Security guards watch over Dufferin Grove Park in Toronto, on Wednesday.Laura Proctor/The Canadian Press
After more than a year, the City of Toronto last Friday finally cleared a tent city in Dufferin Grove, a five-hectare park just west of the city’s downtown. But the next morning, activists and unhoused people came back and pitched half a dozen tents.
On Wednesday, the encampment was cleared out by local officials yet again.
Toronto, belatedly, is in the mood for decisive action. The encampment, which has sparked raging debate throughout the neighbourhood, both in person, online and at community meetings, went on for far too long. There are lessons for communities across the country grappling with homelessness and the spillover into public parks.
While compassion is key, municipalities need to be firm in ensuring that public parks remain usable outdoor spaces for all. More needs to be done by all levels of government to alleviate the serious and growing problem of homelessness, but turning public parks into permanent shantytowns is not the answer.
At Dufferin Grove Park, the city initially chose not to rush in with police to quickly disperse the occupants, many of whom have mental-health issues and addictions.
In Depth: A big tent of compassion for homelessness begins to fray
But without any timelines, the “people-first, human rights-based approach,” which launched in February, many months after the encampment was established, didn’t satisfy anyone. Neighbourhood families were upset that much of the park was unusable and felt unsafe. Activists demanded permanent housing. The encampment residents remained outdoors.
As the months ticked on, the city’s approach descended into farce. Grassroots aid groups flooded the park with donated food, clothes and tents – many occupants had multiple tents to store their belongings. Supporters put out calls for cannabis, beer and cigarettes. New people tried to join the encampment, hoping to get support. The bill for the fleet of outreach workers, security staff and other supports reached $430,000 in three months.
The city gradually moved the majority of the residents to “indoor housing,” but a small number refused offers for shelter or hotel spaces. Some refused to engage with outreach workers at all. The holdouts, collaborating with activists, circulated a list of demands saying the city needed to offer them a choice of subsidized 800-square-foot apartments without any rules or restrictions. It was blackmail.
Cities need to have a backbone: After offering indoor accommodations, they should use the least amount of force possible – ideally none – to clear the parks. The alternative, allowing campers to jump long queues for social housing, would only create an incentive to occupy parks. That isn’t fair to park users, or to others waiting for housing.
Toronto’s homeless population more than doubled between 2021 and 2024, survey says
The city’s heavy reliance on shelter spaces is disappointing – 70 people who moved out of Dufferin Grove went into shelters, which are often criticized as dehumanizing and unsafe. Just nine moved into permanent homes. All levels of government need to put more funding into permanent subsidized housing to provide better solutions.
However, the lack of permanent housing options doesn’t entitle individuals – even vulnerable ones – to effectively privatize public space and take over parkland.
The energies of local activists would be put to better use in finding permanent solutions to homelessness. For example, last year, one Dufferin Grove community member helped an encampment resident – a 70-year-old man who had been unhoused for two years – get an apartment by launching a community fundraiser. Many charities and non-profits are doing valuable work increasing the supply of low-income housing.
Municipalities need to find the right balance of compassion and firmness. By responding faster when encampments form, and offering fixed timelines to resolve them, they can prevent encampments from growing. Residents should be offered the best housing possible, but if they refuse offers, they need to move on.
As Ottawa residents learned when the “Freedom Convoy” took over the city’s downtown, a light touch from police can avoid an initial clash, but long term inaction sends the wrong message. Allowing disorder to fester exacerbates divisions within communities, drains residents of compassion, and prevents urban residents from accessing valuable outdoor space. Turning parks into tent cities is not a desirable outcome for anyone.