Encampment activists protest at City of Hamilton works yard

Members of the Hamilton Encampment Support Network continue to protest outside a city works yard.

The activists - a few dozen of them - gathered outside the parks and recreation facility at Chedoke Golf Course Friday morning to block crews from leaving.

They aim to prevent the city from dismantling encampments of homeless people at parks across Hamilton.

Demonstrators called for a permanent moratorium on encampment teardowns.

Encampment residents are forced to disappear into the escarpment, away from their own communities where they are in a lot more danger than they were," said network member Eshan Merali.

We are here because we want the city to stop evicting unhoused people."

We've seen that displacement kills people," Merali added, noting increases in police budgets and surpluses don't go toward housing.

By 8:30 a.m., a line of parks vehicles attempting to leave the yard had formed. Protesters were blocking their exit at the yard gate.

But by 9:15 a.m., the trucks backed up from the queue and returned to their parking areas.

Police are at the demonstration speaking with city staff and the protesters.

Network member Merima Menzildzic said the group is in talks with police, bylaw and union representatives.

Police spokesperson Jackie Penman said officers spoke with the demonstrators upon arrival.

We'll continue to monitor to ensure the safety of those in attendance."

The police liaison team has been in talks with the network. The team is deployed to rallies and protests, Penman noted.

We would make contact with the organizers and say, What's your goal?' ... and we work with the group to ensure the safety of everybody involved."

City officials haven't yet responded to The Spectator's request for comment.

Members of the network have increased their efforts since the city broke up a large encampment on Ferguson Avenue North in the fall of 2020.

The young activists have offered support to people in tents, organized demonstrations at sites and publicized encampment clearings through social media.

The growing presence of encampments amid concurrent crises - housing, opioids and COVID-19 - has fuelled a polarizing public debate.

Some residents have pushed city politicians to rid parks of tents, citing frustrations over discarded needles, noise, theft and human feces.

Others urge councillors to let homeless people stay put until affordable options that take into account challenges like addiction and mental health are available.

City officials acknowledged a gap in health services that help keep people with acute needs off the street, even if affordable units are available.

They have also acknowledged a crunch in suitable shelter spaces, especially in the women's sector, a long-standing problem.

But the urgency is greater as the cold weather sets in.

The city's housing division expects to report on its winter plan Nov. 18 and on ways to further bolster services, including considerations for the ongoing pandemic, in December.

Before COVID-19 struck in March 2020, Hamilton had 326 shelter beds system-wide, a number since expanded to 615 spaces.

Amid the pandemic, more than 70 people have been housed directly from encampments, the city says.

As of late September, roughly 100 people lived in tents across the city, according to court documents.

People offer many reasons for not staying in shelters, including drug-use prohibitions, curfews, theft, coronavirus, unavailable beds and service restrictions for behaviour that can be linked to addiction or mental illness.

Teviah Moro is a Hamilton-based city hall reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: tmoro@thespec.com