Some residents remain at Halifax area encampments ahead of eviction deadline

Some of the tents that remain at Grand Parade in Halifax. (CTV/Jonathan MacInnis)

With the City of Halifax’s eviction deadline now just two days away, some people still remain in de-designated parks.

The municipality issued a release on Friday saying 25 of the 55 people staying in the Geary Street green space in Dartmouth, Saunders Park, Victoria Park, Grand Parade in Halifax and the Correctional Centre Park in Lower Sackville have found other accommodations.

The statement also said it is anticipating that all residents will be in shelters by Monday.

If some people remain past the February 26 deadline, city officials say they will take a “measured approach” and treat each situation individually.

The statement says “If someone sleeping rough in a de-designated location refuses to leave, the municipality will work with them to determine the barriers for them to accept the offer of an indoor option. The municipality will share this information with the province and service providers to help identify what steps can be taken to remove the barriers, so the individual is able and willing to accept an indoor sheltering or transitional housing option.”

In opposition to the eviction deadline, community advocacy group Permanent, Accessible, Dignified, and Safer Housing (P.A.D.S.) has launched a petition asking for more time for residents to find a safer place to stay. Adding that not enough notice was given to encampment residents and that moving could take them further away from critical supports.

"Evictions are a further abdication of government responsibility to genuinely address the root causes of the housing crisis," says P.A.D.S.

The eviction notices were issued once the city had determined there were enough shelter spaces to house everyone living in tents.

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