Ought to the Municipality of Chatham-Kent bypass the Ontario Authorities to get funding from the federal authorities to assist tackle homeless encampments?
One CK councillor believes the reply must be sure.
Brock McGregor has introduced ahead a movement for council to ship a letter to Sean Fraser, the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, to see if they may obtain a part of the $250 million being allotted to communities coping with encampments. It will likely be mentioned at council’s subsequent assembly.
The federal authorities had reached agreements with most provinces and territories to obtain a part of the funding and to match the quantity being given. The one ones to not agree had been Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.
“It’s unfortunate that politics can sometimes get in the way,” mentioned McGregor.
The federal authorities nonetheless plans to assist communities within the three provinces by working instantly with them. Proper now, the main focus is on offering funding to Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, and Saskatoon, nevertheless, different areas aren’t being excluded.
“I think there’s an opportunity for smaller communities like Chatham-Kent (to get funding),” added McGregor.
To him, homelessness has change into a disaster in CK, and council wants to contemplate each choice accessible. This contains bypassing the province and in search of assist from the federal authorities.
McGregor defined homelessness has change into an all-hands-on deck scenario.
“If (the Ontario Government) is interested in supporting municipalities and addressing homelessness, they should sign on with the federal government to make sure that money can flow through the province,” he added.
McGregor additionally famous any further plans or initiatives introduced by the province could be mechanically thought of by CK’s council.
