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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.