Ottawa homeless encampment dismantled

Officers with the National Capital Commission and Ottawa police removed an encampment within sight of the Peace Tower Tuesday, the culmination of a months-long standoff between the 20 or so homeless people who have been living there and officials who have been trying to find them somewhere else to go.

Officersdescended on the encampment in a wooded area near Ottawa's Bayview LRTstation in the early morning hours and began removing tents, suitcases, bicycles and propane tanks, loading the items intolarge containers and a front-end loader waiting nearby.

The encampment straddled city property and NCC land.

In a statement, the NCC, which oversees federally owned land in the capital region, said the makeshiftcommunity's remaining residents had accepted offers of temporary accommodation from the city.

'Tent city' dismantled after residents accept temporary housing

5 years ago

Duration 0:56

The tent community near Bayview station was taken down Tuesday morning after its remaining residents accepted temporary accommodation offered to them by the city.

The NCCsaid it had asked the residents to leave due to growing concerns over their health and safety, including"restricted access to emergency medical services" and the increasingly cold weather.

An eviction notice posted by the NCC on Sunday told remaining residentany items left behind after Monday would be removed and kept in storage for 15 days.

On Tuesday morning, one former resident who returned to the site scolded officers for removing his belongings.

"Where's my shit? Where's my stuff? What'd you guys do with my stuff?" the man called out.

"They've ruined all of our stuff. They've ruined it," he told reporters.

A member Overdose Prevention Ottawa posted a video to social media asking for more time to allowformer residents to collect their belongings, bu the NCC appears to be ignoring thatrequest.

The encampment, about 2.5 kilometres from Parliament Hill, appeared in the spring aftera fire at a nearby rooming houseleftseveral tenantshomeless.

The men and women who set up tents at the site said they wanted tostay close to familiar social services, and said they didn't want to stay in city shelters.

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Eviction rumours grew

Rumours of the eviction grew aftera tent caught fire in Novemeber, and the NCCposted notices at the camp on the weekend warninganyone who stayed behind would be removed by police.

The NCC said temporary accommodationhad been found for all the camp's former residents, who have now been registered with the city to find them permanent housing.

"It's never easy to see people sleeping outside. I understand why people don't always want to go to a shelter," saidCoun. Catherine McKenney, whose downtown ward borders the area.

"So, the fact that people choose to sleep outside as their safest optionreally is a testament to us not doing enough work to ensure that we have the right types of supports for people who need them."