Neither police nor bylaw officers will be on site at a Kitchener encampment on June 30, the day the Region of Waterloo says everyone living there must leave by.
In an email to CTV News, the Region of Waterloo said regional staff, bylaw and police will not be at the encampment on eviction day, nor will they remove people.
The region said they expect encampment residents to comply with the order to leave and enforcement won’t be needed.
Currently, there are dozens of tents still on the property. The region has estimated the number around 60.
At the beginning of June, the region said the camp had become unsafe and issued an order to vacate by June 30.
Earlier this week, a large demonstration in support of the camp took place in downtown Kitchener, asking the region to throw out the eviction order.
CTV News spoke to people living at the site Friday afternoon and asked if they plan to move voluntarily.
"Honestly I am hoping between now and then we can come up with a better resolution where we can all be happy – the community, city council and ourselves,” said Jen Draper. “Perhaps a more permanent space until we can find housing, or maybe we will find housing, there are a lot of empty units here in Kitchener, so hopefully we will be moving on to a better solution, but if one doesn't come up I don’t think we will be moving on the 30th.”
The eviction notice is set for 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 30.
The region said if people do not comply with the notice to vacate, it may need to seek direction from the courts on next steps.
