science of fiction and evidence-based practices of harm

24:55reduction, we seem dedicated to burying our young, our pained, and our vulnerable. The politicians who

25:00wax poetic about heart hubs fail to speak to the graves that we will dig, the families who will

25:04lose, and the lives that will be stolen. On November 18th, 2024, I attended a memorial vigil

25:09for not one, not two, but six people who died in a two-week period. I didn't see any counselor,

25:14except for Councillor Kate in there. I didn't see any of you helping folks pack their few belongings

25:18in the biting cold day of the St. George's Square eviction either. Similar to the law passing,

25:23council seems to be fine with dishing out destructive policies as long as they don't

25:26have to see the aftershock. Given our collective history, I ask you all to rise above. Not only

25:31do I beg for you to sign these letters and resist the violence from the Ford administration, I beg

25:36you to go further. Be creative in your resistance. Fund grassroots organizing, fund a harm reduction

25:41coalition of local folks to distribute gear, take naloxone courses and carry some on your

25:46person at all times. Offer your time and institutional power to folks who are already doing these things

25:51on a smaller budget. There is so much more to be done here and you are more than just a letter

25:55asking Ford to put the gun down. Be creative and be courageous. You never let a serious crisis go

26:00to waste, Ramamanyu once remarked, and what I mean by that is it's an opportunity to do things you

26:05think could not be done before. Thank you. Thank you, Sarah. Yeah, appreciate it. So I'm so sorry

26:14when I didn't have my glasses on. I should, I thought that you were Paige, but you are not

26:18Paige. Okay, is Paige here then? No. Okay, so Melissa, you are our next. Melissa Karkowski

26:29is from the Guelph Community Health Center. Now, Mars, you are here. So you will be after Melissa,

26:36okay? Thank you. Hi, Melissa. Welcome. Go ahead. Good morning, Mayor Guthrie, counselors,

26:44and staff. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Melissa Kouaykeski. I'm the CEO

26:50at Guelph Community Health Center and I'm here to advocate for the motions under 4.1, urging the

26:56province to continue funding and permitting the Guelph Consumption and Treatment Service site.

27:01Today, I'll share why this facility is indispensable to our community's health,

27:06safety, and financial stability. The Auditor General's report makes it clear

27:12closing CTS sites will have dire consequences. The ministry's own analysis predicts more drug

27:19poisoning deaths, increased emergency room visits, a rise in public drug use, and more discarded drug

27:27supplies in our streets. This is not speculation. It is what happens when proven solutions are removed.

27:36Since opening in 2018, the Guelph CTS has hosted over 41,000 visits offering supervised

27:44compassionate care. We've made nearly 1,000 referrals to addiction treatment and primary care,

27:51reversed 311 overdoses with only 12 requiring hospital transfer. Most notably, there have been

27:59zero fatalities. These are lives saved, families kept whole, and resources preserved for other

28:07critical needs. In addition, the work that CTS staff do to prevent drug poisonings from happening in

28:13the first place also diverts from emergency services. Health teaching and education by staff

28:19and our drug checking program give clients the information they need to stay safe.

28:24For example, almost 20% of people made a different decision about their substance use after receiving

28:30testing data from the drug checking program. They either lowered their dose or did not use the substance.

28:39CTS facilities don't just save lives, they save money as well. Calgary's SafeWorks program saved

28:452.3 million in health care costs by reducing ambulance trips and emergency room visits.

28:51If CTS services are discontinued, these costs will shift back to hospitals, paramedics, and

28:57taxpayers, all while worsening outcomes for people who use substances and the broader community.

29:04Supervised consumption sites are essential to community well-being. A U.S. study found that

29:0976% of individuals using CTS services would otherwise consume substances in public.

29:16By offering a safe and supervised alternative, these facilities reduce public drug use and

29:21syringe litter making our streets safer for everyone. While the province's Hearthub's proposal is a

29:28step in addressing addiction, it is not a direct replacement for CTS. I need to make that point

29:35again. It is not a direct replacement for CTS. The AG's report highlights that the hubs lack the

29:43scale, planning, and comprehensive services required to meet the needs of vulnerable populations.

29:49Without harm reduction services like those at CTS, the continuum of care is incomplete,

29:55leaving gaps that put lives at risk. By supporting these motions, Council can deliver a powerful

30:03message to the province. In a public health crisis, we must prioritize evidence-based solutions that

30:10save lives, reduce costs, and strengthen community safety. This is about more than health policy.

30:18It's about who we are as a community. The data is clear, the evidence is compelling, and the stakes

30:25couldn't be higher. Let us stand together to protect what works and to ensure that no more

30:31lives are needlessly lost in Guelph. Thank you for your time and consideration.

30:38Thank you, Melissa. I have a question from Councillor Cawson.

30:42Yes, thank you for your presentation. I had a question with regard to some of the partners in

30:51the community, social services, and local boards like the hospital, the police, the library.

30:57I was wondering if you have had a chance to connect with some of these partners and talk

31:01about what potentially some of the consequences could be if and when the CTS site closes next year.

31:10Thank you for your question through you, Mayor. This is happening on a few different fronts.

31:16Some of this work is happening at the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy table. Some of this work

31:22is happening at the OHT. I was just on a call yesterday with EMS, Public Health, the hospital,

31:31et cetera. We are working on a work plan for trying to mitigate the harms that will happen.

31:39This includes trying to get supplies and things out to people. We're also hosting a training

31:45today, Welcoming Streets. Part of what we will be doing over the coming weeks and months is really

31:52ensuring that the community is equipped because businesses and community members will now have

31:56the responsibility for managing overdoses in public spaces. We'll continue to offer training

32:04for community and resources as well. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And then last is O'Rourke.

32:15Go ahead. Thank you, Mayor Guthrie, through you to Ms. Koukowski. Speaking to the second clause

32:23of the motion to expand the heart hubs, I'm wondering if you can describe the expectation

32:29around those heart hubs. They've been described as housing and wraparound services. And first of

32:37all, is there any possibility that the heart hubs will be open in time to align with the closure of

32:42the CTS? And second, will the heart hubs really provide housing and wraparound services?

32:51Thank you for your question through you, Mayor. So the first question about the timelines is not

32:58really within our control. We submitted our application for a heart hub for this community,

33:03the Guelph-Wallington Heart Hub. So it served both Guelph and Wellington counties.

33:09We submitted that the third week of October. We have yet to hear back about the status of

33:14our application. So the timelines for when we can implement really depend on when we have

33:20approval to move forward and then when we have a funding letter that says, you know, we're receiving

33:26the funding. So right now we're waiting. We hope we'll hear in a timely way that we can have services

33:34up and running or at least some of the services up and running on April 1st. And Councillor O'Rourke,

33:42can you remind me your second question? Yeah, the second question is, I think people have an

33:47expectation that the heart hub is housing and wraparound services, which sounds like a much

33:52better model. But I'm wondering, like, is that a fair expectation? What the heart hubs will offer

34:01and what ours will offer here is access to wraparound support teams to support people with housing

34:08and their health needs. It will also offer some bedded services, specifically crisis

34:14stabilization beds and detox beds in this community, as well as increasing supportive housing capacity.

34:22What it is taking away from community is a really important part of the comprehensive

34:29continuum of care for addiction services, which is all of the harm reduction. So no needle exchange,

34:36no supervised consumption, and no safer supply. And I just want to really highlight the importance

34:43of a full robust continuum. If you think about any chronic condition, like take heart disease,

34:48for example, you wouldn't say, well, we're removing cardiac bypass surgery, but we're going to increase

34:54the number of medications that are available to treat heart disease. You just wouldn't do that.

34:58You need a full continuum of prevention, harm reduction, and then also really

35:04high level interventions like surgery, for example. So those are life saving interventions. We need the

35:09same full continuum. So what we're saying is we definitely need the heart hub resources. We need

35:14more housing. We need more detox beds, crisis stabilization, and we need consumption and

35:20treatment services. Because for many people, that service is the only doorway into the more

35:26formal health care system and addiction treatment services. And we're essentially closing that door

35:32into the system. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Richard Richardson, sorry, has a question as well.

35:41Thank you, through you, Mayor, to the delegate. My understanding is part of the reason or the

35:46main reason for closing the Guelph site was proximity to school or daycare. So would there

35:52be an opportunity to move the site or relocate it to a more suitable location? Thank you,

36:00thank you, through you, Mayor. I think we have to be clear. This was never about proximity to

36:06childcare facilities. If it were, we would have been given the option to move our site,

36:11which we have clearly not been given. Thank you. Thank you. Okay. Thank you, Melissa. Thank you very

36:20much. Yeah. Mars, you are coming back down. And then Andrea Baker will join us by video.

36:37And you can begin whenever you're ready. Mayor Guthrie and council, I'm here today to voice

36:45my support for all motions brought forward at this meeting from both Councillor Caton and

36:49Councillor Allt, specifically the first agenda item 4.1. The impending closure of consumption and

36:54treatment sites across the province weighs heavy on my heart and the hearts of those aware of the

36:58dangers of bill 223. Yes, this bill was passed by our provincial government, but I'm standing here

37:03before my council asking that you condemn this decision and do more to care for our community.

37:08Removing CTS sites will lead to more drug poisonings and overdose deaths, increased drug use and

37:12dependency are direct results of rising rates of poverty, lack of mental health supports,

37:17gaps in accessible housing options, toxic supply and many other issues within the province.

37:21If this bill was truly about the location of CTS sites, the part of said bill prohibiting future

37:26sites from being built anywhere would cease to exist. Assuming many of us within this room have

37:31entered bars and consumed alcohol, we have utilized safe consumption sites. Liquor laws exist to limit

37:36alcohol poisonings. They are clear examples of harm reduction. Regulations surrounding the quality

37:40of alcohol sold to the public are in place to ensure safe supply. Both work in tandem to keep

37:45members of the public safe. As shown in numerous studies, the closures of CTS sites will lead to

37:50more preventable deaths. There have been zero reported overdose related deaths at CTS sites in

37:54the country, according to Health Canada. This finding alone shows their effectiveness in providing

38:00safety for some of the most vulnerable members of our community and in turn safety for all of us.

38:05Alongside an increase in fatalities, instances of non-fatal overdoses will rise.

38:09The province's proposed heart hub recovery model ignores the root of many drug poisoning,

38:13which is an increasingly toxic drug supply. Heart failure to provide safe supply, drug testing

38:18options or needle exchange programs will have impacts that will ripple throughout our healthcare

38:22system, which we know is already struggling following numerous budget cuts, staffing shortages

38:26and an active pandemic. Scrapping needle programs will aid in the transmission of

38:30blood-borne infections such as HIV or hepatitis, both of which CTS sites have been proven to

38:36reduce the spread of yet another role the sites play in public safety. Drug overdoses can cause

38:40a slew of complications following instances of bradypneia, a lower breathing rate which can lead

38:45to hypoxia, lowered oxygen levels in the blood base tissue. Lengthen periods of hypoxia will

38:50harm vital organs with the heart and brain being exceptionally vulnerable to damage or acute failure.

