NIAGARA NEIGHBOURS FOR COMMUNITY SAFETY

Niagara Neighbours for Community Safety (NNCS) is a group of hundreds of parents, residents, and business owners in Toronto’s downtown west who are united in their concerns with the location of a 24-hour emergency shelter at 629 Adelaide Street West.

We are very concerned the shelter will bring persons with serious mental health and drug addiction issues into an unsafe dormitory-style facility — with no outdoor space — in the middle of our family-friendly neighbourhood. The shelter will be handing out needles, pipes and other drug paraphernalia. This will lead to more public drug use and open drug dealing in the areas around the site. You may also encounter persons who are high and/or unconscious

It is likely our neighbourhood will experience an increase in theft, trespassing, garbage dumping, and aggressive behaviour. Do not approach anyone who is acting erratically or is high. Keep your distance. Stay Safe. We strongly encourage residents to report all incidents.

Map of Planned Respite Center at 629 Adelaide St W near St Mary Catholic Elementary School

TAKE ACTION — WHO TO CONTACT

Police, fire, ambulance: 911
14 Division non-emergency: 416-808-1400
Police non-emergency: 416-808-2222
TPS online non-emergency reporting: tps.ca
Constable Edward De Nobrega, Community Relations/Crime

edward.DeNobrega@torontopolice.on.ca

24/7 mental health crisis teams city-wide: 211
City of Toronto: 311

VOICE YOUR CONCERNS

PREMIER FORD: premier@ontario.ca
MAYOR CHOW: Mayor_Chow@toronto.ca (416-397-2489)
LIBERAL MP CHI NGUYEN: chi.nguyen@toronto.ca
NDP MPP CHRIS GLOVER: CGlover-CO@ndp.on.ca (647-904-6637)
COUNCILLOR AUSMA MALIK: Councillor_Malik@toronto.ca (416-392-4044)
GENERAL MANAGER GORD TANNER: gordon.tanner@toronto.ca (416-392-5417)
DEPUTY CITY MANAGER KATE BASSIL: kate.bassil@toronto.ca (416‑338‑5632)
CITY MANAGER PAUL JOHNSON: paul.johnson@toronto.ca (416-392-3551)

PLEASE COPY US ON YOUR EMAILS: portugalsquareadelaide@outlook.com

KEY CONCERNS

Distribution of Drug Paraphernalia: St. Felix Centre will provide needles, pipes, and drug paraphernalia, raising very serious public safety concerns about where these drugs will be consumed and bought—in the heart of a residential neighbourhood.
Inexperienced Provider: St. Felix has no experience running a 24-hour emergency shelter—effectively a high-needs crisis facility.
Reckless Location: The site has no outdoor space and is located in a dense residential area, just 54 metres from one elementary school and a block from another.
Public Safety Risks: Residents expect the neighbourhood to see increased crime, drug use, and disorder similar to issues currently seen at Queen & Bathurst two blocks away.
Lack of Transparency: For nearly two years, the City of Toronto has failed to genuinely consult our neighbourhood or communicate openly—there had been non empathy for the impact this shelter will on our neighbourhood.
Shelter System Failures: Shelters are not equipped to support individuals with complex mental health and addiction needs, and are linked to rising violence both inside and around the facilities (as noted by CAMH and various media).
Public Engagement Outsourcing: The City of Toronto avoids critical responsibility for shelter safety, location, and outcomes by contracting operations to third-party providers, effectively evading accountability.
Evading Accountability: The City hides behind delegated authority to bypass neighbourhood input, ignoring public safety concerns and avoiding any responsibility for neighbourhood concerns.

Chalk drawing of text 'Kids Deserve Better'

EROSION OF TRUST

In September 2023, we first heard—through rumours—that 629 Adelaide Street West would be converted into a 24-hour, low-barrier respite site, with an anticipated opening in November 2023.

