For the folks who call Milligan's Pond home in Barrie, the city's order to evict is set for Thursday morning.
But some in what is known as 'Tent City' want to know where they’re supposed to go.
On May 28, Mayor Jeff Lehman added an amendment to an emergency order that would allow people to camp overnight at the wooded area, located near Anne and Dunlop streets, for up to 15 days, rather than the current 24 hours after a warning.
Due to the COVID-19 health crisis, it was seen as a way to allow the city’s social services and enforcement agencies time to get together and enforce the bylaws with compassion for the many who call the park home.
A BarrieToday reporter went into the park Wednesday morning and spoke to some of the people who have no plans on leaving.
Robert said he arrived at Milligan's Pond last week from his home in Newmarket. He told BarrieToday he had heard there was plenty of room and people were friendly. He was surprised to hear about the eviction, because he initially had no idea it was happening.
“That's news to me. I haven’t got an eviction notice or anything. I’ve been here every day for the last week and no officials have told me anything,” Robert said. “Can I ask you a question? Where exactly are they evicting me to?”
According to a statement provided to BarrieToday from the city regarding Milligan's Pond, since the emergency order was issued, five virtual meetings have been held with representatives of the various co-ordinating organizations. Those organizations include County of Simcoe Social and Community Services, Simcoe County Paramedic Services, Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), David Busby Centre, Gilbert Centre, Redwood, Empower Simcoe, Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, and Barrie city police.
“All the places are full right now. There is nowhere for us to go, so we just pick up our stuff and go across the street. Seems like a bit of a runaround,” Robert said. “I’m not asking for handouts, I’m not begging and harassing people on the streets, but they’re going to kick me out? I’ll just go to another park, which they know, so it's just a complete lack of compassion and sense.”
Robert and his girlfriend, Khristina, share the tent that is just off a path leading into the park.
As they unloaded groceries from a car that stopped by to assist them, Robert said he would love to have a better option, but there aren't any.
“It would be great to have a tiny little house or hotel room and yeah, I guess for that to happen people would have to help. If that is a handout, then I’m guilty of needing that,” he said. “I’m 47 years old and life has been rough. It's been a rough go for many of the people here. A little help to get on our feet would be great.”
On Monday, municipal law enforcement officers went to Milligan’s Pond with Barrie police to issue notices to anyone on site at the time as well as post them, according to city officials.
Coun. Keenan Aylwin, whose ward includes the Milligan's Pond area, says it's "unacceptable" that people don’t have safe, secure and affordable places to call home, particularly during the pandemic.
“We very clearly have a moral obligation to deal with the housing and homelessness crisis," Aylwin told BarrieToday. "Barrie city council has failed for decades to address this issue and it is my hope that we can finally have the political courage to end chronic homelessness.
"This will take investment in social housing, supportive housing, and social services," he added.
Beginning Thursday morning, Barrie police will be checking on people at Milligan's Pond and reminding them of the requirement to vacate the area. The order will be enforced and a contractor will go to the site to clean up of any debris that remains left behind.
“I’m not leaving. This is all my stuff. My stuff, not theirs," Robert said. "I’m not hurting anyone. I wasn't rude to you, right? I said come on in.
“It’s not right (to evict people). I’ll leave here and go walk the streets where people will call the cops, because I look out of place," he added. "You can’t win.”
Robert’s friend, Mickey, had shown up at Milligan's Pond during the conversation with BarrieToday and agreed by saying it was like the city wants them to fail.
“You can’t win, but they like that. They want us to lose. Stay in here and out of the way and they kick us out,” said Mickey. “There are some bad apples who maybe get too loud or their campfire is too big, so kick them out.
"If someone in the (nearby) apartment building is too loud and disruptive, do you evict the whole building? No. So, I’m not leaving either. We’re just not going, this is our home."
Aylwin said it's unfortunate it has come to this.
“It is no surprise to me that we are resorting to a forcible eviction conducted by the police and bylaw enforcement when we know that the City of Barrie spends four times more on the Barrie police than we do on social and community services, which includes social housing and social assistance, among other services," Aylwin said.
"When we underfund social services, these issues unfairly fall on the backs of the police," he added. "We should be investing in social supports so that we can respond with compassion and care rather than reactive policing.”
