Questions remain after encampment eviction

Waterloo Region is conducting a review on the process workers followed to clear an encampment at Charles Street East and Stirling Avenue

Why were five people evicted from an encampment in downtown Kitchener on Friday? Why was a bulldozer involved? Who at the region ordered this eviction?

These are some of the questions advocates, local residents, municipal officials and the mother of an evicted man want answers to.

There are many questions, including what happened to five residents of an encampment in the Charles Street East and Stirling Avenue South area, which involved a bulldozer crushing personal belongings.

Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said regional councillors did not have advance notice of the eviction.

Vrbanovic said he asked regional Chair Karen Redman and the region’s chief administrative officer for a full review of the incident with recommendations on how to better handle future situations. “I understand that staff have committed to do that,” he told the Record in an email.

Just after 5 p.m. on Saturday, the region said it was conducting a review of the situation.

In the statement, the region said staff had worked with community partners over the past week and a half to support those living in the encampment.

“All individuals were connected to outreach and other services and made aware of supports and

available housing across the community,” read the statement.

The region said it’s had a process to connect those that are vulnerable with necessary services. Effort was made to be respectful of different opinions and to all involved.

Ward 9 Coun. Debbie Chapman, which covers the area the eviction took place, said she does not know why a bulldozer was used, but “it’s disgusting.”

“The region is in charge of providing affordable housing and to think they would remove people from the region’s own property when we have over 7,000 on the affordable housing waiting list and over 1,000 homeless people, is deplorable,” Chapman said.

Two bylaw officers enforced the eviction notice that was sent out by the region a week before.

Police were also present, but police spokesperson Cherri Greeno said officers were only there to “keep the peace and offer support to those in need, including assisting in finding temporary shelter.”

The Record reported on Friday that Shannon Burt, a man who was evicted, would be staying at A Better Tent City (ABTC) for a few nights. It’s unclear where the other four people are now staying.

Jeff Wilmer, the manager of ABTC, said he is only aware of one of those evicted using the shelter.

“It is deeply disappointing that unsheltered people have so few options, and that there is no identified place where they can set up tents without fear of being moved along,” Wilmer said.

“Those who are hard-to-house need a different solution — something like a sanctioned encampment where support services can be delivered effectively.”

Laura Edwards, the mother of Burt, said all of her son’s belongings were cleared with the bulldozer.

“This is a bad month of the year to be out on the street with nothing and to have everything taken away from you,” Edwards said.

“The people are already down on themselves because this is not the life they want. They want a better life, but there’s just not enough resources to get to where they need to be.”

Edwards said she found out that Burt was being evicted after she drove to the encampment and saw police at around noon.

“I knew something was going on, but I wasn’t told that it was an eviction,” she said.

Along with a dozen others, Edwards stood in Sunday’s steady snowfall and freezing temperatures in downtown Kitchener to show solidarity with the encampment residents and to call for better responses to homelessness in the region.

Sam Hiemstra, who was at the protest, said he was sad to see this happening on streets that were so familiar to him.

“It’s exciting to see this many people out, but it’s also really tiring and saddening that this has to continue happening,” Hiemstra said.

The crowd cleared after about an hour and a half, but the message behind the protest remained. Signs taped to a nearby railing had phrases like “shelter for survival,” “stop criminalizing homelessness” and “housing is a human right,” written in pen and marker ink.

Jade Jones, who also attended, said she was disappointed but not surprised when she heard about the evictions.

“I think the only solution to things like this is the complete reallocation of funds away from the cops and toward upstream preventive measures (like) housing and mental health care,” Jones said.

Kitchener Centre MPP Laura Mae Lindo, NDP candidate for Cambridge Marjorie Knight, and spokespeople for the region’s grassroots Yes In My Backyard group and Land Back Camp spoke to the crowd on Sunday.

“This is human life,” said Knight. Lesley Crompton, the financial and low income program co-ordinator with the region’s social development centre, questioned why people in the encampment were evicted after they’ve been living there for about two months.

“I find it concerning and disappointing that Waterloo Region, who is responsible for the homelessness to housing stability framework, is evicting people from encampments,” she said in an email statement.

“Many of the individuals in encampments do not deal well in a group environment, they need to isolate and do not fit in the limited existing housing solutions. Yet on a cold November day, we dismantle their homes and expect them to find a solution. This is not acceptable ... where is the humanity?”