Shelter from the Storm (a documentary on homelessness and the activists who try to solve it)

This is my independent documentary on homelessness, activism and Tent City in Toronto. This is a longer version than the one which aired on CBC's The Witness series.

A group of homeless people set up camp on an unused city lot owned by Home Depot. Activists work with them to get the City of Toronto to take action on homelessness, provide support to the Tent City dwellers and ultimately to win affordable housing.

Cathy Crowe and Beric German of the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee are among the dedicated activists putting time and tremendous effort into shining a light on homelessness and the affordable housing crisis.

The late Jack Layton, later to become the national leader of the New Democratic Party, is seen here as a city councillor who becomes an important ally to the housing activists.

This was shot before high-definition cameras were easily accessible so the picture quality is not quite up to today's standards. I have upscaled this to HD size.

Thanks for watching,

Michael Connolly, Toronto and Montreal