City dismantles tent encampment

‘People have to pay attention — this is our lives’

The gradual dismantling of the tent encampment on Wolfe Street began early Thursday and continued into the day, though it was unclear where the people living in those tents would go.

One man who calls himself Crazy Larry said he really didn’t know where he would stay after being kicked out of his tent.

“People have to pay attention — this is our lives,” he said.

City trucks, a backhoe, Peterborough Police and security guards were at the encampment next to the emergency shelter on Wolfe Street shortly after 7 a.m.

Alana Parisien, the housing co-ordinator for the Elizabeth Fry Society, was there; she said security officials told her the city was planning to break up the encampment Thursday.

But then police and city trucks departed; officers returned late in the morning in one unmarked car.

Two officers visited each tent to encourage people to go inside the shelter on Wolfe Street to seek help.

“It’s only going to get colder,” one officer told one of the men living in a tent. The man then went inside the shelter to speak with social service workers.

In a press release Thursday, the city called it “a co-ordinated effort to help” people without homes.

“Social services outreach workers were on site to help connect anyone experiencing homelessness with available housing and shelter

services,” said city communications manager Brendan Wedley in a phone interview Thursday.

Mayor Jeff Leal wasn’t there, but in an interview later Thursday he said he’s concerned.

“It’s certainly our view we need a short-term, mediumterm and long-term strategy to deal with homelessness,” he said. “It’s a priority issue.”

For at least six months, there have been tents around the parking lot to the east of the Wolfe Street shelter.

That shelter has been open since early 2021; it was meant to take in people when the city’s other shelters (such as the Brock Mission for men) are full, in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday morning there were 22 tents there. Activist Dan Hennessey estimated that somewhere between 50 and 60 people were living in them.

Now everyone’s dispersed, he said, out of sight from one another and at greater risk of drug overdose or freezing.

“Evictions (from tents) are not the answer — and that’s what Peterborough does,” Hennessey said.

“This is the most important thing right now: the lives of constituents in our city,” said Coun. Joy Lachica, who was on the scene Thursday morning.

Council needs to oversee the development of a “winter strategy” that can help people with needs such as counselling, she said.

“But for the moment we need to get people inside so they can survive.”

“If the plan is to come here and displace people, then we have a real problem — because people have no place to go,” said Coun. Alex Bierk, on Wolfe Street on Thursday.

Bierk said he’s concerned about breaking up “a community” of people without homes; dispersing them increases the likelihood that someone will freeze to death, he said.

He’d like the city to come up with a new approach to keeping people warm and safe.

“This (the overflow shelter on Wolfe Street) was only ever meant to be a temporary solution … It’s not working for everybody.”

“I’m mad as hell,” said Father Leo Coughlin, a retired priest who has many friends without homes.

Coughlin, 90, said he’s unhappy that the city isn’t leaping into action to shelter people.

“It can be done, if there is a will,” he said.

But please, he said, no more city council meetings over homelessness — they do no good.

“Get on side and help us,” he implored of city council.

“Help is spelled M-O-N-E-Y and P-E-R-M-I-S-S-I-O-N.”