Councillor pushes for 'overnight camping' policy for Chatham homeless encampment

CBC

a day ago

Michael Bondy plans to put forward a motion at a special meeting of municipal council next Monday.
"My motion basically would allow for overnight camping in parks, but not during the day," he said.
At issue is Chatham's large homeless encampment that recently was forced to move.
The community of roughly 50 tents was near the Thames River in the city's downtown, but upcoming construction work forced it to be moved. Since then, a lot of those people have relocated further east to a municipal green space beside the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) building — and closer to more homes.
"That would alleviate the encampment kind of situation that we're in," said the Ward 6 Chatham-Kent councillor. "Municipal land would be available for sheltering overnight, but then those people would have to leave during the day with their stuff."
WATCH | Confusion inside Chatham's encampment along the riverfront earlier in July:
Confusion, uncertainty for dozens living in Chatham encampment who have been told they need to relocate
16 days ago
The motion seeks to limit temporary shelters erected on municipal land to one hour before sunset until one hour after sunrise.
"I don't believe it's fair to the community that an area with soccer fields and a trail system has been basically commandeered by a small group of people that have affected the lives and, frankly, the property values. The businesses are nervous. Something's got to be done."
If supported, Bondy's motion would enable bylaw enforcement and police officers to remove, seize or impound property that is unlawfully found.
"I don't think it would be an arrest. It would just be a kind of a move along. I'm sure some sort of fine would probably be associated with it, but hopefully, there's compliance and that wouldn't be necessary."
Bondy says his motion stems from the concerns of many citizens who have reached out to him.
"Open drug use, garbage, noise, inconvenience. People feel unsafe. They feel that the green space has been effectively kind of occupied," he said.
"Frankly, I think a lot of these folks probably will decide not to do it and choose somewhere else because it's very inconvenient for them to pitch a tent and have to take it down in the morning."
'Significant issue,' says mayor
Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff hopes Monday's meeting will help find a balance between the rights of unhoused people and the rights of the area's homeowners.
More than 1,700 people have signed a petition expressing concerns about the encampment, and Canniff said Thursday he had 43 calls to return on the topic.
"I'm not sure that I've had an issue, that I've had that many people reaching out," Canniff said.
"It's a significant issue in the community, and we owe it to the residents to have a public discussion about it."
Unresolved issues
Since people have set up the encampment on PUC property, there was a plea from the Chatham-Kent Police Service for people to stop calling 911.
Ontario courts have upheld the rights of unhoused people to camp on municipal land if there are insufficient alternative shelter options.
Chatham-Kent has an expansive policy guiding where camping can take place, but Canniff said he will put forward new proposals at the Monday meeting.
"You're allowed to have an encampment or a tent within 10 metres of a residential property. ... When you look at London, for instance, [it's] 100 metres. Look at Sarnia; they put a kilometre. So, you know, we're 10 metres. … Do we feel as council that that's fair that someone can set up an encampment 10 metres behind your residence?"
Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Trevor Jones told CBC News the decision to move the encampment rests entirely with the municipality, but the Ontario government believes residential areas are not places for encampments.
"I am proud to support Bill 6 – the Safer Municipalities Act, which gave law enforcement the tools they requested to remove encampments from public areas and ensure the safety of residents," Jones said.