The City of Kingston plans to block access to part of Belle Park for an “undetermined period” in order to clean up an encampment near the city’s Integrated Care Hub (ICH).
It comes two weeks after a series of violent attacks in the area left two men dead and a woman in hospital with life-threatening injuries. The ICH has been closed since the incident and the site has remained fenced off.
Residents of the encampment can retrieve their personal belongings until Thursday, according to a media release from the city.
It states the closure will begin Friday and officials will use it to “undertake a cleanup and remediation of the area, which is the site of a rodent infestation and soil contamination that presents significant personal health risks to people in the area.”
The K&P Trail next to Belle Park will also be shut down and won’t be accessible to pedestrians or cyclists.
Overnight ban ruled unconstitutional
Officials have made several attempts to clear the encampment and even sought a court order, which was denied in November.
Justice Ian Carter ruled the city’s ban on overnight sheltering was unconstitutional. In his decision, the judge included an exception to Kingston’s parks bylaw allowing people who are homeless to erect shelters in parks from one hour before sunset until one hour after sunrise.
When the city tried to enforce a daytime ban on sheltering at Belle Park in April, police, bylaw officers and city work crews were met with protesters who used banners and logs to block them.
On Wednesday, the city cited the same bylaw that was at the centre of the court case, insisting it grants officials the authority to close a section of Belle Park and “prohibits all access to and use of the park, including recreational activities and sheltering overnight.”
The ICH and supervised consumption site it houses will remain closed while the organizations that run them “finalize plans to provide safety for all when they reopen,” according to the release.
It adds those groups have asked the city to keep the fence up and provide security in the meantime.
The city said it’s offering encampment residents off-site storage for their belongings, and will continue to try to connect people with indoor shelter and daytime services.
It notes Kingston’s emergency shelter system “continues to have capacity,” but officials recognize people may continue to shelter in other areas of Belle Park or other city parks.