Officials clear out longstanding homeless encampment in Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park

On Tuesday, security officials were seen clearing out the longstanding homeless encampment in Toronto’s popular Trinity Bellwoods Park.

According to CP24, officials were enforcing trespass notices issued by the city of Toronto on June 12, urging residents to seek shelter indoors.

The city says that there are an estimated 20 to 25 people living in the encampment with around 65 structures standing in the park.

Residents of the encampment were reportedly given time to pack two bags of belongings, and were told they must vacate the park.

Any additional belongings left behind would be collected and stored for pickup for 30 days, according to the city.

"Camping in city parks is unsafe and it is not permitted, frankly, under city bylaws," said city spokesperson Brad Ross in an interview with CP24 Tuesday morning. "Parks need to be accessible and safe, and available for all residents of the city, including people who are experiencing homelessness. The difference here is that they cannot set up tents and cabinets."

After numerous attempts to ask the residents to seek shelter indoors, Ross said the city decided to enforce its trespass notices.

"At some point, you know, when we issue a trespass notice we have to enforce it. And we have been engaging with people living in encampments continually," Ross said.

"More than 20,000 times in fact since the start of the pandemic to encourage people to come inside where it is safer. And so today we are exercising the city's right, in fact the courts agreed last fall that the city can enforce its parks bylaw where camps aren’t permitted," he continued.

Also at the scene Tuesday morning were Toronto police, to help "keep the peace."

According to Lorraine Lam, a community outreach worker, the city is using violence to force residents to leave the area.

"I think that health and safety, the way that the city is framing it is very narrow, they’re not actually offering people really adequate spaces. The way that the city is approaching is really violent. We’ve counted over 100 police officers there and three bus loads of private security," said Lam.

The city encouraged residents of the park encampment to seek shelter at one of the city’s indoor spaces "where they’ll have access to meals, harm reduction, physical and mental health supports and a housing worker," according to CP24.

One of the Trinity Bellwoods encampment residents, who called herself Sue, told CP24 that she had lived in the encampment for 10 months, and that city-run shelters were often not a safer option.

"I think they know that they’re absolutely mistaken, that it’s safer moving into shelters. My understanding from everyone I’ve heard from is there are not enough shelter spaces even with softening lockdown there still are not enough shelter spaces for the huge number of homeless people in Toronto," she said.

Lam added that more often residents would rather live out in said encampments rather than face rising violence experienced at the city’s shelters.

"Data has shown that shelter violence has increased in the last year so why would people want to go there? So there definitely will be people who won’t want to go and will stay in the parks. I’ve seen from personal experience that they’re threatened with arrest so the options are 'do I go to jail or do I go to a congregate setting where I don’t feel safe?'" Lam said.

Three of the Trinity Bellwoods encampment residents, as of Tuesday, have agreed to move into the city’s shelters.

COVID-19, according to Ross, is a serious concern in encampments, with many residents saying they’d rather live outside in their own space than inside amongst others, potentially risking contact with the virus.

The city has reportedly vaccinated more than 11,300 people who either work in the shelter system or live there.

"We have zero outbreaks today in the shelter system so it is safe to come inside with respect to COVID-19. It is also safer with respect to things like fires and encampment fires. We’ve seen 114 encampment fires alone this year," Ross said.