Residents protest as Charlottetown encampment cleared of propane tanks, other fire hazards

Charlottetown fire officials and police officers visited an encampment for people without housing on Thursday, facing questions from its remaining residents as crews removed propane tanks and other items that have been deemed fire hazards.

"Everybody just kind of come in and started taking everything," said Dave MacDonald, one of the people still living at the encampment.

MacDonald said he had crafted a forced-air furnace that officers confiscated.

"I've been asking a lot of questions on bringing this place up to par and asking for a lot of help and never got any. And now all of a sudden, there's a lot of help just here to give us the boot," MacDonald said.

Only about six people are still living at the Charlottetown Event Grounds encampment after the province set up emergency shelter beds at a site on Park Street earlier this month.

Now that he has no heat source, MacDonald said he's not sure where he will sleep.

"I don't know what to do. I'm starting to get anxiety, to tell you the truth," said MacDonald. 

'Frantic messages'

Charlottetown Green Party MLA Karla Bernard was also at the encampment Thursday.

"I started to get a lot of frantic messages from people saying that they were down here and they were doing the eviction, which is something that has been looming," said Bernard.

The province will not be forcibly removing anyone living at the Charlottetown tent encampment, the Department of Social Development and Housing said in a statement on Thursday.

"Just kind of making this a piecemeal eviction… is insulting and it's inhumane," said Bernard.

"I would love to see us offering some other solutions. We know that the [Park Street] housing units aren't going to work for everyone. We've known that all along, especially given they're not [open] 24 hours."

The fact that people staying at the new emergency shelter must leave the premises between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. is an issue for MacDonald, among others.

"What about people that are night dwellers, you know, like there's a lot of people that … they're awake at night and sleep [during the] day. Well, what are they supposed to do?" he said. 

I cannot think of another file that has been so pushed around like this, back and forth, in a very long time.— Karla Bernard, Green Party MLA

MacDonald also has concerns with some of the shelter's rules. 

"In your own home, you're allowed to drink beer, you're allowed to smoke marijuana. You're not allowed there," he said. 

People living at the encampment were issued a notice of compliance on Dec. 16, saying fire hazards at the site had to be removed by Dec. 19.

The hazard compliance order from the Charlottetown Fire Department said propane tanks were being stored incorrectly, jerry cans were scattered about and generators were not being used safely.

A representative with Charlottetown Mutual Aid, a group of volunteers that has been working with people experiencing homelessness, said those sleeping at the encampment want to be able to stay there and bring their dwelling structures up to code.

"This is three days before Christmas and it's right before a big storm and they've taken all of their heat sources," said Nouhad Mourad, who was at the encampment Thursday.

"They're effectively unhousing an unhoused population. Right now they have the stability of 24 hours. Is it ideal? Absolutely not. And I think everyone recognizes that. But what else is there right now?"

For folks here who have woken up with the city just coming through and taking their things, that's traumatic.— Nouhad Mourad, Charlottetown Mutual Aid volunteer

It's a human right to have housing and not have an eviction looming over you, said Mourad.

"For folks here who have woken up with the city just coming through and taking their things, that's traumatic," she said.

Risk too great, says fire chief

Items such as propane tanks, cooking appliances, and electrical cords need to be operated safely, said Charlottetown Fire Chief Tim Mamye.

"With the occurrences across the country — and I mean coast to coast — of encampment fires and tragedies, we're trying to avoid that as best we can here in Charlottetown, to make sure everybody's safe," said Mamye.

There have been fires at homeless encampments in other cities across the country, including Edmonton, Regina, Saint John, and Toronto. In Edmonton, a man died after a propane tank exploded. 

"We're not down there to take things away that are sustaining life, but we're down there to help support those people to live life safely," said Mamye.

Numbers have dwindled at the encampment in recent weeks, said Bernard, but that doesn't necessarily mean more people have a roof over their heads. 

"People are understanding that things are being taken away from them and so they're trying to find alternate locations," she said.

"So now their locations are completely unknown to us, so we're not able to offer any sort of support to people."

Neither the City of Charlottetown or the province wants to accept responsibility for the issues at the encampment, said Bernard. 

"Nobody wants to be responsible for this, and it's embarrassing and shocking. And I cannot think of another file that has been so pushed around like this, back and forth, in a very long time," she said. 

Province encourages shelter use

People experiencing homelessness are a top priority, said Thursday's statement from the province. 

"The province and community partners continue to work with individuals at the site and encourage them to move to the emergency shelter space at Park Street, especially as the weather begins to turn cold," the statement said. 

The new emergency shelter opened Dec. 9 and has space for 50 people to sleep each night. It is open from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. and people can reserve a bed there for up to 30 days at a time.

"I don't think a tent on the waterfront in Charlottetown in the middle of winter is someplace that anyone would feel as a comfortable place to lay their head," Premier Dennis King told CBC News in a year-end interview on Monday.

"We're continuing to work with all of those there to find the best solution."