Halifax starts cleaning up encampment sites
Municipality says it has advised people living rough to collect their belongings
Halifax will begin cleaning up tent encampment sites around the municipality, but it's not clear how much time people at Victoria Park, Grand Parade and Correctional Centre Park will have to pack up their belongings before it's considered abandoned.
"In the coming days, any items that have not been removed, or packed for storage, will be considered abandoned and these items will be placed in the disposal containers by municipal staff," the municipality said in a news release on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the municipality wouldn't say exactly when belongings would be considered abandoned and thrown out, only that people at those sites were advised to take immediate action to prepare their things for storage or transportation. The municipality is offering short-term storage for 30 days as well as large waste disposal containers.
Electricity will be cut off at Grand Parade and Correctional Centre Park on Friday morning.
Ron Richards, who is living at Grand Parade with his pregnant wife, said he is hoping the city doesn't follow through.
"But if they do, I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know what my wife is going to do," he said. "We're just trying to live day by day right now, find housing, and housing here in Halifax is just real, real hard right now."
Steve Wilsack, who has been volunteering at the Grand Parade for the past three months, called the move "appalling."
"I am pleading — don't move people unless there's a place for them to go."
More options available now, mayor says
"The number of tents outside city hall has gone down significantly, the same with Victoria Park and at the ball field in [Lower Sackville], so there's progress that's being made and there's more to do," Mayor Mike Savage told CBC's Information Morning on Wednesday.
The mayor said there had been "well in excess of 30 tents" at Grand Parade, and now he estimates it's down to 10. He said Victoria Park had more than 40 tents and now it has nine. He said there was a similar decline at Correctional Centre Park in Lower Sackville and at Saunders Park.
"We have a responsibility from a human rights point of view to make sure that people have housing that suits their needs. We didn't close the encampments when we opened the [homeless shelter at the Halifax Forum] because we know some people just cannot go into a shelter situation," Savage said.
In terms of timing, Savage said there is suitable housing for people now.
"We have always said we won't move people off public land until there's a location for them to go. We are now told that there is," he said.
People living at Victoria Park, Grand Parade, Correctional Centre Park, Saunders Park and the Geary Street green space were advised on Feb. 7 that they would need to leave by Feb. 26.
As of Feb. 23, the municipality said Saunders Park has been cleared out and is currently closed to the public for "clean up efforts."
"The Province of Nova Scotia has assured the municipality that there are enough spaces available in indoor shelters and supportive housing options for everyone in the de-designated locations," the municipality said in the news release.
Goal is to get people inside, premier says
Premier Tim Houston told reporters on Wednesday that the government's goal is to get people inside, in safe, secure situations.
"We'll make sure there's shelter spaces available, we'll make sure there's alternative living arrangements for people. We've done that, we'll continue to do that," Houston said.
Nova Scotia NDP Leader Claudia Chender said shelters are for emergencies. She said there's nothing for people to transition to after being in a shelter.
"At the end of the day, it is the role of the province to ensure that there is sufficient housing for people. They have fallen down on that responsibility. And so we will be looking for different options to be made available for the people who are still sleeping rough," Chender said.
Green Road Park
The municipality said there were around 55 people sheltering outdoors at the sites on Feb. 7. It says the latest numbers show there are 29 people who are still sheltering there.
"The province, service providers and navigators are discussing appropriate indoor sheltering or transitional housing options with those experiencing homelessness in the remaining locations," the municipality said.
Security staff that had been at Grand Parade will be reallocated to Green Road Park, which the municipality said is currently the most populated designated outdoor sheltering location. A large waste container is also being made available for people sleeping rough there to get rid of anything they don't want to keep.
Indoor shelters will be available for anyone who would like to move indoors, the municipality said. It also said teams will check in with people in encampments to ensure they know options are available to them.
With files from Information Morning, Jean Laroche, and Taryn Grant