The situation at Meagher Park, a tent encampment in Halifax that was ordered closed last month, has escalated to the point where a request for police intervention could be imminent, a special council meeting was told Tuesday.
Councillors were advised by parks and recreation staff that part of the problem stems from competing interests of protesters and groups — including the Freedom Convoy movement.
“(Meagher Park) has become a broader platform for the freedom movement across the country,” said Maggie MacDonald, parks and recreation executive director.
The virtual meeting was organized solely to discuss the homelessness situation, and allow councillors to question staff and the police chief. Some councillors didn’t mince words about the protesters on site.
Coun. Becky Kent said she saw no other option than for police engagement at this point.
“It’s not gonna be pretty,” she said.
“Let’s face it, folks. These agents who are suggesting to us and suggesting every day on the Twitterverse and every day in the public they are championing for these folks who are homeless, they are there for their own agenda.”
In June, councillors designated four municipal park sites where unhoused people could set up tents. The plan was to offer supports, as well as washrooms and potable water, in areas that were appropriate for tents.
Those sites were chosen to replace Meagher Park — also known as People’s Park — on Chebuctor Road, where unhoused people had been staying after the police-led encampment evictions in August 2021.
The municipality said last month that those staying at Meagher Park would have to leave by July 17. On that date, the five people staying at the park were offered hotel accommodations. The municipality said some have chosen to return.
During his presentation to council on Tuesday, Max Chauvin, parks and recreation special projects manager, said some residents of the park “are no longer willing to leave” and that some people trying to “help those in the park have been made to feel uncomfortable by protesters.”
He said neighbours have also reported “hearing beatings” at Meagher Park, but fear retaliation when reporting to police.
“We have people who have reported to us they’ve developed PTSD from those experiences,” he said.
The list of concerns, according to municipal staff, include a rat problem, property theft, property damage, needles and human feces.
Chauvin said neighbours have reported being threatened and being called homophobic and racist slurs.
“We have examples of stories that people would have liked to have shared with you but didn’t feel safe doing so because their name would be made public,” he said.
Chauvin said while some felt that Meagher Park was meeting their needs, the location is unsuitable.
“It is essentially 40 feet from a large playground structure that is very well utilized,” he said.
“It is next to a daycare and school and so the criteria that we laid on designating a location, Meagher Park does not fit.”
After the July 17 eviction date, Chauvin said the municipality became aware of “various groups” protesting at the park. Those groups include Halifax Mutual Aid, Permanent, Accessible, Dignified and Safer (PADS) Housing, Nova Scotians United, and the Freedom Convoy.
The municipality’s CAO, Jacques Dubé, said the residents and protesters will not leave, despite the municipality’s best efforts.
“At this point we do not believe that any of those efforts will bear fruit or result in the cessation of occupation of the park by the unhoused residents that are there, nor will it result in the so-called volunteers, activists who are occupying the park on a sporadic basis,” he said.
However, at least one volunteer at the park disputes this.
“Service providers have been coming to try to work with people, but to say that they’ve exhausted all other options and that people are so completely unwilling to leave that police presence is required, I think is a very big stretch,” said volunteer Callista Hills.
“I think they’re just trying to move things as quickly as possible.”
Staff said the municipality is using a “civilian-led engagement approach,” with staff visiting the site to perform “wellness checks,” connect those onsite with service providers, inform them of the closure of the park and explain the services available at the four designated outdoor sheltering locations.
As a last resort, the executive director could make a request for police involvement. At that point, Halifax Regional Police Chief Dan Kinsella would have to organize and present a plan.
Kinsella said officers have been assisting on a support capacity for months now, and are prepared for any requests.
“The municipality is now at a point where they are considering exercising an option to call the HRP for assistance and as you can appreciate this decision will change the approach from non-enforcement led to enforcement led,” Kinsella said.
He went on to later acknowledge the role of protesters, saying he knew “other factors were at play” and that “other individuals and groups (may) try to take part in the situation.”
“We’re going to take a measured approach. We’re going to evaluate the situation and evaluate the situation and the impacts and outcomes,” he said.
‘Feeling awfully nervous about this’
Councillors on the meeting voiced their support for municipal staff, and also expressed dread over what police intervention might mean.
“I’m feeling awfully nervous about this,” said Coun. Cathy Deagle Gammon.
“How do you do that and keep it balanced and not have a repeat of last August?”
Coun. Lisa Blackburn told the meeting that she feared they’ve “come to the end of the line.”
“We now have groups involved, they have their agendas, and only a desire to advance those agendas,” Blackburn said.
“Activist groups on opposite sides of the spectrum each fighting for their rights to occupy the park. Well enough. The park is closed. The conditions are abysmal.”
Mayor Mike Savage echoed the concerns, and added that it was vital the people who live at the park are properly assisted.
“We need to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to go somewhere. We can’t be mistaken this time,” he said.
Once vacated, the municipality intends to fence Meagher Park to perform reconstruction work to return the park to its “original state.” That includes assessing the condition of the park, cleaning the area and resodding the grass.
Unhoused population growing
Meanwhile, the number of unhoused people in Halifax continues to grow.
As of July 26, there were a total of 633 people experiencing homelessness in Halifax, 456 of whom are chronically homeless, according to the latest numbers from the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia.
During his presentation to council, Chauvin said the figure represents a 2.8 per cent growth over 56 days.
He added the long-term outlook shows a potential for increase in the number of homeless people in the next two to three years. Reasons include loss of affordable housing stock, continued dramatic growth in population, renovictions, high levels of inflation and the pending end of the provincial rent cap.
“The lack of stock is not just about of one bedroom apartments, it is a lack of apartments that are for larger families and housing needs to be on a spectrum, which includes safe spaces for people who are sleeping rough,” Chauvin said.
He said that people have “slept rough” in the community for “many years, and will continue to do so,” but that the figure has risen lately.
The municipality has in recent months worked with the provincial and federal governments on projects including construction of Halifax and Dartmouth modular units, support for hotel stays and pending housing projects by late 2023.
Most recently, the municipality designated those four sites where unhoused people can set up tents.
The latest update from the municipality released last Wednesday showed there were nine tents at the Barrington Street Green Space, with capacity for 11 more tents. In Lower Flinn Park, there was one tent on site, with capacity for three more tents.
At the Green Road Park in Dartmouth, there was one tent on site with capacity for seven tents remaining, and the Geary Street Green Space is fully occupied with two tents and three structures on site.
Chauvin also indicated the Dartmouth modular units are fully occupied, while the Halifax units are half occupied.
— with a file from Alex Cooke
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