Juno News - This is Mayor Olivia Chow’s Toronto

00:00:00.000 Well, welcome to Alexandra Park in downtown Toronto and the Homeless Encampment 2.0.

00:00:08.260 Three years ago, there was a sizable encampment here and there were all kinds of problems.

00:00:13.680 Fires being set ablaze by propane tanks, violence, drug dealing. The sizable encampment was cleared

00:00:20.800 out three summers ago in July of 2021. The city set about doing $1.1 million in improvements.

00:00:28.900 New pickleball courts, new walkways, new lighting, a new skateboard park, and new playground equipment.

00:00:37.860 Well, guess what folks? It reopened on August 23rd of this year and shortly after that, the tents moved back in.

00:00:46.120 This, my friends, is Olivia Chow's Toronto. You can camp wherever you want, even in a park where city

00:00:54.380 officials have spent $1.1 million to improvement. We even have the standard port-a-potty and the garbage

00:01:01.700 cans and I would venture to say they are probably picking up garbage here. I can't believe that the

00:01:07.460 city officials would allow people to return to this park and camp out, make a mess, ruin the new grass,

00:01:14.420 but under Olivia Chow and council's encampment strategy, which they passed in May, campers are

00:01:21.560 allowed to remain in parks with no enforcement because their human rights are being observed. They

00:01:28.480 have a human right to stay here, even though bylaws say it is illegal to camp here. Behind me is new

00:01:35.940 playground equipment, part of the $1.1 million the city spent on park improvements. But hey, do you see

00:01:43.820 anybody playing on that equipment? Do you see any children, any parents keeping a close eye on their

00:01:49.960 children? No, I guess the tents have scared them all away. But the encampments, despite the fact that

00:01:56.020 it's already November, are increasing in this city. There's one down at Norway Park, which is right on

00:02:01.760 the lakeshore. Talk about location, location, location. There is encampments cropping up everywhere

00:02:08.840 and it's shocking that they haven't cleared out Clarence Park. I just did a piece on that a little

00:02:17.300 over a week or two ago where the residents of Wellington and Spadona area are being totally and

00:02:25.200 completely harassed by drug addicts, violent criminals who have occupied that park for two years.

00:02:31.760 Again, this is Olivia Chow's Toronto. When will it all end? I have no idea. For True North, I'm Sue Ann Levy.

Juno News - November 07, 2024