“Police aren’t going to be involved”: Halifax officials aim to avoid confrontation with five encampments set to shut down

Halifax is moving to shut down five encampments currently being used as tenting locations for people experiencing homelessness.

The municipality said it was “de-designating” five locations: Grande Parade, Victoria Park, Saunders Park and Geary Street green space in Halifax and the Correctional Centre Park in Lower Sackville. The locations were closed as of Wednesday, but people are being given until Feb. 26 to vacate.

Stephen Wilsack, a volunteer instrumental in getting electricity connected to those living at Grande Parade, said the news came a surprise.

“I’m shocked and appalled,” Wilsack told the Todd Veinotte Show on Wednesday morning. “It’s a tragic day and a tragic experience for those involved.”

“If you go visit the shelter you’d see what it’s like,” Wilsack said. “Many residents have been there and it’s a traumatic experience.”

The municipality said the locations were being closed for safety reasons because “better options now exist”.

Halifax CAO Cathy O’Toole said the municipality will have the legal authority to remove people who remain on a site after Feb. 26.

“Our approach is not going to be one of laying hands on people, and police aren’t going to be involved,” O’Toole told reporters.

Asked about the Aug. 18, 2021 confrontation, that saw protestors engage with police as municipal workers took down shelters erected at the site of the old library on Spring Garden Rd., Mayor Mike Savage told reporters he doesn’t “want it to get to that”.

“Give us a chance to work with them,” said Savage. “We don’t direct the police. We’re going to try to work with this in an empathetic and human rights way and try to give people some solutions.”

O’Toole suggested it would be municipal staff, including Street Navigators, who would pack up people’s tents and offer direction on where they could go.

In a statement earlier Wednesday, the municipality said there were safety issues involving the people living in the encampments, with Halifax Fire reportedly responding to more than 110 calls over the past year related to encampments.

“There has been violence arising from encampments, accumulations of human feces, biohazardous waste, weapons and drug paraphernalia surrounding encampments, significant food waste leading to issues with rodents, as well as uncontrolled fires and propane cylinder explosions.”

The municipality said it was committed to continuing to work to create options for people experiencing homelessness, including efforts toward affordable housing.

Wilsack said he’s worried about what will happen when people are forced to leave later in February.

“The city has other encampment areas that are still valid so some residents will go there, but there are other people where this is going to be the last straw,” Wilsack said. “There’s going to be a lot of mental health challenges.”

“It begins with a conversation,” said Max Chauvin, HRM’s director of Housing and Homelessness. “There are things that people haven’t seen yet, for example a Pallet village. We dropped the notice on folks this morning to say we need to move forward in a different way.”

Chauvin said the municipality was creating options to help people want to move, including by offering storage for personal belongings.

On top of the five locations being closed, Beaufort Avenue Park and Martins Park were also de-designated. The municipality said those places were not being used for sheltering since being designated last fall.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that police officers tore down shelters at the old library on Aug. 18, 2021. In fact it was municipal workers who removed the shelters while officers observed.