To the Premier: Eight thousand Ontarians with mental illness or disabilities are experiencing homelessness. And 216 people experiencing homelessness died on the streets of Toronto last year.

Two nights ago, I was speaking with a young man in front of a shelter. He had been beaten up. He had a broken rib and a broken cheekbone. He had been discharged from the hospital, and he was sleeping on the street in front of a shelter that had just been closed. I phoned shelter services to see if they had a bed, but there was nothing available. All the shelters in Toronto were full.

The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services has been boasting about a 5% increase to ODSP rates, which is actually an inflationary cut.

To the Premier: Are you not ashamed that your government’s destitution-level ODSP rates are leading to homelessness and death for Ontarians with mental illness and disabilities?