Kingston, Ont. council pauses encampment evictions

Kingston city council has voted to placed a hold on eviction notices for those living in tent encampments.

Last week, 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. It said that city trespass bylaws would be enforced for those living in tents as of Wednesday.

An emergency motion was called ahead of the regular council meeting Tuesday night and, in an 8-5 decision, city council voted to halt enforcement until March 21.

Later in the meeting, council unanimously voted to adopt an emergency motion calling on the provincial government to help with growing issues of mental health and addictions.

Mayor Bryan Paterson put forward the motion and called for more health care resources, treatment and rehabilitation beds.

“I think that this is meant to capture many of the sentiments that are around the table tonight,” he explained. “One thing that I will add… I’m a member of the Ontario Big Cities Mayors caucus. This represents the mayors of the 29 largest cities in Ontario. Every one of us have asked the province for an emergency summit to deal with this issue. So I am hopeful that we can press for real change.”

The motion says that a letter will be sent to the Ministry of Health, Mental Health and Addictions, and Municipal Affairs and Housing “to better collaborate and coordinate resources within their ministries to influence change in this unprecedented situation.”