'Vital' downtown Toronto parkette destroyed, homeless advocacy group calls for answers

A downtown Toronto parkette that had become a gathering place for some of the city's unhoused has been destroyed, and city officials are now trying to determine who is responsible.

The installation at Ryerson Street and Queen Street West was a joint project of the city and the local business improvement area. The space featured seating, a set of stairs, as well as a distinct set of arches, costing some $450,000, according to the Alexandra Community and Encampment Support group.

But on July 12, it was destroyed, according to the group, which posted video of two people taking apart the installation on its Instagram account.

"After the eviction of Alexandra Park encampment last year, we all convened there. In the absence of safe shelter, during the winter people would sleep under the benches because it was the warmest place they could go unharassed," the group said.

The destruction of the parkette has some city officials scratching their heads about what to do. While the land on which the parkette was built was city-owned, the seating and installations were owned by the local business improvement area.

"That's what makes this case a little bit different," said Coun. Joe Mihevc, who represents Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York.

While the city contributed several hundred thousand dollars to the project, Mihevc said, his office is trying to understand what authority the City of Toronto has to go after people who've vandalized property the city has helped pay for, but may be privately-owned.

The councillor now has motion going before city council this week to try to determine exactly that.

Mihevc said he had heard some complaints about people experiencing homelessness congregating in the area and receiving food from faith communities on the site.

But "they had as much right to be there as any resident of Toronto," he said.

He also said his office has heard from several people upset about the parkette's destruction — "from local businesses, from local residents, from people who have been serving the homeless community that congregated there and sometimes had meals delivered to exactly that location."

"It did serve a public purpose," he told CBC News, calling the destruction "reprehensible."

In a statement on its website, the Queen West BIA said the parkette had been slated to be dismantled and redesigned in mid-July by a third-party vendor, but that those who destroyed it last week were unauthorized to do so.

"There were individuals who started roguely removing some of the seating and staging ahead of schedule without consent. Neither the City BIA Office nor the Queen Street West BIA had prior knowledge, consultation or gave permission for any demolition that took place," the statement said.