A new report on tent communities across Canada calls for urgent action from all levels of government to end what the federal housing advocate described as a "life or death crisis."

Marie-Josée Houle said her report, released Tuesday, is the first of its kind in Canada, and the report – titled Preserving Dignity and Human Rights – outlines six calls to action to address the ongoing homeless camps across Canada.

Houle told CBC News: "It’s a physical manifestation of how broken our housing and homelessness system is from coast to coast in Canada, it needs urgent action," "The government must move immediately to save lives."

Houle launched a review of homeless camps in February 2023 and released an interim report in October. The final report comes as communities across the country struggle with camps and populations without safe and stable shelter.

According to the final report, between 20 to 25 percent of the homeless across the country live in tent camps, which affects not only many cities but also rural areas, including northern Saskatchewan, Labrador, and Nunavut.

Houle’s report calls for the implementation by August 31 of the National Camps Response Plan, which would ensure that those living in camps receive basic necessities, such as clean water, food, and health care.

It also calls for rapid solutions to permanent housing issues driven by federal, provincial, and municipal governments, which rely on people’s lived experiences.

Houle said it’s a life-or-death issue for many people: "We need immediate action and then we need some longer-term measures."

"The government ... is really good at immediate response, but they forget the last piece, which is about permanent solutions.

Housing supply is not the only cause of the crisis

Houle said the federal government already suffers from housing supply issues as the main cause of homelessness.

She added that while some temporary housing solutions are better than others, they are often unhealthy and cause people to miss the need for long-term measures.

She continued, "Shelters are important, they are there for emergencies, and not a place to live."

"Just because people experiencing homelessness are no longer visibly homeless to the public, [this] does not mean they are no longer at risk or that the issue is solved."

In St. John’s, concerns about shelters are not new. The tent camp sprang up across the street from the Confederation Building, the provincial government’s headquarters, in October. The camp later moved to Bannerman Park downtown, and was reduced from 40 at its peak to about ten people.

Mark Wilson, a housing lawyer who volunteered his time at the city camp, said it’s not surprising that some people prefer a night in a tent rather than staying overnight in a shelter.

He said, "Some of them are disgusting, so why do you want to be there? There are safety issues in shelters, too. Their things have been stolen."

"There’s a reason why people are still here and whatever the reason, they think it’s better than what’s being offered."

He agrees that for those choosing a tent over a shelter, adequate support should be provided rather than taken away – as happened in St. John’s at the end of November, when City Hall briefly closed public bathrooms in Bannerman Park, citing increased vandalism. The city reversed its decision after two days following public protest.

Wilson said: "People need water, people need food, people need warmth. These are basic human rights," "We had to fight for the bathrooms here. These kinds of things shouldn’t happen."

The St. John’s lawyer said new solutions are needed for the broken system, while a tent camp report is a "step in the right direction," everything depends on the political will to find solutions.

Wilson said: "Here in St. John’s, it will get worse if the federal, provincial, and municipal governments don’t work together to eradicate this issue."

"The same solutions that have been offered for months are being presented, so they haven’t been heard. What they want is a home. What they want is a closed door they can feel safe behind."

Houle said listening to people across the country who have experienced homelessness will be critical to successfully addressing the issue.

She added: "What they say is valuable because they carry a very unique perspective of what they are living and what solutions the solutions need."

Houle hopes the report’s recommendations will spark meaningful discussions, "It’s not about politics. It’s about saving lives. Lives matter. And no one thinks camps are a solution. They certainly are not. But that is what people choose. And Canada must have something in place to ensure that this is no longer what people choose."

The report will now be submitted to federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser, who, under the National Strategy Act, must respond in writing by June 12.