Timmins city council selects temporary site for encampment

Timmins city council has selected a location for a temporary encampment and OK’d measures to address concerns about an encampment at the Living Space Shelter.

Meeting this week, Timmins city council voted 6-1 in favour of creating a temporary encampment on a site on Pine Street South, far from residential areas, but also far from services for the homeless residents.

With warmer weather on the way, councillors said they want to improve safety and reduce the presence of encampment tents in public spaces, while responding to the immediate needs of individuals experiencing homelessness.

Coun. Rock Whissell was the only vote against the resolution, moved by Coun. Steve Black. Councillors Andrew Marks and Cory Robin were absent from the meeting.

Timmins Mayor Michelle Boileau also voted in favour of the resolution. In an interview with CTV News, Boileau admitted the location is “quite a distance from the downtown core.”

Away from residential areas

“But I think it’s the fact that it’s away from residential that made it so favourable to council,” she said.

“Staff will be looking at what the designation of this encampment site will really mean for the municipality -- what work needs to be done by us, internally as the city, and then we’ll be looking to our community partners for support.”

Council also approved temporary fencing in the laneway behind the Living Space shelter on Spruce Street South, where an encampment was established last summer.

The fence is an attempt to ease concerns from neighbours in the area who have reported issues and crimes that arose from the encampment.

“It’s really to provide that barrier between the residential properties in the neighborhood,” Black said.

“The discussion was, do we have gates or allow access for vehicles and that’s where I think we’re going to have to discuss with the residents that are impacted in that area and see what they would potentially think works best.”

He added that there is no government funding available for a designated encampment site, so it will come as a cost to the municipality.