Etobicoke community group sues City over proposed homeless shelter for seniors

A community group is suing the City of Toronto and its local councillor for $1 million in damages over the plan to build a homeless shelter for seniors in a parking lot at 66 Third Street in Etobicoke.

The statement of claim from the New Toronto Initiative, also known as the South Etobicoke Community Association, names the City, Etobicoke-Lakeshore Councillor Amber Morley, and consultant Bruce Davis of Public Progress—the company that led the community engagement process to build the shelter on the residential road.

“At the end of the day, we want an injunction; we want to see this stopped, and let’s bring this back to proper consultation,” said New Toronto Initiative spokesperson Dan Perdue.

The lawsuit claims, in part, that the public consultation process was designed to limit residents’ input. Nadine Strople lives at a nearby senior centre, and said she experienced that first-hand at a virtual information meeting.

“Most of these tenants are in their 70s and 80s,” she told CityNews. “A lot of people have a flip phone, so they were excluded.”

Perdue said his input would have been about community safety.

“And then there’s going to be the added effect of addiction and drug dealers in the neighbourhood, crime is going to go up.”

The City tells CityNews that it held several information sessions on the four-storey, 50-bed shelter for people aged 55 and older. It’s set to open between 2028-2030.

The proposed site is situated within 400 metres of two schools and adjacent to the new Toronto senior centre, where Strople resides.

“If the shelter is actually built, it will sit nine metres from some of these balconies, including my own,” said Strople. She added that crime in the area has increased over the past two years and stated that a shelter would exacerbate the issue.

Some community members are at odds

Resident Susannah Lavallee disagreed and said unhoused people are often the victims of crime. She said many in the community support the shelter.

“To ensure that our unhoused seniors can age in place, a beautiful neighbourhood, by parks, by community, which we would all agree, seniors deserve,” said Lavallee.

Residents with the New Toronto Initiative said there’s a better way that starts with consultation and a bigger facility at a site that can accommodate it.

The lawsuit also claims Morley and Davis engaged in conflicts of interest and the site violates bylaw requirements. None of these allegations has been proven in court.

Councillor Morley said she was not part of selecting the location for this shelter, but told CityNews, “I support the creation of a shelter at this site, which will serve seniors. I am working to ensure it is thoughtfully designed, responsibly operated, and shaped by the input of Etobicoke-Lakeshore residents.”

Davis said he has not yet seen the claim but maintains that his career has been “focused on strengthening neighbourhoods through inclusive policy, transparent governance, and grassroots engagement.”

The New Toronto Initiative said the lawsuit is not about the money; it’s about accountability and discontinuing plans to build the shelter. The group added that if it were ever awarded the money, it would reinvest it in the community.