'I'm very happy about the decision': Resident reacts to judge dismissing region’s bid for encampment injunction
CTV
The Region of Waterloo has lost a court bid for an injunction to evict residents of an encampment on municipally owned land at Victoria Street North and Weber Street West in Kitchener.
The Region of Waterloo has lost a court bid for an injunction to evict residents of an encampment on municipally owned land at Victoria Street North and Weber Street West in Kitchener.
For almost a year the Region has been trying to clear the site to build a new central transit hub.
In court documents obtained by CTV on Friday, Justice M. Valente dismisses the region's bid for an injunction, and declines to declare the homeless individuals living in the encampment in breach of a regional by-law.
He also says the region doesn't have enough accessible shelter space for the homeless population.
The ruling reads in part: "The region does not have adequate, accessible shelter spaces for its homeless population of some 1100 individuals".
Valente goes on to say that the by-law the region has used to enforce encampment orders "deprives the homeless residents of the Encampment of life, liberty and security of the person in a manner not in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice and is not saved by section 1 of the charter."
