Regan Sunshine Brussé

Human Rights and Housing Fights: Municipal Encampment Responses Page built using content and notes as written by Dr. Laura Pin Presented on September 25, 2025 in Saint John, NB at Kent theatre Sponsored by the Housing Mobilization and Engagement Research Lab ,...

"Step 1: Acknowledge Reality"

Human Rights and Housing Fights: Municipal Encampment Responses

Compiled from presentation contents by Dr. Laura Pin - September 25, 2025

#humanrights #politics #unsheltered #grassroots

🧡On Sept 30, take part in National Day for Truth and Reconciliation events across Waterloo Region. A time to honour Survivors, reflect, and commit to action. #NDTR #EveryChildMatters

Federal Housing Advocate - Visit September 22, 2025 This page is VERY MUCH in fresh build... ​Please check back later for more information and updates!

#Grassroots #Unsheltered #HumanRights

This visit follows my letters to the mayor and Cambridge city council and to the Region of #Waterloo, encouraging them to adopt human rights-based approaches to encampments.

And Citizens for Cambridge cite Federal Housing Advocate Marie-Josée Houle: “forced evictions and enforcement approaches do not address the underlying systemic issues and put people at risk of even greater harms.” 6/6 mailchi.mp/citizensforc...

Community advocates have written some excellent responses in favour of Cllrs Hamilton and Earnshaw's motion re preventing extreme weather encampment evictions in Cambridge this Tuesday 1/6 pub-cambridge.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx...

"This summer, I witnessed the destruction of some of these people’s homes and possessions myself. Some may say that this destruction was not an eviction. Irrespective of the wording selected, the fact remains that visible enforcement actions and municipally-led displacement efforts occurred."

"This issue in particular is important to me, as I was myself not only once a homeless youth, but also specifically in Cambridge. This was long ago and things were very different. I was fortunate and found support. Not everyone is so lucky. "

"Although I currently live in Kitchener, for many years I lived in Cambridge and have often proudly referred to it as my hometown. My youth brims with memories at places like Churchill or Soper Park and the Riverbluffs. I treasure these places."

September 23, 2025 Cambridge Council Meeting Motion re: Preventing the forced removal of unhoused persons during extreme weather events  (Submitted in September 2 Council meet and set to be discussed in this meeting)

Upcoming meeting & motion:

City of Cambridge Council Meeting September 23, 2025

Highlighting Motion: “Preventing the forced removal of unhoused persons during extreme weather events"

More: www.chrc-ccdp.gc.ca/resources/ne...

​"In this case, there was no urgency"
Respectfully, I disagree.

The notion that there was “no urgency” doesn’t hold up when we’re talking about #encampments being evicted during an extreme heat wave. Extreme heat events are, by definition, urgent circumstances...

Urgent call to action as reliance on local foods banks hits 40-year high Local food banks are renewing a call for help as they face a prolonged period of unprecedented demand.

Urgent call to action as reliance on local foods banks hits 40-year high

The Political Distractions: Procedural Bylaws & Cambridge Council Meeting September 2, 2025 ​I witnessed the destruction of some of these peoples homes and possessions myself. To at all deny these occurrences is not only misleading—it’s an erasure of people’s lived reality and the added trau...

​I witnessed the destruction of some of these peoples homes and possessions myself. To at all deny these occurrences is not only misleading—it’s an erasure of people’s lived reality and the added traumas as are being inflicted by these municipally led actions.

#Cambridge #HumanRights #Unsheltered

“You cannot move homeless (people) somewhere else, when there is no somewhere else,” Paul Born told Luisa D’Amato. Local government must provide land for more encampments.

To read the full article, visit: bit.ly/3JNq6FU

Ontario judge rules Kitchener encampment can remain for now, the latest in a string of similar cases | CBC News The Region of Waterloo has been prevented from enforcing a site-specific bylaw before the Ontario Superior Court has a chance to make a decision after hearings in November, the latest in a string of s...

"Justice Gibson made it clear there would be a meticulous review of all the evidence before anyone at the encampment is forced to move." - CBC News

To read the full article, visit: bit.ly/41Tnwo7

Court rules in favour of Kitchener encampment residents, pausing plans to evict them The Region of Waterloo’s plans to evict residents at a Kitchener encampment have been put on hold after a judge ruled in favour of the residents.

Court rules in favour of Kitchener encampment residents, pausing plans to evict them

‘They feel more secure at the encampment’ The lawyer representing homeless people at a tent encampment at Victoria and Weber streets in Kitchener says it would be better to find another piece of land for another encampment, rather than place…

Homeless people who live in tents at Weber and Victoria streets in Kitchener would rather move to another encampment than be placed into shelters or motel rooms. Luisa D’Amato finds out why.

Toronto can end tents in parks: Here’s a city that solved street homelessness — and how we can do it too Helsinki started with a big homelessness problem and they've effectively solved it. Experts say their model could be adapted for Canada's largest city, if we're ready to be bold.

“Change is possible,” he said. “It’s not inevitable that people end up being homeless.” www.thestar.com/news/gta/tor...

Great new!👍The Court has granted an injunction for the 100Vic Encampment Case! The Region is restrained from enforcing its Site-Specific By-law until the constitutionality of the bylaw can be determined following the hearing in November.

Read the decision at: wrcls.ca/3878-2

Challenges of Navigating a Dual-Tier Municipal System Cambridge Heat Wave Evictions More of my thoughts and ramblings on this topic... Convieniently posted and published in no particular order! ​

Across the Divide: Challenges of Navigating a Dual Tier System

"Navigating these situations in crisis moments can be, quite frankly, re-donke-yulous."

www.mymothernamedmesunshine.ca/dual-tier-sy...

A Human Rights Approach - Dear City of Cambridge RE: Heat Wave Evictions More of my thoughts and ramblings on this topic... Convieniently posted and published in no particular order!

"These are not simply "issues" to be managed—they are people whose choices, voices, and lived experiences must be respected and meaningfully included in any decision-making process."
#HumanRights #CambridgeON #Unsheltered

$$ Crunching the Numbers $$ - Cambridge Heat Wave Evictions More of my thoughts and ramblings on this topic... Convieniently posted and published in no particular order!

$$ Crunching the Numbers $$ : Budgets & Resources

"Evictions deplete local available resources that could instead be redirected toward other areas by all involved."

Read more here: www.mymothernamedmesunshine.ca/-crunching-t...

"We cannot continue to claim we are pursuing a human rights-based approach if, at critical moments like these, we refuse to take responsibility for meaningful change and fail to act in accordance with the very principles we proclaim ourselves wishing to uphold."

#HumanRIghts #Unsheltered

Realizing the Right: Municipal Policy Responses to Encampments - Waterloo Region Snapshot This research snapshot was compiled by Dr. Laura Pin, Regan Sunshine Bruss é , and Dr. Erin Dej in July 2025.

​Realizing the Right to Housing: Municipal Policy Responses to Encampments - Waterloo Region Snapshot July 2025

"This research snapshot shares our preliminary findings from the encampment survey from people with experience staying in encampments in Waterloo Region exclusively.

A Human Rights Approach - Dear City of Cambridge RE: Heat Wave Evictions More of my thoughts and ramblings on this topic... Convieniently posted and published in no particular order!

"These are not simply "issues" to be managed—they are people whose choices, voices, and lived experiences must be respected and meaningfully included in any decision-making process."
#HumanRights #CambridgeON #Unsheltered

Evicting encampments and confiscating/destroying people’s belongings violates human rights and puts them at greater risk of harms

Remember that whole supreme court case that found you can't evict homeless people if there's no housing or shelter options available? 🙄