Mayor John Tory has signalled that he wants city council to reopen a debate over the creation of 1,000 new emergency shelter beds in Toronto, according to an open letter released Tuesday.

Council should consider adding 1,000 “new permanent shelter beds in the system,” as well as reviewing the number of current shelter beds and spaces at the city’s drop-in and winter respite centres, services offered and the number of staff members at those sites, according to the letter signed by Tory and seven councillors.

The city’s winter drop-in system should also remain open past the original April 15 deadline, as should the volunteer-led Out Of the Cold programs at faith-based organizations across the city, they wrote.

“Reports from front-line workers and service providers for the past 4 years have indicated that shelters are at capacity every night, regardless of the weather. It has become clear that more is needed to respond to the incredible demand in the city,” they wrote.

“It is essential to create a strategy to ensure that the City is not responding after the fact every winter.” There also needs to be better health care supports within the system, they wrote.

City council will meet at the end of the month. In early December a motion by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam calling for council to vote for the immediate creation of 1,000 new beds and to use the armouries as emergency shelter was voted down by Tory and a majority of council.

“Lives are definitely at risk — there is no doubt in my mind we will see deaths this winter just as we have seen deaths in previous winters,” said Wong-Tam, during that December debate.

In January, following record-breaking low temperatures, the Moss Park Armoury was opened with space for 100 people. The armoury is one of seven 24/7 cold weather respite sites. The armoury was being used 103 people Monday night, according to city data recorded at 4 a.m.

That site is expected to remain open only until the end of the month, or until a former youth detention centre on George St. can be converted into new temporary shelter spaces.

On Monday, the city’s emergency shelter system — where people sleep in beds in facilities governed by strict city mandated standards — could provide spaces for about 5,900 people and was 96 per cent full, according to city statistics.

Those numbers include more than 1,500 spots for families in motels, spaces used to manage the overflow from the at-capacity family system.

More than 700 people sought shelter in a collection of drop-in and cold-relief sites.

More than 110 people went to the Out Of the Cold program.

The drop-ins were used by 455 people, 50 people visited a warming centre in Regent Park and 95 women used two 24/7 year-round drop-ins.

At drop-ins people sleep on mats, in chairs or, in some cases, on cots or the floor.

“It is evident that the City cannot avail itself of a proper remedy to the issue without a significant increase in new and permanent shelter beds, alongside provincially funded transitional housing,” the letter’s authors wrote. Planning for next year must begin immediately, they said.

Street nurse and advocate Crowe said the 1,000 estimate falls short of actual need.

“I’m very happy to see the mayor say 1,000, but what is the clear timeline for that to happen? It can’t be about being prepared for next winter,” said Crowe, who said the number of beds should be closer to 1,500.

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Crowe said discussions should include the development of a new set of standards for city drop-ins, to ensure people have better sleeping conditions, easy access to shower facilities and health supports.

In the letter, Tory and councillors described respite centres as a “means for the City to respond quickly to the incredible demand in this cold weather, but do not have the same standards or supports that should exist within a permanent shelter.”

With files from David Rider