The mayor of Barrie, Ont., has declared a state of emergency in response to homeless encampments and what he described as a rise in “lawlessness” within the metropolis. “Barrie residents have had sufficient,” Alex Nuttall mentioned in a information launch on Tuesday morning. “Since Day 1, I’ve been clear that encampments will not be acceptable within the Metropolis of Barrie. The individuals who dwell in tents might flip to sources obtainable,” he mentioned. “In the event you refuse that assist you can not keep in these encampments. Our metropolis is not going to permit lawlessness to take over our neighborhood.” At a information convention Tuesday, Nuttall mentioned town has seen a serious improve in encampments within the current weeks, together with a rise in crime. Nuttall mentioned efforts to handle the encampments will not be shifting quick sufficient and {that a} state of emergency was mandatory “to reclaim our streets, our boulevards, our parks, our squares, our feeling of security, and our order.” “These actions are mandatory as a result of size of time of lawlessness in our metropolis and as a result of improve in severity of lawlessness in our metropolis,” he mentioned. The mayor’s orders below provincial emergency administration legislation would permit metropolis employees to create a brand new process force to supervise the response to encampments, rent consultants and contractors as a part of that response and implement protocols extra aggressively.
Metropolis plans to dismantle encampments, mayor says
In an interview with CBC Toronto, Nuttall mentioned town plans to dismantle the encampments, whereas providing to assist these dwelling in them discover housing and different helps. The mayor says the primary precedence is dismantling the sprawling encampment exterior the native courthouse. “For the people who need assist, we will assist them. We will discover them these helps,” he mentioned. “For the people that do not need assist and wish to dwell in addictions, there’s going to be removing of these tents and we encourage them to go someplace that does not have the identical requirements with regards to encampments.” The Ford authorities handed laws in June — the Safer Municipalities Act — that offers municipalities and police “enhanced instruments they should finish encampments and clear up our parks and public areas,” in response to a provincial information launch from April. The legislation strengthens penalties for individuals who “intentionally and regularly break the legislation by including the brand new aggravating elements of steady trespassing and the probability to reoffend,” the provincial information launch mentioned. The laws additionally permits cops to challenge a ticket or arrest individuals who don’t adjust to an order to cease utilizing unlawful substances in public and to go away the general public place. WATCH | Extra on Ford authorities’s laws geared toward clearing homeless encampments: Ford authorities introduces laws geared toward dismantling encampments The Ontario authorities has launched new laws geared toward clearing homeless encampments throughout the province. Lane Harrison has the small print. It was handed slightly over two years after an Ontario Superior Courtroom justice dominated that Waterloo Area couldn’t use a municipal bylaw to evict individuals dwelling in an encampment in Kitchener as a result of that bylaw was deemed to be in violation of the Canadian Constitution of Rights and Freedoms. The decide mentioned an absence of shelter areas means the bylaw infringed upon Constitution rights. Nuttall did not say whether or not town could be invoking the brand new powers municipalities and police have below the Safer Municipalities Act to clear the encampments. The declaration comes comes after a double-murder investigation shut down a metropolis encampment this summer time. Police say the accused and two victims had all lived on the encampment.Crime must be addressed as separate challenge, head of non-profit says
Whereas speedy motion to handle homelessness in Barrie is required, individuals experiencing homelessness are typically law-abiding, mentioned Sara Peddle, the chief director of the David Busby Centre, which supplies emergency shelter and helps for these experiencing homelessness in Simcoe County. “I do not assume it is a homelessness versus housed perspective. When there’s lawlessness, there’s lawlessness and that must be addressed as a separate challenge,” she mentioned. Peddle mentioned the fact is that encampments live on as a result of there merely is not sufficient housing obtainable for everybody who wants it.
A homeless encampment alongside a avenue in Barrie, Ont. (Dean Gariepy/CBC)
“Final I checked on the info portal from the county, there have been roughly 2,000 individuals experiencing homelessness in Simcoe County. Effectively, we do not have 2,000 items for individuals to maneuver to,” she mentioned.
“So you understand, as a lot as we have all been attempting to place effort ahead to ensure individuals are supported the place they’re at, and in addition shifting them into housing, it isn’t fairly arrange for fulfillment, you understand, it is simply not.”
Nuttall mentioned he believes it is “fairly clear” the expansion in encampments are associated to the crime within the metropolis based mostly on what police and residents have skilled.
“I believe should you see a progress in, of encampments in an space and you then see a progress in crime precisely round that encampment, I do not see some other main points which have influenced that,” he mentioned.
In an announcement Tuesday, Simcoe County Warden Basil Carke mentioned the county is able to help Barrie handle encampments, together with utilizing one-time provincial funding to create extra housing choices.
“Right now’s announcement by Mayor Nuttall reinforces our shared aim: to make sure everybody who desires a roof over their head has entry to at least one,” Clarke mentioned within the assertion.
Requested to touch upon the state of emergency, Alexandra Sanita, press secretary for Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Rob Flack, mentioned the province “will proceed to work with our municipalities to guard public areas whereas making report investments in secure and supportive housing.”
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