Toronto to spend millions on panhandlers

TORONTO, May 6 (UPI) -- The cash-strapped Canadian city of Toronto is set to spend $7.5 million to get panhandlers off the streets into homes and rehabilitation programs.

Monday night, the city's executive committee, chaired by Mayor David Miller, voted unanimously to expand an existing program that only deals with homeless people to include panhandlers, the Toronto Sun reported.

A study by the city last summer identified 408 panhandlers in the downtown core, the committee was told.

While the city ran out of money and closed municipal swimming pools and recreation centers last year, the panhandling effort will cost $2.6 million this year and $4.9 million next year, the report said. It will require hiring about 80 new staff members as well.

Committee member Giorgio Mammoliti defended the expenditure by saying it now costs about $17,365 per person each month when emergency services have to deal with panhandler calls instead of social services workers responding, the Sun said.