The encampment in St. George’s Square received an eviction notice Wednesday stating the structures must be removed in two weeks.
A notice was taped to one of the encampment’s tents around noon, ordering residents to dismantle and remove “the violating structure” by 4 p.m. on Nov. 13.
One resident said there are at least two people living in each of the tents right now.
The notice comes nearly a month after the public space use bylaw came into effect, dictating where encampments can and can’t be. Enforcement wasn’t carried out right away, and just last week the city said it was still in an “education phase.”
At the time, the city’s general manager of operations, Doug Godfrey, said there was no specific timeline for enforcement efforts to begin and that they would be determined on a case-by-case basis.
In an earlier interview, Godfrey said prior to receiving the eviction notices individuals in the encampments had been informed of the bylaw and its regulations.
If encampments aren’t compliant with the regulations – in restricted or sensitive areas or encampments with more than five structures, for instance, a trespass notice is issued and the structure would be taken down by city workers.
The notice left in St. George’s Square states bylaw has “observed a structure consisting of an unauthorized structure of shelter in 78 Wyndham St. N, which is a Sensitive Public Space, in violation of the bylaw.”
It goes onto say the encampment is in violation of Section 3.5(2) of the bylaw – that a person must not do any of the following activities in a sensitive public space:
- Erect or occupy any unauthorized structure or shelter
- Obstruct the safe use and enjoyment of the space by another person
- Obstruct the city or its employees, contractors, agents and representatives from access and use
If encampment residents don’t comply with the order, the city will dismantle and remove the structure. Any personal property recovered will be held by the city, which the owner can retrieve within 30 days.
Failure to comply could also constitute an offence and result in penalties, though it doesn’t specify what those might be.