38:55Further complications following an overdose can include neurological damage which can

38:58impact memory, coordination, mobility and lead to abnormalities that can negatively impact one's

39:03quality of life on a day-to-day basis. When these poisonings happen outdoors specifically during

39:07the winter months where overdoses have been shown to increase, victims run a higher risk of hypothermia

39:12and other health issues following prolonged cold exposure. Survivors of overdoses face an increased

39:17risk of developing depression, anxiety disorders and PTSD. The same can also be said for those in

39:22the position of witnessing an overdose, especially members of the public who are untrained and

39:26unprepared to assist in responding to one. Work that was once in the hand of trained nurses all

39:31equipped with naloxone to reverse overdoses that may occur at CTS sites will fall on community

39:36members who will be far more likely to find folks using substances in public spaces and using a

39:40loan. Solo or unsupervised substance use is a leading risk factor in drug poisonings becoming

39:45fatal. We will see an increase in 911 calls for overdose responses, more ambulances, therefore

39:50longer wait time for emergency services and when it comes to responding to an overdose or any emergency

39:55second counts. Hospital beds risk filling with those who relied on CTS sites to survive

40:00and access to safe supply which is an often overlooked step of recovery for many who are

40:04unable for a plethora of reasons to simply stop using. I recall the early days of lockdown in 2020

40:10and I remember the liquor stores remaining open and I asked why. I learned that our hospitals

40:14could not handle the results of those who were dependent on alcohol losing access to it. Our

40:18hospitals were and remain unprepared for a surge in patients. Why would we support a bill that will

40:23inevitably lead to more strain on an already unstable healthcare system? We simply do not

40:27have the resources, the beds, the budget or the staff to handle the crisis that will follow these

40:31closures. Yes recovery models sound great of course we want those who are struggling to receive

40:35treatment but you cannot put a dead person into rehab. No recovery program will bring back anyone

40:41lost to drug poisoning from unsafe supply. As it is so often said each overdose death represents

40:46a policy failure. CTS sites and their impact exist as proof that there are tangible ways to prevent

40:51overdose deaths and to care for our community. The promises of increased housing alongside

40:55heart hubs is a wonderful promise but the facts we are being presented with are too powerful to

40:59ignore. Bill 223 will have a body count. Increased funding and housing options need to be explored

41:05alongside CTS sites remaining open and properly funded to continue saving lives and assisting in

41:09community safety. Thank you for your time and I welcome any questions. Thank you Mars. Let me just

41:15see if there's any follow-up for you. There is not so again thank you for coming down.

41:21Andrea Baker is going to join us by video. No okay. Is Jill Francis here? No okay and what

41:31about Jean Hopkins? I know I see Jean yes. Thanks Jean and whenever you're ready go right ahead.

41:46Thank you. Good morning my name is Jean Hopkins. I'm the manager of the Wellington Wealth Drug

41:50Strategy. Thank you for having me here today to speak about the impacts of the CTS closures.

41:57And what our response is. The Wellington Wealth Drug Strategy is a coalition of partner agencies

42:02and members of the lived experience community who are working to implement a four pillar drug

42:06strategy in the in Gwelfin Wellington County. The four pillars are prevention, harm reduction,

42:11treatment and recovery and community safety. The reason that we have these four pillars is

42:17really to recognize that substance use and addiction is complex and no single tool is enough.

42:22Each of these pillars is necessary to support our community through the drug poisoning crisis we

42:26continue to experience. I'm delegating in support of this motion. While many other delegates have

42:32spoken to the devastating impacts of the CTS closures that will happen to public health and

42:37safety, I also want to speak to the economic impacts of the closures as well and some of the

42:41recent activities that we've been involved in provincially over the past week. So as we've

42:47heard today, CTS sites offer specialized medical supports and treatment with dignity and care,

42:52even amidst the grief and loss being experienced by those most impacted. Drug poisonings claim the

42:57life of someone in Ontario every two and a half hours. In Gwelfin Wellington, we lost 62 people

43:04last year and so far data shows that we've lost 41 members of our community this year

43:09and we anticipate these confirmed cases will grow as more data becomes available.

43:14We know that drug poisonings are driven by the unregulated drug supply that is increasingly toxic

43:19and increasingly unpredictable and we know that the closures will not improve the supply and won't

43:24prevent people from using substances. The substance use landscape both provincially and locally

43:30is changing rapidly and I just want to provide a bit of an overview about some of the key events

43:35that took place last week. So last Monday, December 2nd, as expected legislation was pushed through

43:40that effectively banned CTS sites within 200 metres of schools or daycares. Bill 223 forces sites to

43:47close and makes it nearly impossible to open new sites. The following day on Tuesday, December 3rd,

43:54the Auditor General released their annual report including information about the opioid crisis.

43:59The report confirmed that CTS sites work. Sites prevented over 1500 overdoses in the past year

44:05that could have occurred in the community. They reduced the risk of hep C and HIV transmission,

44:10which increased overall costs to the health care system and they're cost effective. They reduced

44:15the overall burden on emergency services by providing specialized care on site. The report

44:21also notes that the internal their internal government documents stating that the ministry

44:25recognized that there would be impacts on our health system including financial and operational

44:29burden on emergency departments and states quote the decision was made without proper planning,

44:34risk analysis or public consultations. In response to this on the following day, Wednesday, December

44:404th, the Wellington Guelph Drug Strategy and Ingrid Oles, who's a staff member with the Guelph CTS

44:45site, attended a press conference at Queens Park along with the Drug Strategy Network of Ontario

44:50and Guelph MPP Mike Shreiner. We called on the Auditor General to take on a value for money

44:56audit to further assess the financial implications of these closures on communities across Ontario,

45:01including our own. A fulsome audit will add it to the evidence base and will ensure that we have a

45:07comprehensive picture of the impacts. So now what? Now we must prepare for an increased strain on our

45:17health care system with reduced ambulance availability and more people competing for

45:21life-saving care in the emergency room. Wound care needs which are currently provided at the CTS

45:27will get more severe. We can expect to find more discarded equipment in our public spaces.

45:33We know that there is irrefutable evidence that CTS sites save lives and connect people to the

45:38dignified care they need and deserve. We know this and we now need to anticipate the health and safety

45:45and financial impacts and consider what we can be doing collectively to mitigate those risks.

45:52How can we as a community, as council, prepare to respond in ways that are rooted in compassion

45:58and evidence? And I'd like to close with a quote from Ingrid Oles who spoke at the press conference

46:04last week. Ingrid states, the CTS is a place where people can come to feel safe and accepted

46:10and that is a huge step on the path to creating trusting relationships. For a lot of people,

46:15it's the first step to feeling safe enough to seek health care. CTS workers are grieving every

46:20day but we work hard to provide the most accessible supports possible. Thank you.

46:27Thank you. Any follow-up for this delegate? Seeing none, thank you, Jean. Thank you very much.

46:33Councillor Allt, I'd like to ask you to table your motions, please.

46:40Thank you very much, Mayor Guthrie. In tabling these motions at this point, I have nothing further

46:45to express. I will have including remarks. There are four motions in front of us. They are on the

46:51order sheet for the day. Would you like me to read them? Yes. The seconder, Councillor Goller.

47:00And reading the motions. Number one, that Guelph City Council urges the Ontario Government to

47:05continue to permit the operation and funding of the Guelph Consumption and Treatment Site

47:10beyond the proposed termination date in March 2025. Number two, that Guelph City Council encourages

47:18the Ontario Government to maintain, if not expand, funding for the proposed homeless and addiction

47:24recovery treatment heart hubs. Number three, that Guelph City Council encourages the Ontario Government

47:33to not take steps to prohibit the establishment of supervised consumption sites, including urgent

47:40public health needs sites, otherwise known as UPHNS. Number four, that this resolution be forwarded

47:47to the Premier of Ontario, to the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Health, the Association

47:53of Municipalities of Ontario, and to municipalities that currently have an operating consumption

47:58and treatment service and or supervised consumption sites. Moved, all seconded, Gowler.

48:04Great. Thank you. Now, and just so you know, I would just want to state that much of these three

48:12motions that are these three different items that are in front of us today, our staff have made it

48:17pretty clear this is a council decision. These are support motions. They're not wanting to really

48:22wade into this. This is more political, right? So this is an opportunity for questions of staff,

48:28if need be, but really these are these are council statements. We agree or disagree,

48:34and we should probably treat them as such. So this is an opportunity for questions to staff,

48:38if you if need be. Okay, Councillor Klosson. Thank you for you, Mr. Mayor. I just have a question.

48:46I did ask it during budget, and it's related to a question I asked to the delegate as well. So

48:53we've we've budgeted in the contingency reserve about $500,000, I think, for paramedics.

49:02We don't know what the unintended consequences of the closure of the safe injection site will be.

49:08I know that we have that set aside. You know, that said, have we been having discussions with

49:14our local boards and partners like the hospital to monitor and and keep track of what will happen

49:21after the closure of the CTS site? Through the Mayor, yes, Chief Dewer participates in those

49:27meetings that I think Ms. Kowalski referred to involving the drug strategy and the hospital

49:32and public health, and they are having conversations about how to monitor it. As you indicated,

49:37there was money set aside in the reserve because we don't know whether there will be an impact

49:41on paramedic services. Our commitment to the Joint Social Services and Land Ambulance Committee

49:46was that we would monitor and track the data. As a paramedic service, we will always respond

49:51to whatever the needs of the community are, but until we get further along, we won't know what

49:56the actual impact is. And so that's why the decision was made to put that money aside. It's not in the

50:02base paramedic services budget, it's simply set aside in a reserve in case it's needed. Thank you.

50:11Thank you. Councillor O'Rourke, I believe you have an amendment.

50:20I do, Mayor Guthrie. I just sent the amendment to clerks and its amendment to clause one.

50:27And so it's just to add to the end of clause one, at least until the Hart Hub is fully operational.

50:34I think the data is clear that there'll be definitely a gap, notwithstanding the information

50:41that we've heard about truly the good work that's happening at the CTS site right now.

50:48But there's likely to be a gap between the opening of the Hart Hub and the closure of the CTS.

50:53And so I am proposing we add the words at least until the Hart Hub is fully operational to the

50:58end of clause one. Okay, thank you. And is that seconded by somebody? Councillor Richardson?

51:05Okay. I'll look to call the vote. Okay, Councillor Allt, before I call the vote, go ahead.

51:12Well, as well intended as this might be, I have to speak against this because I have heard from

51:18experts today that we must have a comprehensive support system in place that includes safe

51:24injection sites and Hart Hubs to remove safe injection sites at the advent of Hart Hubs actually

51:34continues the same problem only in another guise. Consequently, I can't support this.

51:40I believe we need to support the continuance of safe injection sites, recognizing that Hart Hubs

51:47are another tool in the box to address this social malaise. Okay, thank you. And then back to the

51:55... sorry, Boussatil, Kate, and then I'll go back to the mover. Thank you. And thank you to

52:01Councillor O'Rourke for raising this. In listening to the delegations, I will not be supporting the

52:06amendment. I think it's very clear that there's a continuum here and the Hart Hub does not support

52:13the continuum, the prevention, the harm reduction process there. So I agree with Councillor Allt.

52:19I will not be supporting the amendment. Thank you, Councillor Caton, please.

52:27Thank you. Through you, Mayor. So similarly to Councillors Busuttil and Ault, I will not be

52:34supporting the amendment. I know it's well intentioned, but it will not meet the needs

52:39of the community. And I think that without the services that are not going to be offered at

52:44the Hart Hubs, that we will see more community deaths. Thank you. And to the mover, and then

52:53I'll call the vote. Thank you, Mayor Guthrie. Just to say the motion says at least until the opening

52:58of the Hart Hub and doesn't preclude it being open past that date. I'm just trying. We know that in

53:04the immediate there could be a gap and I am just trying to create a bridge so that at least there

53:11is less of a gap. And clause 3 asks the province to maintain those supervised consumption sites. So

53:22I'm more comfortable with clause 1 with that amendment and it is really about trying to

53:27not have a gap. Okay. And now I'm over to Councillor Downer.

