Read a KW Record article that stratford is sending their homeless to other cities in one way taxis. I live in a small town near Sarnia and we're getting them daily. What makes you candy asses so special that you can't deal with the problem and you're dumping them on us? So instead of downvoting, being the NIMBY's Startford is known for, do something about it. We don't want your shit here.

One-way taxi trips shuffle Stratford’s homeless to distant communities

An old high school friend, a long drive, and a glimpse into the decisions that move people experiencing homelessness from one city to another.

When Rob Wreford glanced into his rear-view mirror and locked eyes with the man sitting in the back seat of his taxi, something felt familiar.

Behind the worn-down clothes and sun-spotted face was a glimmer of the teenage boy Wreford went to school with more than 40 years ago.

“I didn’t realize he was a high school friend because he had changed so much over the years,” said Wreford. “And it really just struck me because when I knew this guy as a kid in high school, he was on the top of his game. He was going to be a computer programmer, and he had his whole life in front of him.”

In the trunk of the cab was all the personal belongings the man and his partner owned — light cargo, whittled down over years of living rough in Stratford.

Wreford, a now former cab driver with Radio Cab, was driving the couple to supportive housing.

This wasn’t a local stop. The hour-long trip carried them east to Lucknow — a town of about 1,000 people more than 100 kilometres from Stratford.

“That drive has always stuck with me, and it opened my eyes to what was going on in the city. But that was just one encounter,” Wreford said. “I’ve driven (people experiencing homelessness) to Hamilton. I’ve driven them to Owen Sound. I don’t know how they ended up in my cab. I was just doing what I was told, and I made the best of each trip.”

Most of these requests originate with the Huron Perth Helpline and Crisis Response Team, which operates through Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA).

Over seven years driving a cab, Wreford estimates he averaged about three relocation trips per year, most arranged through the crisis line, and sometimes through the city’s social services department. He never refused the drives and felt comfortable doing them — but he was only one of a dozen drivers handling calls.

Wreford stopped giving those rides earlier this year when Radio Cab closed in February. Since then, Stratford City Cabs has taken on most relocation work.

Ranjit Singh, a co-owner and driver at Stratford City Cabs, said the volume is higher than many people realize.

Over the course of a month, he said his company averages anywhere from 10 to 20 relocations.

“It’s not even just the big cities anymore. We’re often going to smaller towns — it seems like it’s anywhere where there is housing for fixed-income homes. That’s what we’re seeing more than anything, but sometimes it’s shelters.”

The destinations can vary widely.

“You name it, and we’re dropping people off there. It could be Kitchener, it could be Listowel, it could be Wingham,” he said.

Healthcare, not homelessness management

At HPHA, officials emphasize that transportation is sometimes used as part of clinical care and safe discharge planning — not as a way to manage homelessness.

“These decisions are made by the clinical teams, including emergency department, in-patient and outpatient mental health services, and are based on patient safety, clinical judgment and the individual’s own choices,” said HPHA spokesperson Gerry Rucchin.

“We do not transport people out of their home community unless there is a clear clinical reason and a plan in place,” he said.

In some cases, transportation may be required to help patients access specialized services not available locally, such as withdrawal management or residential addiction treatment, or to return someone to their home community once care has been completed.

“Many specialized programs require a clear plan for return to and from the program before accepting someone,” Rucchin said. “We support in making that plan for safe transportation.”

Whenever possible, individuals are encouraged to rely on their own support networks. Using a taxi or public transit, he said, is a last resort.

“Throughout the process, the individual’s preferences, goals and existing connections are central. The goal is to help co-ordinate care so the transition is safe, supported and well planned,” Rucchin said.

Transportation costs are covered through limited, approved funding designed to reduce barriers to care.

HPHA president and CEO Andrew Williams echoed that message, stressing the organization’s responsibility to people experiencing homelessness.

“Homelessness is a serious societal issue affecting many communities across Ontario. As a health-care provider that regularly supports individuals experiencing homelessness, we are committed to doing so in a responsible and compassionate manner that places the needs of individuals at the centre of all health-care decisions impacting their care,” Williams said.

“This commitment also applies when difficult decisions must be made to transfer individuals to other communities for care that is not available locally.”

The City of Stratford also handles relocations, but officials said it is rare and tightly controlled.

“The city does not relocate individuals outside the service area unless there is a clear, case-managed plan demonstrating housing stability at the destination,” said Stratford social services director Kim McElroy.

