By Jeff Gard/Northumberland 89.7
Port Hope councillors supported an amended motion Tuesday night to recognize shelter and housing as a fundamental human right and also create a housing committee to advise municipal staff and council.
A notice of motion from Councillor Claire Holloway Wadhwani at the April 4 council meeting highlighted a number of points, including the need for shelter in Northumberland County when current spaces are at capacity and the municipality should respect the right to safe shelter for all residents.
Wadhwani said the notice of motion process is healthy because it not only gives others a heads up, but also allows for one’s thinking to evolve on how to address issues. Her purpose with the motion, she added, was to suggest Port Hope is a community with strong values.
“I believe those values include a strong respect for human rights and for all residents to be able to live and experience wellbeing in our community so the purpose of the notice of motion was really to spark a bit of a dialogue about how we might take a human rights approach when we’re thinking about the issue of homelessness and safe shelter in our community,” Wadhani remarked.
It was brought to her attention, though, that some wording in the motion created some confusion about its intent, so she went back to the drawing board with Deputy Mayor Todd Attridge, who had seconded the original motion.
Wadhwani believes the amended motion better captures the intent and turned over the reins over Attridge to put the revised version on the floor.
“Whereas Article 25 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes the right to housing and shelter; and whereas Canada’s national housing strategy act recognizes the right to housing as a fundamental human right as defined in international human rights law; and whereas Port Hope recognizes that challenges of homelessness and affordable housing exist in our community; whereas all levels of government have a role to play in the protection of human rights including the right to housing and shelter; now be it resolved that the Municipality of Port Hope endorses Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, recognizing the right to shelter and housing as a fundamental human right; be it further resolved that a copy of this motion be sent to Northumberland County council and all Northumberland County lower-tier municipalities,” Attridge read.
Mayor Olena Hankivsky said she supported the motion as it’s in line with broader declarations they’ve made and sets a clear direction for council, but wished to make a further amendment.
“I would like to add that it be further resolved that Port Hope shall establish a housing committee to examine issues along the full spectrum of shelter and housing in our committee for the purpose of advising council and staff,” the mayor said, with that amendment also gaining support from councillors.
“I think it sets a good value statement. I fully support it,” Councillor Les Andrews said.
Councillor Adam Pearson agreed, adding “thank you for bringing this forward.”
Councillor Chris Collins said “this speaks…the ethical (values) and wisdom of this council, so well done.”
The motion, with amendments, passed.
Earlier in the evening, Mayor Hankivsky talked about making the commitment at Northumberland County council to bring back the suggestion to her council that Port Hope host the first meeting to work on a new drug strategy in cooperation with the Haliburton and Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit, inviting key stakeholders and community representatives.
The mayor also shared that the County has taken a formal position of not supporting unsanctioned consumption sites, but passed a motion declaring it would be investigating options for sanctioned sites as well as other policy options for dealing with the crisis.
