drive

it's pretty easy to overlook news items, but something really struck me today as I listened to the news.

From the Globe and Mail:
In her submissions yesterday, lawyer Catherine Boies Parker argued that homeless people should have the right to erect makeshift shelters and sleep in public places when other accommodations are unsuitable or unavailable.

"This [bylaw] is an absolute ban on any shelter anywhere in the city and we say that's unconstitutional," she said. "It was very clear that these people literally had no place to go."

Ms. Parker devoted considerable court time yesterday to statistics on homelessness and shelter beds in Victoria, gleaned from a series of recent reports and studies.

According to the Victoria Cool Aid Society's 2007 homeless count, there are an estimated 1,500 homeless people in the Capital Region, but only 326 shelter beds during the cold winter months and less than 150 during the summer.

Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, those who can't find a bed have a constitutional right to sleep in a public place, Ms. Parker said.

The case is the first of its kind in Canada (anybody know whether there are similar international examples?), and represents to me (on a very personal level - not because I possess any constitutional law knowledge) how the law is intended to help those who are most neglected in society. This is exactly the kind of case that motivates me to pursue a law degree...join me as I geekily follow the case.