City aims to clear encampment at park in Clarence Square
After two fires in three months, area residents demand mayor take action
The city has announced an “action plan” to address the encampment at Clarence Square Park in downtown Toronto, a week after Deputy Mayor Ausma Malik called on the city for support.
According to a statement from the councillor on Friday, the Toronto Shelter and Support Services (TSSS) team will begin work immediately at the encampment in a “safe and proactive approach.” Malik said the action plan is a new phase in the city’s work to shelter all those in the park, and will focus on “lasting results to ensure the park is a place for everyone in our community to enjoy.”
The park is just one of many encampments across the city. In November, the city cleared an encampment at Kensington Market after three fires occurred in a span of 10 months. Three months into 2024, Clarence Square has already had two, with the latest fire resulting from an explosion of a propane tank.
In an email statement to the Star, Malik said she’s met with city staff for the past several months to “accelerate work on areas of immediate improvement in the park.”
She also said there have been visits from Toronto Fire to educate about the removal of fire hazards and other debris.
“My goal is to make sure our unhoused neighbours are able to access safe inside space and services to support them on their journey to long-term housing,” she said.
Malik said that while the work could take time, the plan will ensure that residents are provided permanent shelter, which then decreases the likelihood of those individuals returning to the park. “It’s an evidence-based and humane approach,” she wrote in her statement.
Winnie McDonagh, a resident at a nearby condo building, said that she, with the support of dozens in the community, sent a letter to Mayor Olivia Chow last month demanding the city take action.
“I personally would hope they would find a place to move them all together,” McDonagh told the Star, noting residents in the area were concerned about the fires and frustrated with the city’s response.
In the letter, the residents wrote “the city is still not shouldering its responsibility to clear the park and allow residents in adjacent buildings to enjoy a public space which should be made available safely to all residents and Torontonians.”
The letter added that residents are “experiencing fear, stress, and anxiety” from the encampment.
“We have witnessed several incidents in the last few months, which raises heightened concerns from a public health and safety perspectives,” the letter read.
According to McDonagh, whenever there’s an incident, it’s flagged and brought to the attention of a community group chat with dozens of residents and business owners.
A man who has been living at Clarence Square Park since June 2023 said one of the biggest problems for those living at the park is access to electricity.
“They (the city) don’t let us plug into the electricity that’s out there,” said Brendan, who the Star is naming by first name only to protect his privacy. “It’s a lot less dangerous than having open fire pits or kerosene heaters or propane tanks.”
Brendan says he’s not fearful of the city disbanding the encampment at the park.
“If you’re gonna come in and bulldoze us, make sure you have somewhere to put us because we’re just going to pop right back up again, no matter what. You can’t stop it,” he said.
“We’re in the limelight, we have a lot of advocates fighting for us. Everyone has a right to live somewhere.”
Starting immediately, TSSS said it will be providing a minimum of two security guards on-site every day, all day, with two full-time community safety teams on-site and a staff trailer to follow.
Additionally, there will be daily cleanups from city staff and the installation of a second portable toilet. Regular and ongoing attendance by Toronto Fire Services will also be implemented.
Regular meetings of the Clarence Square working group, including local service providers and city staff, will be organized in an effort to “inform and guide the response to ensure residents are housed as quickly and safely as possible.”
The housing crisis has been a top concern among city officials. Last month, Chow unveiled her first budget as mayor, which included investments to protect renters and preserve affordable housing.
However, according to Diana Chan McNally, a housing advocate and community worker, the current precarity around rent means more people will still fall into homelessness.
“We are very, very far from a proportionate increase in accessible, affordable housing, let alone safe emergency shelter, which means people end up in encampments by default,” she said.