‘Unacceptable’: City says squatters letter left at Toronto encampment site is fake

The City of Toronto is condemning a fake letter left at an encampment site that called on “squatters” to remove their belongings and property from Allan Gardens by the end of the month.

The phony letter, dated August 16 with a City of Toronto logo, was obtained by CityNews. A spokesperson says the letter was left at Allan Gardens, and in it, someone writes that city officials will no longer be allowing squatters to loiter in public areas.

“This new by-law the City of Toronto intends to make moving forward with the current and ongoing housing crisis,” the letter states. “Please have all of your property and belongings off of all public Toronto, Ont., Canada property immediately.”

The letter says that possessions, persons and belongings not voluntarily moved before September 1 will be forcibly taken by officers “at your expense and will not be reimbursing any loss of property.”

“If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your city councillor or Mayor Olivia Chow at city hall. NO PHONE CALLS OR EMAILS, PLEASE.”

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Russell Baker, Manager, Media Relations and Issues Management for the City of Toronto, confirmed that the letter is not real.

“We are aware of an unsigned letter using a City of Toronto logo that was left at an encampment site at Allan Gardens advising residents of pending trespass enforcement scheduled for September 1,” Baker said. “This letter is fake and not associated with the City, and the enforcement referred to in this fake letter is not happening.”

Baker criticized the individual or individuals behind the letter.

“This kind of deceptive and misleading act is disappointing and unacceptable. The City encourages park users who come across these fake letters to report them to 311.”

Close to 100 people have been living in tents in Allan Gardens Park, some for almost two years. The City moved in and evicted some encampment residents from parks two years ago. Activists condemned the move, as did Toronto’s Ombudsman, which may be why the encampment at Allan Gardens remains populated.

The city’s roughly 9,000 shelter spaces are routinely full, and the latest data shows upwards of 200 people are turned away on an average night.

Asylum seekers, who make up about a third of Toronto’s shelter population, are being turned away from at-capacity shelters and steered towards federal programs as the city and federal government feud over funding.

With files from Cynthia Mulligan and Meredith Bond