Seventy homeless people have died in Toronto so far this year.

The figures presented earlier this week at a meeting of the City of Toronto’s public health committee showed that 46 of them  died indoors while four  died outdoors. The  place  of  death was not  noted for  20 others.

Most of the people  who died  were less than 50 years of age.

The life expectancy for Torontonians in general is 79 for men and 83 for women.

Dr. Eileen de Villa, the medical officer of health,  said that “being homeless is absolutely a significant risk factor for early death” in Toronto.

“Seventy deaths in a city as wealthy as ours is an absolute failure on the part of everyone, including politicians, ” Councillor Joe Cressy said at the meeting.

This is the  first year that the City of Toronto has tried to record the deaths of  homeless people.