Tent encampments stand
Monday was eviction day for dozens of people living at five encampments in Halifax Regional Municipality.
But the 15 to 20 still staying at Grand Parade aren’t about to relocate, says Steve Wilsack.
“Nobody is going to leave. They have no place to leave to,” Wilsack said in an interview Monday.
Wilsack, who has been staying and volunteering at Grand Parade for the past 101 days, said despite the municipality’s eviction deadline, no one had left Grand Parade on Monday.
HRM issued a notice to vacate on Feb. 7, saying it was deregistering the Geary Street green space, Saunders Park, Victoria Park, Grand Parade and Correctional Centre Park in Lower Sackville as designated encampment sites for people experiencing homelessness.
There were 55 people in those encampments as of Feb. 7, but city staff said 25 have found shelter indoors since.
Wilsack said the options that have been provided by the province and municipality are not acceptable for those seeking shelter.
“What the city said, and the province said is that they’re going to have a viable option for people to go, that wasn’t including the shelter,” Wilsack said.
But according to Wilsack, that hasn’t happened.
CONVERSATIONS ANTICIPATED
While people wait for alternatives, Wilsack said he doesn’t think compliance officers are going to remove people from their tents.
“I can’t see that happening,” he said.
Instead, he believes there will be “conversations with the various residents in terms of options.”
The city said on Sunday that it expected everyone to comply with the notice to vacate and leave the encampments the next day. Failing that, the city said it would take “a measured approach, where each situation will be looked at on a case-by-case basis.”
Police were not getting involved Monday. A spokesperson for the force said police had no calls for service in relation to the encampment locations.
CONCERN ABOUT SEPARATION
Nick and Sarah are living at the Grand Parade encampment
and have been homeless for four years. They have addiction issues but have been clean for the past two weeks. They say they're coping because of the support they get from Wilsack and the other volunteers at the site. They don’t want to leave because they’ll be separated. Shelters won’t allow them to sleep together. They’re also concerned about losing their privacy and sharing a small space with many people.
Nick said he was uncomfortable about a small protest that unfolded at Grand Parade Monday morning. He figured that the attention would work against him and the dozen or so people still living there.
“It’s setting us up for disaster,” he said.
Protests bring police. “We’re just really worried that we’re going to have our homes ripped out of here and have no place to go.”
In August of 2021, the city ordered homeless people evicted from their tents downtown. Masked police arrived with shields and billy clubs and pepper-sprayed protesters.
CAN’T GO TO SHELTER
There are roughly 15 people living a few blocks away, at Victoria Park. Jay, 42, lost his job during the pandemic. He had surgery, and now wears an ostomy bag. He’s been living out of a tent at the park since last April. He barely slept Sunday night, dreading he’d be turned out of his home.
He said he's not prepared to fight with police. If it came to that, he’d just find somewhere else to pitch his tent. He’s already picked out two potential locations. Jay said he’s on a waiting list for a Pallet shelter but has no idea what his chances are of getting one. He also said he can’t go to a shelter.
“I just can’t. My privacy is more important than a bed and a bathroom. I just can’t be in the same room with so many people,” he said.
“I’ve tried it, and what you find is so many people suffering with mental health and drug problems and the cornucopia of issues you have when you’re homeless.”
There were a dozen people at the Lower Sackville encampment Monday afternoon. Josh was still trying to figure where he’d be sleeping that night. He’s been told he’d be moved to The Bridge, a converted hotel in Dartmouth, maybe a Pallet shelter. It’s been a stressful few days for him and others there.
“There are some spaces that won’t take folks for different reasons, and everyone does have to leave so it is pretty difficult,” he said.
He said he’s grateful that a swarm of police officers weren’t forcing them out. He hadn’t seen a cop all day. A Salvation Army food truck that was making stops at each encampment arrived. “We really appreciate that,” he said.
“I think the city is giving us a couple days leeway,” he said.
‘A REAL TRAGEDY’
Lynn Macleod showed up to Grand Parade Monday to support the people living there. She said her heart breaks for those sleeping rough.
“This is a real tragedy,” she said. “I just want these people to be treated with humanity. Give them what we have: decent housing and some choice.”
While the encampments are being cleared, Mayor Mike Savage is chairing the Big City Mayor’s Caucus in Ottawa. The agenda is topped by housing and homelessness.
The Chronicle Herald asked the city Monday for specifics about where people left in the encampments will go but an HRM spokesperson said they didn’t have that information because the province is responsible for indoor shelters and supportive housing options.
On Sunday, the city said that the 25 people who had accepted places at shelters since Feb. 7 were sent to the former Travelodge in Dartmouth, the Halifax Forum shelter, modular units in Dartmouth and Halifax and the Waverley Inn.