"I would eliminate all shelters"

Begging is seldom the joyous easy life some see it to be. Regardless, the majority of beggars I see in Toronto are clearly suffering from some mental impairment. It may well be that they are better taken into mandatory treatment -- but until mental health legislation and not under some quasi-criminal prosecution.

In any event, we already have the Safe Streets Act, 1999 (SSA). The SSA prohibits aggressive solicitation of persons in some public places. The SSA was enacted by the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris and received royal assent on December 14, 1999.

From the Sun:

If Mammoliti has his way, begging would be deemed illegal in every part of the city. That is, however, except for one.
"My bylaw would see the practice banned everywhere but at Queen's Park," the Ward 7 York West councillor said. "In fact, we would encourage panhandling at Queen's Park and camping with tents, too."

The controversial councillor is just half joking.

"We have tried to get the province to listen in the more conventional way. Maybe if they were to see the panhandling when they arrive at work, they will realize it's a major problem for Toronto," he said. "I would eliminate all shelters, too, and have the province and the private sector chip in to build transitional housing with all of the support mechanisms. There is a cost but it's a much better solution than having the same panhandler on the same corner for 20 years.