Jeff Schlemmer
@Jeff_Schlemmer_
Poverty lawyer and anti-poverty advocate. Past adjunct professor, Western University Faculty of Law. My opinions are not necessarily those of my legal clinic.
Hard to believe that in 1994 welfare benefits were higher than rent - so recipients could live modest lives. Now rents are far higher than OW/ODSP benefits. So recipients can't live modest lives. Since the 1930s we helped our poorest citizens. When did we decide to stop?
If only the Premier realized that by increasing ODSP/OW shelter amounts to the actual cost to rent a place today, EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR WILL GO TO HIS LANDLORD FRIENDS. (Actually if the orange and blue lines matched the green line then no homelessness and landlords enriched. Win…
Stopping #OnLineHarassment requires collective effort. Be watchful for vulnerable staff & colleagues. #Awareness is KEY to #prevention. #SHAPEYourWorkplace #SHIWproject #DOJ
‘A brand new day for tenants:’ Toronto’s rental bylaw takes effect next week. Here is what you need to know ctvnews.ca/toronto/politi…
Homelessness up more than 200 per cent in major N.B. cities: report flip.it/0Uxyqm
"Stop taking it so personally that my president still says he's going to impoverish Canada so he can to conquer you. Resistanace is futile." @petehoekstra @USAmbCanada cheknews.ca/rob-shaw-u-s-a…
Trump signs order pushing cities and states to remove homeless people from streets. They'll be sent to treatment facilities that he won't fund and don't exist. usatoday.com/story/news/pol… via @usatoday
No matter what Trump’s ambassador says, Canadians aren’t “mean and nasty” for choosing to buy Canadian and travel locally. We’re taking a stand against Trump’s threats to our sovereignty and standing on our own two feet. Let's hold the line.
Been hesitant to comment on this one as I’m a little close to the subject on a couple fronts, but think it’s a little condescending to suggest mere proximity to a patio will trigger relapse for people in a supportive housing building: toronto.citynews.ca/2025/07/19/liq…
Jeff, there was a great cabin program in Kingston that showed financial accountability / regional & provincial sourcing and amazing programming but the city, for some reasons that don’t make any sense, shut it down.
A Lived Experience Perspective on Homelessness & Addiction owensoundcurrent.com/p/letter-a-liv…
Nanaimo homelessness up 250% in past seven years. No end to ongoing increase in sight. mycoastnow.com/87364/featured… via @mycoastnow
So long as our leaders timidly cling to expensive traditional apartment housing we fall further behind. 38 units at $350k/unit, to house 304 homeless citizens (and rising). Northern mining camp units are far cheaper, and more durable than apartments. We have to get serious.…
Missed our recent webinar on how to build meaningful relationships with urban Indigenous communities? Watch the recording: cleoconnect.ca/resource/yourl…
Seems so long ago that Police Chief Davis properly promised only to undertake these unlawful evictions if pursuant to a court order. The law didn’t change. Only his commitment to obeying it did. The Trumpian influence.
On July 17, 2025, the Sarnia Police Service, in collaboration with the City of Sarnia Bylaw, launched an AI-driven hotline as a proactive response to community concerns regarding homelessness. This new hotline will provide a dedicated reporting number for the community to report…
Why anyone would take a chance going to the States right now is a mystery. One ego-inflated border guard and you will be months in a horrible detention. ctvnews.ca/canada/article…
On #NelsonMandelaIDay we are grateful to the #DepartmentofJustice for their commitment to upholding values of a #justicesystem that respects #humanrights for all. For questions re: #SHIW: (833) 677-5146 #AccesstoJustice #DOJ #SHAPEYourWorkplace #SHIWproject
There have been a lot of laws passed in the last session of the Ontario Legislature. Lets come together and learn how these laws impact disabled communities and all of us! 1/2