Halifax's Meagher Park, used as encampment by homeless, cleared out and fenced off
Halifax city workers and police on Friday cleared a park close to downtown that was being used for the last year as an encampment by homeless people, who were sleeping there in tents and wooden shelters.
Meagher Park was "physically secured" by city staff while officers were on hand to assist, police said in a statement issued early Friday morning, adding that the people living there were offered alternative housing.
Last month, the city cited health and safety concerns -- including a rat infestation -- for demanding people leave the park by July 17 so that it could be cleaned. The city in June approved four parks where a total of 32 people could set up tents and receive services that include bathrooms, but Meagher Park was not on the list.
Some homeless people had been staying in Meagher Park, also known as People's Park, since police were ordered to remove tents and shelters on the grounds of the former Halifax public library on Aug. 18, 2021. That event sparked clashes between police and demonstrators on streets lined with shops and cafes, and protesters were sprayed in the face with chemical irritants.
Police said they cleared and fenced off Meagher Park in a way that was meant to reduce trauma and protect public safety.
"Officers took a patient, measured and supportive approach throughout as the process unfolded while acting in a supportive capacity," Halifax police said.
Zachary Gough, a spokesperson for Halifax Mutual Aid, the organization behind many of Halifax's wooden shelters, said in a statement that "the city escalated a campaign of intimidation and threats of violence against those sheltering at the park" over the last several months.
"Which eventually resulted in every resident fleeing the site," he said.
The number of people living at the park has varied significantly since last summer. At its peak -- in the fall -- there were 34 people living there, and as of last week there were nine residents.
Halifax spokesperson Ryan Nearing said in an email the city got confirmation late Thursday night that the remaining individuals living at the park either accepted temporary housing or had moved elsewhere.
Calista Hills, a volunteer who works with residents at Meagher Park, said in a text message interview some residents have moved to other green spaces or parks in the city, a couple have secured hotel stays and some aren't sure where they will go.
Some personal belongings and tents remained at the site when it was fenced off. The city said if anyone who sheltered in the park wanted to retrieve their belongings they could arrange to pick them up.
Gough said he's concerned that unhoused people who were living at Meagher Park face greater risk now that the park has been closed down.
"At People's Park, they had strength in numbers, the eye of the media and a community of supporters to help prevent evictions," he said. "Dispersed, they face violence and evictions alone."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 12, 2022.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.