TORONTO — The CCLA has filed its written arguments in court in Fair Change Community Legal Clinic v Ontario. This case challenges parts of Ontario’s Safe Streets Act that punish unhoused and low-income members of the community for asking the public for monetary support.
The CCLA is an intervenor in the case and argues that provisions of the Safe Streets Act violate the rights and freedoms of unhoused and low-income people in Ontario. The CCLA argues that sections of the Safe Streets Act criminalize individuals for seeking donations from the public in certain public places. Denying people the means to make a living by seeking supports from the community is unconstitutional and violates their freedom of expression and security of the person.
“The Safe Streets Act criminalizes unhoused and low-income people who ask for public donations to survive and live with dignity.” said Harini Sivalingam, Director of the Equality Program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. “The upcoming holiday season is a reminder that we should not punish or imprison people living in poverty who ask for supports to meet their basic needs.”
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.
About the Canadian Civil Liberties Association
The CCLA is an independent, non-profit organization with supporters from across the country. Founded in 1964, the CCLA is a national human rights organization committed to defending the rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada.
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