TDRC Media Releases

March 27, 2002
For Immediate Release

City Commissioner Instructed to “Get on the Phone" to 
Ask for the Armouries as a Shelter!

At today’s Community Services Committee meeting, City Councillors unanimously voted in favour to call for the use of the Fort York Armoury as a shelter. The Acting Commissioner of Community Neighbourhood Services, Eric Gam was instructed by Councillors to immediately “get on the phone” to the appropriate federal authorities to ask that they allow the Fort York Armoury to be used on an emergency or ongoing basis for emergency shelter. 

Since the fall of 2001, the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee has been fighting tirelessly for the opening of a 200 bed shelter to deal with the current shelter crisis.  The City’s slow response has caused much suffering and has even led to death of homeless people.  Just one week ago a homeless woman burned to death on TEDCO land near the waterfront. It is unlikely that she would have accessed the present shelter system.

The decision today by City Councillors to request the use of the Fort York Armoury as a shelter, as has been done in the past, comes as welcome news to the TDRC and supporters.  Now all wait for the response from the Federal government on when the Armoury doors will open.