Advocates address Kitchener councillors after camp-out in Victoria Park
Advocates addressed the homelessness crisis in Kitchener at a city council meeting Monday night.
This comes after a camp-out in Victoria Park that happened amid a warning from the city and under the watchful eye of bylaw officers.
The event was called "The Unhoused Experience: 24hr Challenge.”
Tents went up in the park but the group left the area just after midnight on Friday after bylaw asked them to up.
Ahead of that event, the City of Kitchener warned that fines or trespass notices would be handed out if tents were put up and if the event went later than 11:00 p.m.
On Monday, the city said no tickets were issued and those taking part complied with the bylaws.
The event was organized in response to a clash in the park last month, where three demonstrators were charged after the city closed off access to Roos Island in an effort to get those living there to leave.
The incident stirred up some controversy. A lawyer representing the encampment residents in court called for the Region of Waterloo to take a new approach to the housing crisis.
"That foundation makes the actions on April 26 and 27 feel like a train that has jumped the tracks," said David Alton of the Social Development Centre of Waterloo Region at the Monday night council meeting. "It is bumpy and messy right now, but the track is right there and we have the tools to get back on.
"With the help of community partners, it is quite possible to meet this standard going forward."
Organizers say the Unhoused Experience event stayed peaceful.
“It was taking up space in the park, being visibly present. We had a tent up – it was in defiance of the city’s order that there are no more campers allowed in the park,” said Jamie Stief a co-organizer of the event.
Stief told CTV News their interactions with bylaw were not unpleasant.
“So, it wasn’t that they were rude or aggressive. Again, I have the privilege of most of my interactions with law enforcement are not rude or aggressive, but it was clear they were asking us to leave and eventually we did,” Stief said.
The city said they’re working on securing housing for the two remaining campers on Roos Island, with access to the island expected to reopen in phases late this summer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'We are declaring our readiness': No decision made yet as Poland declares it's ready to host nuclear weapons
Polish President Andrzej Duda says while no decision has been made around whether Poland will host nuclear weapons as part of an expansion of the NATO alliance’s nuclear sharing program, his country is willing and prepared to do so.
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to New York from upstate prison
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said Saturday that the onetime movie mogul has been hospitalized for a battery of tests after his return to New York City following an appeals court ruling nullifying his 2020 rape conviction.
Central Alberta queer groups react to request from Red Deer-South to reinstate Jennifer Johnson to UCP caucus
A number of LGBQT+2s groups in Central Alberta are pushing back against a request from the Red Deer South UCP constituency to reinstate MLA Jennifer Johnson into the UCP caucus.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.