West Nipissing council voted against a proposed motion to halt bylaw officers from removing the area’s homeless from municipally owned land. The motion specified that all removals should be stopped until a warming centre was opened in West Nipissing, and that a committee be struck to get that process underway.
See: West Nipissing motion bans homeless evictions
Councillor Anne Tessier, who put forth the motion, noted that “currently there are six encampments” throughout the region, consisting of “tents and trailers,” with about “20 to 30 individuals spread out across West Nipissing.”
No More Tears, a local outreach group, continues to provide items for the homeless, including food, socks, and hand and feet warmers. Tessier noted that Trueself, another outreach group, is also collaborating with the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board (DNSSAB) to find solutions for the people outdoors. She said that recently, two homeless people were placed in motel rooms, with DNSSAB covering the cost.
See: West Nipissing council address homelessness in region
“A plan is needed to resolve the current emergency,” Tessier emphasized, and she called for a committee to be struck to help implement a warming centre.
Council agreed, but felt the motion presented was not the way to go. Why? Council noted that if people are living on municipal land, the municipality is responsible for the safety of those people. Insurance would rise. Also, council is in no position to tell bylaw what to enforce without revising an existing bylaw or creating a new one.
Also, halting evictions until a warming centre is created is difficult because what if that warming centre takes months or years to establish? What happens if a homeless person decides to live in a bathroom in the arena? That washroom is municipal property, and without a warming centre, bylaw would not be able to ask the person to move.
So asked members of council, concerned about the ramifications of the proposed motion.
“If we agree to have our bylaw officer ignore what’s there right now until there is a warming centre,” Councillor Roch St-Louis said, “when is there going to be a warming centre? What if we don’t have the funds for a warming centre?”
“How long does this last?” if council decided to accept the motion, he asked.
Council emphasized that DNSSAB does offer shelter and warming shelter services in North Bay, and “We need to use all existing social services that are out there,” said Councillor Daniel Gagne. “People may have to move to be able to be housed properly,” he added.
See: Cold winter coming for Sturgeon Falls’ homeless
“There are alternate solutions that exist right now,” said Councillor Jamie Restoule. “Unfortunately, they are not in West Nipissing, but they are within the region, and that’s the structure that we’re involved in for service delivery.”
Council is continuing to work with DNSSAB to find solutions specific to West Nipissing’s needs. Council also received a petition created by No More Tears to create a warming centre, which will return to the next meeting for discussion.
“The solution is to get the individuals the help and services that they need,” Restoule said. “That’s what everybody around the table wants.”
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada
