No police tolerance for homeless camps

Police will be acting on a zero-tolerance policy for homeless encampments that tend to crop up over summertime. It’s a decision made with the city and its public health department to minimize areas of Covid contagion. And although the city has been providing alternative shelter, not all itinerants want to use them.

Some advocates for the homeless say that this policy distances them from services. This CBC piece puts more emphasis on the camps causing disruptive behaviour than on concerns with contagion. I think they could’ve asked why it is some of the homeless “weren’t interested in going to a shelter” – what’s the problem? Can it be solved?