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2 of 3 empty tents removed from Kitchener’s Roos Island homeless encampment, city says

Victoria Park in Kitchener. Ahmad Fareed Kahn / Global News

One tent is all that remains of a trio of tents in Kitchener’s Victoria Park that were recently slated for removal by the city.

The city says bylaw officers left notices on three tents that were abandoned at the homeless encampment in Roos Island last Thursday.

Read more: Kitchener continues to develop official plan for next four years

Some in the community have described them as eviction notices but the city says it only left notices on tents that were not occupied.

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“The tents were open to the elements and empty,” said the city’s director of bylaw enforcement Gloria MacNeil.

“Cleaning up abandoned tents has been the city’s practice since the encampment began and tents that are claimed or occupied will not be removed.”

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She said that as of Tuesday, two of three tents had been removed and that the city was working on getting the third one taken away from the island in Kitchener’s main park.

Read more: As winter approaches, Kitchener issues reminder of snow rules

“As of yesterday, one fully collapsed tent remains,” MacNeil said.

“City staff will be co-ordinating the removal of this tent with our garbage contractor.”

The city says there are six tents remaining at the homeless encampment and that it has not issued notices to any of them.

“As the Region of Waterloo makes additional shelter options available this winter, we will support the residents of Roos Island to relocate,” MacNeil said.

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