53:34And I just say this respectfully, but the gap is endless because there is no,

53:42the Hart Hub does not replicate the safe consumption site. So it's a bridge to nowhere

53:50because it doesn't include that as part of what we heard is to continue. So the Hart Hub we heard

53:57does not replicate or replace the consumption site. So I won't support it, but I understand the intent.

54:06Okay. Thank you. I'll call the vote. But before I do that, just if the clerks could put it back

54:12up on the screen for me. Don't quite remember the wording. Okay. I'll call the vote. All those

54:35against please raise your hand. So that would be Keaton and Alt and Bousatil and Glosson and

54:45Downer and Guller and Caron. So that fails. Okay. So we're back to the main motions. I would like to

54:58personally just ask them to be split if you don't mind. We'll just do one at a time if that's okay.

55:03Perfect. So I'll call the vote on. Yeah, I've got final remarks. Okay, go ahead. Yeah. Thank you very

55:10much, Mayor Guthrie, because this is an issue of policy and an issue of principles. I do want to

55:16provide some closing remarks. Nobody wants to be an addict and I don't want drugs on the street.

55:23Nobody ever put on their resume that their career goal was to be homeless,

55:27to be on the streets and to be addicted to anything. But in every family and in every friendship,

55:33I am sure that we have seen people suffering from either mental illness or addiction.

55:39My father was an alcoholic and I can tell you that that was not pleasant. He was also addicted

55:44to cigarettes, which is one of the most addictive nicotine being one of the most addictive substances

55:48on earth. This was not fun to live in. I do not want to see this replicated. I do not want to see

55:56stop the campaign to end the misuse of fentanyl and other opioids, but I want safety.

56:05Many people use safe injection sites as the first step toward assistance. Many people have, for the

56:13first time ever, the medical care that they need that is a result of addictions and the use of

56:20street drugs. Safe injection sites I do not believe will disappear, but I do fear that they will go

56:27underground. They could be run by churches, earnest citizens, or as in BC, outside hospitals by doctors

56:34and other healthcare workers. They won't be as effective and I do believe they will be characterized

56:40as criminal behavior, which is something that I do not wish to see. What we end up doing by abolishing

56:47safe injection sites is lead to an underground, much like we had many, many years ago when, as I said

56:54earlier, we were addressing issues of reproductive choice. Cost effectiveness is another problem.

57:00Policing paramedics on street social workers currently have rapport with these sites. They will

57:06see workload increased and I worry about burnout. Workload stress already is extreme. We know that

57:11we should continue to support the experts and support safe injection sites and what we have

57:18here in Guelph. Thank you very much to all the delegates who spoke. Okay, thank you. Okay, so

57:24we'll just move through the motions one by one. If you don't mind, clerk's just putting it up

57:33there. Okay, so I'll look to call the vote on the first one. I'll do that now. Is anyone against?

57:40Please raise your hand. All right, so that's Richardson and Guthrie. So that passes.

57:49And then this, if you could put it back up on the screen for me. The second one, the expansion and

57:59funding for the proposed heart hubs. Okay, so I'll look to call the vote on that. If anyone is against,

58:06raise your hand on that one. Okay, so that's unanimous. And then the third one is encouraging

58:16the Ontario government to not take steps to prohibit consumption sites. So I'll call the vote

58:22on that. If anyone is against that, please raise your hand. Okay, that's Richardson and Guthrie

58:33and Billings and O'Rourke. And then on the fourth one is to send this resolution to the Premier,

58:42the Minister of Finance, Minister of Health, AMO municipalities currently that have consumption

58:46treatment sites. So I'll call the vote on that. Is anyone against that? Okay, and that one's

58:53unanimous. All right, thank you very much. And we'll move on. Next, Councillor Caton, just similar

59:01to what I did with Councillor Allt, if you want to sort of set the stage just a little bit about

59:06what will be introduced and then I'll have the delegations come up and then you can table the

59:09motions after that. Okay, so I'll turn it over to you. So we've heard a lot about

59:18the notwithstanding clause and the notwithstanding clause has been called out

59:25as an option by the Premier of the province and a call was made to the Ontario Big City mayors

59:33to come forward and say whether or not you as a mayor would like to have this used in terms of

59:41encampments and for many other requests that were outside of the vote of the Ontario Big City

59:49mayors. And we're not the only ones who are discussing this topic in the province. 79 city

59:55councillors have signed a letter opposing the use of this clause. The Mayor of St. Thomas has

59:59rescinded his endorsement of using the notwithstanding clause and there's also a letter from 450 lawmakers

1:00:05against the use of it. Recently even Branford and Aurelia voted to oppose it. If you have to use

1:00:11the notwithstanding clause to have legislation upheld then you are by default on the wrong side

1:00:16of our charter of rights and freedoms. We have these checks and balances in place for a reason

1:00:22so we don't descend into the depths of authoritarianism. We as a councillor are supposed

1:00:27to create policies through a lens of consideration that includes rights and freedoms. I'm a very proud

1:00:32Canadian and I have lived in other countries. Our values and rights set us apart. The notwithstanding

1:00:38clause has been framed as a process tool by the province but it's more on par with using a nuclear

1:00:43missile to dig a hole. If we vote to support a nuclear process response which disallows the courts

1:00:50to weigh in on the human rights and impacts of a bylaw of all things what does that say about our

1:00:55values? And this isn't about our public space use bylaw. This is about every municipality being

1:01:02above the law and our charter of rights and freedoms being cast aside and I hope that none of us

1:01:07truly want that. Similarly our Health Care Consent Act has thoughtful process in place

1:01:14that have been given consideration by the medical community and no one outside of a qualified medical

1:01:19professional should be making a determination that someone needs to be put under an involuntary hold.

1:01:25We know that involuntary treatment very often leads to drug poisoning upon release and death.

1:01:32This is not a policy that should be forced through the courts or even broached by politicians.

1:01:37Our focus should be on requesting proven supportive solutions and increasing OHIP coverage

1:01:44for voluntary mental health and substance use treatments. Thank you very much and we have

1:01:52delegations both in person and by video that might be joining us here today. Brad Ivois is

1:01:59up again starting us off on this topic. Welcome back Brad. Excuse me and then Amelia Meester

1:02:06is joining us again by video after you Brad. So go right ahead Brad whenever you're ready.

1:02:13Thank you very much. Put blunt bluntly folks I want to first you know thank

1:02:20Councillor Caton for this motion but put bluntly every use of the notwithstanding clause to override

1:02:27the charter rights and freedoms of the most marginalized people in our society is a direct

1:02:34and immediate threat against the well-being and safety of all of us and even though the

1:02:41newly proposed legislation has said that this will not be directly referenced it is still on

1:02:48the table and remains a live threat to all of us and in particular disabled people. We know

1:02:57that the vast majority of unhoused folks in this province are themselves disabled

1:03:03and are a part of our communities that have been failed by all levels of government

1:03:08in every municipality in every part of this province and by the federal government.

1:03:15Now just some quick statistics for you from the Canadian Human Rights Commission

1:03:19and the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate. People with disabilities are more likely to experience

1:03:26homelessness because of violence and abuse and that these figures were even higher for

1:03:31women with disabilities. 63% of women with disabilities who experienced homelessness in

1:03:37their life said it was because of violence compared to 54% of women without disabilities.

1:03:4453% of people with disabilities who experienced homelessness in their lifetime said it was because

1:03:50of violence compared to those without at about 36%. Ultimately we are more likely to be forced to

1:03:59move for economic reasons including financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic and that

1:04:05ultimately financial hardship was the main reason that people with disabilities were forced into

1:04:12homelessness. These are the people that legislation from Doug Ford will be targeting. These are the

1:04:22people that the notwithstanding clause would be used against. Ultimately we know that the number

1:04:30of unhoused folks on OW and ODSP have doubled since the pandemic began and that many of our

1:04:37unhoused neighbors are kept from these services due to barriers arising from being unhoused.

1:04:44Ultimately in opposing the use of this constitutional sledgehammer you would also be

1:04:50increasing your own ability as a municipality to affect change and refusing to give over all

1:04:56authority to Doug Ford and becoming his rubber stamp. Ultimately this use of the notwithstanding

1:05:05clause as it becomes normalized threatens your ability to govern yourselves effectively as a

1:05:11municipality. Folks you know as we've seen with proposed legislation drafts that we've seen out

1:05:22there there are direct and immediate threats to municipalities that choose to continue to support

1:05:29encampments potentially and direct possibilities and impacts on your funding through the ministry

1:05:37of community and social services. I think we can say pretty clearly here that any use of the

1:05:45notwithstanding clause is not to further your ability to govern or further your ability to serve

1:05:55residents of Guelph but instead is intentionally designed to undermine you and to undermine the

1:06:04rights and safety of all citizens. So the question before you then to me is very simple. What do you

1:06:14value more? The rights of all Ontarians and Guelphites or the comfort of some business owners,

1:06:22homeowners and Nimbies when it comes to dealing with the problems that are on the table here.

1:06:29Councillor Canton's motion then turns back reactionary ideals that are counter to everything I hope we

1:06:36all stand for together. You know we hope that this council firmly embraces the safety and

1:06:44rights of all Ontarians. There can be no freedom for any disabled people in this province whether

1:06:53it's to be a vile body of legislation like this backed by the notwithstanding clause that threatens

1:06:59us and our communities. Thank you. Thank you, Brad. Is there any questions for Brad? Councillor

1:07:07Keaton has one. Go ahead. Thank you through you Mr. Mayor. I've heard from various members of the

1:07:13disability community that the intersections of the expansion of made and along with the possibility

1:07:21for involuntary treatment seems like a very dangerous landscape. Could you comment on that?

1:07:27Absolutely. Absolutely. You know I think that disabled folks in this province are being kind of

1:07:33pushed into a vice here. On one hand we have the threat of forced treatment which as I spoke about

1:07:41in my first delegation is very reminiscent to the broader regional center system, the asylum system

1:07:49and then on the other hand there is the threat of made which is deeply and fundamentally

1:07:57being incentivized for those who are on social assistance or should be and should be supported

1:08:04in this broader society. When we look at the rates here in Ontario for someone on Ontario works,

1:08:10if you are housed as a single person that's $733 a month, can you have a home in this city

1:08:21effectively at that cost? And the fact is you can't. And we know that Ontario works for many folks

1:08:30disabled in this province because of difficulties in getting access to ODSP is the holding area for

1:08:38folks with disabilities in this province that don't get through the bureaucracies of that system

1:08:44or are stuck in repeated excessive appeals or dealing with medical racism or facing other issues.

1:08:52So ultimately you know I think that the reality is that this legislation that is being proposed

1:08:58by Doug Ford, these realities are tightening the vice and at some point it's going to break.

1:09:09Thank you and thank you again for your presentation.

1:09:13Excuse me, Emilia Meister is going to join us again by video and is Sarah Bayless here?

1:09:22No, okay. Is Paige Hutchinson here? No. Is Kate Nixon here? Yes, I think, yes. Kate,

1:09:31you'll be in the wings after Emilia, okay. Emilia, thank you and welcome and go right ahead.

