Homeless encampment supporters banned from all city-run parks, community centres feel 'targeted'
CBC
The City of Toronto has banned two homeless encampment supporters from all of its public parks and community centres for one year, letters sent by the city to the two men show.
Alykhan Pabani and a man known as "Dredz" received letters signed by city manager Chris Murray, on Oct. 6 and Oct. 4, respectively, notifying them of the bans from all property run by the city's Parks, Forestry and Recreation (PFR) division.
Both men live in city parks in the west end and also support the dozens of homeless people living in tents in Randy Padmore and Dufferin Grove parks. They say they were evicted without notice, had their property removed by the city and were told they could be charged with trespassing if they violated the ban.
"I feel targeted," said Pabani, adding that out of some 40 tents in Dufferin Grove Park, 30 police officers and 20 city workers came for his tent alone and took all his belongings while he wasn't there.
"They're trying to scare me — scare me from organizing," he said.
The move comes while Toronto faces an affordable housing crisis and is under scrutiny for several high-profile encampment clearings this summer, in which it used riot police. The city spent nearly $2 million to clear three city parks and Toronto's Ombudsman launched an investigation on the clearings last month.
The city's chief communications officer, Brad Ross, said the two men harassed, threatened staff and interfered with its work to move people living in parks inside.
The Region of Waterloo is looking to make changes to a bylaw that could see people living in an encampment at 100 Victoria St. N., in Kitchener moved by April 1.
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