The Toronto city council is proposing a bylaw to outlaw panhandling in tourist areas but according to a short legal outline by the Wellesley Institute, Are the poor allowed to ask for help? an anti-panhandling bylaw might not be legal. Read the Toronto Disaster Relief press release below.

Toronto Disaster Relief Press Release

Re: New bylaw proposal to prohibit panhandling in Toronto tourist areas

No economic apartheid zones in Toronto!!!

Councillor Case Ootes who makes $95,000 a year as a Toronto city councillor is trying to get a bylaw passed which would prohibit poor people from asking for economic help in “tourist areas”.
If this discriminatory bylaw is passed at committee it will then be voted on at City Council by a large group of $95,000 a year councillors and a $160,000 mayor.

“If it passed at Council this bylaw would certainly be met by a Charter challenge,” said Beric German of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee. “As well, a huge political battle would ensue and tourists and many others would get to see that Torontonians don’t take attacks on poor people lightly.”

“It should be noted that councillors get a portion of their hefty salaries from taxes emanating from the tourist trade. Are they now going to be asked to make a decision as to whether the poorest of the poor can ask a tourist to top up their meagre or non-existent income?” asked German.

“Is Councillor Ootes trying to make Toronto one of the most shameful cities in the industrialized world?” asked Cathy Crowe of the TDRC.

For information: Cathy Crowe / Beric German - 416-599-8372

Vancouver mayor, Sam Sullivan, has launched the Project Civil City to address "public disorder." According to the mayor the goals of the project are to eliminate homelessness, the open drug market, and aggressive panhandling. But instead of allocating funds to social housing, the mayor wants to allocate at least $1 million from the proposed Olympic Legacy Fund to fund new bylaw officers to give tickets to homeless people, panhandlers and binners. Read an article about on the Tyee, called "Mayor Sullivan's Big Ambitions" and watch a humourous video of a protest against the Civil City initiaive.

The Safe Streets Act affects many people, including panhandlers, squeegee kids, street vendors and charity fundraisers. Abrochure published by the Legal Services Society, BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre and the BC Civil Liberties Association, contains information about rights under this law. Download the BCPIAC Safe Streets brochure (in PDF).