On February 10, 2026 we delegated to the Region of Waterloo’s Community & Health Services Committee about our petition on public camping.

As stated by David Alton, Facilitator of Lived Expertise at SDC, "governments are not building housing fast enough. And there's many barriers to building housing quickly. But we still have human rights obligations." In the current reality, where housing and shelter options are neither adequate nor accessible to hundreds of the 2300+ people experiencing homelessness in Waterloo Region, public camping offers an option of last resort. 

Keep reading for a recap of background facts and figures, how safe tenting offers an option of last resort, the overwhelming support our petition received from community, our requests to Council, and next steps in this campaign.

Delegation Recap: Click on each of the images below to enlarge them.

Vide Recording: You can also view a recording of our full delegation at: tinyurl.com/3fuxdcpa