Service depot needs to go after 'litany of issues' in Watson Street Park, councillor says

1 week_ago 8

London

A London assembly committee says it wants to region a depot offering basal necessities from a southeast parkland arsenic soon arsenic imaginable aft a suspicious occurrence astatine a stateless encampment displaced 3 radical implicit the weekend.

Sunday's exploding propane tanks the latest information concern, says Hadleigh McAlister

Angela McInnes · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 08, 2025 1:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: 41 minutes ago

One of 4 caller work depots that began operating successful Londont, Ont. The depots volition acceptable up for a fewer hours astatine 4 antithetic locations on the Thames River adjacent stateless encampments.

Some London politicians accidental they want to region a depot offering basal necessities from a southeast parkland arsenic soon arsenic possible after a suspicious occurrence astatine a stateless encampment displaced 3 radical implicit the weekend.

At metropolis hallway connected Monday, Ward 1 Coun. Hadleigh McAlister said the occurrence was the latest successful a "litany of issues" astatine Watson Street Park, which has for years been the tract of galore makeshift shelters for a attraction of London's stateless population.

There were 39 radical and 19 pets sleeping there Sunday night, erstwhile firefighters were called to enactment retired a blaze by the Thames River exacerbated by exploding propane tanks.

"We've done our champion to negociate it, but this is cumulatively a occupation that has benignant of travel to a caput and it does request addressing," McAlister said. "Serious information concerns person been raised connected galore occasions and unluckily person not been acted upon."

McAlister urged councillors to nonstop metropolis unit to assistance with relocating those surviving successful the parkland and link them with structure options, wherever possible.

He besides requested staff shut down the park's stateless work depot, which provides basal necessities to parkland inhabitants, and rapidly shift to a previously-approved mobile work depot exemplary initially acceptable to motorboat successful May.

"From what I person heard and seen, a batch of these issues stem from the depot operations themselves," said McAlister. "My volition is not to artifact radical from being capable to encamp. This is simply a designation that the attraction and providing of services done the depot exemplary has go problematic, and that is wherever I americium having the issue."

While the question yet passed, councillors raised concerns implicit wherever to nonstop those who had travel to trust connected the location.

"In this situation, if we don't person the alternate locations, I consciousness similar we volition beryllium moving definite concentrations to different areas and I conscionable don't privation to spot that," said Ward 13 Coun. David Ferreira."

The 3 displaced radical person since been relocated, said Kevin Dickins, lawman metropolis manager for societal and wellness development. The committee's bulk agreed it would beryllium champion to next direct unit to absorption their energies connected connecting the remaining 36 with immoderate disposable supports.

Police proceed to analyse the origin of Sunday's fire. The question goes to afloat assembly for a last ballot connected April 22.