[KWPeace-groups] Urgent Petition: Demanding Action to Address Housing Insecurity and Community Safety in Waterloo Region

Wed Mar 20 16:18:49 EDT 2024

Hello Tamara,
We appreciate the important justice work of KW Peace-groups and thank you
for your emails.  Unfortunately your ew

On Wed, Mar 20, 2024 at 3:50 PM Tamara Lorincz <tlorincz at dal.ca> wrote:

> Hello KW peace,
>
>
>
> They are looking for more groups to sign onto this urgent petition. Can
> your group sign onto this? If so, please go to this link:
>
>
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zdw3uHpDmmm1OVcThhRkkZvf83R15nmOj7n9x_ckMOI/edit
>
>
>
> See text here:
>
>
>
> *Urgent Petition: Demanding Action to Address Housing Insecurity and
> Community Safety in Waterloo Region*
>
>
>
> To: Regional Chair Karen Redman and Waterloo Regional Councilor Berry
> Vrbanovic,
>
> Councilor Colleen James, Councilor Michael Harris, Councilor Kari
> Williams, Councilor Robert Deutschmann, Councilor Dorothy McCabe, Councilor
> Jim Erb, Councilor Chantal Huinink, Councilor Jan Ligget, Councilor Doug
> Craig, Councilor Pam Wolf, Councilor Sue Foxton, Councilor Joe Nowak,
> Councilor Natasha Salonen, and Councilor Sandy Shantz
>
>
>
> We, the undersigned residents of Waterloo Region, urgently demand
> immediate and decisive action from Waterloo Regional Council to confront
> the escalating housing crisis and prioritize our community. Infrastructure
> construction and development cannot come at the cost of fundamental human
> rights and dignity. Our community is in crisis, and the time for
> half-measures and empty promises has passed. As concerned citizens deeply
> invested in the well-being and safety of our community, we demand our
> leadership take action to address these critical issues:
>
>
>
> *#1. Freeze budget increases for Waterloo Regional Police Services (WRPS)
> for at least 5 years: *We demand that the Region of Waterloo stop
> increasing the police budget yearly. WRPS has killed 2 Black men in less
> than four years and three people in crisis in less than 10. Black people
> are 4x more likely to be stopped by Waterloo Regional Police Services and
> 3x more likely to experience use-of-force incidents than white people.
> Distress calls to the police result in use-of-force incidents more than all
> other calls to 911. WRPS has an unfounded rate of 27% for sexual assault
> cases, which is nearly 10% more than the National Average. Since 2017,
> Waterloo Regional Police Services haven't cleared more than 39% of their
> occurrences – meaning 60% of the time, WRPS do nothing about the calls they
> get. Waterloo Regional Police Services waste time and resources evicting
> unhoused community members and forcing them to move from location to
> location, sometimes as often as every 24 hours. The Region of Waterloo has
> historically invested in policing alternatives but failed to provide
> meaningful system change. Waterloo Regional Police Services is aware of
> these monumental issues and has failed to address them adequately in a
> reasonable and timely manner. The community of Waterloo Region demands that
> Regional of Waterloo Council stop rewarding WRPS for their incompetence
> immediately.
>
>
>
> *#2. Halt transit hub construction at 100Vic* *until there are sufficient
> solutions for all current and future encampment residents: *We insist the
> Region of Waterloo halt all proceedings at the 100Vic encampment related to
> the construction of the King-Victoria transit hub indefinitely until
> sufficient and sustainable housing solutions are in place for individuals
> experiencing houselessness in Downtown Kitchener. While promising enhanced
> connectivity, currently planned construction at 100Vic can only come at the
> expense of displacing vulnerable community members who are still looking
> for viable alternatives. We demand a comprehensive plan prioritizing all
> community members' dignity, safety, well-being, and self-determination.
>
>
>
> *#3. Conduct a meaningful review and overhaul of the shelter system:* The
> current state of the shelter system in Waterloo Region is unacceptable and
> requires fundamental restructuring to meet the diverse needs of individuals
> experiencing homelessness. We call for an immediate and comprehensive
> review of the shelter system in Waterloo Region, with a clear commitment to
> implementing safe, client-centered service provision enhancements.
> Frontline staff must receive adequate training and support to ensure that
> our shelters operate free from punitive measures, focusing on respect for
> the rights, dignity, and care of all service users.
>
>
>
> As Waterloo Region voters, we believe in upholding the values of equity,
> compassion, and community engagement. We are appalled by the lack of action
> and accountability from our elected officials to meet the needs of the most
> vulnerable members of our community. We refuse to accept a future where
> infrastructure projects take precedence over addressing the urgent needs of
> our most vulnerable neighbors. We stand united in urging Waterloo Regional
> Council to prioritize humanity and take decisive action to confront the
> housing crisis by addressing the root structures causing these issues
> head-on.
>
>
>
> Therefore, we call upon the members of Waterloo Regional Council to listen
> to your constituents and implement these demands immediately. Failure to
> act decisively will only exacerbate the suffering of our most vulnerable
> community members, something our community will remember during the next
> municipal election. We refuse to accept lip service and empty gestures
> instead of substantive action; please take action now!
>
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> Your Constituent.
>
>
>
> FightBack! KW
>
> Queer Youth Defense
>
> Alan Ryan People’s Defense Brigade
>
> Sex Worker Action Network of Waterloo Region
>
> Black Fox Brigade
>
> GroundUp Waterloo Region
>
> Laurier Student Workers
>
> Climate Justice University of Waterloo
>
> Please fill out:
>
>
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zdw3uHpDmmm1OVcThhRkkZvf83R15nmOj7n9x_ckMOI/edit
> _______________________________________________
> Groups mailing list
> Groups at kwpeace.ca
> http://mail.kwpeace.ca/mailman/listinfo/groups_kwpeace.ca
>

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