Doug Ford criticizes judge's order blocking Region's removal of Kitchener encampment

Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Friday denounced an Ontario Superior Court ruling that blocked the Region of Waterloo from removing residents from a Kitchener encampment tied to a planned transit project. Ford called the decision “the most ridiculous ruling I’ve ever seen” and said it would delay work linked to the Kitchener Central Transit Hub. Justice Michael R. Gibson released the ruling on Thursday, finding the region’s site-specific bylaw unconstitutional because it violated the Charter rights of people living at the encampment. The dispute centers on a parking lot at Victoria Street and Weber Street in downtown Kitchener, where about two dozen people have been living. ### What did Doug Ford say about the ruling? Doug Ford made the comments at an unrelated press conference in Sault Ste. Marie on Friday, according to The Canadian Press and CBC. Ford said Gibson’s ruling put the interests of “30 people” ahead of “millions and millions of riders, communities and everything,” referring to the transit project the region says needs the land. He also called the decision “cockamamie” and “a joke.” (toronto.citynews.ca) Ford said the ruling meant governments were being told to “hold up projects and everything.” CBC reported he urged faster provincial action on homelessness and encampments while criticizing the court’s intervention in the Waterloo case. ### What exactly did the judge decide? Justice Michael R. Gibson said in an 88-page decision released Thursday that Waterloo Region could not enforce the bylaw it passed to clear the encampment at 100 Victoria St. (toronto.citynews.ca) N. The judge found the bylaw, and later amendments to it, breached the Charter rights of encampment residents because the site is currently the only place in the region where homeless people can lawfully shelter outdoors. (cbc.ca) Gibson wrote that “no one should romanticize” the encampment and described it as “a miserable and desperate place,” but said it remained “the only remaining safety valve” for homeless people in the region. The ruling said Waterloo Region had made clear that, if the encampment were cleared, it was not prepared to permit outdoor sheltering elsewhere on regional property. (cbc.ca) ### Why is the Region of Waterloo trying to clear the site? The Region of Waterloo says it needs the property for the Kitchener Central Transit Hub, a project planned to integrate bus service, ION light rail, GO Transit and VIA Rail. The region has argued in court that it needed access to the lot for construction activity in 2026, and earlier reporting said construction was expected to begin in March 2026. (cbc.ca) An April 2026 project update from the region said design work on the transit hub was about 60% complete and that early work was planned to begin in 2026. Federal and provincial announcements in December 2025 described the hub as a key regional transit investment. ### Why did the court say the bylaw failed? The court said the region’s approach failed because it tried to ban sheltering at the encampment without offering a lawful alternative place of last resort. (cbc.ca) Gibson wrote that, to comply with the Charter, the region would need either an alternative lawful encampment site or a tenting protocol that gives access to essential services and health care comparable to what exists at the current site. He pointed to London and Thunder Bay as Ontario examples of designated encampment approaches. (engagewr.ca) CBC reported the region had amended the bylaw in January to defer the vacant-possession date, remove a financial penalty for residents who stayed past the deadline, and create a transition policy offering alternative accommodations. Gibson still found those changes were not enough. ### What happens next in the case? (toronto.citynews.ca) Justice Gibson said Waterloo Region could ask the court for a review or further direction if it creates a lawful alternative site or outdoor sheltering protocol. That leaves the encampment in place for now while the region considers its next legal and policy steps. The next concrete milestone is on the project side: the Region of Waterloo has said early work on the Kitchener Central Transit Hub is planned in 2026, while any renewed effort to clear the site would require the region to return to court under the framework Gibson set out. (cbc.ca) (engagewr.ca) (toronto.citynews.ca)