A non-profit that has set up a handful of minuscule homes for people experiencing homelessness in a downtown Toronto park says the city is showing the unhoused community no love with plans to potentially clear out the structures on Valentine’s Day.
Tiny Tiny Homes installed the first of five of its dwellings at St. James Park, near Church Street and Adelaide Street East, in October.
These lightweight, mobile homes are equipped with smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and a fire extinguisher. They’re heated with diesel, use solar panels for power, and have running water thanks to a battery-powered pump hooked up to a tank. Company founder Ryan Donais previously told CTV News Toronto they are meant to help transition unhoused people to more stable long-term housing.
Toronto Centre Coun. Chris Moise and some neighbours, however, have raised safety concerns about people camping out in the local green space and want them removed.
Despite having what Tiny Tiny Homes called a “positive and forward-looking” meeting with the city days earlier, the company said they received a cease-and-desist letter from the municipality on Feb. 7, saying their homes are unlawful and demanding they stop supplying and installing them.
The legal document also demanded Tiny Tiny Homes remove any existing structures from city property and without receiving a response by Friday, it would be assumed that they would not be complying.
“When we got the letter, we were quite disheartened. … Right now, it’s winter and there isn’t enough (shelter) space,” Donais told CTV News Toronto on Thursday evening.
In its response to the city on Wednesday, Tiny Tiny Homes said they have halted further construction and are committed to working together on a solution.
They’ve also launched a “Show Some Love For Our Homeless’’ campaign, including a petition, to raise awareness and call for action to address the homelessness crisis.
In the letter to the city, Donais and Jeff Lyle, the company’s president and chair, go on to say Toronto declared homelessness an emergency in 2023, pointing out that late last year the Ombudsman Toronto found the city was called out for failing to meet its obligations under its own housing charter.
“Toronto has repeatedly been criticized for failing to protect the human rights of homeless people in a number of ways, including inadequate shelter provisions, unsafe encampment clearings, and insufficient support services,” they wrote, pointing to the 273 people who are turned away nightly from the city’s shelter system due to lack of space.
“As a result, vulnerable individuals are left with no option but to sleep outdoors in tents, doorways, and unsafe conditions—every winter night. Now, in 2025, two years on, homelessness remains an emergency, and our parks are still full of highly flammable tents. The ongoing housing and shelter crisis has not been solved.”
They went on to say that their mini-shelters “keep these people safe and alive.”
Speaking with CTV News Toronto, Donais said he wants to see the mini-homes moved out of the park and hopes the City of Toronto will help find another suitable site for them.
In the meantime, he said they’d continue to maintain the homes at St. James Park.
“Everybody’s 100 per cent on board with moving to a more permanent location,” said Donais.
“Our intention is not to fight with the city, when it’s comes time we will comply with lawful orders.”
In a new statement to CTV News Toronto Friday afternoon, the organization said “City Council have been in touch with Tiny Tiny Homes. They have told us there are no plans for any immediate action to remove the emergency shelters. They now seem to be engaging in more meaningful dialogue.”
Toronto says its focused on building housing
In a statement, the city said it “recognizes and appreciates the care Torontonians want to show to people in need.”
“We know the best outcomes for individuals and communities come from providing shelter and housing, which is why the City of Toronto is focusing on a range of initiatives from street outreach to building more shelter services and homes,” spokesperson Russell Baker wrote.
“The City remains committed to providing critical services to people experiencing homelessness and building housing, while ensuring that residents are safe and communities have use of Toronto’s greenspaces.”
He added that staff have had “ongoing dialogue with the owner of Tiny Tiny Homes and have explained these structures cannot remain in St. James Park or on City property,” and that Donais has “been asked to coordinate removal of the structures.”
“Under municipal bylaws, structures are not permitted in any City park or on right of way (such as on sidewalks). These structures, which have not been approved by the City, create potential safety risks for those living in them and those living in the surrounding area,” Baker said.
“The structures also interfere with the public’s ability to use the park and may also interfere with the City’s ongoing outreach work with individuals currently in encampments. If the steps outlined to the business owner are not taken, the City will consider next steps as appropriate.”
So far, the city has not set a specific date for the removal of the structures from St. James Park.
Coun. Moise, whose ward has been home to a number of encampments including a large one in Allan Gardens, has put a motion forward to have staff look at possible appropriate locations for the structures.
Five years ago, more than 100 tiny structures for people experiencing homelessness in the city were constructed and scattered across several city parks. A court injunction, however, put an end to Toronto Tiny Shelters and carpenter Khaleel Sievwright, who was behind the project, was ordered to remove the dwellings.
With files from CTV News Toronto’s Beth Macdonell