1:09:38Thank you so much, council. First I want to speak about the concerning degradation of democracy

1:09:44and democratic rights that I'm seeing in this council. First we had the use of strong mayor

1:09:50powers for the budget and now we are seeing the potential use of the notwithstanding clause

1:09:54against people living in encampments in our city. The notwithstanding clause is supposed to be used

1:09:59only in the most desperate of situations where no other options are available. I see its potential

1:10:05use around people living in encampments to be completely inappropriate and a concerning

1:10:09slippery slope for the loss of basic human rights for our citizens and Guelph. I see a vote against

1:10:15this motion as a vote against the humanity of not just the residents living in encampments but all

1:10:20residents of Guelph because if this council is willing to use it for encampments what other group

1:10:25will it attack next? Now I want you to come along on a little imagination journey with me.

1:10:32I want you to imagine for a moment that you got injured in a car crash. You get prescribed

1:10:39opioids because they are the only thing that helps with the pain. However after taking all your

1:10:44medical leave, all your sick days and unpaid leave and every benefit you can, you still can't return

1:10:49to work because the pain is so bad. You then go through all your savings to survive but still

1:10:54the pain is too bad to go back to work. You've been diagnosed with nerve damage and you're told

1:10:59that you'll likely live with this level of pain or higher for the rest of your life. Your doctor

1:11:05prescribes you a new experimental nerve medication that actually helps and you start looking for work

1:11:10again but it's $350 a month and not covered by OHIP. You use your credit card until it's

1:11:16maxed out. You can't go into any more debt because you're not working because finding a job is a lot

1:11:22harder when you have a three-year gap on your resume and you have a disability. Eventually you

1:11:28sell your house, pay off your debts and move into a rental. You live off the sale of your house for

1:11:32a couple years getting occasional part-time work. Eventually you're evicted because the landlord's

1:11:37son wants to move in even though you know he lives in Kingston. Since you last looked for housing,

1:11:42rent has drastically spiked. On top of that, the meds that have helped so much for the last couple

1:11:47of years have just stopped helping as much. You stopped being able to work again. You have little

1:11:53money and few options for pain so in a fit of desperation you try heroin and the pain goes

1:11:58away but you become addicted. You lose friends and the good will that allowed you to couch

1:12:03surf for the last year has dried up. You end up on the street. Shelters are often full and don't

1:12:09feel safe. You don't understand how five years ago you were a successful professional and now

1:12:14you're a heroin addict trying to find a shelter bed. You make friends though with some of the other

1:12:19folks in similar positions. You find community. You decide to pitch a tent in the encampment

1:12:24because it's close to your social worker and the safe supply site and your friends are all there.

1:12:30And you feel like you've been forgotten and abandoned by your politicians. You feel like maybe,

1:12:35just maybe, if you had homelessness, if people had homelessness shoved in their face every day,

1:12:41they might want to make a solution for it. Maybe they'd want to see you as human.

1:12:45This is the story of my friend Jeannie who I met when she was living in an encampment

1:12:50and who is tragically no longer with us. Her story is just one of many. Jeannie was doing

1:12:55everything right and through no fault of her own she ended up in an impossible position.

1:13:00But even if she wasn't doing everything right she would still be a person, a person with rights,

1:13:05family, friends, hopes and dreams, pains and sorrows, joys and gifts. When you consider using the

1:13:11notwithstanding clause to removing encampments, you're removing people like Jeannie's access

1:13:16to safety, access to services, community, friendship and care. You're removing visibility

1:13:22that forces us all to remember the humanity of those in need. People like my friend Jeannie

1:13:27don't just go away because you remove their human rights. It just makes their lives much worse and

1:13:33the ability to change their circumstances significantly harder. By removing their human rights,

1:13:38you're condemning them to an even harder life. You're condemning them to more suffering.

1:13:44Please remember that people living in encampments are people. Please remember that removing their

1:13:49human rights will not solve any problems and only make them worse. Please remember that our

1:13:55charter of rights and freedoms is in a very important legislation and following it makes

1:14:01us a more democratic, just and human society. Please vote for this motion. Thank you.

1:14:09Thank you, Amelia. Is there any follow-up question for this delegate? No, okay. Thank you again.

1:14:15And Kate Nixon is coming up and then Diana Chan McNally is going to join us on video after

1:14:23Kate Nixon. Welcome, Kate. I'll turn it over to you. Go right ahead. Thank you. Good morning,

1:14:28members of council, city staff and all who fill the gallery. I'll never forget the horror of turning

1:14:36over the cold lifeless body of an unconscious man facedown on a freezing night with no vital signs.

1:14:44We administered nasal naloxone and performed CPR,

1:14:48praying with every second that he'd come back, each minute stretched into what felt like decades

1:14:53as we fought to save his life. I'll always remember the pain and fear etched into the eyes of community

1:15:00member barely able to stand due to debilitating physical pain as police cuffed him and rummaged

1:15:08through his belongings. His belongings, the only things he had left taken in a so-called crackdown

1:15:14on drugs downtown. The sense of security he clung to already fragile was stolen as he cried.

1:15:22I'll forever carry the memory of a fellow peer, a youth lying on the cold cement in the square

1:15:27after a community vigil with no blankets or means to stay warm. And I can never forget the faces of

1:15:34those we've lost, far too many and far too young. Their favorite snacks, their favorite colors, their

1:15:40hopes and dreams, their unique presence all gone. These lives, these memories are a stark reminder

1:15:46of the cost of inaction and the devastation these policies bring upon our community.

1:15:52These are the realities we face, the consequences we live with when armed for policies take precedence

1:15:58over human lives. The notwithstanding clause was intended as an extraordinary measure for rare

1:16:04circumstances, not a tool to override the charter rights of society's most vulnerable. It's used

1:16:10to targeting campments with strip unhoused people of their rights to life, liberty and security

1:16:15of the person and the fundamental protections that should never be compromised.

1:16:20And campments are not a choice, they are a reflection of systemic failures. A lack of

1:16:26affordable housing, many in our community not having access to permanent safe shelter. Closures

1:16:32of safe injection sites without these life-saving services preventable preventable drug poisonings

1:16:37rise. Criminalization of poverty, policing unhoused individuals perpetuating cycles of trauma

1:16:44rather than offering solutions. Using the notwithstanding clause to displace encampments does

1:16:49nothing to address these root causes. It criminalizes survival, forces people into unsafe conditions

1:16:55and destroys the little stability they have left. The harm of criminalizing encampments is visible

1:17:00every day. People lose their belongings, their safety and too often their lives. When safe

1:17:06injection sites close and encampments are dismantled, our community becomes less safe, not more.

1:17:12The invocation of the notwithstanding clause would send a chilling message that human rights can

1:17:16be disregarded when some people deem lives as an inconvenience. It criminalizes survival,

1:17:22forcing people into unsafe hidden conditions where they are most likely to pass away from drug

1:17:27poisoning or other health crises. Suffer violence or die alone. This is not just a policy failure,

1:17:34it is a moral failure. Each life lost is a preventable tragedy and every displaced encampment is

1:17:43a testament to the systemic neglect of those who need support, not punishment. This clause would

1:17:49also set a dangerous precedent normalizing the use of extraordinary powers to bypass fundamental

1:17:54rights and undermines trust in our institutions and diverts resources away from real solutions.

1:18:00Instead of punitive measures, this council must focus on compassionate evidence-based approaches.

1:18:06Keep investing in affordable housing. Stable permanent housing is the foundation of addressing

1:18:10homelessness. Reinstate harm reduction services, both safe injection sites and harm reduction

1:18:15within housing. These save lives and connect people to support. Work with advocates, collaborate

1:18:21with those with lived experience and frontline workers and volunteers to create lasting solutions.

1:18:28The lives of those experiencing homelessness are not disposable. Invoking the notwithstanding

1:18:33clause is not only unnecessary but profoundly harmful. It criminalizes people for existing

1:18:39rather than addressing the systemic failures that put them in this position. I urge this council

1:18:44to reject the use of the notwithstanding clause. Instead, invest in policies that respect human

1:18:48rights, uphold dignity and create a more compassionate, safer, well for all. Thank you,

1:18:55Kate. Is there any follow-up for this delegation? Seeing none, thank you very much.

1:19:01And Diana is going to join us now by video, I believe. And then is Michelle Belek here?

1:19:09No? Can you see me? Hear me? Yes, hi Diana. It's Mayor Guthrie. We can see and hear you. So thank

1:19:17you very much for coming. And you have up to five minutes. So you'll just don't get to the five-minute

1:19:23mark so we don't cut you off, okay? So I'll turn it over to you. Go ahead. My name is Diana Chamick-Nally

1:19:29and I represent the SHIFT, which is a Canadian-based international housing rights organization led by

1:19:34the former UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing. Our municipal encampment guidance,

1:19:39which has been adopted in Saskatoon and Halifax, is the only guidance currently endorsed by the

1:19:44Association of Municipalities of Ontario. And I am here today because of Councillor Kate and's

1:19:48motion in support of Charter Rights and Freedoms. Now, why is this motion necessary and why am I

1:19:54joining you from Toronto? Because your Mayor, Cam Guthrie, is among just 15 of 444 Ontario mayors

1:20:01who signed on to a letter requesting legislative changes that would impact all of Ontario.

1:20:06This legislation would create repercussions for communities across diverse geographies, populations,

1:20:12public service availability and resources. And their request was made seemingly with little thought

1:20:18as to the broad implications to the province. It was also made without engaging in local

1:20:24democratic processes. Your Mayor, among many others, did not engage with this council or with the

1:20:30public more broadly on this decision. And it isn't within legislated strong mayor powers for any Mayor

1:20:35to bypass council in making significant decisions. In this case of such significance that intended

1:20:42or not, the request would violate the rights of vulnerable people as protected under the Canadian

1:20:48Constitution. Now, as members of council, you should be consulted before such decisions are made.

1:20:54Your municipal logo ended up on a document that bypassed your authority. And that should concern

1:21:00you, regardless of whether or not you do agree or disagree with your Mayor. You are elected to

1:21:07represent your constituents and in the absence of your voice, let alone with no opportunity for

1:21:12public consultation, your constituents were not represented. So this is why it is so important

1:21:18that Councillor Kate's motion is on the agenda today because although the damage has been done,

1:21:23and we may see provincial encampment legislation tabled tomorrow, at least well fights have a

1:21:28chance to talk and you have a chance to listen. And I do hope that you listen deeply. Homelessness

1:21:34is a province-wide crisis and it has been greatly exacerbated by poor provincial policy,

1:21:40including the erosion of rent control, a failure to create and protect decent jobs,

1:21:45and a failure to address affordability. We also have a dearth of voluntary mental health and

1:21:51addiction support, declining investment in evidence-based harm reduction programs,

1:21:56and an inadequate income security system that has doubled, doubled the number of disabled

1:22:01people on the street in Ontario in the past year. Homelessness has had minimal provincial

1:22:07attention until now and we are all suffering through inadequate funding for shelters,

1:22:12transitional housing, funding that has long been based on historical funding levels and

1:22:17very outdated statistics, almost a decade old, not on actual population need. We all continue

1:22:24to suffer through the province's utter inability to build Ontarians the housing that they promised.

1:22:30In fact, our housing starts are the lowest that they've been since 1955. And so your city, my city,

1:22:38every municipality has been saddled with homelessness. We get no help from the province and you know

1:22:44this. So I actually really get where Mayor Guthrie is coming from, the frustration. You have been

1:22:50saddled with the burden of poor provincial policy, which has manifested as encampments. You have been

1:22:56forced to pay, including by raising taxes for addressing encampments while receiving the bulk

1:23:02of criticism for their existence. But your hands have been tied. And that's been completely unfair.

