Police in Gatineau, Que., say they seized drugs and homemade weapons, and arrested 15 people, during an operation Thursday to clear a site near the Gîte Ami service centre and shelter.
People have been staying in tents near the former Robert-Guertin arena for more than a decade, before the number of people without a steady home skyrocketed in the region. The arena became a temporary shelter in 2020 early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
People continued to take up shelter around the building in the months that followed, drawing complaints. By late September 2023, more than 80 structures occupied the site, the city’s mayor said at the time.
Police said Thursday they had to move the remaining structures to a nearby park to make way for the arena’s demolition and to set up dozens of converted shipping containers to be used as temporary homes on the property.
Thirteen trailers were removed on Thursday after their occupants refused to cooperate, according to a police release issued late in the afternoon.
WATCH | Police clear the encampment near the former arena:
Police evicted some people living in trailers at a homeless encampment near the Robert-Guertin arena in Gatineau, Que., early Thursday morning.
A City of Gatineau representative initially issued eviction notices via loudspeaker and only one person voluntarily left the area, the release went on to detail.
A police officer then gave notice three times that those who remained were illegally occupying municipal property. No one left at that point, according to police. The remaining people were escorted outside the perimeter.
The trailers were towed to the municipal pound. In some trailers, police said they found more than 10 rounds of ammunition and homemade weapons ranging from billiard balls in stockings to a crossbow and arrow, according to the release. Officers said they also recovered more than 1,000 methamphetamine tablets.
Police arrested 15 people, two of whom were released without charge. Those who face charges are accused of a variety of offences ranging from possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking, to assault on an officer.
Further arrests may be made and additional charges may be filed, police said.
“Alternative accommodation options were offered to the occupants [of trailers],” the release stated. “The various city departments are working with community partners to enable the occupants of these trailers to recover their personal belongings.”