Halifax removes structure at homeless encampment

Municipal workers in Halifax have removed a structure from a local park being used by unhoused people, renewing concerns about homeless encampments and the lack of adequate shelter in the city.

Meagher Park in Halifax's west end neighbourhood — called the People's Park by some living and volunteering there — has been used regularly by people experiencing homelessness since tents and wooden shelters were removed from a downtown park last summer.

Laura Patterson, a park volunteer and social justice advocate, said the structure was being built at the park to safely store food for unhoused people who have nowhere else to go.

"Once the weather started doing the freeze and thaw, the food would end up covered in mud and much of it was ruined," she said in an interview on Sunday.

The shed-like structure was slated to serve as a space for storing food and preparing simple meals, Patterson said.

Construction was nearly complete when police arrived at the park and asked organizers to remove the unpermitted structure — or face fines and possibly arrests, she said.

City workers arrived Saturday night around 10 p.m. to dismantle the makeshift building that was roughly 12 by 12 feet large and 10 feet high and remove leftover lumber, Patterson said.

"We're all a little shocked," she said. "It's desperate. The shelters are all full. These people have nowhere else to go and they need to eat."

City councillor Shawn Cleary said the city has allowed people to camp in parks until adequate housing can be provided.

At Meagher Park, he said Halifax has also set up a portable toilet and hygiene station, and the fire department has provided a safe wood-burning appliance.

But the structure being built over the weekend violated multiple municipal bylaws and was a fire hazard, Cleary said. He added that two similar sheds have burned down in recent months, one of which was fatal.

"Once the municipality is aware of a danger on their premises, it has to take steps to mitigate that danger," he said.

In a statement, the city said the structure was "illegal and unsafe" and police asked park organizers to remove the structure.

"A number of hours later, when the structure had not been voluntarily removed, municipal staff began removal efforts," the city said in the statement. "No other items, including tents, temporary shelters, or food, were removed."

The lack of adequate housing in the city has been in the spotlight since a large homeless encampment outside a shuttered library on the city's Spring Garden Road was removed in August.

Halifax police made multiple arrests and pepper-sprayed protesters as officials worked to clear tents and other temporary shelters from the green space.

Advocacy groups in Halifax have warned that the housing crisis has only worsened since then, as rapidly increasing rents and a low vacancy rate increase the dire need for more temporary shelters and permanent housing in the city.

Halifax Regional Council recently approved additional funding for new modular units for unhoused people, while the Nova Scotia government has invested in affordable rental units.

'"People need housing but they also need more support," Patterson said. "If we put them in places with curfews and substance-abuse rules ... they're set up to fail right from the beginning."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2022.