kingston moves to clear encampment from belle park pickleball courts
homeless advocates oppose the eviction notice, arguing it violates a court decision
2 minute read
volunteer greg samuel clears debris from an encampment at belle park.
elliot ferguson
/
the whig-standard
kingston — the city moved to clear people living on the tennis and pickleball courts at the belle park encampment.
city bylaw offers issued eviction notices around 2 p.m. thursday that ordered residents to move by 8 p.m.
on friday morning, residents and volunteers helping them were cleaning out debris from the courts while their lawyer, john done of the kingston community legal clinic, was in discussions with the city to get the eviction notices withdrawn.
homeless advocate ivan stoikovic said many of the people living on courts, which provide a flat, dry location surrounded by a chain link fence, packed up their tents when the eviction notices were issued. most have moved deeper into the park, he said.
about 15 people were living on the courts, which they said offer a more secure place to set up camp.
the day before the eviction notices were issued, katarokwi union of tenants had moved a portable garage-style tent onto the courts.
the organization moved the tent, that it uses to provide its daily meal program, because its previous location closer to the integrated care hub was too wet and muddy.
“we also moved here for security purposes because there are a lot of vulnerable people in the park right now and people’s psychiatric conditions are really getting bad and they’ve been able to seek refuge,” said meal program organizer michelle schwarz.
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“off hours when we’re not here for lunch after that residents are allowed to seek refuge inside our tent.”
after the belle park golf course closed, but before the encampment developed, the city had planned to rebuild the tennis and pickleball courts.
“we want citizens to know that we need to be worried about our homeless,” added volunteer pamela gray. “we need to be worried about over 150 people that don’t have homes before we worry about pickleball.
“we need to accept the fact that we have 633 homeless and only 120 shelter spaces and it’s time that we accept that as a city and that as citizens we get outraged by that.”
about 15 people live on the tennis and pickleball courts at belle park in kingston.
elliot ferguson
/
the whig-standard
in a statement friday afternoon, the city said it was beginning the process of opening courts around the city, including the pickleball courts at belle park.
“preparing courts for community use requires site clean-up, relining and, in some cases, restoration/repair work, set to begin next week subject to weather,” the city stated. “as the city moves toward these seasonal openings, it is aware some tents have been erected inside the tennis courts at belle park, including the recent relocation of a food tent to this location.
“the city has asked that these tents be removed from the tennis courts. signs are being posted to provide notice the city has designated the belle park tennis courts, and any area within 10 metres of the tennis courts, as a place in which erecting temporary shelter at any time is prohibited,” the statement added. “the city recognizes vulnerable people may choose to shelter in other areas of belle park, or any other municipal park, overnight.”
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“there are multiple service sites throughout kingston that provide food, day services and overnight shelter accommodation,” the city stated. “these sites continue to operate and have capacity. anyone interested in offering food and service supports to people in need is encouraged to partner with existing service providers.”
about 15 people live on the tennis and pickleball courts at belle park in kingston.
elliot ferguson
/
the whig-standard
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