Safe Streets Act
Encyclopedia
The Safe Streets Act, 1999 is a law in the province of Ontario
, Canada
. In 2004 the province of British Columbia
passed its own version of the Safe Streets Act (SSA), substantially a word-for-word copy of the Ontario version. The SSA prohibits aggressive solicitation of persons in certain public places and the disposal of dangerous things in certain public places. It also amends the Highway Traffic Act to regulate certain activities on roadways. The SSA was enacted by the Progressive Conservative
government of Mike Harris
and received royal assent on December 14, 1999.
The act was created in response to what was seen as the growing problem of squeegee kids on the streets. By 1999, it was very common to see squeegee kids on some of the busiest intersections where they would solicit motorists for spare change.
The Ontario SSA was affirmed by the Ontario Court of Appeal on a constitutional challenge after the Ontario Superior Court also upheld its validity in 2005. The Supreme Court of Canada has denied an application for review.
Furthermore, the act has been criticized for being poorly enforced. Police officers in Ottawa
have shown to be ignorant of the precepts of the act itself even though they mention it by name. For example, even if a panhandler is not violating any of the examples given for aggressive panhandling, a police officer may still give the panhandler a ticket. One of the ways panhandlers get around this is by carrying a copy of the Safe Streets Act.
The Safe Streets Act was protested by a group of one hundred homeless in May 2006 in Ottawa who mostly identified themselves as anarchists. The march and protest was organized by the Panhandlers Union of Ottawa, a local branch of the Ottawa-Outaouais Industrial Workers of the World. Two prominent Wobblies are Jane Scharf and Andrew Nellis who have been a vocal opponent of the Safe Streets Act in Ottawa.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. In 2004 the province of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
passed its own version of the Safe Streets Act (SSA), substantially a word-for-word copy of the Ontario version. The SSA prohibits aggressive solicitation of persons in certain public places and the disposal of dangerous things in certain public places. It also amends the Highway Traffic Act to regulate certain activities on roadways. The SSA was enacted by the Progressive Conservative
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
government of Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
and received royal assent on December 14, 1999.
The act was created in response to what was seen as the growing problem of squeegee kids on the streets. By 1999, it was very common to see squeegee kids on some of the busiest intersections where they would solicit motorists for spare change.
The Ontario SSA was affirmed by the Ontario Court of Appeal on a constitutional challenge after the Ontario Superior Court also upheld its validity in 2005. The Supreme Court of Canada has denied an application for review.
Criticism
This act has been criticized by many anti-poverty groups such as OCAP (Ontario Coalition Against Poverty) for being too strict and too vague on what it defines as aggressive panhandling. The bill states that "aggressive manner" means "a manner that is likely to cause a reasonable person to be concerned for his or her safety or security." This could mean almost anything as different people have different standards for when their own safety has been compromised.Furthermore, the act has been criticized for being poorly enforced. Police officers in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
have shown to be ignorant of the precepts of the act itself even though they mention it by name. For example, even if a panhandler is not violating any of the examples given for aggressive panhandling, a police officer may still give the panhandler a ticket. One of the ways panhandlers get around this is by carrying a copy of the Safe Streets Act.
The Safe Streets Act was protested by a group of one hundred homeless in May 2006 in Ottawa who mostly identified themselves as anarchists. The march and protest was organized by the Panhandlers Union of Ottawa, a local branch of the Ottawa-Outaouais Industrial Workers of the World. Two prominent Wobblies are Jane Scharf and Andrew Nellis who have been a vocal opponent of the Safe Streets Act in Ottawa.