Wednesday, Marit Stiles, leader of the Ontario NDP, told Ontarians she will end the encampment crisis in Ontario — by forcing them to live like the rest of us. Sounds noble, except it’s been tried before and has failed. Stiles fundamentally misunderstands how Ontarians end up in encampments in the first place, as if there’s a direct line from losing one’s home to living in a tent in a park. Encampments have risen in Canada for a number of reasons, the least likely of which is the lack of affordable housing, as Stiles believes. Evidence suggests it’s mental health and substance abuse that are the major drivers of encampments across Canada.