City crews dismantle homeless encampment in Barrie park

City crews arrived at a Barrie park on Monday to dismantle a homeless encampment where roughly two dozen people had been living.

The City issued a three-day eviction notice last week, informing those camping in Berczy Park they would have to vacate the area, leaving many questioning where they would go next.

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Early on Monday, crews put up a barrier at the park's entrance, noting the area was closed and there was no admittance.

"The City has had many complaints related to encampments. There have also been several fires in encampments this year, including two fires this past weekend, one at Berczy Park.  Camping in public parks is not safe for anyone," the City stated on Monday.

Around noon, City crews got to work, packing a U-Haul truck with items abandoned in the park, like tents, folding chairs, suitcases, clothing, and garbage. So much was left behind that the U-Haul must be emptied and returned to continue the cleanup.

In a statement, the City said it, along with the County of Simcoe, had been able to make shelter spaces available.

"The majority of the individuals within the park have accepted the offers of shelter. The City plans to issue notices of trespass to individuals who do not identify any unique needs and continue to be in contravention of the City's bylaws," the statement added.

The County confirmed all but five of the two dozen people living at the park had been successfully placed temporarily in either shelters or local motels.

"There are a few individuals who have unique needs that the County and its contracted outreach provider are continuing to address. In line with the guidance provided by the 2023 Ontario Court decisions, these individuals have not been issued notices of trespass," the City's statement continued.

Christine Nayler, co-founder of Ryans Hope, a not-for-profit organization which assists those struggling with addictions and homelessness, said the eviction won't fix the issue.

"Evicting residents from this park or any other park is not going to answer the crisis that we have in our community. All that's going to do is displace these people from their community, [and] from their support network. They are going to move on to another park and then people that are living in that area are not going to want them there. They will complain to the mayor and council about them being in their neighbourhood, and the whole cycle is going to repeat again ," said Nayler.