A proposed class-action lawsuit against the City of Toronto alleges the city violated refugee claimants’ Charter rights by denying them access to shelter beds for nearly a year even when beds were available, arguing the practice was “systemically negligent.”
The proposed suit was filed Friday in an Ontario court on behalf of refugees, refugee claimants and asylum seekers who sought shelter in Toronto and were unable to get a bed between Nov. 7, 2022 and Oct. 1, 2023 — a period during which it says the city stopped allowing claimants to access its base shelter system.
The suit also includes shelter seekers who were told to contact either Service Canada or Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, which the suit says were unable to provide housing assistance.
The lawsuit requires certification from a judge to proceed.
Linette King, a lawyer involved in the case, claimed thousands of refugees were denied shelter beds during that period — even …