‘They’ve taken all our propane, all our wood, whatever we’ve got for a source of heat,’ says encampment resident.
The City of Kingston and the local fire department have decided to clean up the Belle Park encampment after three “significant” fires over a 24-hour period.
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In a news release sent out late Wednesday afternoon, the city announced it would conduct the cleanup on Thursday. At the encampment that morning, senior leaders from the city and Kingston Fire and Rescue toured the property but were unwilling to speak with the media.
Rick Sero has lived at the encampment located near the Integrated Care Hub at 661 Montreal St. for two years. He agreed the fires this past week were a little too much.
“The city, with the fire department, has been here really cracking down,” Sero told the Whig-Standard. “They’ve taken all our propane, all our wood, whatever we’ve got for a source of heat. When we asked what we were supposed to do for heat, we were told by the fire marshal to go to a shelter.
“It’s kind of hard when you have a dog and you can’t go to a shelter, so I don’t know what he’s expecting us to do. We’ll just keep plugging along and hope for the best, and hopefully the warmer weather comes.”
Sero said he has been trying to teach other encampment residents how to use heating sources safely.
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The city hasn’t told him to leave the encampment, but Sero said its only advice to stay warm without propane or wood heating was to move to a shelter.
“They are not really saying leave here, but as far as staying warm, go to a shelter,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to go to a shelter when they don’t accept pets. That’s the one thing about being here is that it does accept pets.”
Sero said having access to the Integrated Care Hub gives people living around the area a place to warm up.
The cleanup includes disposing of various pieces of debris, including garbage and other combustibles. The release said this was “required to address health and safety concerns.”
The news release said that in order to do the cleanup, campers’ structures and belongings would have to be moved temporarily so heavy equipment could access the site. The release specifically noted that temporarily moving the campers’ structures is not an act of enforcing the city’s Parks Bylaw.
In November, Superior Court Justice Ian Carter determined the Parks Bylaw, banning overnight camping, was unconstitutional, while banning daytime camping was enforceable.
Wednesday’s release said relevant support agencies, including Street Outreach, Housing First, Addictions and Mental Health Services, Home Base Housing and Safety and Engagement staff would be on site during the cleanup.
The city said it would also provide campers affected by the cleanup with free bus passes, Tim Horton’s gift cards and a truck to help move their belongings out of the cleanup area. Secure storage bins have also been set up at 362 Montreal St. and will be accessible to campers. The address is also the home of Kingston Housing and Social Services and Ontario Works Social Services.
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