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People without resources and privilege often lack the ability to be heard when they stand up for their rights.

People with resources and privilege are often able to protect themselves through economic, political and legal means. People without resources and privilege often lack the ability to be heard when they stand up for their rights, and a disproportionate number experience intersecting forms of discrimination. In the result, when governments create flawed programs that purport to alleviate poverty, and worse still, when they cancel programs in very harmful ways to individuals who rely on them, these harms often go unchallenged or unrecognized by Canadian courts. And recently, when the COVID pandemic hit Canada, although governments across the country had been planning for this eventuality for months, their official message was: protect yourselves and others by staying home. This message not only failed to protect people experiencing homelessness, it completely failed to acknowledge their existence, let alone provide for this particularly vulnerable group.

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Our Work for Socio-Economic Status

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CCLA Reacts to Ontario Government Bill Shutting Down Safe Injection Health Services

Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) has sent a letter to Brampton’s Mayor and City Councillors…
November 22, 2024

CCLA Urges Big City Mayors To Vote Against Resolution That Overrides Rights Of Vulnerable People In Ontario

TORONTO — The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is calling on Ontario’s Big City Mayors to…
October 15, 2024

CCLA Reacts to City of Kingston Closure of Belle Park Encampment

TORONTO —  Harini Sivalingam, Director of the Equality Program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, made…
October 1, 2024

CCLA Reacts to Premier of Ontario’s Comments on Unhoused People

TORONTO —  Harini Sivalingam, Director of the Equality Program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association,…
September 26, 2024

Constitutional Rights of Kingston Encampment Residents Must be Respected

TORONTO —  Harini Sivalingam, Director of the Equality Program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association,…
September 16, 2024

Yukon Court Strikes Down Parts of SCAN Act as Unconstitutional Infringement on Security of the Person

TORONTO —  Harini Sivalingam, Director of the Equality Program of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association,…
September 5, 2024

CCLA Deeply Concerned Over City of Kingston Encampment Evictions

TORONTO — CCLA is deeply concerned over the City of Kingston’s attempts to enforce a…
April 5, 2024

Ontario Court Finds Provisions of Safe Streets Act Unconstitutional

TORONTO — The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has found that the Safe Streets Act violates the Charter freedoms of unhoused people…
April 2, 2024

CCLA Intervenes in Jacob v Canada

TORONTO — Harini Sivalingam, Director of the Criminal Justice Program of the Canadian Civil Liberties…
February 23, 2024

CCLA Intervenes in Constitutional Challenge to Criminalization of Panhandling in Ontario

TORONTO — Pro bono legal counsel representing the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) will appear…
February 6, 2024

CCLA files arguments in Fair Change Community Legal Clinic v Ontario

TORONTO — The CCLA has filed its written arguments in court in Fair Change Community Legal Clinic v Ontario. This case…
December 7, 2023

CCLA intervenes in Wright v Yukon 

CCLA has filed arguments in Wright v Yukon, a case that challenges the constitutionality of the…
November 9, 2023

CCLA Intervenes in Kingston Encampment Evictions

TORONTO — Pro bono counsel representing the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) will appear today before…
October 31, 2023

By Terminating the Basic Income Project Early, the Ontario Government Hurt Vulnerable People

On February 2nd, CCLA will be appearing as an intervenor before the Ontario Court of…
February 1, 2022

Massage Parlours in Newmarket

CCLA wrote a letter to the Town of Newmarket expressing our concerns with proposed amendments…
June 21, 2021

City of Toronto Progress Reports on Homeless Shelters

Weekly Progress Reports, published by the City of Toronto, detailing the capacity, occupancy, and other…
May 31, 2021

CCLA Partners on Report Urging Toronto to Detask Police

A new report released this morning is urging the City of Toronto to shift resources…
January 4, 2021

Superior Court Rules that the City of Toronto failed to protect the homeless.

The Ontario Superior Court ruled that the City of Toronto failed to comply with a…
October 15, 2020

CCLA Wins Fight for Homeless Against City

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and coalition partners have won a lawsuit agains the City…
October 15, 2020

The City of Toronto Breached the Agreement to Protect Those Experiencing Homelessness

The City of Toronto breached the agreement to protect those experiencing homelessness, and we are…
September 30, 2020

City breached agreement to protect homeless

The City of Toronto is putting the lives of those experiencing homelessness as well as…
September 29, 2020

Homelessness Advocates Take City Back to Court over COVID-19 Shelter Crisis

Homelessness advocates are taking the City of Toronto back to court, to enforce the City’s…
July 6, 2020

CCLA and Coalition Partners Help Toronto’s Homeless Population

The City of Toronto has finally committed to enforceable physical distancing standards across its shelter…
May 19, 2020

CCLA Defends Toronto’s Homeless Population

Toronto has failed to protect homeless people in its over-crowded shelter and respite system –…
April 24, 2020

CCLA with Coalition Warns Legal Action Against City of Toronto for Failure to Support Homeless People

Toronto has failed to protect homeless people in its over-crowded shelter and respite system –…
April 21, 2020

Carding in a Pandemic

While we certainly understand the enormity of the pandemic, and of the province’s task in…
April 2, 2020

CCLA’s Urgent COVID Response for Toronto Homeless Population

We are writing you about actions and omissions by the City of Toronto with respect…
March 29, 2020

WHAMMY! Supreme Court of Canada Strikes Down Canada’s Ugliest Populist Criminal Law

It’s not everyday that civil libertarians hit a home run in the Supreme Court of…
December 14, 2018