Kingston council votes to delay encampment eviction until March

City councillors in Kingston, Ont., voted to delay the eviction deadline for dozens of people living at an encampment north of downtown until March 21.

The vote came with a caveat — the city will also take any necessary steps, including seeking court injunctions, to ensure the encampment is removed after that deadline.

Councillors also decided Tuesday night to spend up to $149,000 for services at the site in the meantime, including toilets, dumpsters and security, and to declare a mental health and addictions crisis.

Trespass notices went up at the encampment last week, giving people living there a Wednesday evening deadline to leave.

Advocates estimate there are roughly 70 people camping near the site on Montreal Street, some who've been there for at least a year, in order to be close to the Integrated Care Hub (ICH) and its essentials including showers, food and spaces for sleeping.

Justine McIsaac, co-ordinator of Kingston's supervised injection site at the ICH, celebrated council's decision to push back the eviction — but added it only buys people a short amount of time.

"Two months wouldn't be enough time for me," she said. "I know it's not enough time for the people that live in the encampment. That's their entire lives and they've established themselves."

Rick Sero spent the past year building up his home in the woods east of the hub near Belle Island: from a sofa covered by tarps to a leak-proof structure tall enough for him to stand in.

But he spent the past few days preparing to lose anything he couldn't carry away.

During a visit to Sero's shelter earlier this week, he shared his hope for an extension allowing people in the encampment to stay. He also said he's scared his belongings could still end up in a dumpster.

"It's looking pretty grim," he said at the time. "I'm gonna have to start all over again. And, you know, I'm 40 years old and I can't keep starting over again."

Mayor votes against delay

Coun. Gregory Ridge, who represents the area where the encampment sits, moved the motion noting shelter spaces recently set up by the city might not be accessible for people staying in the encampment because of substance use or other conflicts with the rules.

Forcing people to leave might also mean the loss of items "essential to survival" during the winter, Ridge's motion added.

Instead, it proposed halting the order until March 21.

"I think this is the humane thing to do. I think this is the right thing to do," said Ridge.

"I don't want people to freeze to death."

As mayor I cannot sanction an encampment.- Mayor Bryan Paterson

Eight councillors voted in favour of the motion, while five voted against it during Tuesday's meeting.

Mayor Bryan Paterson was among those who voted against extending the deadline to evict, sharing concerns about safety in the encampment and saying he did not believe any new options for encampment residents would appear in the next two months.

"As mayor I cannot sanction an encampment," Paterson said.

Mental health, addictions crisis

Councillors later voted unanimously in favour of a last-minute motion from Paterson to declare a mental health and addictions crisis and call for the province to immediately invest in treatment and rehabilitation services in the city.

It included a request for a province-led working emergency working group that would work with community organizations to find long-term solutions for Kingston's vulnerable.

Sero explained life in the encampment is "rough" at times, showing a jagged scar on his cheek said to be from a stabbing attack last month.

Still, he said the people living in the tents and other shelters have become a "big family" and called access to the care hub critical as a place to warm up and get something to eat.

Despite more than 60 new drop-in and shelter beds opening up in the city, Sero said he doesn't plan to try for one, noting he has a girlfriend and dog and isn't willing to give up living with either.

"We're just average people, just like everybody else and we're just trying to survive," he said.

Kingston has worked hard to expand its services and does offer some options for pets and couples, though they come with rules and expectations, according to Ruth Noordegraaf, the city's director of housing and social services.

"We really would like to encourage as many people to … utilize those services," she said in an interview before the meeting.

"But we also really want to continue to focus on actual longer-term housing and health-care solutions because a warming centre over the winter is not a long-term solution."

Dan Taekema is CBC Ottawa's reporter based in Kingston, covering the city and surrounding area. Have a story tip? Email daniel.taekema@cbc.ca.