Point Pleasant? Popular park as a homeless encampment site faces scrutiny

Halifax has accepted metropolis unit recommendations to designate 9 caller bum encampment sites successful respective salient parks passim nan region — pinch 1 being nan city’s historical Point Pleasant Park, a mostly forested area that is simply a celebrated attraction amongst locals and tourists.

In an emailed connection to Global News connected Wednesday, a Halifax spokesperson said “the circumstantial area of Point Pleasant Park for imaginable usage arsenic a designated location” is yet to beryllium determined.

Jonathan Eayrs, a Halifax resident who was retired enjoying Point Pleasant’s stepping trails connected Wednesday, said he doesn’t judge encampments are an effective measurement to reside nan ongoing lodging crisis, and arsenic a result, nationalist spaces are paying nan price.

“They request to look into nan guidelines causes of what nan problems are,” he said, adding that he believes further resources request to beryllium allocated toward improving nationalist shelter environments. “There are reasons why they take to beryllium there, those request to beryllium looked into.”

Eayrs said he doesn’t deliberation encampments should beryllium group up successful nationalist spaces for illustration Point Pleasant Park.

“Let’s say, Victoria Park, for example, erstwhile there’s difficulties, they person to adjacent it disconnected and nan nett consequence is nan nationalist can’t usage it. So, I spot these encampments arsenic fundamentally a takeover of thing that should beryllium to everyone,” he said. “When looking for housing, you usually talk astir our ain backstage spaces but not taking complete nationalist spaces.”

John Hamilton, besides stepping nan trails, echoed a akin sentiment.

“I mean, this parkland is for nan public’s enjoyment. It conscionable seems for illustration a bunch of band-aid solutions to thing that needs a batch much than that correct now,” he said, adding that he uses nan parkland regularly. “Definitely shouldn’t beryllium utilizing a nationalist parkland wherever group return their kids.”

Hamilton said Point Pleasant is an important area to nan full community.

“Doesn’t matter what clip of time it is, whether it’s successful nan greeting aliases precocious astatine night, group are taking their dogs here. There’s Shakespeare successful nan Park here. It’s a nationalist area,” he continued. “There’s a batch of history here.”

Despite disagreeing pinch nan parkland facilitating a bum encampment, Hamilton said he understands nan severity of nan ongoing lodging crisis, adding that improving regulations surrounding rent caps and tenancy could thief mitigate nan problem.

Pat McMullen, who was stepping her canine done nan parkland connected Wednesday morning, said her guidance would beryllium limited connected nan encampment’s location wrong nan park.

“If it was disconnected to nan woods and not interfering pinch everybody’s day-to-day activity past I think, successful theory, it would beryllium alright,” she said, adding that she wonders if location would beryllium further supports provided beyond conscionable nan abstraction itself.

When it comes to balancing nan needs of parkland users pinch those without entree to housing, McMullen said she’d beryllium “perfectly happy” to debar definite areas of nan parkland if everything was organized properly.

“I cognize there’s 8 different places, truthful presumably location wouldn’t beryllium that galore group here,” she said. “That’s nan different thing, really galore group are they going to fto in?”

Homeless numbers rising

In his position to Halifax councillors yesterday, Bill Moore, nan municipality’s executive head of organization safety, said nan caller locations will enactment arsenic a “pressure release” from different areas.

“If we proceed to spot nan number of those sleeping rough, who are going to beryllium doing that done a shelter aliases encampment, we will beryllium looking for further spaces,” he said.

The 9 caller locations see 7 connected nan Halifax peninsula, including Bayers Road Windsor Street Park, BiHi Park, Chain Lake Park, Cogswell Park, Glebe Street Park, Halifax Common berm and Point Pleasant Park.

In Dartmouth, Bissett Road Park and nan Geary Street greenish abstraction were selected arsenic designated sites.

Trending Now

All locations were chosen for their proximity to nationalist transit and different services, and for their region from schools, parks, gardens, aliases culturally delicate areas.

No timeline was fixed regarding erstwhile nan encampments would unfastened and really galore would beryllium permitted astatine each location.

As of June 25, Halifax’s by-name database has grown to 1,316 group experiencing homelessness passim nan city. Out of nan 4 locations presently acting arsenic encampment sites, 88 tents are group up successful areas said to beryllium suitable for astir 30.

In addition, metropolis unit estimated that astir 150 group are sleeping unsmooth successful municipality areas passim Halifax.

‘Least bad of unspeakable choices’

Coun. Sam Austin, who represents nan Dartmouth Centre constituency, described nan selected options arsenic nan “lesser evil” — though he says he understands nan challenges and apt backlash associated pinch nan caller locations.

Austin said existing encampment sites, specified arsenic nan 1 connected University Avenue adjacent nan city’s infirmary and Northbrook Park successful Dartmouth, are “spiralling retired of control” passim nan Halifax area. In addition, he said an encampment connected Green Road successful Dartmouth, matches nan size of a Lower Sackville tract that was dismantled a fewer months ago.

“If we don’t designate locations past there’s nary solution for Green Road and University Avenue. Northbrook Park falls apart,” adding that nan municipality might’ve not been forced to make this determination if nan Pallet shelters had arrived astatine nan primitively anticipated time. “If we don’t do thing today, that is what happens … it’s nan slightest bad of unspeakable choices and that’s each we have, unspeakable choices.”

Austin said if nan municipality doesn’t intervene and coordinate designated sites, bum encampments will “pop up” successful neighbourhoods that are not suited to grip nan capacity. As a result, he said a daycare centre adjacent Northbrook Park has already stopped bringing children to its location.

“There’s nary prime correct now earlier america that is simply a ‘no encampment’ action and that is sadly wherever we are,” he explained.

— pinch files from Global News’ Skye Bryden-Blom and The Canadian Press