City partially clears Kensington Market encampment; residents relocated to shelter spaces

The City of Toronto began the process of clearing an encampment outside a church near Kensington Market on Friday night.

Heavy machinery was brought in around 6:30 p.m. to begin clearing debris from a portion of the site which is located outside the St. Stephen-In-The-Fields Anglican Church on Bellevue Avenue near College Street. Due to the late start by the city, only the south side of the encampment was cleared and fencing was later erected to prevent people from returning to the site.

The site is made up of both public and private land owned by the church, which attempted and failed to get an injunction to prevent the city from going ahead with clearing the encampment.

City officials gave residents living at the site a notice of the planned clearance on Nov. 21, saying the accumulation of combustible and hoarded materials on site posed a substantial risk to both those encamped there and those in the surrounding area.

According to City spokesperson Russell Baker shelter spaces have been offered to everyone at the encampment and nine people accepted offers of support while one individual remains at the site. Officials continue to speak with that person in hopes of getting them to leave.

Residents in the area have expressed concern due to the proximity to two schools and a number of daycares. Some have complained of mounting garbage and loose needles around the site.

The City also cited fires as part of the safety concerns, saying there have been three in the past 10 months, including one earlier this month.

Many of the people who call the encampment home have been living there for several years and advocates fear clearing the site may further isolate the community.

“My concern is that people are being uprooted from a supportive space,” says the St. Stephen’s Rev. Canon Maggie Helwig. “For some, it’s been their home for almost two years.”

“I’m concerned they are going to become further displaced and further traumatized. They are already very much at risk.”

Arturo says he’s been living at the location for nearly two years and prefers relying on the church for support than turning to a shelter.

“They’re putting people way out in Scarborough, further away where you don’t have the resources that you have downtown,” he says about the shelter system.

“(The church) is letting people live here without being biased or critical,” he says.

The clearing comes as the mayor’s winter plan for those on the street is being criticized for not providing enough shelter space especially as the cold months begin.

The City says its ‘Streets to Homes’ staff have visited the encampment 260 times this year and that nearly 100 people from the site have been referred to the City’s shelter system since the start of 2023.