As refugees pour in, report warns Toronto to back off cuts to shelter staff

Toronto should abandon a plan to remove 10 frontline shelter workers, a new report says, especially because those employees are helping more refugees than ever.

City council approved the controversial cut, which was set to save some $1 million, earlier this year. Facing sharp criticism, Mayor John Tory asked staff to study how it would impact service and vowed to re-evaluate the situation once he had the results.

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That report is here, and city hall sources tell CBC Toronto it's found there's been an increasing demand on city shelters in the past eight months. Further, some 20 per cent of those who use them identify themselves as refugees, and 70 per cent of those refugees are families.

The report also notes that despite adding more than 300 beds and booking blocks of hotel rooms, shelter capacity remains at 97 per cent.

Coun. Joe Cressy, who opposed the proposed cut when it was introduced, said while he can't speak about about the specifics of the report until its release, the shelter system has been strained since 2015.

"It should never have been cut," Cressy said.

The new report, he said, should be a "clarion call" to invest more in the future, including in the frontline workers who help those needing support.

The report's recommendations, which will be discussed at next week's Community Development and Recreation Committee meeting, are expected to be approved, sources say.

The report also notes the $1 million in savings will be kept by leaving some non-frontline positions unfilled, the sources say.