Sarah Mills: Winter, go away!
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ST. JOHN’S — Comedian Mary Walsh led a demonstration Wednesday against the Newfoundland and Labrador government’s treatment of homeless people.
Speaking to a crowd of a few dozen people, Walsh said the government was forcing unhoused people living in a former hotel back into a shelter system.
She said Newfoundland and Labrador is known for its hospitality, except when it comes to caring for its most vulnerable residents.
The former Liberal government announced in January 2024 it had signed a three-year, $20.7-million lease agreement for a Comfort Hotel in St. John’s to be turned into a transitional housing facility, now called Horizons at 106.
The lease is up on Dec. 31, and the current Progressive Conservative government has contracted two organizations to provide housing for some of Horizons at 106’s residents.
Graciana Smith lives at the facility, and she says residents there have formed a community.
“In a shelter you have no security,” she said in an interview. “You don’t have your own room, you can’t lock your door. You have to be on guard 24-7.”
She expressed her fears to Chris Tibbs, the province’s housing minister, moments before Walsh began speaking. He told Smith he would make sure the new housing options work for those leaving Horizons.
“Supports will be in place, and we can pivot as we go,” Tibbs told her. “If we need to add an extra layer, we can add an extra layer.”
While in Opposition, the Tories heavily criticized the contract for Horizons at 106, saying it was awarded to a Liberal supporter without a proper procurement process.
In a press release last month, the Progressive Conservative government said there were 45 people still living at Horizons, and they would be accommodated through public housing, or through a contracted provider.
As in much of Canada, the number of homeless people in Newfoundland and Labrador has climbed sharply in the past few years. In 2023, unhoused people formed a tent encampment across from the government building in St. John’s, and then in the heart of downtown, saying they were sick of living in shelters, which they said were unsafe and unsanitary.
The province uses both for-profit and non-profit shelters and other facilities to provide emergency housing.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2026.
Sarah Smellie, The Canadian Press
