Comrade Miller would actually have to show some leadership if he had to quit begging for $$ from Queens Park and Ottawa. But seriously begging is an integral part of Canadian life and has been since Trudeau introduced his cradle to grave just society and it appears the less you do the more often you are allowed to go to the trough.
Renewed calls for a ban on panhandling are the predictable aftermath of the tragic slaying of Ross Hammond, a visitor from St. Catharines, after he refused to give money to four aggressive beggars. Two men and two women, all in their 20s and of no fixed address, have been arrested. And the public is justifiably outraged. Some politicians, such as Councillor Michael Thompson, are demanding a ban on panhandling.
That would be a mistake. The modest act of asking a passerby for help should not be turned into an offence.
What killed Hammond wasn't panhandling; it was a violent attack with a knife. That is already banned. As well as robbery and murder, aggressive panhandling is forbidden by law. The Safe Streets Act of 1999 makes it illegal to beg in a threatening or intimidating manner.
If the law is firmly enforced by police, and taken seriously by judges, it can provide meaningful protection from beggars who interfere with pedestrians and tourists. Flatly banning people from begging seems excessive, especially when it doesn't strike at the root of the problem.
People panhandle for many reasons. Many are hungry and need money for food. Others spend what they collect fuelling a drug or alcohol addiction. Still others beg rather than work. Whatever its motive, panhandling is a symptom of a broad social malaise. It is rooted in poverty, homelessness, mental illness, the curse of addictions and despair. People in the grip of those problems won't be saved by a ban on panhandling. In fact, in desperation, more just might resort to violence. That would be the worst possible outcome for Toronto.
Better enforcement of existing laws set up to protect the public should be coupled with renewed efforts to address the underlying problems afflicting many panhandlers. Providing more and better shelter for the homeless would be an obvious start.
In 2005, when city officials ruled that the homeless could no longer sleep in Nathan Phillips Square, they simultaneously adopted a strategy that found housing for hundreds of people under the Streets to Homes initiative. More such programs are needed. Many of those begging in the streets are mentally ill and would benefit from better access to treatment and social services. Finally, improved drug and alcohol addiction recovery programs could make a big difference in moving beggars off street corners and into productive jobs.
City council has wisely resisted repeated calls to ban panhandling. Toronto is currently engaged in assessing the needs of those who beg downtown and studying the impact of panhandlers on the city's businesses and tourist trade. This worthwhile effort, finishing next month, should provide a clear picture of those who accost passersby for change. It may even lead to new ways of addressing the problems that have pushed them into the street in the first place.
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