1:23:09But responding by infringing on people's charter rights won't solve the problem. It won't create

1:23:14the crisis services needed at the scale that they're needed. And just 19 heart hubs across Ontario

1:23:19certainly does not match the scale, let alone the gaps. It won't build enough safe, decent shelter

1:23:25for everybody who needs it. And it won't build the housing that is the ultimate solution to

1:23:30homelessness. These are things we should write to the Premier about. There is nowhere for people to go.

1:23:37Now, human rights are not contingent on your housing status. Everyone has human rights,

1:23:42or no one does. And the right to life is the basis for all other human rights we enjoy. It is the

1:23:49foundation, in fact. Now, I hope Guelph will join 450 lawyers, now 80 councillors, dozens of

1:23:57civil society organizations, and the municipalities of Smith Falls, Brant County, Hamilton,

1:24:03Aurelia, Toronto, and yes, St. Thomas, who changed their mind about the Notwithstanding

1:24:09Clause. In upholding the integrity of the Canadian Constitution, and by embracing the

1:24:15evidence-based solutions to homelessness, we know we'll work. Thank you, and please vote in support

1:24:21of this motion. Thank you, Diana. Thank you for your presentation. And is there any follow-up

1:24:28for the delegate at all? There is, but I just want to say one comment. We might be on opposite

1:24:36sides on some things, but I see a very large vinyl collection behind you. And I think that's an alien

1:24:41facehugger above your right. So we are probably more aligned on some things, but maybe not on

1:24:48others. But thank you very much for being here today. Appreciate it. Thank you. All right. Michelle

1:24:57Bellick here? No? Okay. And is Anna McGregor here? Yes. Great. And then Morgan Dandy just walked in

1:25:08the room. You're in the wings, Morgan. Welcome, Anna, and thank you for waiting and go right ahead.

1:25:19Good morning, everybody. My name is Anna McGregor. I live in Ward 1, the east end of Gwellf. I'm here

1:25:26as a senior director of community impact at the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness with a

1:25:30national charity. And I'm also here as someone that has over 30 years experience in social services.

1:25:38I'm here to support Councillor Caton's motion to build on some of the comments that were already

1:25:43raised. While the most recent noise, news, information from the province has been a little

1:25:50softer on this issue, with an indication that the notwithstanding clause may not be proactively

1:25:56invoked, what sadly detailed was a plan that clearly does indicate a response to homelessness would be

1:26:03rooted in enforcement and criminalisation, not in housing. Housing ends homelessness. We must

1:26:13also remember that this response comes from a provincial government that does not necessarily

1:26:18hold all the experiences, skill or knowledge to offer such a solution for homelessness.

1:26:24Social community public housing, whatever you call it, was downloaded from the province in the year

1:26:292000. It went to 47 service managers across Ontario. Interestingly, many of them were not

1:26:39involved in these discussions. On this table today, there is another motion from the mayor,

1:26:46solve the crisis campaign. It too highlights this provincial gap. There is an ask there for a

1:26:52specific ministry to tackle the problem. So nobody believes that living in a park is an

1:26:58appropriate place to be. Sadly, with no other options and a worsening housing affordability

1:27:04crisis, that's where many people find themselves. But let's be clear, that result, encampments are

1:27:12a system problem and not a person problem. The plan outlined by the province will not

1:27:19reduce homelessness or encampments. Sadly, it will lead to more people in prison for the crime of

1:27:27not having a place to call home. More people will be dying from overdoses, hiding from criminalisation

1:27:35and hiding in alleyways. We will spread homelessness further into our communities.

1:27:42As a resident of Guelph, someone who has worked in this field and someone who works in a national

1:27:48charity dedicated to ending this, I am incredibly concerned for our neighbours. We need to do better.

1:27:59Now, I want to turn the tables. There is actually good news here. There is phenomenally hard,

1:28:05good work being done in Guelph. Guelph was recently recognised as having a 76% reduction in youth

1:28:13homelessness since 2018. Guelph Wellington have supported 1,655 people who were previously

1:28:23experiencing chronic, long-term, complex homelessness to move into housing. Being the champions to end

1:28:33homelessness and supporting action through your affordable housing strategy, working with your

1:28:40community partners and continuing to advance the permanent solutions to end homelessness

1:28:47rather than just manage it, are excellent steps to keep this work going. Housing is not a reward.

1:28:57Housing is a right. Guelph's focus on solutions with the delivery of new permanent supportive

1:29:04housing units and housing focused approaches have been the not-so-secret sauce and actually doing

1:29:11some really great work and must be central to the ongoing work to address homelessness.

1:29:18Last year, Guelph City Council unanimously voted in favour of the city adopting a human rights-based

1:29:26approach to housing, including a housing first philosophy, to align with the national housing

1:29:32strategy. So let's not forget that really good work. Let's not take a step backwards and react.

1:29:40Guelph has proof. Compassionate care and housing are the solution to housing that are most vulnerable.

1:29:47I ask you to support Councillor Caton's motion. Reject the tools, rooted in enforcement and

1:29:54criminalisation. Continue to lead in to housing and compassionate solutions, ramp up your outreach,

1:30:02support those experiencing homelessness and continue on the path for affordable housing.

1:30:08And you can do all of that without using the notwithstanding clause. Thank you.

1:30:16Thank you very much. Is there any follow-up at all for this delegation?

1:30:19Okay, no, thank you very much for your time. Morgan Danny is good to come right on up.

1:30:27Is Mars back in the room? Oh, you've moved. Yes, I see you. Okay, you're in the wings.

1:30:38Welcome and go right ahead, Morgan. Hi again, everybody. I'm here personally today. When I read

1:30:47that Mayor Guthrie had signed on to the letter to use the notwithstanding clause,

1:30:55I felt like it was one more nail in the coffin that I feel like I've been forced into

1:31:08since the dissolution of my marriage in 2019. As my friend Amelia was talking about her friend

1:31:18who was in a car accident, it really felt like I was hearing my story, except it was

1:31:26dissolution of marriage that sent me from a three-bedroom house to a wonderful basement apartment

1:31:35living off of the proceeds of the sale of that house for a year and a half.

1:31:42And then getting evicted because I developed a disability that made it impossible for me to be

1:31:49a reliable employee. If you needed me there at a specific day and time every single week,

1:31:58I couldn't, I still can't guarantee that. I don't know how many of us here were actually paying

1:32:09any attention while the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was being discussed by our federal government

1:32:18back in the late 70s, early 80s. I know some on council were even alive then.

1:32:26I've been a policy geek for a long time and because of the interest that my parents held

1:32:32in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, I actually paid attention. I didn't remember a lot, so I went back

1:32:42and looked at why the notwithstanding clause was put in. And it was because

1:32:53the politicians at that time had an abject fear that the courts would misinterpret

1:33:05laws in ways unintended. I look at the notwithstanding clause as the last piece that allowed us to

1:33:19finally have almost all of the provinces sign on to a Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

1:33:26It was never intended to be used in a manner such as is being proposed by the Premier of Ontario

1:33:40and the signatories of the letter. I'm now living in a basement apartment again. I've got a room.

1:33:51I pay more than 75% of my income just for shelter as an individual on ODSP.

1:33:57I cannot go and stay in a shelter because of this little guy right here.

1:34:06Part of his job is to protect me in the current shelter system.

1:34:12Nobody would get rest if I went in there. He'd be barking all night long. Just the students upstairs

1:34:18last night were still moving around when I went to bed and he kept barking because

1:34:27he sees that as a potential threat and he's warning me. So when I saw this about the notwithstanding

1:34:36clause, I'm like, I have mental health issues. And one of the things that really scares me as a woman

1:34:43is a lot of the women that I see that are accessing services have acquired brain injuries.

1:34:52And anyone that has an acquired brain injury is incapable of correcting behaviors

1:35:00and forcing them into treatment isn't a solution. I just want everyone to please understand that

1:35:10I could be affected. You all know me. I'm a frequent flyer, as the mayor likes to say.

1:35:19And I can't countenance having this be part of our toolbox. Thank you.

1:35:31Okay, thank you. And is there any follow-up from Morgan? There is not. Thank you very much.

1:35:37And Mars? Mars, you're next. And then Andrea Baker is going to join us by video next.

1:35:57If Andrea is not available by video, is Jill Francis here?

1:36:02Nope. Okay, Mars, you might be wrapping it up for us. So go right ahead. Okay.

1:36:07Yeah, I was looking over the notes that I had made and what I had written down and honestly,

1:36:12most of it has been said and probably a lot more eloquently than I could have addressed it.

1:36:17And I just wanted to take my short time up here to thank the delegates who spoke up,

1:36:21especially those who shared personal stories and are showing why these conversations are so

1:36:25important. I want to thank those who brought these motions forward just to highlight how

1:36:28important they are. And I also want to recognize I've sat in this chamber multiple times and I've

1:36:34heard a lot of these topics get discussed over and over and over again. And I'm sure council

1:36:39can relate to that. And we know that a lot of these are relevant on a federal, provincial,

1:36:43and municipal level. And I think when you cover the same things and information gets repeated

1:36:48and things are said over and over, it can be really easy for things to get jumbled and to

1:36:53essentially not listen. And yeah, I think I just want to close off by saying that I really hope

1:36:57what's been said is being heard and being taken into account as we move through these decisions.

1:37:01And yeah, thank you, Councillor Alton. Councillor Cain, I support what you've brought

1:37:05forward. That's essentially it from me. Okay, no, no, thank you. Is there any follow-up? Nope.

1:37:11Okay, thank you very much. And the others aren't available. So I'll go back to you,

1:37:17Councillor Cain. If you want to table the three motions and just indicate the seconder,

1:37:25that would be great. Yes, the seconder is Councillor Allt. And the motions are that the

1:37:32Guelph City Council opposes the use of the notwithstanding clause as requested by a collection

1:37:37of Ontario mayors to circumvent the court's ability to rule on charter rights on the subject

1:37:41of encampment relocations due to the municipal bylaws throughout Ontario. Further, that council

1:37:47opposes the use of force in unvalentary treatment of people with substance use disorders or mental

1:37:52illness who are protected under disability legislation outside of the existing process.

1:37:57And three, that a letter be sent to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario,

1:38:02the Ontario Big City Mayors, and the 12 municipalities included in the 13 Mayor

1:38:07request letter for information regarding Guelph City Council's opposition.

1:38:13Thank you so much. Council, is there anybody that has any questions on this? Okay, I'll go to

1:38:21Richardson and then Ault. Thanks. I'm just wondering if someone could explain to me exactly what is

1:38:27meant by outside the existing process. Through the Mayor. So there's already an existing process

1:38:36for involuntary holds. And so that would include medical professionals who

1:38:44oversee and make sure that you are not a threat to yourself or others. And then there's a certain

1:38:51number of days and then check-ins. And other provinces like British Columbia have been trying

1:38:59to expand that so that it's not just medical professionals that can make those decisions

1:39:04and that it would be expanded past people who have mental health issues to substance use disorders

1:39:12and other neurological conditions. So right now I'm saying that the existing

1:39:20circumstances are sufficient. Sorry, I'm sorry. Through you, Mayor. So who would those people

1:39:26be outside of healthcare professionals? Do we know? We don't know. It's just kind of an open

1:39:32call right now. Thank you. Yeah, we can split them. Councillor Coller's asked for it to be split

1:39:40and then Ault and then Downer. Thank you. Mayor Guthrie, mine were comments. Do you want those

1:39:45now? Yeah, do go ahead. Sure. It's a bit of a history lesson, but I am very concerned for the

1:39:50arbitrary and the, I believe, the inappropriate use of the notwithstanding clause. In fact,

1:39:55I have real concerns with using it at all. I do believe that it's a simple approach to addressing

1:40:00underfunding. And what we've omitted is to understand what the original intent of the

1:40:05notwithstanding clause was, which was to bring Quebec into the charter and to assure that provinces

1:40:12could have a key role in language and cultural rights. And that's what was its intent. Pierre

1:40:18Trudeau did not foresee this. He did not like the notwithstanding clause, but it was something

1:40:25to throw to Quebec so that Canada could repatriate its constitution and in 1982 become a country

1:40:31for the very first time. By the way, Canada was not a country when Britain held the British

1:40:38North America Act. Guelph's Dick Chaliner was a person who helped frame the Charter of Rights

1:40:46and Freedoms. He's probably Guelph's greatest unsung resident, regrettably late. He did this with

1:40:55Roy Romano, Roy McMurtry and Pierre Trudeau. He certainly did not foresee this. Quebec, however,

1:41:02used this and is intending on using this again to ban public prayer. I'm not certain that we

1:41:08necessarily feel comfortable with that. Ontario clearly wishes to use it in the current circumstances.

