‘Down the throats of the local residents:’ Neighbours protest Gerrard St. shelter as city advances plan

Toronto city staff say they are “moving ahead” with an 80-bed municipal shelter in southwest Scarborough, despite calls from some residents—and the local councillor—to consider the site for affordable housing instead.

The facility at 2535 Gerrard Street East is slated to open in 2027 as part of a larger city strategy to build as many as 20 new shelters across Toronto—offering access to harm reduction and mental health supports, in addition to beds.

The site, selected by staff under delegated authority designed to depoliticize the process, was unveiled in December—and decried by dozens of community members at a public engagement meeting Monday night.

“Our main concern is that the city is making decisions based on availability of property and not based on the resources that are necessary to make shelters successful,” said Naz Araghian, who lives nearby.

“We just woke up one day and it’s like, this is where the shelter is going to be,” said Eloise Morrison, who operates a daycare about a hundred metres from the site.

“What is going to happen in the community, the children, the safety?”

Coun. Parthi Kandavel, who represents Scarborough Southwest, wants the land to be used for affordable housing in lieu of a shelter.

“This site, as you can clearly see on the map, is dead set in the middle of a very residential community with a lot of young families and seniors,” Kandavel said. “So the question before us is, what’s the nature of the operation that’s coming in, the type of the clients? And these are legitimate questions coming from the community.”

“Shelters, by virtue of what they are, are residential-purpose,” Shelter and Support Services General Manager Gord Tanner said Monday. “They’re located in neighbourhoods and communities right across the city, many near schools, many near daycares. And so we want to support some of the most vulnerable people in our city and keep kids safe.”

City staff assessed a hundred sites Toronto-wide and reported that only a limited number met the size, budget, and zoning required for a municipal shelter. Of the 17 sites assessed in Scarborough, only 2535 Gerrard St. E. was deemed suitable, according to staff.

The city’s 2021 Street Needs Assessment survey reported that 30 per cent of Toronto’s unsheltered population lived in Scarborough.

“We have to find places for folks to stay,” Mayor Olivia Chow said Tuesday when asked about community opposition to the Scarborough site.

“There is a conversation with neighbours as to, is it done right? Can we make sure people are feeling good about new neighbours coming in?”

Community feedback will be considered in the upcoming planning stages, staff told residents Monday—but the site itself is not up for debate.

“Currently we’re moving ahead with this location,” Tanner told CTV News. “We’ve put a lot of effort into finding a location that will work.”

“This process is very performative,” said Stephen Farr, who lives nearby.

“But not really focused on doing anything more than stuffing a shelter in the wrong location down the throats of the local residents.”