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

Wed Mar 20 16:25:24 EDT 2024

Hello Tamara,
We appreciate the important social justice work that KWPeace-Groups does in
Waterloo Region. Unfortunately your request for our group to sign onto this
urgent petition, though very important, does not fit within our mandate.
Please keep us in your contact list as we appreciate your emails.

Linda Lackey
Communications Team
Nith Valley EcoBoosters

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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