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TDRC Media Releases |
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March 13, 2002 The Life
and Death Argument On
Tuesday March 12, members of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee
occupied the office of Eric Gam, Acting Commissioner of Community and
Neighbourhood Services. Mr. Gam is the senior bureaucrat responsible for
life saving shelter services in the city. Today,
a 2 hour meeting was held with Mr. Gam.
The Mayor’s Chief of Staff, who had agreed to attend, cancelled
at the last moment. TDRC reps included front line workers Cathy Crowe
(Queen West CHC), Beric German (Street Health), Bob Rose (PARC), Howard
Watson from Canadian Pensioners Concerned, Steve Watson from the national
office of Canadian Auto Workers, Eldon Comfort a World War II vet and Judy
Velland from an Out of the Cold programme. Mr.
Gam was briefed on the nature of the crisis, including the number of
people forced to sleep outside, the number of deaths, the tuberculosis
micro-epidemic, the unsanitary and unsafe shelter conditions and the
overall despair among homeless people and front line workers with the lack
of city will to utilize the federal armouries for shelter. On
March 27, Community and Neighbourhood Services Committee will discuss a
motion requesting city staff proceed with asking the federal government
for use of the armouries. Today,
TDRC demanded that Mr. Gam report
by March 20, in writing to TDRC, on how he will brief and inform the above
City Committee, how he will proceed with opening 200 more emergency
shelter beds including either the utilization of the armoury or Metro
Hall. In particular TDRC
reminded Mr. Gam of his responsibility to consider the issue as a life and
death matter and act accordingly. For more information, contact TDRC at tdrc@tdrc.net -30- |