CITY - Wednesday, May 22, 2024 - 05:00 p.m. (ET) - Segment #1

Now weve got to to go into week 2! Yep. This divison is going to be tougher. Come on! If we keep belieiving we can turn things around. Come on Wrexham. [chanting] Its an edge of your seat season. Welcome to Wrexham. All new Thursday's at 10. on fx and Citytv+. >> Kelly: we are going to finish up with something we came across on social media. This is "what I'm liking"." an organization californians were using washers and dryers to help kids read. The organization places books in laundromats where kids might be stuck for hours. It's called literacy in the laundromat. Say hello to carter and ian who watch in bakersfield. What's up? Hi. This is a great idea. I could have used this when I was a kid. I was very bored. There's only so much you can do play with those baskets on wheels. You're still in high school, right, carter? >> I am a proud junior at french high school your bakersfield. Even in high school the importance of literacy is not lost on me. I am so proud to be the chairman of the youth literacy committee. We are the committee that deals directly with youth related literacy initiatives, gets youth engaged with a youth related issue. One of my favorite initiatives is addressing the laundromat. Like you mention, there's so many times when kids have to go to the laundromat and spend: countless hours sitting there doing nothing. It's a good way to engage with our rural communities as well and getting books in the hands of kids so they can read. Hopefully boost our literacy rate. >> Kelly: absolutely. I think my hatred of quarters started at the laundromat. The organization as other projects too. >> Absolutely. The goal is to improve the lives of the community through literacy so we do that in multiple ways. Reading, writing, math, basic adult education, citizenship, esl, courier skills. We try to be the literacy safety net and that's why it's so important to include youth voice voice. The county is down when it comes to literacy rates post-pandemic. 35% of kids reading at standard. So when we think about especially as carter talked about, the rural community. Only 45% of current county residents speak english. When we think about needing to get multiple languages out there, culturally reflective material, it is so great. They give us ideas of where we can bring in these types of interventions. Even though the quarters are little annoying, I've noticed kids still like to read. They run up there and grab those books and what a unique idea to place literacy in a unique environment so that we are reaching kids no matter where they are at in the books are free. If the kids decide I want to take it home, we are all for that. We also administer the dolly parton imagination library. We are focused on early childhood literacy especially for zero to five. 11% of the population is enrolled in the dolly program. We're doing everything we can. >> Kelly: that is so incredible. Not everyone can afford books. It's really cool they could to take them. I can't let you leave. Carter, your mullet is so amazing. You win for best pair of debate. I was trying to be serious because it's very important thing you're doing but I'm like, that party in the back is making me so happy right now and it feels like home. Thank you so much, carter. Thank you, ian. It sent cool initiative, cool program. I'm liking your post. Makers of precise, the go-to precise pen of "the kelly clarkson show," they're going to be writing the council a check for $1,000. >> Thank you so much. Keep up the good work. Thanks so much. >> Kelly: thank you to our guests. Simu liu, luke newton, rebecca, alecia, stray kids. Have a great day. If it's not, change it.

>> Broadcasting from the traditional territories of the anishnabe, the wendat, the haudenosaunee peoples, and since 1805 the treaty lands of the mississaugas of the credit, this is "CityNews." [ ] >> Fighting. >> And then. >> And then bang. >> Cynthia: tonight in toronto, a man left fighting for his life after an argument leads to gunshots. Work begins to rename a toronto landmark, but who will be stuck with the bill? >> She says to me finally, why does canada not let me travel? >> Cynthia: and a canadian family calls out immigration after their daughter's passport renewal is denied. >> Announcer: this is "citynews," everywhere. >> Cynthia: welcome to "CityNews" live from yonge and dundas. It is a situation that has led to violent evictions in the past, but city officials say they are switching up their strategy when it comes to dealing with those who are living in encampments. Erica natividad joins us now. Erica, no one is denying that encampments pose some real safety problems but we're starting to see a people-first approach here. >> That's right, cynthia. And this people-first approach, a direct result of as you mentioned those violent clashes that we saw in 2021. So city officials say that they've made significant progress in moving people out of encampments and into shelters or more permanent housing, and the ultimate goal, of course, is to have effective programs in place in order to avoid enforcement. [ Crowd noise ] [ Shouting ] [ Beep ]. >> Erica: scenes of chaos and intense confrontations in the summer of 2021. >> It's a memory burned into the minds of torontonians and the dangerous situation that the city says doesn't want repeated. >> The approach here is not to start with enforcement and not even to prioritize enforcement. >> Erica: instead the focus is on putting people first. Update to its encampment strategy. In it a number of recommendations including expanding an outreach model used at dufferin grove and allan gardens which it says -- says has been successful. >> 97 people have moved from that park into housing with supports. Another 320 people have been referred into the shelter system. We are now down to about nine encampments from a high of 84 in july of last year. >> Erica: that model includes having mental health and primary care supports visit on a scheduled basis, having case managers dedicated to coming up with housing plans and deploying a trailer on-site which staff can work out of 7 days a week. But the report does not rule out enforcement completely. >> If there's an immediate threat to a person or to people around them that there would be a situation where I can see some kind of enforcement being necessary. >> There's not a right to live in a park or in a public space, and our expectation is folks are working with us or we're bringing them the supports that they need to connect with to make that move into housing. >> Erica: the pressure on the shelter system in toronto continues amid housing affordability and mental health crises. Currently sheltering about 6,400 refugee claimants in and out of the shelter system, with more continuing to arrive. Last year city council declared homeless necessary an emergency in toronto. >> What is desperately needed is a coordinated regional response to this issue and the establishment of a regional reception centre, something that city council has long asked for as well as our community partners. >> Erica: >> Cynthia: erica, I know you mentioned a number of recommendations. Can you tell us a little bit more about the others and what happens next? >> Erica: right. So there are 13 recommendations in total in this report and one of them or multiple include asking for additional funding from the province and from the feds. So what happens next is the report will go to the economic and community development committee next week before it heads to council at the end of june. Cyn. >> Cynthia: ok, erica. Thank you. A man is fighting for his life tonight after being gunned down near toronto's St. James neighbourhood. Shauna hunt joins us live from the scene. Shauna, those who live in the area are perhaps not surprised boy what has happened. >> Shauna: yes, cyn. They may not be surprised, but residents are rattled by the violence. This all happened in the laneway behind me here on huntley street near bloor and jarvis. Neighbours tell me this area tends to be a late-night hangout spot and is often the scene of fights and commotion. >> Fighting out in the alleyway. >> And then? >> And then bang. >> Shauna: residents, startled by the gun violence, tell me about an hour before the shooting happened, they heard shouting and arguing in the alleyway below and

