City of Kingston issues trespass notices to those living in tents on city property

The city of Kingston has announced that people living in parks and on city trails in tents and other structures will need to move off city property by next week.

This comes as the city announces new emergency beds for those who are unhoused. 

For John Tuinstra, getting his notice Friday morning was a shock.

"I was talking with (bylaw officials) yesterday and I said, 'Is there any problem concerning my establishment?' And they said, 'No, no,'" Tuinstra explains. "But today, it’s a notice on my tent saying I have to go.”

On Friday morning, the city of Kingston issued a trespassing notice to those living on city property, including Belle Park, the K&P trail and around the Integrated Care Hub. 

The notice says people will have until next Wednesday at 5 p.m. to pack up their belongings.

Tunistra has lived in a tent on city property for two years. He says that means 100 people will need to move.

"We’re all good people, we all take care of each other," he says.

The city says its bylaws prevent people from camping and using camping equipment in public parks. It says the work to "relocate unhoused individuals has been ongoing."

Curtis Smith, the director of licensing and enforcement services with the City of Kingston, explains it’s in an effort to move those in the encampment to 60 new emergency shelter beds, which have been created for people to stay in during the winter.

"It’s effectively unsafe (during the winter). There’s high fire hazards, there’s certain other vulnerabilities that are associated with living in soft tents - we saw that with the blizzard," Smith explains. "And we really want to facilitate people being in a safe environment."

But Mutual Aid Katarokwi Kingston, an advocacy group for those living in the encampment, want the evictions to be stopped.

"We are heartbroken, confused, and infuriated by this news," said a statement from the group Friday evening.

"The shelter and service options available continue to be insufficient to meet encampment residents’ diverse needs."

They say the new beds are only open overnight, and do not address where people can go during the day.

"The city of Kingston must stop trying to force people who are unhoused into housing options that do not meet their needs. People who are unhoused have continuously raised these same concerns since the 2020 Belle Park encampment and well before then too."

Smith says the city will continue to work with those living in the area until the notice comes into effect. After the deadline, those who stay will be removed from city property. 

Tunistra says he plans to stay as long as he can. 

"Your own establishment means that you're secure, your own security and every individual that’s in this place has their own tent."