MEDIA RELEASE: S-CAP Criticizes Crown Appeal of Activist Acquittals

For Immediate Release

SCAP Criticises Crown Appeal of Activists Acquittals

Sudbury, February 24th, 2014 - As SCAP continues to demand adequate Emergency Shelter for the homeless in Sudbury and full restoration of the CSUMB, the SCAP 11, whose charges of trespassing in the offices of then Cabinet Minister Rick Bartolucci in November 2012 were subsequently thrown out by the Court, are now threatened with facing these same charges again if the Crown appeal of these acquittals is upheld.  ‘This is a complete waste of everyone’s time and a shameful use of money and resources that are needed elsewhere’ says Sudbury Coalition Against Poverty member Anna Harbulik.

Date of Appeal Hearing: Tuesday, February 25
Time: 2pm
Location: Court Room B, Court House, 155 Elm Street

The SCAP contingent that visited Rick Bartolucci’s office was there to raise concerns over the cuts to the CSUMB, the community start-up benefit that was a mandatory benefit for people on social assistance.  In fact, it was the third time SCAP had been to the Cabinet Ministers office and not once did the minister ever come out to meet with the Coalition or ever respond to the concerns we brought up. Through the creative use of theatre, SCAP set up a mock homeless shelter in the waiting room to demonstrate the effect that the elimination of the CSUMB would have in the lives of people living in poverty.  Instead of coming out to listen to our legitimate concerns, Rick Bartolucci called the police to come and remove and arrest us.  It wasn’t until later that SCAP realised Barolucci had been hiding in the back all that time.

SCAP recognizes the direct link between the cuts to the CSUMB and increased homelessness and hardship for people living in poverty. The Coalition has brought the fight for an Emergency Shelter and increased funding for discretionary benefits to the Councillors and City Hall and held them responsible for the homeless on our streets.  The recent opening of a 12-bed overnight facility offering warmth and a place to sleep from now till the end of March is a step in the right direction.  Remember though that during the intolerable cold of late December, all of January and the first two weeks in February the City left the homeless out in the cold. Some had nowhere to sleep and could be found pooling change for a cup of coffee late at night in a downtown café so they could stay inside where it was warm.

The new Emergency Shelter does not remain open during the day and will be demanding that people leave as of 7 am even though most of our days still remain well below 0 degrees.  While this new shelter is a separate entity it still remains housed in an inaccessible building and is staffed by people whom many homeless shun because of the negative experiences they have experienced there.  If the new shelter is not used this should not come as a surprise to the City and its partner in this endeavour.  For these reasons SCAP continues to demand that an Emergency Shelter be open 24 hours a day and operate out of a completely different building, one such as the old police station.  This place was already suggested as a possible site.  Moreover, there can be no restrictions made on accessibility to the shelter.

At the same time as we have been fighting to get an adequate Emergency Shelter, we have been demanding that the CSUMB be fully restored.  Along with our allies across the province SCAP denounces the Liberal war on the poor which has picked up seamlessly where the cruel cuts of the previous Harris government left off.  While back then social assistance dropped immediately by 21 %, rates now stand at 55% of their former buying power.  Just to be sure the effect of these cuts are felt, the Liberals slashed the Special Dietary Supplement.  Then they attacked the sole remaining benefit that helped social assistance recipients with their housing needs and completely eliminated it.

Municipalities and localities must now meet housing needs in large part from local resources.  Some localities have maintained the CSUMB for their citizens.  Sudbury has not been one of them.  SCAP has had to put much pressure on the City to get them to recognize such basic concepts as exceptional circumstances and to increase amounts for many necessary items considered discretionary like beds, washers, or stoves. SCAP continues to demand that the City restore CSUMB policies and rates within CHPI in order to meet people’s real needs.  As a mandatory benefit the CSUMB was available to people on OW and ODSP every 2 years and they could get up to a maximum amount of $800 for a single person to help meet their housing needs.  More was available in special circumstances. At present, a person may get up to $400 once every 5 years for a bed or a stove for instance, at the discretion of social services, and this comes in the form of a voucher for that item only.  This does not even begin to help people maintain their homes.  The elimination of the CSUMB was a cruel attack against people living in poverty and this benefit must be brought back.

S-CAP strongly criticizes the Appeal of the Court decision which threw out the charges against the SCAP 11.  This represents a campaign of harassment against anti-poverty activists and a continuing waste of money, time and resources. Money, time and resources that could be used to benefit the poor, not against them.

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