Hold off on enforcing encampment evictions, regional councillor urges

Regional Coun. Rob Deutschmann wants politicians to shoulder the responsibility of whether or not to evict people living on regionally owned land at 100 Victoria St. N. in Kitchener and 150 Main St. in Cambridge.

Deutschmann will present a notice of motion at a committee meeting Tuesday asking council to agree not to enforce evictions at the regionally owned properties, until council can review the two sites and vote on how to move forward.

That’s regardless how a Superior Court justice may rule on the region’s injunction application to remove people from the 100 Victoria camp.

“I think that because the eviction on Victoria is in a high-profile location, is a high-profile issue in the community, that is something that shouldn’t be left to staff,” Deutschmann said in an interview. “This is something that councillors should make a decision on, after having a full review of what has been done.”

Justice Michael Valente is expected to issue a decision in coming weeks on an injunction application made by during previous term of council that would allow police to remove and detain unsheltered people living in tents at the corner of Weber and Victoria.

The current encampment policy that the region developed after a controversial camp clearing on Stirling Street in Kitchener says only that the commissioner of community services has to notify council of planned evictions, Deutschmann said.

The policy needs to go further and require council review and direction, he said.

“At the end of the day, council bears this, and I just want to be satisfied that all steps have been taken,” he said.

He isn’t convinced that’s the case for Victoria camp, which has been on the site since last December. An eviction notice for June 30 was posted in early June.

“They’ve been there for so long now, whether it’s safe or not, there hasn’t been any circumstance that says there needs to be an immediate eviction because it hasn’t been done,” Deutschmann said. “We posted the June 30 vacate sign and then did nothing.”

Regional Coun. Doug Craig, who represents Cambridge, said he doesn’t fully support all aspects of the motion and will need clarification from Deutschmann.

“I’m in favour of moving people out of encampments when there is transitional or shelter space available,” he said.

“In all evictions, I want to be notified along with all members of regional council.

“Encampments are not safe or healthy for the individuals living there.”

The region went to court in early July asking guidance on how to evict people who have been living at the site for about a year and said in court arguments and documents that it wanted to set a precedent for other removals.

Deutschmann’s motion is specific to 100 Victoria St. N. and 150 Main St. in Cambridge, not a motion to ban evictions.

“At the end of the day, if you say absolutely no evictions, who knows what potential circumstances there could be where eviction is necessary (elsewhere),” he said.