Safety concerns surrounding Halifax homeless encampment grow

The encampment located in the heart of Halifax, Grand Parade, is facing mounting safety concerns as violent altercations and drug use become more common.

“We really don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s been several occasions where we’ve called the police to provide support because there has been altercations that have broken out here,” said volunteer Stephen Wilsack.

Wilsack said while this has not been a prior issue, in recent days the parade square has seen an increase in the number of residents. Weapons have been drawn and threats have been made among people living at the encampment and passersby.

“So the challenge here is that we’re in the centre of the city so you have intoxicated people that are celebrating Christmas,” Wilsack said. “You also have university students coming down and then they’re walking through this type of environment and not everyone is supportive of what’s happening here so that causes conflict.”

The homeless encampment in Grand Parade is pictured. (Source: Hafsa Arif/CTV News Atlantic)Richard Young, a resident living at the Grand Parade encampment, said he has witnessed a few altercations involving those passing through the area.

“This is a bar scene," he said. "A lot of the students don’t understand what’s going on here. They are getting more violent and more angry. It is their parade square. It’s all our square. I mean, they have to understand that no one at this square wants to be here.”

Young also recognizes more people have started moving to Grand Parade.

“This is where the clothing comes and donations are so [people] want to be there. People are coming from all over the city and now they’re doubling up in these tents,” he said. “I mean people are dropping off valuable clothes and valuable equipment. I mean the more things of value come in to the park the more not-so-nice people or notorious people come into the park to get that stuff.”

The homeless encampment in Grand Parade is pictured. (Source: Hafsa Arif/CTV News Atlantic)According to Paul Mackinnon, CEO of the Downtown Halifax Business Commission, many businesses are getting increasingly concerned about safety.

“People see the encampments which are expanding in size and it gives them a feeling that perhaps things aren’t as safe as they might have been last year or in previous years,” he said.

He said late-night employees find themselves worried about their safety.

“They’re also seeing what’s happening in the encampments. The encampments are getting larger. There’s safety issues within the encampments that we’ve been hearing about from police and our navigator.”

Young said two weeks ago he saw roughly 20 people and there’s probably more than 30 people now.

“If you come back here tonight there will be over 40 people here. We have security here but they can’t handle all these people.”

CTV News reached out to Halifax Regional Police on the issue, but the force declined to comment.

“We are only one part of the municipality’s overall approach to people experiencing homelessness. It would be best if you speak directly with them to get a broader picture of what is occurring in these areas.”

CTV also reached out to area councilor Waye Mason and the director of homelessness Max Chauvin for comment but they did not respond.

"This is an emergency which requires immediate housing solutions and mental support," said Wilsack. “The fact of the matter is that this is an unsafe (space) and the sooner that we can alleviate the pressure on outdoor camping, the better off we’re going to be.

"The bottom line is also is the basic needs. We have to have them in terms of accommodations, but the missing factor here is support services for the addictions or mental health. We need to have people step forth. We need our government to step forth in order to start addressing this head one.”

The city has recruited security guards. Volunteers on the ground have also hired their own security to keep the peace.

“They’re here for city hall protection. They’re not here for our protection so that’s why we hired our own security,” explained Wilsack. “It’s getting colder and they’re using substances to numb everything.”

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