Halifax volunteers installing a wooden pallet for unhoused people to store food at a city park were interrupted by a public complaint that led to police involvement Friday.
Laura Patterson, a volunteer at People’s Park where people experiencing homelessness have been living since August, says the group wanted to put a tent on a wooden pallet to keep food covered.
“We figured we would build a pallet platform, something that we’ve done probably 15 times here, already,” Patterson said. “All of the tents, as much as possible, are up on pallet platforms.”
However, officers with Halifax Regional Police arrived at the park, located at the corner of Dublin Street and Chebucto Road, in the early afternoon. Officers informed volunteers that police received a public complaint about an illegal structure.
This comes less than a week after the city dismantled a previous structure built by volunteers to store food at the park.
Last Saturday, Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) workers and several police officers arrived at the site around 10 p.m. to dismantle the wooden platform and tarp. In a release the next day, the municipality called the structure an “illegal and unsafe structure on municipal property.”
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Patterson was at the scene while the workers took the structure down. “I honestly never thought that they would do that to people at the end of February. It was -22,” she said Sunday.
She estimated that structure had $1,200 worth of materials.
Not wanting to see a repeat of that scenario on Friday, the volunteers opted to take the new structure down themselves.
“Basically, they said if we continued putting the tent up and putting food in it that we would be ticketed,” Patterson said. “And, if we continued after we were ticketed that we would be arrested.”
According to HRP, officers left the scene after the structure was dismantled by volunteers.
In an email statement, spokesperson John MacLeod stated, “Officers attended and spoke with people on scene, advising them that the structure was illegal and the potential for enforcement. The group dismantled it and police are no longer on scene.”
Patterson says she understands those living around the park may be unhappy with the encampment, but there are no other housing options in the city.
A 25-bed overnight shelter funded by the municipality and province, located at the Pavilion on the Halifax Common opened Tuesday. The province said it’ll remain open until March 31.
But Patterson said the shelter is already full, and many are still left living outside.
“I don’t think that the city really has any idea of how many people are in really insecure situations right now,” Patterson said.
“The vacancy rate is still only one per cent and, when it comes to how many people could be tenting come this summer, I don’t think that there’s an upper limit.”
— with files from Rebecca Lau
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