A Stratford taxi driver’s chance encounter with an old friend has sparked tens of thousands of views online and renewed debate about how the city supports residents experiencing homelessness.

Rob Wreford posted a video on Facebook Aug. 22 describing his experiences driving unhoused residents to communities across southern Ontario, including as far as Hamilton, Owen Sound and Lucknow. The video, which has now been viewed more than 19,000 times, opens with a story that hit him hard.

He had realized midway through a trip that his passenger was a former high school friend — someone he hadn’t seen in years and who now lived on the streets.

“We were both blown away about how many years have gone by, and where I was in life, and where he was in life, and obviously he was homeless,” Wreford to

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