1:41:14Alberta has used this to overrule federal energy targets and Saskatchewan, forgive me,

1:41:20I can't remember what they used it for. But in all cases, none of these was ever intended or ever

1:41:26foreseen. My problem with this is the Charter, using the notwithstanding clause, absolves the

1:41:33province of the duty to fund housing and mental health addiction support. The province can then say,

1:41:39well, we've just made it illegal. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me and it doesn't make a

1:41:45whole lot of sense as a city. We are only drawing 8% of the whole tax bill that people pay are

1:41:55responsible for housing, are responsible for welcoming streets, responsible for a myriad of

1:42:02issues associated with this, including a police budget that many people believe is overblown.

1:42:09We cannot let the province off the hook for underfunding by passing this. We as a city

1:42:14owe it to our taxpayers to make certain that we see the province funds these services appropriately

1:42:22and does not get away with saying we're just going to make some people illegal.

1:42:30Okay, thank you. Donner? Yes, can we have these separated out?

1:42:37Because I, oh, sorry. So the first one I do support. I want to make it clear that I still

1:42:44support and stand by the use of public spaces by-law that the city has passed. I think that was,

1:42:51municipalities need to have a right to do that outside of encampments anyway, the use of public

1:42:57space. However, number two around involuntary treatment. And I'm a layperson and so I just

1:43:08don't think I know enough. So, you know, even as a layperson looking at some studies and again,

1:43:13I don't know how to really read these studies, but it seems like there are some positive outcomes

1:43:19through the criminal court case. I did read the stat about some people overdose when they come

1:43:24out of treatment. That also happens when they come out of voluntary treatment. So I, you know,

1:43:29and even in that study, it said, however, there are still some positive outcomes. So

1:43:35I don't know enough to assess that. You can be right and I respect you,

1:43:43Councillor Caiten, but I'm not an expert and I don't know that anybody around this horse shoe

1:43:49is either. So, point of order. I recognize your point of order. Through the Mayor, this is not

1:43:57about specifically about involuntary treatment. It's about the use of the notwithstanding clause.

1:44:01No, no. Number two. Number two, literally your motion that you wrote literally says the force

1:44:06involuntary treatment and that's what she's talking about. So I don't recognize you any further and

1:44:13I'm going to go back to Councillor Downer. I support number one. So I just don't support number two

1:44:18for the reasons I have basically stated. I don't know enough and we didn't have any medical experts

1:44:25coming to speak to this either today. So that are in the community. They're not out there, not here

1:44:31opposing, suggesting that motion either. So I, right now, I mean down the road, I might change

1:44:39that if I could be convinced, but right now I'm not. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. And so I'll go to

1:44:46Koran and then O'Rourke.

1:44:50He's supporting all three motions. When it comes to addiction, we often think of drug poisoning

1:44:56because so many of our citizens experiencing homelessness are, we've put that forward as

1:45:03being one of the primary reasons, but alcohol has been mentioned in our delegations alluded to that

1:45:09as well. So involuntary treatment for alcoholism, I can't imagine that that is something even tenable

1:45:20in a province that does not have the facilities, the healthcare facilities,

1:45:25addiction treatment centers to accommodate the scale of what that could mean. So I'll absolutely be

1:45:32supporting Clause 2. I think in terms of my commentary, I have to say that I was really,

1:45:39Diane Echan McNally's delegation really struck me because I recall those feelings of shock and

1:45:47disappointment when I heard that the mayor had signed the letter on behalf of the city of Guelph

1:45:53using the city of Guelph logo and knowing that the mayor is the head of council and from a governance

1:45:59perspective that really deeply disturbed me. Although the mayor and I respect that you put

1:46:06that forward for your own reasons and we don't have a motion here before us today where we can

1:46:17direct you to take action that you took as an individual, but I would encourage you and I'm

1:46:26not placing a motion on the floor as I said it's a governance issue, but I encourage you as other

1:46:30mayors have done to withdraw your support for use of the notwithstanding clause. So I urge you to do

1:46:38that after if these motions all pass and you have direction from council that we as a council are not

1:46:45in favor of the notwithstanding clause that as head of council that you will withdraw your support

1:46:51from the letter. Thanks. Thank you. I'll go to a roar can then it looks like I have an amendment

1:47:00from Kate and so a roar. Thank you Mayor Guthrie. So to clause one I will absolutely support

1:47:07because undermining in the Canadian constitution is absolutely not the answer. I think that moving

1:47:14people around from city to city or place to place is a waste of resources. It's harmful for

1:47:21the people involved and it's actually not the solution. We know the solution we talked about

1:47:25it last night at length. The solution is more housing and more social supports. So I think the

1:47:31province's focus is misplaced in terms of pursuing this as an avenue, especially when we know that

1:47:38since 2018 Ontario's ramped its spending up on homelessness about 80% but lowered what it spends

1:47:45on community housing by 70%. So the answer again as we talked about last night is housing and

1:47:51supports. So I support clause one, clause two much like councillor Downer. I'm not a medical

1:47:58ethicist. I'm not an expert in this field and I know people who have or would benefit from

1:48:10treatment and who are in a position to make those decisions themselves. Councillor Chew and I have

1:48:17a constituent who is regularly contacting us with issues about somebody they care about a lot

1:48:21who's just in and out of the system and who may benefit from additional intervention.

1:48:27And I heard the mayor of Vancouver talk recently about if we had people with dementia who were

1:48:34out exposed in the cold wouldn't society expect us to take care of them. So there isn't always

1:48:41a loved one to take somebody to care or treatment or for those 48-hour holds. Those holds aren't

1:48:48always sufficient and it is with full compassion because I have a very close friend who's been

1:48:54in this situation. There's lots of people in my life who've been involved or adjacent. And so

1:49:00you know tomorrow night the Homewood Research Institute has a webinar on involuntary treatment.

1:49:07So we don't have a mechanism at council to abstain. I'd like to abstain from this motion

1:49:11because I'm as councillor Downer said I'm a layperson and I do not understand what all

1:49:17the implications are. I'm not a lawyer, I'm not a doctor, I'm not an ethicist.

1:49:23And so around this table, abstaining is the same as a vote against but I am

1:49:31abstaining because I'm not in a position to make a decision on that and I'll support Clause 3.

1:49:38Okay thank you. So we have an amendment that's potentially going to be tabled by Councillor

1:49:42Caten that she's wanting to bring forward. So I had a question for the clerks if I may.

1:49:47So is it better for me to move an amendment against number two or for me to withdraw my motion and

1:49:54then retable it with the, oh yeah, so is it easier to do the amendment? Through you Mr. Mayor we do

1:50:05with the motions on the floor so if you're looking to make a change to one of those clauses the

1:50:08amendment would be the appropriate way to do it. Okay so then I would like to make an amendment

1:50:12as per the email that I sent because my intent was, and it's just a matter of the language

1:50:19and the structure that I did in the motion, was that further council opposes the use of the

1:50:26notwithstanding clause in the use of force in voluntary treatment. So before we talk any further

1:50:36I sent it. We would need a seconder but through you Mr. Mayor to Councillor Caton if you could

1:50:46just confirm that I've added that in the right section of the of the clause. In the use of force.

1:51:06Okay we don't have a seconder for that so okay, Councillor Aul will second it.

1:51:15Okay and so now we have questions on this amendment only so Councillor Downer.

1:51:21So I know with the first one that there was a threat by the provincial government

1:51:27or the, sorry, the letter to the mayors and then the

1:51:32premier's been talking about the notwithstanding clause around the relocations of encampments but

1:51:37I haven't heard, I haven't heard anybody discuss publicly about the notwithstanding clause for

1:51:47mandatory treatment. Is that anywhere on anybody's agenda has been talked about?

1:51:55I haven't seen that. I would need to really reread the letters that were sent to the mayors that

1:52:07requested the use of the notwithstanding clause but I believe it was reference that

1:52:12they could use that in the the medical treatments in that letter. I'm trying to find it right now.

1:53:02So the letters, okay so I can withdraw motion on the clause number two for the time being until I

1:53:10find that and I can bring it back to council at a later date. Well I would rather it just be

1:53:20dealt with now. Like we're well if people are confused and we need to have more information

1:53:25than I'd rather withdraw it right now so that we don't make it decision without the full information

1:53:32on clause number two. Yep are you okay for removing that then and then council who seconded

1:53:43yeah just clause number two yeah okay so clause number two removed does anyone object to that?

1:53:51I have to ask through the process. Okay so just one second I'll go to the clerks.

1:53:56Through you Mr. Mayor just to clarify what we'll actually be doing is withdrawing first the amendment

1:54:01which is currently on the floor and then withdrawing just clause two and retabling that motion.

1:54:06That's right because technically your amendment was on the floor so what we just did and what I

1:54:12did the rounds of questioning on was just to remove the amendment. Now I'm going to do my

1:54:17process again you're okay to remove number two completely and you're okay to remove the seconder

1:54:22and is anyone against that? Okay no so now number two has formally been removed okay okay

1:54:32I don't have anything more oh boost it up go ahead. Thank you and I will be supporting

1:54:39one and three. As a new councillor you know my frustration and my desperation

1:54:47knowing full well from all the research and what community agencies tell us the solution is permanent

1:54:52housing capital and sustained operating funding for public supportive and transitional housing.

