I am unaware of how community service would be implemented for fare evaders. When John Smith doesn't pay their fine, does it default to community service? Do we then dispatch provincial offence officers or Toronto police to track down Mr. Smith?
My point is that there is no point in fining a homeless person, it's a waste of paper and the officer's time. And the POOs understand this.
I also do not want someone falling on hard times to have their money or time wasted by a fare evasion ticket. Especially on the odd chance they were using transit to legitimately travel and not sleeping on multiple seats while soiling themselves.
The most feasible thing to do is for police to remove poorly behaving people from the premises, homeless or not. I've previously advocated for dedicated transit police as is the case in Vancouver and Washington DC. For the general population, I am all for enforcement with fare checks and fines, given that they can be lowered in cases of financial hardship.
The Chinese model is security at every metro station. Given how legally feckless security guards and non-police are in Canada, I doubt that would be effective or affordable here.
I'm essentially in agreement.
Though, I would add, what we need to say here is that homelessness, and untreated, severe mental illness and/or addiction are unacceptable states.
We haven't empowered staff or police, expressly to address this.
A portion of this, is absolutely the absence of sufficient affordable housing and entry-level wages and benefits that are too low.
However, we do have to concede, I think, that a portion of the issue stems from allowing people to decline help, or housing, often while in a state of psychosis or intoxication or withdrawal and then either allowing them to remain on the street or turning them back out to same, as if the problem won't endlessly repeat to everyone's detriment, often prematurely taking the life of the afflicted individual.
I accept people's right of medical self-determination, if they are sober and sane at the time, and if they are able to demonstrate self-support in whatever fashion and an ability do no harm to others.
We need to presume that sleeping outside, or on transit is generally a form of self-affliction and often a harm to others, and not reasonable.
I don't want fines, or jail, I want compulsory treatment, on an in-patient basis, as required. If not required or after said treatment, I want someone offered a fixed address, a private, studio or 1 bedroom apartment and sufficient benefits on which to live, pending employment, where feasible.
I think we should be wary of abuse of power, and ignoring people's autonomy, but we can't allow concern for that to excuse what is often de facto suicide in slow motion, which is evidently self-harming and which in the process, often pains others.
All of the above needs to be differentiated from general law breaking by citizens otherwise capable of obeying the law.
