A homeless encampment in west-end Dufferin Grove was cleared early Friday morningÌý— in an escalation of a two-week long standoff between city hall, which was pushing remaining occupants to go into homeless shelters, and those on-site, who said they’d hold out for permanent housing. Ìý
The operation began around 7 a.m., two encampment occupants told the Star on Friday, when they were awoken by a combination of city staff, private security and police officers telling them they had 15 minutes to leave.
“A city of º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøworker came and voiced their opinion that … they’ve done what they needed to do, we’re now here to remove you,” said Mark Lindsay, who added he had been staying in a tent in Dufferin Grove for approximately 13 months.Ìý
Lindsay was among individuals who, two weeks ago, received a warning from city hall that itÌýwould soon clear out the remaining tents. Since then, a standoff has played out in slow motion, as an increased cohort of city encampment staffÌý—Ìýflanked by security and, at times, with police on standbyÌý— have pushed occupants to accept beds in the city’s shelters.
Mark Lindsay, who had been living at the encampment at Dufferin Grove Park, is pictured as he speaks with the º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøStar following the clearing of the encampment at Dufferin Grove Park in Toronto.
Lance McMillan º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøStarDufferin Grove has been designated by city hall as a priority encampment since February of this year. Under a new strategy formally adopted by city council in 2024, that means the city has increased its staff presence in the park, prioritized the camp’s occupants for available shelter or housing spaces,Ìýand deployed private security to prevent new tents being struck.
From February to mid-September, city hall said that approach resulted in 56 people moving indoors. Most went into shelter, with nine obtaining housing.
Two weeks ago, the pressure from city hall ramped up. Some additional occupants agreed to go into shelter, but a small group said what they really needed was permanent housingÌýand vowed to stay put in Dufferin Grove until all remaining occupants had housing offers that met their needs.Ìý
Instead, on Friday morning, Lindsay sat with his belongings piled up at the western edge of Dufferin Grove, as workers erected metal fences around the centre of the park. Heavy machinery inside rolled towards the remnants of campsitesÌý— piles of tarps, collapsed tents, plastic boxes, water bottles and bags of Goldfish crackersÌý— and scooped them up with an audible crunch.
“I’ve been banned from this park, and I now have to sort myself out,” Lindsay said.
He’d been offered a shelter space near Islington Avenue and the 401, and noted the distance from his camp in Dufferin Grove.Ìý“That would basically mean that the little supports, the little connection that we do have from being here so long … we’d be removed from all that and sent to another borough.”Ìý
At least one other occupant displaced on Friday was unsure of their next destination. Cece Bella Cohen, who has been in Dufferin GroveÌýfor several months, had ruled out going to shelter due to past incidents of violence — and worried about living in another location downtown especially.
“The chaos that happens on the streets, that may not be observed, is insane,” Cohen said.ÌýÌý
City hall, in a statement from shelter department manager Gord Tanner, framed the enforcement crackdown on Friday morning as a “last resort,” saying that offers of indoor spaceÌýto remaining occupants had been declined, but remained open “if they change their mind.”
Tanner’s statement alluded to the frustrations voiced by some in the broader neighbourhood about the encampment affecting access to shared greenspace.
“Every effort has been made to care for the people encamped in the park, ensure the park is available to the broader community, and avoid enforcement,” the statement read. “The City remains committed to addressing the homelessness crisis and ensuring communities can access their parks.”Ìý
A shelter department director on-site Friday deferred questions about the operation to a media representative in the park, who told a reporter they also could not answer questions. By email, city hall said six people, by its count, were still staying in the Dufferin Grove encampment as of Thursday evening. Since its warning letters on Sept. 12, city hall says 17 people from the park were referred into shelter spaces.Ìý
As workers piled up the remnants of the encampment on Friday to be picked up by machines, individuals who’d turned up in support of occupants shouted towards them. “You’re crushing things that keep people alive,” one said.
By shortly after 10:00, all that remained were dirt patches behind the fenceÌý— as workers hung signs saying that a park remediation was now underway.ÌýÌý
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