City issues trespass notices to advocacy groups for 'interfering' with encampment cleanup at Barrie park

Tensions hit a high on Tuesday at Berczy Park as crews continued to dismantle a homeless encampment.

In the past 24 hours, city crews have been busy cleaning up the park, having loaded four truckloads with items left behind by roughly two dozen people.

The City says advocacy groups were interfering with the cleanup on Tuesday, alleging they were occupying tents that had been identified as abandoned and were to be removed.

"The individuals were advised that their actions were obstructing, the park was closed, and the actions could not continue.  As a result of their ongoing actions, the advocacy groups have been issued notices of trespass, which will be actioned accordingly," the City stated in an email to CTV News.

However, many argue that the City's actions are illegal, and Jeff Schlemmer, the executive director of the Community Legal Clinic of York Region, agrees.

"It's unlawful, and that means they have chosen not to follow the direction of the courts about encampment evictions, which they require before they can do an eviction. They have to offer, it's called truly accessible accommodation, to all of the residents," Schlemmer explained.

The County said it helped with efforts to relocate most of those impacted to local shelters or motels.

"There are a few unhoused individuals who have unique needs that the County and its contracted outreach provider are continuing to address.  Those individuals have not been issued notices of trespass," the City's email noted.

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Staff with the Busby Centre is leading the outreach efforts.

"We have been able to increase our spaces through the motel voucher program, so we have been able to move some people into those," said Sara Peddle, Busby Centre's executive director. Peddle said some personal items from the encampment would be stored for those individuals. 

City officials maintain that while they work on addressing the root causes of homelessness, they are responsible for ensuring public spaces remain safe for all residents.

"They need to be clean, free of needles and paraphernalia that pose a risk to young people," said Mayor Alex Nuttall in an interview with CTV News last week.

As for other encampments around the city, Barrie officials have indicated there are no immediate plans to clear them until additional shelter spaces become available.