ARTICLE
1 June 2026

When Judges Become Social Engineers (Podcast)

GR
Gardiner Roberts LLP

Contributor

Gardiner Roberts LLP is a full-service law firm representing a bespoke client base, including major banks, municipalities, government entities, entrepreneurs, tech and growth companies, real estate developers, lenders, investors, innovative and community leading businesses and organizations.
Gavin and Stephen examine the Waterloo homeless encampment decision as a major example of courts moving beyond traditional Charter review and into the realm of public policy design.
Canada Litigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Stephen Thiele’s articles from Gardiner Roberts LLP are most popular:
  • with Inhouse Counsel
  • with readers working within the Insurance and Law Firm industries

1794390.png

Send us Fan Mail

When judges become social engineers, democracy starts to wobble.

Gavin and Stephen examine the Waterloo homeless encampment decision as a major example of courts moving beyond traditional Charter review and into the realm of public policy design. 

What began as a dispute over a municipal bylaw and a public parking lot becomes, in their view, a much larger warning about judicially engineered social outcomes, the constitutionalization of housing policy, the weakening of elected municipal authority, and the possibility that governments may increasingly respond with tools like the notwithstanding clause.


Listen For:

00:00 Is housing now a protected Charter right in Canada?

7:15 Why did Waterloo lose the ability to clear a homeless encampment?

13:11 Could this decision create new constitutional rights around housing and income?

19:27 Are courts replacing elected governments in homelessness policy?

30:41 Could the notwithstanding clause become the next battleground?

Leave a rating/review for this podcast with one click

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.

[View Source]

Mondaq uses cookies on this website. By using our website you agree to our use of cookies as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Learn More