London, Ont. encampment strategy approved with increased buffers

A long debate at a city committee Tuesday afternoon ended in London’s new encampment strategy being approved with some changes to “no-go” zones.

The strategic priorities and policy committee (SPPC) debated for nearly three hours on the plan, with encampment setbacks the main point of contention.

The originally proposed plan recommended a distance of 50 metres between any encampments and schools, daycares and playgrounds, 10 metres from private property lines, and five metres from any transit stop or sports fields. Encampments would also be restricted from any dog parks, cemeteries, community gardens or municipal parking lots.

An amendment from Ward 7 Coun. Corrine Rahman would have increased the distance between encampments and schools to 250 metres.

“When I was attending the community engagement sessions, what I was hearing from the public was around the idea of what does ‘near’ mean,” Rahman said. “When I used a city map and I dropped a pin at different school sites and looked at different distances of city assets around those school sites, I observed that 250 metres was a number that I was more comfortable with.”

Ward 1 Coun. Hadleigh McAlister brought up that increasing the distance to 250 metres effectively makes large sections of the city a no-go zone.

“Especially some of my schools, I’ve got a school and then a park and a lot of those recreational amenities, so, it’s like 250 metres on top of another 250 metres,” McAlister said. “I have definitely heard the school one, but I think with the parks on top of it, it really puts us in a tough spot in terms of actually finding locations for the encampments.”

Ultimately, the amendment was defeated, but councillors still wanted an increase in distance between elementary schools and encampments.

“Fifty (metres) from an elementary school or a water park, that’s nowhere near sufficient,” said Ward 8 Coun. Steve Lehman, who suggested deferring the matter to allow staff to study different distances.

While he agreed that 50 metres was much too close for comfort, Deputy Mayor Shawn Lewis said a referral would delay other important priorities for the city.

“I’m not endorsing a plan that says within 10 metres of somebody’s private residential home. I don’t think it is fair and reasonable to expect people to be OK with an encampment right outside the back fence of their property line,” Lewis said. “I’m willing to meet in the middle, but I don’t want to kick the can down the road and give staff three or four months’ worth of work, and then we’re overlapping with other challenges.”

Ultimately, the committee settled on the following guidelines for encampments:

• Not within 150 metres of an elementary school or daycare.
• Not within 100 metres of any sports fields, playgrounds or pools.
• Not within 100 metres of any private residential property with a dwelling.

All other restrictions in the plan, such as barring encampments from community gardens or on sidewalks, were endorsed by council.

The motion, along with SPPC’s recommendation, goes to council on June 25.