BRESLAU -- A petition is currently circulating online to prevent A Better Tent City from moving to Woolwich Township.
Residents of ABTC have been set up at the former Lot 42 in Kitchener for more than a year, but have until the end of June to find a new location after the property was sold earlier this year.
“A farm is an ideal place for us,” said site coordinator Nadine Green. “There’s lots of space.”
The group is aiming to set up in an agricultural area in Breslau on Spitzig Road.
“Housing is a human right,” said Green. “We all need a place to live.”
The petition against the move, which has garnered 1,200 signatures in less than 48 hours, is calling the proposed location ill-conceived.
“I really don’t think it’s a good idea for them specifically,” one Breslau resident tells CTV News. “There’s no amenities over there, there’s no transportation, there’s nothing. It seems like a bad idea for them.”
Other Breslau residents say they’re worried about how close the proposed location is to the high school.
“If there’s going to be drugs and other dangerous kind of activity happening then I’m not super comfortable with that either,” one resident said.
Green adds that services including food, counselling and health care will be offered at ABTC.
“Volunteers will help us, drive people into town if they want to,” she said. “We have 50 of the best people here and I think they should just give us a chance.”
Woolwich Township Mayor Sandy Shantz says she hears residents’ concerns, but says it’s a project worth considering.
“I would not say an outright no without working through some of some of the real legitimate issues the residents have raised,” she said.
The proposal for the move will be presented to township council on Tuesday.
