Safe Streets Act

rdf:langString Safe Streets Act

rdf:langString The Safe Streets Act, 1999 (SSA) (the Act) is a statute in the province of Ontario, Canada. The Act prohibits aggressive solicitation of persons in certain public places. It also prohibits the disposal of "certain dangerous things" such as used condoms, hypodermic needles and broken glass in outdoor public places. It also amends the Highway Traffic Act to regulate certain activities on roadways. The Act was enacted by the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris and received royal assent on December 14, 1999. The Act was created in response to what was seen as the growing problem of squeegee kids on the streets. By 1999, it was very common to see squeegee kids on some of the busiest intersections where they would solicit motorists for spare change. The Act was affirmed by the Ontario Court of Appeal on a constitutional challenge after the Ontario Superior Court also upheld its validity in 2005. The Supreme Court of Canada has denied an application for review. In 2004, the province of British Columbia passed its own version of the Safe Streets Act, substantially a word-for-word copy of the Ontario version.