"Murders, overdoses, fighting and screaming in the streets at all hours of the night and day. People trying to break into our building to vandalize and steal things. People vandalizing our cars. Open drug use on our property. Rampant prostitution, used needles littering the streets, whers dogs can step on them, residents being called names and threatened with harm just because they want to go to the park behind our building, the list is endless. When we call 911 and the police come, you can tell they just don't care about us. The person that we are calling about just shows back up 15 minutes later. Recently, there was a big fire just off our yard. The police and fire department stood there and let them finish cooking their food while the fire burned and they just stood there laughing. What about our rights to safety and peace? With the property taxes we all pay at 7 Gale cr., roughly 100k is given every year for police services. That should warrant more than a "be more tolerant" and a "we just don't care", from the police. Our seniors have been threatened walking their dogs in the neighborhood. I guess that's funny to the police. The do-gooders say they need more money for shelters. That is a lie. The shelter across from us has never been full, there has some least been room, the people just refuse to go because they want to do their drugs and some are so far gone, they are no longer coherent or sane. They need to be admitted for their own safety and health, and for the safety of the public. I'm pretty sure the "powers that be", don't want to do anything about it because they don't want it in their area. They're happy to let us suffer while lecturing us on tolerance. I hear that these people have moved into the north end as well, the rich area. Good. They can be "tolerant" now too. 72 councilors from the Niagara Region are voting no on section 33. They should be publicly named, shamed, and doxxed. It's obvious they don't live in the areas affected. I think they should all be made to live for 6 months in our hard hit areas. Perhaps they're despicable, holier than thou attitude will change. The people will start dealing with this if the city and the province won't, and we, the people will be nowhere near as tolerant about getting rid of the problem. People are so quick to talk about rights. What about our rights? Do we not have any?"
"My wife Laura, was aggressively approached by a homeless person in the late evening while walking our dig in front of our building. The person was either high on drugs or had mental issues. Problems with the home. the crime, the garbage, the tents, the response of emergency personnel to the neighborhood are a daily event. We, the public need to help get the current provincial government, under the leadership of Premier Ford, enact Section 33 of the Charter in order to have law enforcement have the authority to act and give, not only our neighborhood but other areas across Ontario where the homeless are feeding off of the tax-payers money and the problems that they bring to peace loving and law abiding citizens. Action needs to be taken now. This is no longer a request but a demand."
Support The Application of Section 33 “The Not Withstanding Clause” Of The Canadian Charter Of Rights And Freedoms Petition To End The Growing Homeless Criminality Crisis In St. Catharines, The Region Of Niagara And Province Of Ontario.
To whom it may concern,
I agree that homelessness should not be considered a crime and we should all be able to afford a residence to live in.
You state that you can’t force someone to do something that they don’t want to do, like enter rehabilitation and I suggest to you that you can't make someone live life the way you believe they should even though it is in their best interest.
I have worked in mental health a long time and always with the best of intentions for my patients, what you may not know is that everyday I would hear things like “ I know what I’m doing “ I didn’t ask for your help and I don’t want it “ I don’t care what you think, I take what I want” “ it’s my life, F-off”
That was in a hospital setting, in the outside world the homeless are not worried about any consequences for their actions and this is evidenced by the destruction of private property, public property, vandalism, openly displayed use of drugs and sex workers parading through downtown and parks openly using and soliciting.
Fires have been set to destroy property, citizens have been threatened to give them money , machetes have been used to intimidate locals to back off.
Lawlessness seems to be the other side of this homeless situation.
We have called police so many times to protect us from the nightmare that surrounds our homes. These same homes we have worked so very hard and long to get. No one offered any of us free food, free clothes coats shoes etc., no one gave us an education. These are all things we choose to work for, to sacrifice for, we made decisions not to do drugs , and not to just cop out of life and let others pick up our slack.
It is my belief that we all have choices and we all need to pay the consequences when we break the law, because that is simply the truth of what is happening.
Last week in my neighborhood a man was shot dead. A fire was set in the beautiful park behind our home that caused fire alarms to go off again summoning the fire department and police.
Recent stabbing, and I could go on and on.
This is all documented by the police and firefighters. The city built a very expensive washroom facility to help people who are homeless and they destroyed it in weeks by clogging the toilet with drug paraphernalia, ( needles, glass pipes, ) filthy underwear etc. and then repeatedly smearing shit yes feces all over the smashed interior of this newly built facility for their use .
There is no limit to the danger and expenses these people pose to citizens and of course to themselves because of their choices.
I have to ask you where you get your information, and do you realize that lying is second nature to a drug addicted person.