Now, nearly two years later, our safe and vibrant neighbourhood is being transformed into what feels like a de facto police zone. Unidentified “Community Safety Teams,” wearing only yellow vests and lacking proper identification, are regularly ‘patrolling' our residential streets. These individuals have been observed photographing private property, raising serious concerns about surveillance and loss of privacy.

When we voice our public safety concerns to Gord Tanner, General Manager of Toronto Shelter and Support Services we are dismissed as “fear mongers” and accused of “stigmatizing.” Yet today, the presence of these patrols validates the very concerns we were told were, in fact, unfounded.

SUDDEN SHELTER ANNOUNCEMENT

On Thursday, November 16, 2023, our neighbourhood was abruptly informed that 629 Adelaide Street West would no longer be used as a 24-hour low-barrier respite site, but instead as a 24- hour emergency shelter. We had already expressed opposition to the initial respite plan, and to this day, there has been no clear explanation from the City of Toronto about what prompted the change in use.

The entire decision-making process has been marked by secrecy and a lack of transparency. Originally slated to open in November 2023, the shelter has faced multiple delays with no neighbourhood updates or accountability. Despite this, the City has entered into a multi-million dollar, 10-year lease with a private landlord who does not reside in Toronto. The lease alone costs $640,000 annually, and the total annual operating budget is $3.8 million—bringing the 10-year cost to $44.4 million for just 50 beds.

This follows the failed lease at 65 Bellwoods Avenue—a building half the size—where the landlord pulled out in May 2023, citing public safety concerns. As a result, the operator, St. Felix Centre, was left urgently seeking a new location.

The City rushed approval for 629 Adelaide Street West—a 30-second walk from St. Mary’s Catholic Elementary School and a two-minute walk from Niagara Street Public School. Our neighbourhood already hosts multiple service providers within close proximity, contributing to rising incidents of social disorder.

Placing a 24-hour emergency shelter in the heart of a dense, residential community—especially so close to schools—is deeply concerning. Our neighbourhood is on public record having voiced serious and ongoing public safety concerns, which continue to go unaddressed.

LEGAL CHALLENGE

In December 2023, after repeated failed attempts to get clear answers from the City of Toronto, our neighbourhood submitted a zoning-use review application to determine whether a shelter was a permitted use at 629 Adelaide Street West. The City confirmed that, under existing zoning by-laws, it was not a permitted use.

We formally challenged the shelter on these grounds:

The operation of a municipal shelter or crisis centre is not permitted under the site's current zoning.
The planned use of an outdoor patio is explicitly prohibited and, in our view, invalidates the proposed use altogether.

Despite these arguments, the court ruled against us. Our lawyer has since filed an appeal, citing legal errors related to zoning interpretation, procedural prematurity, and expert evidence.

With repeated efforts to engage the City ignored or dismissed, our only recourse was legal action—fully funded by concerned local residents. We believe this shelter has been recklessly sited without proper oversight or consideration for the safety of our neighbourhood.

SHELTER CONSTRUCTION ISSUES

Leading up to and throughout the construction process, numerous illegal and troubling activities have taken place, including:

Construction initiated without proper permits
A construction fence erected without a building permit
Repeated illegal parking (exceeding the four-car limit) at the front entrance
Blocked access to the south laneway
Installation of surveillance cameras surrounding the entire building, raising serious questions about private property and privacy rights
Unclear legal status of the patio on the north side of the building
Reports of contractors bullying local residents who voice concerns

Additionally, the lack of public parking in the area has led to trucks and vehicles stopping and unloading at the front of the building. This creates a serious safety hazard for cyclists and drivers navigating the blind corner as they head east onto Portugal Square.

The blatant disregard for proper conduct during construction by St. Felix Centre has been unacceptable and deeply troubling for our neighbourhood. This organization is responsible for operating a critical care facility — yet they can’t manage a construction project safely or respectfully. If this is any indication of how they handle responsibility, our neighbourhood is at serious risk of disruption and harm.