“In most situations, staff work to support people in place through co-ordinated case planning and local service connections,” she said. “Requests for transportation outside the service area are very rare. When taxi service is arranged, it is typically to help individuals access essential needs such as medical appointments or other social supports.”

Even so, mobility between communities remains a reality — one that extends beyond Stratford.

Pressure across Waterloo Region

In Waterloo Region, FirstConnect provides 24/7 support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Staff receive multiple calls weekly from people outside the region looking to relocate and access supports.

“Everything within our housing continuum is truly meant for residents of Waterloo Region,” said Chris McEvoy, manager of homelessness and supportive housing in the region. “That being said, people are mobile and experiences of homelessness are fluid, and we know that people have attachments and connections to multiple communities.”

While co-ordination and advocacy happen at a provincial level between municipalities, individual cases are often complex and deeply personal. Stratford is one community people are coming from, but the region regularly helps individuals from across Ontario who are in need of assistance.

“If someone is in our community and says, ‘I need some help,’ our service system stands up and helps that individual,” McEvoy said.

There may be a planned return to a home community down the road, but if someone is physically in the region and needs support, the system responds, he said. 

Shelter capacity, however, is a growing challenge.

“The reality is the majority of our adult shelters are at or near capacity on a nightly basis,” McEvoy said. “If there is space, our system would support them — but there might not be space within shelter.”

As of February 2026, there were 1,431 people experiencing homelessness in the region, including 1,014 experiencing chronic homelessness — defined as being homeless for at least six months in a year, or a year and a half over three years.

The stated goal is to reach functional zero, meaning fewer than three people in the community experiencing chronic homelessness.

A provincial crisis

The local challenges mirror a much larger provincial trend.

Nearly 85,000 Ontarians were known to be homeless in 2025 — an increase of almost eight per cent in just one year and nearly 50 per cent since 2021, according to a recent report from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.

Based on current trends, projections show that even under a steady economic scenario, homelessness in Ontario will double over the next decade and could climb to nearly 300,000 people during an economic downturn.

“Without urgent action, homelessness will become intractable, more complex, and more expensive to address,” the report states.

For people like Wreford, those statistics aren’t abstract. They’re faces in a rear-view mirror — stories unfolding during long, quiet drives between cities.

And for him, that one familiar face from the back seat remains impossible to forget.

“Seeing someone I knew in that situation, you could say that it woke me up. These are real people with stories and struggles, and when you take a moment to talk to them, you realize that what they’re really looking for is some help,” he said.

“I know the city and the province are working on it, but when you’re hiring people like me to drive them to a different city, that doesn’t feel like the best option.”

I have a 2022 6 speed Venue I got a year ago. It's at 60K, and I need to replace the manual transmission fluid. In the past, I did it a couple of times on my 2010 Elantra 5 speed manual. I can't easily locate the fill plug, found the drain plug right on the bottom. I'm guessing I have to remove the air filter housing, battery and battery tray to get at the fill plug. Anyone experienced with this?

I was 18. My dad was 41. We were driving on a 3 day cross country journey. Nothing to do but stare out the window. Reading in the car made me car sick. Nothing to talk about with dad either. The miles and hours went painfully by. Bored wouldn't begin to describe how I felt. Suddenly, my dad sneezed. A loud, ear shattering sneeze. I mumbled "bless you". A few seconds went by, and I saw it. There it was. A big, giant greenest of green loogies, hanging from the rear view mirror!

I stared at it for a few seconds before giggling kicked in, turning to laughter, turning to hysterical cackling. The loogie was swinging back and forth, as the windows were open, and it was now getting longer and longer.

My dad kept looking at me, wondering what I was laughing at. I was pointing at the now 6" long phlegm string hanging from the mirror, but he kept looking up and out the windshield, asking, "Whaaaaatttt? What's so funny out there??"

This just made me laugh harder. He still hadn't seen it and had no idea what I was laughing at. I now had tears streaming down my cheeks and was almost unable to breathe. The green slime was swinging frantically like a pendulum in heat.

Just as the loogie was about to snap in two, he spotted it. He reached for his handkerchief and wiped the mirror clean. He was not amused. I on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing for probably an hour afterwards. I retell this story a couple of times a year and for me, it's as funny today as when it happened. RIP dad, you were a character!