Research shows pushing vulnerable people out of Sudbury's centre increases 'marginalization'

Police continue to hand out fines to prevent loitering in parts of downtown Sudbury but a researcher is warning that forcing people to the city's margins may worsen underlying issues like homelessness and addiction.

Recently, police enacted a ban on people smoking in the LCBO and Tim Hortons parking lot in the middle of downtown. Security at the nearby Sudbury Transit terminal has also been doubled.

It's an effort to reduce the number of used needles on sidewalks and reduce loitering, something resident Shawn Grigg has noticed in the area.

Grigg says he spends a lot of time observing people in the Tim Horton's parking lot.

"One morning I came here and there was somebody smoking crack right there on the corner," he said.

He says he understands why police and businesses would want to clear out crowds in the area.

"It's intimidating, so I get what they're saying, right?"

But Grigg adds he knows first-hand that many of the people loitering are down on their luck, and misunderstood.

"They say don't judge a book by its cover and that's exactly what everybody's doing," he said.

"The struggle is real. People don't realize that people are having a hard time surviving out here."

Excluding people worsens social problems

Carol Kauppi is the director of Laurentian University's Centre for Research in Social Justice and Policy.

"When people are pushed out, they're told they're not welcome, then the marginalization increases," she said.

"When we talk about people that are on the margins, we have to recognize very often it's the way our system is structured: the economy, the nature of housing, the challenges for people relying on low income, either because they can't get a well-paying job, or can't get a job at all and are relying on social assistance."

Kauppi notes cities like Vancouver have installed public benches that cover users if they need a nap.

She says Sudbury has taken the opposite approach to public spaces, including removing benches and placing metal structures to discourage people from sitting instead.

"Mental illness, physical illness, job loss, inability to pay rent: these are not things people can control. We shouldn't exclude people just because they are in a low socioeconomic group."

Kauppi adds that investments in job programs and addiction services would help tackle the problem.