GREATER SUDBURY, Ont. — A request by Royal Canadian Legion branches 564 and 76 to have Memorial Park cleared of an encampment in advance of the planned Remembrance Day ceremony has resulted in disagreements among community groups and the City of Greater Sudbury — and, ultimately — the cancellation of the event.
Sudbury.com reports the ceremony the Legion intended to hold would have been the first Remembrance Day staged outside since 1985. The ceremony has been held at the arena since then, save for 2020 when the pandemic required the individual branches to hold their own individual services.
With the cancellation of the Memorial Park event, Legion branches will instead host their own smaller, individual services this year, much the same as in 2020.
Memorial Park has been a source of controversy in Greater Sudbury, with multiple encampments having been torn down in recent months.
See related: ‘The cycle continues’ as Bylaw officers once again clear Memorial Park encampment
There have been three sudden deaths in the last month in the growing encampment in the downtown park. Wednesday, a commuting Sudbury.com reporter observed CPR being performed on an individual in Memorial Park from a nearby street.
The Legion branches drew criticism from several circles, including direct support and outreach workers who work with the homeless population, when they issued a press release, Oct. 26, stating there would be a Remembrance Day ceremony held at the Memorial Park Cenotaph. Up to 2,000 people were expected at the ceremony, including provincial and federal dignitaries.
The branches made a point, according to Jennifer Huard, president of Branch 564, to state the encampment located in Memorial Park would be cleared completely — at the request of the Legion’s membership — owing to their belief the City was on board with that request. A partial removal would not suffice.
Not so fast, according to Maggie Frampton of the City of Greater Sudbury’s communications department. The idea that the park would be cleared completely was a "miscommunication."
Frampton stated, “For health and safety reasons, we are respectfully evaluating abandoned structures and belongings. We will be cleaning up any garbage to help improve the safety of everyone living in the park.
"This does not mean forcible removal or displacing of individuals and their belongings. A general clean-up and clearing of the area near the ceremony site is a priority as we approach Remembrance Day. This is a public event that everyone is welcome to attend the ceremony."
Sudbury.com requested an interview on the issue with Gail Spencer, the City’s coordinator of shelters and homelessness to clarify its position on clearing the park and to confirm the information in the news release from the Legion branches. However, in what has become a common practice with the City of Greater Sudbury, a statement was issued instead, denying Sudbury.com an interview and the ability to ask questions.
As far as Huard is concerned, there was no miscommunication, noting she had completed and sent a special events permit application weeks in advance of the Oct. 26 release from the Legion. That permit, which was approved, could only be granted once evaluated and approved by Public Health Sudbury and Districts, the City, and Greater Sudbury Police Service.
“Our request was to have the entire park cleaned out, and I included in my special events application form an actual map that comes right from Google Maps,” said Huard. She insisted the application has the whole park marked off to ensure COVID protocols are met, and so it would be approved.
“We had to do a calculation in terms of the square meters and how many people we could hold safely to ensure we were within the COVID-19 guidelines,” said Huard.
Sudbury.com again attempted to verify the details of the ceremony with the City of Greater Sudbury, both to confirm the particulars of any Remembrance Day permits issued and how the potential miscommunication may have occurred, but the City only issued an additional missive, stating, "We value the sacrifice of our veterans who have served at home and abroad."
