In the face of an increasingly “uneasy” downtown atmosphere, Mayor Cam Guthrie is set to propose an idea he wishes he didn’t see as necessary – a prohibition on encampments and other temporary shelters in Downtown Guelph.
He’s set to introduce a motion to that effect for council’s consideration on Nov. 28.
“It’s actually extremely difficult for me to come to this moment. I did not want to have to come to this moment,” Guthrie said, adding he “consistently” hears concerns from downtown business operators about having to act as de facto social service providers rather than focus on ways to stay open in a challenging economic environment.
“My hope is that my motion is a motivator to actually try to find some solutions here because what we have been doing for a few years is obviously not working and it is becoming a growing problem in the downtown,” said Guthrie, noting the same situation exists in municipalities throughout the province.
“Within the atmosphere of the downtown … there’s this constant friction – wanting to extend one hand to those that are experiencing homelessness and the struggles they’re obviously having with their life, and on the other hand we have a public realm that needs to be safe and welcoming and thriving for people as well.
“Those two things are converging more and more.”
If approved as-is, the motion directs city staff to craft a draft bylaw for council’s consideration “as soon as possible” that prohibits erecting temporary or permanent shelters without permission on downtown lands owned or occupied by the city.
It would also prevent illegal, dangerous or flammable items that may cause damage or injury from being brought into the core.
“My motion isn’t about eviction only. It’s about options for relocation,” said Guthrie. “This will no doubt be a large part of this discussion through my motion.
“It’s a very difficult discussion and I recognize that.”
There is no specific timeline in the mayor’s motion for the draft bylaw to be presented to council – something Guthrie said was intentional, providing time for legal and other considerations to be discussed, as well as the County of Wellington’s planned housing symposium early in the new year.
“We need to find some solutions here and it can’t be that our public spaces are completely taken over. Public spaces need to be a welcoming and safe place for everyone, and that safety extends to those people who are struggling and using encampments just as equally as it needs to extend to those who are in the downtown realm,” Guthrie said.
“The problem is that the people who are trying to come and frequent our downtown and support our downtown, they’re starting now to not do it. That can’t be ignored.”
Guthrie doesn’t see his motion as the solution to growing homelessness mixed with mental health issues and addictions. That needs to come from the provincial government.
“We need help and to date the help has not come,” he said, noting the Ontario Big City Mayors unanimously approved a motion in June of last year calling for an emergency meeting with the provincial government aimed at addressing the various issues, but that never happened.. “We aren’t getting the resources that we need.
“We (municipalities) can take care of the other part, which is the business sector, business atmosphere, the public realm for our downtown cores. It is the lack of continued urgency on this crisis, the funding that is supposed to come from the provincial government, that needs to be highlighted in this situation.”