1:54:59I think it was Brad that was talking about the vice and I was saying yes I feel like I'm in a vice

1:55:04here that we have the community encampments the issues and homelessness but not the tools to address

1:55:10this and you know one of the other delegations I don't believe that the notwithstanding clause

1:55:17is a tool and one of the delegations clearly said I think it was Diana that everyone has human rights

1:55:24or no one does and I think that that to me really whose rights rises on top of whose and I think that

1:55:33that is the level playing field that is what the constitution is about that is what this is about so

1:55:38I will be supporting both of these motions but also recognizing that we're all extremely frustrated

1:55:44with all levels of government including the federal government and the lack of response

1:55:49to the housing crisis in in a very concrete way which is permanent public you know supportive

1:55:56and transitional housing that is what we need thank you great thank you all right to want to wrap it

1:56:05up as the mover go ahead Keaton thank you through you mr mayor I think that the call out from

1:56:14premier Ford was bait it was bait because the policies that the province has been making and

1:56:23the underfunding of our social services which we have been taking up on our property taxes

1:56:30is the cause for this crisis worsening and the use of the notwithstanding clause gives them the ability

1:56:39to not solve the crisis which is something that we'll be talking about shortly and I think that

1:56:46we should be defending our charter of rights and freedoms and not giving them the free pass

1:56:54we really need to be standing up for people and the solutions that we know are proven

1:57:00so I hope you'll all agree with me on that thank you thank you so I'll look to call the vote now we

1:57:08have only a number one and number two we're going to call it okay and I think I was still asked to

1:57:14have it separated so we'll we'll we'll do that we'll just keep it separated before the vote is taken

1:57:22though I have no problem giving my comments on this I love this moment because it is freedom of

1:57:29speech is also important differences of opinions is also important and so this is where I stand on

1:57:36this issue I believe that if an encampment takes over a playground and we can't move it

1:57:46that we should be able to move it I believe if an encampment takes over a splash pad or takes over

1:57:53St. George's Square and starts to impede on the well-being and the public space and order

1:58:01that should be safe and welcoming for everybody I believe we should be able to remove it

1:58:08and that's why I do support if necessary that's what the letter did say that's word for word if

1:58:17necessary the use of the notwithstanding cause because I believe that our public space should be

1:58:28free of some of the issues that come with some some and a minor encampment issues that are

1:58:41very very problematic for the public and I would argue the very people that are there

1:58:47and and so that's my position and of course of course as the head of council I would respect

1:58:56the decision of council of course but I will always maintain that I have my personal opinion

1:59:03my voting record today will obviously show that and I will never ever back away from trying to

1:59:09keep our community spaces safe for everybody and and to try to bring some public order as I would

1:59:18define it back to this situation that we are all frustrated on which we can all agree on on that

1:59:26finally there's been some commentary that what you know what the province is looking to table

1:59:33is not going to work well we don't even know like I don't even know we don't even know what the

1:59:40legislation is maybe it won't work I don't know but we don't know until tomorrow till we actually

1:59:46see the legislation so I'm also thankful that the premier in the province seems to have walked back

1:59:53the preemptive use of the notwithstanding clause that I'm in favor of 100 I'm in favor of

2:00:01but if it gets to a point where we have encampments that are taking over playgrounds and splash pads

2:00:09and even with our bylaw that we did pass here we try our best to work with those people to say

2:00:16you can't be here but you can be you can be over here you can be right over there but we

2:00:23but you can't be here and those people say no I'm staying and it goes to a court challenge

2:00:32I am very thankful that the province has indicated that they would be with us as an

2:00:36intervener status on that to try to uphold the democratically voted on bylaw that this council

2:00:4310 to 3 voted on and I'm very I'm very passionate about this because I'm passionate in both ways

2:00:53and I I want to help the people that are in these circumstances but I also want to be

2:00:59having our public spaces safe for everyone and and so that's where I stand on this and and so

2:01:09that's you know this is this is moment for us to express ourselves and and so I thank council

2:01:15for allowing me to to do that now obviously I have a difference of opinion on this particular

2:01:19matter but that's okay that's okay that's why we're we all have different thoughts and opinions on

2:01:25things and so I'm looking forward to hearing what the premier and and the province does tomorrow

2:01:31I'm very much looking forward to hearing from it and I hope it will be great and guess what I'm

2:01:37I'm the type of person you guys can't slam me for this I will critique where critique is warranted

2:01:43I have done that over and over again but I will praise when praise is warranted for upper levels

2:01:48of government legislation too tomorrow will be an opportunity for me to consider of critique

2:01:53or praise we'll see we'll see but I think even the fact that it has been a frustrating

2:02:00issue for us all to deal with and it's bubbled to this point I believe that has moved the dial

2:02:08I believe the the the letter from myself and others actually has moved the dial and I would argue

2:02:15and I can only cross my fingers because I don't know that if there is praise warranted tomorrow in

2:02:21the legislation that comes forward from the province then I would thank myself and the other

2:02:26mayors that actually stood up and said we have to have this problem solved so we'll see what happens

2:02:31we'll see what happens so thank you that thank you for the me give my my opinions on that before

2:02:37the vote so we'll just vote on number one and so all those against on number one please raise your hand

2:02:46all right so it's billings and Richardson and myself Guthrie so that passes and then I'll call

2:02:54the vote now on only a number pardon me mr. Marin sorry for the interruption I just want to ask

2:02:59councillor Roark because she had indicated she wanted to abstain from voting only on number two

2:03:04well the original number two which is now gone okay yeah so that's a vote and that's the way I took

2:03:09it am I right councillor or that's correct so her vote on the first one was in favor okay and then

2:03:16now on the second one which is just to send the letters all those against raise your hand okay and

2:03:27that's unanimous that's fine okay all right now we're going to move on to the final one and there's

2:03:34only one delegation in regards to this third time's a charm Brad come on up this is in regards to the

2:03:43solve the crisis campaign and just as you're coming up I'm not gonna I'm not gonna be labor this over

2:03:49200 organizations and municipal councils have voted for this and after Brad speaks I'm very

2:03:59thankful that Klosson and Galler have indicated that they would move and second the motion for the

2:04:06solve the crisis campaign and so Brad I'll turn it over to you go right ahead excellent thank you

2:04:12very much so on this folks I think a lot of you know our discussion today has been about

2:04:20broader reaction to provincial legislation and you know the possibilities that are coming forward

2:04:29from the province and some of the very negative actions that the province is taking in regards to

2:04:34the solve the crisis campaign you know I see their goals and things that are listed there and

2:04:40those are all well and good but I would hope that Guelph and other big cities would consider some

2:04:47additional measures and actions in future phases of your work rather than you know asking the province

2:04:55for things like more powers to police and engage in other things like that that we've discussed today

2:05:02as mentioned earlier a full restoration of an expansion of overdose prevention sites I think is

2:05:07critical to the work relating to these issues a firm commitment from this city and from all of the

2:05:16Ontario big city mayors and the broader group around solve the crisis to increase social

2:05:22assistance rates to a level tied to rental rates and ensuring that there's renewed rental control

2:05:29and renter protections as part of any effort to solve the current many crises that we're looking at

2:05:37here as well as looking at accessible housing standards as the AODA lacks that entirely and

2:05:48you know as does the building code and ultimately a plan and funds to really build actual affordable

2:05:59and accessible housing as we've talked about I think in all of the delegations today and a lot of

2:06:05our discussion the reality is that a huge number of unhoused folks in this city and throughout the

2:06:15province are disabled ultimately the campaign has written does not do enough to address these issues

2:06:25it certainly does not and so I hope that in future in growing efforts in municipalities to actually

2:06:34solve the problems before us that we can look in these more holistic ways towards bigger ticket

2:06:42pieces of provincial legislation that need to be changed and need municipal pressure to change

2:06:49and there are standards out there for example Toronto just passed accessible housing standards

2:06:55for its public housing that hopefully will be a move towards inclusive or universal forms of design

2:07:04for housing and ultimately folks I think we need to resist legislation that forces municipalities

2:07:13and agencies to act at the provincial will instead of making progressive actions on issues some of

2:07:20the drafts we've seen of legislation that are coming ties certain pieces of the ministry of

2:07:30community and social services act related funding to following certain provincial directives

2:07:35and could result in fines for cities if that draft legislation moves forward and also for

2:07:41nonprofits that do community service work ultimately these are threats to your ability to

2:07:48govern and threats to your ability to solve any crisis ultimately then folks I you know hope

2:07:56that you take what we've said today in the various delegations and look at expanding your work

2:08:04beyond just the remit of where this campaign lies and make firm commitments to the reinvestment

2:08:11of our social safety net throughout this province and throughout this city thank you very much

2:08:18and thank you very much is there any questions for this delegate

2:08:21seeing and hearing none thank you very much and so as I indicated Councillor Klassen and

2:08:30Gowler are willing to move this for me as you can imagine all 29 municipalities that make up

2:08:36the Ontario Big City Mayor's Caucus are are moving these these motions the most recent one was the

2:08:43city of Hamilton who unanimously just voted for this as well but over and above the 29

2:08:52municipalities of OBCM as I said there's been over 200 so far it's it's you know I would like

2:09:01to just state to my council members that no no one else has ever amended or added or anything to this

2:09:08this has been a support motion from OBCM with that I'm just going to let it let it let it stay

2:09:16because it I think it's pretty straightforward and I'll just open it up if there's any questions

2:09:23Kate please thank you through you Mr. Mayor I have an amendment

2:09:29so the clerks have my amendment if we can put that on screen please

2:09:34um so I am amending a paragraph that says and the provincial government strike attack task force

2:09:43with broad sector representatives including municipalities regions healthcare first responders

2:09:48community services and people with living experience of homelessness and substance

2:09:53abuse disorders to develop a maiden Ontario action plan and I'm removing the business community and

2:10:00the tourism industry and my reasoning behind that is I just need to know if there's even a seconder

2:10:06Councillor okay oh please continue oh sorry um it's Councillor Caron had actually said that she would

2:10:13sorry so you're you're on screen up there I don't want to like lose you as a usually very

2:10:19remote person so by apologies okay go ahead you still have the floor so my my reasoning behind

2:10:27this is that this is essentially a healthcare and and housing ask and that the business industry

2:10:35and the tourism industry are inappropriate stakeholders to be included in that discussion

2:10:42and um within uh in 2010 Canada joined the United Nations Convention on the Rights of

2:10:50Persons with Disabilities and the principles of nothing about us without us were guiding the

2:10:56convention's development and this means that people with disabilities and the organizations that

2:11:02represent them should be engaged in everything that affects them and so as we're talking about

2:11:07people with living experience of homelessness and substance abuse disorders they should be involved

2:11:13in that discussion more than anybody else because this is about them this is a solution for them

2:11:20this is about something that they know more than anyone else is how to help them and even within

2:11:27Canada and our accessible Canada Act and the way that our government is going through creating

2:11:34standards for public services and inclusion we have been using that tenant and in our own engagement

2:11:41processes as a city we always make sure that we include people who have the main core of the need

2:11:51of the policies that we're crafting around them included in the discussion so that's why I'd like

2:11:56to make that amendment okay thank you just a quick question to you as the mover just based on what

2:12:02you just said there then would you suggest then are you suggesting that um skyline in town who is a

2:12:09business that gave millions of dollars to help build supportive housing is an inappropriate

2:12:13stakeholder to be a part of this they're a business so you're wanting to remove the opportunity for

2:12:18the business sector to be involved in this to try to help with these this crisis um how would you

2:12:24describe skyline in town that gave millions of dollars of their time and land to build supportive

2:12:29housing for people who are experiencing homelessness it's it's not it's not relevant whether or not

2:12:35they've donated money because they're not they shouldn't be involved in crafting policy so if

2:12:40they want to help that is absolutely wonderful but they should not be involved in crafting the

2:12:47policy don't like we've got plenty of people who donate towards great causes that aren't making

2:12:55up the the crux of the program that they're donating to okay so you can be a supporter but not

2:13:04okay stakeholder in that way so again council I would just say of the over 200 that have done

2:13:09this there's been no amendments to it at all I'd like to try to maintain the integrity of the the

2:13:14campaign if we can but it is on the floor speaking to this issue we got downer and then a boost

2:13:20until so so I understand the intent but and I I I don't mind the amendment about those with

2:13:28lived experience I think that adding that's fine but to take out the business community and the

2:13:32tourism community is taking out stakeholders so you're part of this is talking about housing

2:13:41we've we've just passed you know an affordable housing strategy yesterday where we acknowledge

2:13:46that we need partners in the business community to to work with that so you know as you need everybody

2:13:56at the table you need everybody at the table anybody who's impacted needs to be at the table

2:14:01anybody who can be part of a solution needs to be at the table to to come up with a made in in

