It has been a while since our last update and things have improved considerably.

Earlier this week, we spoke with Mary Hassan, the neighbourhood lead for the Garden District, St James Town and Cabbagetown South in Councillor Moise’s office. We had a lengthy discussion that covered a number of topics related to the park and the encampment. Please see a recap of the discussion below.

The good news is that in the last few months, over 100 people from Allan Gardens were placed in suitable housing. Suitable housing could be shelters, permanent homes, or wrap around supportive housing. We would like to thank the City’s teams and Councillor Moise for their dedication and efforts in helping so many people in need.

From the original group of campers, there are four remaining. Two of them have accepted housing plans and will relocate in the next couple of weeks. The other two are refusing to move and they were offered housing repeatedly.  There is a plan in place to encourage them to move on. Details of this action are not available at this time.

With the warmer weather, there may be an increase in new tents. However, the Streets to Homes team is there every day, they offer support and options for housing. These tents are usually fully vacated within days and campers promptly receive housing services. The resources allocated to the park last summer allow staff to do this. These processes are in place to prevent a repeat of the encampment population boom last year.

Unfortunately, the no encampment signs in the park are taken down repeatedly by encampment activists. Presently, the signage on the south side of the park is missing. The request to replace them has already gone out. The signs are an important first step in educating people on the Parks Bylaw which allows for officers to then immediately escalate to enforcement of offenders. The hope is that the goal of zero encampments in Allan Gardens will be a reality very soon.

We are asked to be vigilant about new encampments in the other parks in our neighbourhoods. These parks do not have the same resources that are in Allan Gardens, so it is even more important for the community to be vigilant. Call 311 immediately and the Streets to Homes team will be dispatched to help them into housing quickly. The more encampments are reported, the faster they can be actioned on.

A beautification plan created by the Friends of Allan Gardens is available. It is a comprehensive plan, you can see it here.  The renovation of the green house will be completed in late 2024. We are so looking forward to seeing its beauty restored. Friends of Allan Gardens conduct many programs such as children’s programs, plant sales, concerts, and community gardens. They worked hard throughout the encampment and COVID periods to keep engaging the community. Their efforts were just so impressive. They are true friends of Allan Gardens and our neighbourhoods. Your financial support to their effort will be most appreciated.

The Sacred Fire Issue is still not resolved. The City’s Indigenous Affairs Office is engaging with indigenous leaders to resolve the issue. Because of legal privacy concerns, staff are not at liberty to speak freely about details concerning the fire. Staff are monitoring the use of the concrete storage bunkers and will be requesting their removal since makeshift bunkers have been identified on the Sacred Fire site.