{"id":28186,"date":"2026-10-09T15:16:46","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T19:16:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/news\/ontario-court-of-appeal-finds-trial-judge-made-multiple-errors-in-constitutional-challenge-to-hamilton-encampment-evictions\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T15:16:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T19:16:46","slug":"ontario-court-of-appeal-finds-trial-judge-made-multiple-errors-in-constitutional-challenge-to-hamilton-encampment-evictions","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/news\/ontario-court-of-appeal-finds-trial-judge-made-multiple-errors-in-constitutional-challenge-to-hamilton-encampment-evictions\/","title":{"rendered":"Ontario Court of Appeal finds trial judge made multiple errors in constitutional challenge to Hamilton encampment evictions\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Toronto, October 9, 2026 <\/strong>\u2013 The Women\u2019s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) is&nbsp;pleased&nbsp;that the Court of Appeal for Ontario has recognized critical legal errors in a 2024 decision that found Hamilton encampment evictions did not violate <em>Charter <\/em>rights.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In <em>Heegsma v. Hamilton (City)<\/em>, fourteen individuals who were or had been unhoused in Hamilton argued that it was unconstitutional for the City to prohibit tents on public property. Unable to access permanent housing or shelter beds, they faced physical and sexual violence, increased health risks, and a lack of privacy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Court of Appeal characterized the trial judge\u2019s reasons on key issues in the case&nbsp;as \u201cconclusory\u201d and \u201clack[ing] the depth of analysis that is required when dealing with issues of this significance.\u201d Unfortunately, because of these errors, the Court held it could not decide the case itself or provide general guidance to lower courts on how to approach future <em>Charter <\/em>challenges to encampment by-laws and evictions. Instead, the Court ordered a new hearing by a different judge.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile we are glad that the Court recognized the errors in the initial decision, we are disappointed that the individuals who brought this case will have to continue their struggle to have their rights recognized,\u201d says Kat Owens, LEAF Legal Director. \u201cThis was also a missed opportunity for the Court of Appeal to guide lower courts on how to consider <em>Charter <\/em>rights in encampment cases.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LEAF\u2019s participation in this case emphasized the need for courts to understand and take seriously the unique experiences of unhoused women, trans, and non-binary people. The Court of Appeal agreed, explaining that \u201cthe trial judge simply did not do what was required to determine whether the City breached the appellants\u2019 s. 15 <em>Charter <\/em>rights, in particular the equality rights of the appellants who are Indigenous, women, or persons with a disability.\u201d The Court noted evidence of overcapacity in Hamilton women\u2019s shelters that, at the very least, needed to be considered in the equality rights analysis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are heartened to see the Court provide direction that courts have to take equality rights seriously,\u201d says Owens. \u201cThe unique experiences of unhoused Indigenous people, women, and disabled people matter and courts need to give them full consideration.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those experiences are shaped by systemic inequality, which causes women, trans, and non-binary people to disproportionately earn less, have precarious housing, and experience intimate partner violence. They then face unique pathways to homelessness, with those who are Indigenous, Black, racialized, and disabled facing compounded impacts of homelessness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While encampments cannot be a long-term solution to the housing crisis, municipal encampment bans and evictions are not the answer. For many unhoused women, trans, and non-binary people,&nbsp;staying at an encampment may be the safest and most accessible shelter option available in the absence of sufficient shelter space. As a long-term solution, we need affordable and accessible housing for all.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LEAF is grateful to have been&nbsp;represented by Alexa Biscaro (McEwan Partners) and Erika Anschuetz (Norton Rose Fulbright LLP) in this case.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">LEAF\u2019s interventions are guided, informed, and supported by a case committee with expertise in the relevant issues. We are grateful to this intervention\u2019s case committee members (in alphabetical order): Emily Hill, Sonia Lawrence, Estair Van Wagner, and Margot Young.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For media inquiries, please contact <a href=\"mailto:media@leaf.ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">media@leaf.ca<\/a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">-30-&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About the Women\u2019s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Women\u2019s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) is a national not-for-profit and charity that works to advance the equality rights of women, girls, trans, and non-binary people in Canada through litigation,\u202flaw reform,\u202fand public legal education.\u202fSince 1985, LEAF has been involved in over 145 cases that have helped shape the<em>\u202fCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms<\/em>. To find out more, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">www.leaf.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28186","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Ontario Court of Appeal finds trial judge made multiple errors in constitutional challenge to Hamilton encampment evictions\u00a0 - LEAF<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leaf.ca\/fr\/news\/ontario-court-of-appeal-finds-trial-judge-made-multiple-errors-in-constitutional-challenge-to-hamilton-encampment-evictions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"fr_FR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ontario Court of Appeal finds trial judge made multiple errors in constitutional challenge to Hamilton encampment evictions\u00a0 - LEAF\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Toronto, October 9, 2026 \u2013 The Women\u2019s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) is&nbsp;pleased&nbsp;that the Court of Appeal for Ontario has recognized critical legal errors in a 2024 decision that found Hamilton encampment evictions did not violate Charter rights.&nbsp; In Heegsma v. 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