After a tumultuous week in Memorial Park, with the dismantling of an encampment on Aug. 12 and the subsequent removal of the roofed pavilion on Aug. 13, a city councillor said Greater Sudbury will have a stronger presence around the park to prevent another encampment from developing.
In what was considered by outreach workers on scene as the most emotionally heated dismantling of the tents and structures in Memorial Park yet, the city elected to remove not only those living in the park, but later, the pavilion that had been available for rent to the general public, generating $123 for a half day and $240 for a full day.
The pavilion was lit 24 hours a day, which was attractive for safety reasons, as was the proximity of the Greater Sudbury Police headquarters, which was the reason many decided to set up camp in the park. You can read the story of the dismantling here.
Outreach workers on site then informed Sudbury.com the water to the splash pad had been turned off, as was the electricity that powered the lights and the outlet on those light stands. You can read that story here.
In response to Sudbury.com’s request for an interview on Aug. 16 regarding what specific actions and changes would be taken in Memorial Park, Sacha Novack with the city’s communications department instead sent a statement.
“In order to address health and safety concerns, the gazebo in Memorial Park was removed by a contractor,” read the statement. “The splash pad and power are functioning. Any interruptions to power that occurred last week were temporary and necessary to ensure the safety of those involved in work taking place in the area.”
Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc spoke to Sudbury.com as he was visiting the park, saying the water was turned off due to maintenance.
“Friday, we had a maintenance issue that we had to address,” said Leduc. “The water was turned off for a few hours, but we restored it and the water is still actively running.”
Leduc continued by first acknowledging the role of city staff, then the city’s concerns.
“I’ve got to commend my staff for doing such an excellent job in removing the people,” said Leduc. “And I want to commend the third party that was involved with volunteers and other agencies and making a smooth transition for the homeless.”
When asked the specifics of the third party, Leduc said they would know who they are.
“The third parties are volunteer groups, they know who they are,” said Leduc. “Then we also have the Homelessness Network, Centre Communautaire, we have N’Swakamok Friendship Centre. It was a combination of collaboration with all agencies within the city to make this transition smooth.”
To Leduc, the smooth transition that took place on Aug. 12 could be described as “respectful." “The respect that our staff, our parks department, our bylaw, every police and the homeless had for one another,” said Leduc. “These groups know each other by name, which I thought was very touching.”
Leduc added there was no choice for the city but to dismantle the encampment.
“Our staff have to move them,” said Leduc. “Unfortunately, for safety concerns here in the park, we had to move them.”
Leduc said that everything involving the city’s bylaw is complaint-driven, which coincides with the city statement issued to Sudbury.com that the dismantling action was in response to complaints.
“Everything is complaint driven,” said Leduc. “There were people that were coming to the park, our taxpayers that couldn't use the park safely. So unfortunately, for those reasons, plus we have bylaws for no overnight camping in the city, for anybody. So we have to adhere to those bylaws.”
In addition to the removal of those living in the park, several security-related actions have been taken, as per a post on Facebook from Ward 5 Coun. Robert Kirwan. In his post, Kirwan provided many of the answers that were not provided by the city’s communications department. Kirwan also commended city employees and spoke to the lack of “cooperation” from the homeless in the park. He also stated it was frustrating to see the work done in “good faith” by the city staff being “unfairly criticised by members of the public.”
As per Kirwan’s post, those security changes include:
- Beginning Sunday, August 15, uniformed security will be posted at the park seven days per week, 24 hours per day;
- Further, to address health and safety concerns with encampments within the band shell gazebo, a contractor was secured for the removal of the structure on Aug. 13. It has been taken down;
- Two uniformed contracted security guards will be posted on-site with a vehicle. They will actively monitor and deter anti-social behaviour, which includes the erection of tents or structures;
- Similar to other city locations such as the Transit Hub or Tom Davies Square, if security guards find themselves in a challenging interaction that does not require immediate police response, Security Enforcement Officers will be dispatched to attend, and;
- Until Sunday, contract security resources will be on-site overnight between 12:30 a.m. and 8:30 am at Memorial Park. For the remaining 16 hours per day, our on-duty Security Enforcement Bylaw Officers will patrol on-site.
In his interview with Sudbury.com, Leduc said there is a deep concern among those on council about the homelessness situation in the city.
“We are as concerned as anybody else about the homeless, and we want to provide as much safety as possible,” said Leduc. “We have been expanding our shelter to make room to help more people, but the services that we're providing are very good here in the city.”
Leduc noted the Sudbury Action Centre for Youth (SACY) cooling station nearby at 199 Larch is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, but also that there are those who will resist help.
“I believe there are people that do want our help,” said Leduc. “But there is a small group that does not want to help. And they have made that vocal to us. And it's unfortunate because we can't force them.”
But Leduc is hopeful about the future, including plans in place for the upcoming winter season.
“We've gone out with an RFP right now in advance for our warming stations coming up to season, so we're ahead of the game on everything,” said Leduc.
He also mentioned the $7.4-million dollar transitional housing unit to be built in Sudbury, as part of the Rapid Housing Strategy, that will be discussed at the next council meeting, Aug. 17. Read more about the potential 40-unit transition housing build here.
Leduc said he is looking forward to moving ahead with the build. But also, Leduc called for the public to be patient as the city tries to rectify the situation.
“Like every other municipality throughout Ontario or Canada, North America, we're all facing the same challenges,” said Leduc. “The mayor and council have reached out to different levels of government, Trudeau and for the ministers, because this is not a municipal problem. This is not to be placed on the taxpayers of Sudbury. So this needs to be funded by our provincial and federal governments.”
