Last tent gone from Roos Island

For the first time in more than a year, Roos Island in Kitchener’s Victoria Park is empty.

The final person who had been living in a tent on the island has left. As of Tuesday morning, their belongings are no longer there.

In an email, the City of Kitchener said the person was not evicted and staff have connected with community partners and confirmed they have appropriate care and shelter.

There had been tents on the island since the summer of 2022. For the last few months, only one remained.

At one point, the green space was home to dozens of people experiencing homelessness.

Then in April, the city fenced off public access to Roos Island as staff worked to relocate people who had been living there.

It’s been blocked off ever since. The city says staff are completing rehabilitation work, including repairing the Heritage Bridge, upgrading the bandstand and doing landscaping.

Initially the island was set to reopen during the fall, but there were delays.

In November, the city announced the island would be closed until spring of 2024.

On Tuesday, the city said reopening plans remain unchanged. A partial reopening, including access to the pathway on the island, is set for early spring. Roos Island is expected to fully reopen in the late spring.

Park goers say they're excited to use the space again.

"I'm hoping that the city has good plans for it," said frequent park visitor Nicole Robert. "I'm glad that it's clear of people living there and I'm looking forward to accessing it on a public basis. I hope it's soon."

"We walked through there all the time and there were some events on the island as well, like at Easter time there was an egg hunt and things like that," said Katie Watkins, who was in the park on Tuesday. "So [I'm] excited to see it reopen for sure."