On December 8th, Minister Coleman falsely stated that the Act emerged on the prompting of service providers. In reality, shelter providers have publicly lined up against the Act in its current form, including Atira Women's Resource Society, First United Church, Lookout Emergency Aid Society, PHS Community Service Society, and the Downtown Eastside Women Centre. The Canadian Mental Health Association has all also publicly expressed their significant and grave concerns with the Act.

Although Vancouver Police Chief Jim Chu has stated that the VPD will not enforce the Act, DTES residents and community activists remain skeptical.

According to Stella August, member of Downtown Eastside Women Centre Power to Women group, "This Kidnapping Act should be repealed and taken off the books. Why should we believe it will not be enforced if it has been enacted? We have already witnessed waves of police crackdowns and broken police promises such as the ticketing blitz; we are not foolish enough to
believe that this is another coincidence leading up to the Games."

Beatrice Starr, a longtime resident of the Downtown Eastside and member of the Power to Women group, states "The police say they will assist the homeless. But Downtown Eastside residents know well that the police are not outreach workers; they arrest, intimidate, and criminalize people every day. Increasing police interactions with residents will only increase tensions on the street, forcing homeless people, especially women, into less visible and more dangerous street corners."

According to Laura Track, housing campaign lawyer with Pivot Legal Society who is planning a legal challenge to this Act, "The Minister knows this is an unconstitutional law; this is a cynical strategy by the Liberal government to force poor people off the streets for the Olympics before courts strike the legislation down, which will unfortunately take months if not years."