2:14:09Ontario action plan without having all the stakeholders at the table it is is a problem so

2:14:16I I agree with the addition of um of lived experience I think I think that's important

2:14:24because they're they're the stakeholders right they're one of the stakeholders but I

2:14:29I would disagree with taking out the business community so I can make an amendment to take

2:14:37that out okay go ahead or you can withdraw it I don't know what no no we'll just do it okay

2:14:43so I like an I'm into it I can't I don't have it in front of me so I don't know how do I need to

2:14:47send that in or can I yeah if you could send it into the clerks so um I don't have it we're going to

2:14:52strike the the words um business out of the removal um seconded by councillor O'Rourke

2:15:00I don't through you mr. mayor it's certainly a chair's decision but I would suggest if the

2:15:05purpose of the amendment to remove is to remove them then amending it to add them back in would be

2:15:09contrary to that original yes so we could just vote one way or the other and the outcome of that

2:15:14is sort of the result okay so that's the easiest way so I would vote against this and if the if

2:15:19this fails then and the mover wants to put back in the ones with lived experience I would support that

2:15:26okay thank you um uh boost until then alt thank you um so this is my personal opinion I actually

2:15:35disliked uh number five and number six I am sick and tired of task force studying coming together

2:15:41it's been overdone and maybe I'm just showing my age around poverty and homelessness and years and

2:15:47years and years and we don't need a provincial task force what I would support support is

2:15:53stakeholders at the table at a local level with uh the ability to come up with a local action plan

2:16:02that has capital operational sustainable funding to have those conversations with the local players

2:16:08maybe it's my 16 years experience and you know education but you know all this work that goes

2:16:14into a task force all this money all this delayed time I'm frustrated and I'm fed up so I will not

2:16:20be supporting uh any amendment or anything I actually was going to try to remove both number

2:16:25five and number six I know you don't want any amendments to this but I'm sick and tired of all

2:16:30the task force all the reading and reports that say the same thing we need permanent public

2:16:36supportive transitional housing full stop that's what we need let's get going

2:16:42thank you um just as a response to that since it's uh sort of my motion the paragraph within

2:16:49their councillor Busuttil literally says exactly what you were asking for and that both levels of

2:16:54government provide adequate sufficient and sustainable funding to ensure that municipalities

2:16:59have the tools and resources to support individuals suffering with mental health addictions including

2:17:04unhoused people and from those vulnerable populations that may be disproportionately

2:17:07impacted so so it does wrap up uh it echoes and mirrors exactly what uh point of privilege sorry

2:17:15it's the provincial task force we don't need another provincial table so I did I agreed with that I

2:17:20put that that's a number eight I think uh it's the two provincial task force above it that I

2:17:28disagree with no I absolutely agree with that land capital operating maintenance all of that for

2:17:34permanent supportive and transitional housing it is the provincial task force that I I think is

2:17:39it's sleight of hand it's look over here we're going to do a provincial task force we're going to

2:17:43delay we're going to delay delay wait for the provincial task force I'm fed up let's let's let's

2:17:48get going true thank you okay all to then clausen thank you mayor guthrie um both of my colleagues

2:17:56have come up with some fairly important uh uh comments and uh and at least one resolution

2:18:02possibly another uh like colleague busatil I am not a fan of task force uh I think that what we uh

2:18:09we have for the task force is a an opportunity to delay any sort of real action uh task force

2:18:15take time how can we act on the uh the results coming from a task force if the task force is

2:18:21meeting over the time that we have a crisis the other problem that I have with uh with this actually

2:18:27is what councillor Caton said and that is uh the uh business and tourism is is one sector of uh

2:18:35of ontarius uh community but the question that I have is why not education institutions why not

2:18:42universities and colleges where we see issues that are very very um time critical uh related to this

2:18:50these particular resolutions being dealt with all the time further I question which businesses would

2:18:56become part of the task force because this is a provincial task force will the insurance industries

2:19:02which often provide tremendous funding for addiction support and therapy will they be involved

2:19:09and as we know uh their job in many cases is to deny funding for these things are we actually

2:19:17really thinking this out when we talk about businesses this is a health care and a safety

2:19:22crisis not an economics crisis although I acknowledge that there are many people that are working today

2:19:29that have substance abuse problems that need to be addressed but we have many people in the homes

2:19:36that need that have substance abuse problems and we have not included anything for that and I think

2:19:41councillor Caton has addressed that quite effectively in in the suggestion all right uh

2:19:48claus and then orork and then I'd like to try to get to the vote on the amendment please okay claus

2:19:53and then orork yes thank you and thanks to my colleagues for their comments um yeah particularly

2:20:00you know uh councillor bruce it resonated with me you know no more task force we need housing we

2:20:05need more housing and we need more evidence-based solutions we know them and part of my comments

2:20:10earlier were if if the province wants to see what's happening in guelph and what evidence-based

2:20:15solutions are happening come on down and see some of the projects that have opened up this year because

2:20:21we can keep doing those and we know we can do them well so let's continue to fund these projects

2:20:27because that's really what we what we should be doing um my comment with regard to the amendment

2:20:33specifically um I have concerns with it because I think it actually contributes to the overall

2:20:39adversarial nature of what's happening uh with our homeless community and our business community

2:20:45the business community and the tourism industry are there because they are also being impacted

2:20:50deeply by what's happening um we just heard from our delegates that um our our businesses are about

2:20:57to become frontline staff so we're they're going to be administering NOx alone they're they're part of

2:21:03our community and I I just heard councillor um downer here say that it's a broad spectrum group

2:21:11of people on this task force it's not putting one group against another a group or one person's

2:21:17rights ahead of another person's rights we need to all work together to come like together with

2:21:22solutions that are better for everyone and I'm I'm I find it frustrating to pull pull out one

2:21:28community that is deeply impacted by it and um I'd like to invite people to help solve these

2:21:35issues and look at some of the things going back to what I said earlier that are happening right

2:21:39here in Guelph um so I I I don't want to support that section of I would support the other piece of

2:21:47the uh the motion but specifically around the removal I think it's creating friction that I don't

2:21:53think we need okay thank you and then I'll roark and then I'll call the vote uh thank you Mayor

2:21:59Guthrie I just wanted to say I concur with uh councillors downer and classon that there are

2:22:05important stakeholders in our communities um stakeholders who see their frontline staff

2:22:12particularly part-time workers who could be vulnerable um and so I I don't support the

2:22:18removal of the business community or tourism um and I would support the addition of people with

2:22:25lived experience it's part of what we do at the um health and housing community planning table uh at

2:22:32Wellington County in Guelph so um I do think they are important stakeholders and then just as an

2:22:37aside so I don't have to come back we have supported uh calling on the province motions we have done

2:22:43support motions with far less scrutiny and far less consideration of all the ramifications and is

2:22:50it perfect and um and so I believe that OBCM and the other 200 organizations that have supported it

2:22:59have done a lot of their parsing we know that this will not be implemented this is not a bylaw

2:23:05and so I don't know that we need to continue to dissect that I will fully support the solve the

2:23:09crisis motion okay thank you I'd like to oh sorry Councillor Boussatou go ahead then I'll let them

2:23:16call the vote if I can go ahead yes thank you I'm I'm wondering whether or not when we vote on this

2:23:20if we can separate them and give them numbers because I will not be in my line uh supporting

2:23:26number five and six or the amendment uh the provincial task force I think uh council our work

2:23:32raised one of the points I was going to raise is that we are with our consolidated service manager

2:23:38already working on a local solution and what we need are those businesses and community agencies

2:23:43in our local community to address our local issues with the resources that we have the province needs

2:23:49to step up with real tools which is funding for capital land operating all of those kinds of things

2:23:57we do not need in my view in my years of experience and and working in education at the provincial

2:24:03level as well a provincial task force what we need is immediate action at the local level

2:24:09and we're doing that now and we need to continue on that so I will not be supporting either in my

2:24:15number number five or six anything to do with provincial task force okay thank you um let's

2:24:23just call the vote on the amendment and I again would just stress before the vote to my colleagues

2:24:31I also do agree it'd be no problem with adding lived experience I have no problem with that

2:24:39but it literally says a broad sector rep it says broad sector representatives like

2:24:47so to parse this out of who's in and who's out you know I just we're we're spiraling I

2:24:54is how I feel right now so um so I'm going to call the vote on that anyone against the amendment

2:25:01please raise your hand okay so probably will be easier to just say the ones that are four so it

2:25:10would be um Alt and Kate and Koran and so that fails all right so we're back to the motion and

2:25:18maybe Downer would you like to move the one on lived experience okay would you like to do that

2:25:26try it go just just to the lived experience one yes so I'd like to add in people with living

2:25:34experience of homelessness and substance abuse to that same paragraph without removing the others

2:25:40perfect and Downer would you second that yeah okay all right I'll call the vote on that I think

2:25:46I think we could find unity on that one so anyone against that one okay just boost the till so that

2:25:53passes okay now we're back to the main motions and the way I look at it so I look okay so we're

2:26:14what we'll do is we'll show them up on the screen I think the clerks are going to try that and then

2:26:18you could could you just yell out which ones you want to have separated and then we can do the other

2:26:22ones as one full scoop as full swoop and then pull those two out for you yep so just let's just let

2:26:32Councillor boost the till tell us which ones that you don't want to vote on or you're going to vote

2:26:38but just maybe not support yeah it's items number five and six that refer to the provincial task

2:26:45force okay and so I don't know if I need a motion but I will not be supporting them okay it's just

2:26:52to split them out so you can vote on it yeah differently so I'm just gonna I'm just gonna

2:26:56do five and six only right now okay and then we'll do all the rest okay so I'll call the vote then

2:27:04who's against five and six alt and boost the till okay and so five and six then passes and now I'll

2:27:15call the vote on the rest of the solve the crisis motion all those against okay and that's unanimous

2:27:24thank you so much council that's great yeah just a procedural question when the letter is being sent

2:27:31I assume that the whereas clauses are not part of the letter it's just the motions

2:27:38through you mr. mayor that's correct thank you all right everybody

2:27:45councillor Gibson is had sent in regrets so I'm just going to read out the bylaws and then someone

2:27:52can help me move them okay bylaws 2024 21002 21003 21 11 21 020 21 021 21 027 21 028 be approved

2:28:06subject to section 284.114 of the municipal act Richardson would you be willing to move those

2:28:13bylaws for me I'll look over here who wants to do that Cossin will second those for me is there

2:28:20any questions on the bylaws no okay I'll call the votes anyone against the bylaws no that's it okay

2:28:31and mayor's announcements happy holidays merry Christmas all all of the joy whatever the joyous

2:28:39occasion is to everybody that's my announcements because we don't have another scheduled council

2:28:47meeting for quite some time so I just want to I say this every year but I just wanted you to know

2:28:52I actually I actually do mean it very much so I just want to say thank you to my colleagues for

2:28:57another year another year under the belt it's all all done so we've done a lot of heavy lifting and

2:29:03weighted through a lot of a lot of serious issues and so kudos to all of us and up to all of you so

2:29:10thank you very much and then to staff just want to say thank you very much again for everything

2:29:18over this last year it's been it's been great and we look forward to 2025 working together on

2:29:24whatever the next all items are that we got to deal with so wishing everyone safe and happy holidays

2:29:31as we move into the new year that's my announcement so adjournment I'm going to go to billings

2:29:39and busatil and is anyone against adjournment nobody so that's unanimous so all the best to

2:29:46everybody have a safe wonderful time with friends and family if you can thank you so much bye bye