Campout held in Victoria Park meant to underscore homelessness crisis
An event spanning 24 hours with the aim of bringing attention to homelessness was held at Victoria Park Friday night, despite city staff saying the plan could violate bylaws.
The event is called "The Unhoused Experience: 24hr Challenge" and started at 6 p.m.
Late Friday night, CTV News was told the event had been peaceful, as only a handful of people could be seen around the fire.
"For us, the city saying no one is allowed to be in the park, in a tent, or anything after 11 p.m., that's the reality that we're demonstrating through this event," said co-organizer Jaime Stief. "If people have nowhere safe to go, they have to find somewhere to go."
The event comes one month after protestors gathered outside an encampment in Victoria Park after the City of Kitchener closed public access to Roos Island as part of an effort to relocate people living in an encampment there.
The event was organized by Fight Back KW and The Alan Ryan People’s Defense Brigade, which are described as anti-poverty social justice groups.
Organizers say the experience is meant to show what living rough is like on a daily basis, which includes being told where they're allowed to sleep.
"When we hear people say that, 'camping in tents gives me that autonomy I need to feel sane' and the city saying 'get out of the park', we're seeing a conflict and we're not seeing a resolution coming from the city," said Stief.
BYLAW ENFORCEMENT
The City of Kitchener said municipal bylaws do not allow tents or other structures to be in the park, and they communicated that to organizers of the event.
In an email to CTV News, the city said if requests to dismantle structures are ignored, bylaw officers will hand out trespass notices, and in extreme circumstances, will issue a fine of up to $5,000 and may ask police to provide assistance
A park bylaw states all events must end by 11 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.