then around midnight, fighting ramped up again. >> The person was shouting to call the cops because I -- I believe that he knew that there was something going to happen and he was asking for assistance. >> Shauna: a cluster of evidence cones marks the spot where the man collapsed. 9-1-1 was called and the victim was rushed off to a trauma centre with leave threat neng injuries. At last check he remains in hospital in critical condition. The shooting happened outside a building that provides transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness and residents staying here tell me with the harm reduction site nearby, there's not enough supports in place to ham the needs of the neighbourhood. >> Because, as -- is a lot of drugs. This alley here is nothing -- back there. Chaos and drugs. And I think that you would need more than one security to deal with the crowd. Since I come to this building, four people died in the alley overdose. >> Shauna: overdose. >> Four people died shawn since january, there have been over 170 shootings in toronto. That's up 67% year over year. 15 people have died. At least 44 others have been injured. >> Doesn't surprise me at all considering what's going on in the entire city itself. I know the police are overwhelmed, and I think they're trying their best, but I don't know. The government has to get involved more. >> Shauna: now police say at least two people fled on foot, fled the scene on foot. We know that officers spent the day, many hours today canvassing the area, looking for witnesses and video surveillance. They are trying to identify those suspects. And, cynthia, investigators are asking anyone who witnessed something or has information that can help this case to contact police. Back to you. >> Cynthia: ok, shauna, thank you. Still on the streets, two teens have been arrested in connection to a story we brought you yesterday about a violent home break-in and carjacking. Three people broke into a home near yonge and steeles in north york overnight on tuesday, demanding the keys to a family's mercedes. Investigators believe the same suspect stole a vehicle hours earlier from a man who was filling up at a gas station in mississauga. 19-year-old malachi francis is facing 11 different charges, including assault with a weapon. A 16-year-old boy is facing a similar list of charges. Both stolen vehicles were recovered, but the search continues for a third suspect. Criminal charges have been dropped against four of the people accused of vandalizing an indigo bookstore in toronto, an attack that many originally claimed was anti-semitic. The activists involved are now turning their attention toward the police who arrested them. Krou the people, united, we'll never be defeated. >> Cynthia: members of the group world beyond war and jews against genocide gathered outside toronto police headquarters this morning, calling for all remaining charges to be dropped. Those who had their name cleared say the charges were trumped up and should never have been laid in the first place. >> I have endured a lot of hardship because of these charges. My reputation and name has been dragged through the mud. I've been called an anti-semite, a hate criminal and worse. >> Frankly it's egregious that the police arrested them at all and certainly through raids in the middle of the night in their home for a peaceful protest. >> Cynthia: seven other activists are still facing charges connected to a november 10th incident outside the indigo near bay and bloor. Red paint was splashed across the storefront, covering a number of posters of jewish C.E.O. heather reisman who demonstrators accuse of funding genocide in gaza. And a police spokesperson released a statement which needs in part, "the crown's decision to withdraw charges against four individuals should not be interpreted as a reflection on the validity of the charges laid by police or the credibility of the allegations. The toronto police service will persist in enforcing hate crime laws and laying charges when justified, ensuring the safety and security of our communities." but the canadian arm of the jewish organization b'nai brith is critical of today's developments. Its statement reads, "we are deeply disappointed and greatly concerned about the crown dropping charges against four of the so-called indigo 11. We are in favour of peaceful protests, of course, but are fearful that dropping these particular charges will set a dangerous precedent and will embolden protesters to harass and vandalize businesses run by jewish people." for years, the public space behind me here has been called yonge-dundas square,

Copyright protected and owned by broadcaster. Your licence is limited to private, internal, non-commercial use. All reproduction, broadcast, transmission or other use of this work is strictly prohibited.

Transcripts