NCC posts eviction notice for tent city residents

Citing health and safety risks, the National Capital Commission posted an eviction notice at a tent city near Bayview Station on Sunday, giving its residents until Monday to vacate the encampment with their belongings.

The eviction comes after a fire on the site Nov. 24 and verbal requests on Nov. 29 by the NCC and the City of Ottawa that the tent city’s homeless occupants pack up “once they had been offered housing,” the notice said.

In its reasons for eviction, the NCC cited exposure risk, fire risk, restricted access for emergency responders and “a lack of basic services and sanitation.”

Last Wednesday, the notice said, the city confirmed that everyone living at the site had been “assessed to determine their housing and support needs,” matched with a case manager at the city’s Housing First program and supported in applying to the social housing registry.

“Ongoing efforts are being made by the city and its community partners to secure permanent housing for the individuals staying at the tent encampment,” the notice read. “This includes offering temporary housing options, transportation to emergency shelter and offers of hotel rooms until permanent accommodations can be secured.”

Social services staff will be available to help residents move to these new accommodations, the notice said. It is illegal to camp on NCC property that hasn’t been designated for it.

“After today, the NCC or any peace officer may take the necessary steps to enforce this notice,” the notice read.

Any items removed from the site will be stored for 15 days. Pickup arrangements can be made by calling 613-239-5000.

“As we issue this notice, we are conscious of the difficult situation that individuals staying in the encampment may be experiencing, but also deeply concerned about the health and safety risks to which these individuals are exposed.”

The notice is signed by NCC vice-president Anne Ménard.

A visit to the tent city by the Citizen on Sunday evening found much of the encampment still intact, though no one was on site.