SDC is currently collecting signatures for a paper petition calling for a public camping bylaw in Waterloo Region. There currently isn't adequate support within Regional Council for such a bylaw, but that could change with your support!

How to Support Our Petition

1. Download a copy of the petition
2. Sign it and, if possible, ask others in your life to also add their signatures
3. Scan the signed copy and email it back to us at sdcwr@waterlooregion.org ASAP (our deadline to submit the petition to the Region of Waterloo is Friday, Feb 6, 2026!)

The need for public camping or "safe tenting zones" was brought into sharp focus by the Region's latest Point in Time Count, which found over 2,300 people experiencing homelessness in October 2024 - a number that far exceeds the 674 overnight shelter spaces available across the Region.

Click on the image to read SDC's David Alton explain our thoughts on public camping during a conversation on The Mike Farwell Show.