To move to Woolwich Township, Better Tent City group must follow normal planning process, says council

Organizers with A Better Tent City (ABTC) were told by Township of Woolwich Council Tuesday night they need to go through the normal planning process if they want to move the project to a new site off Spitzig Road.

The land is zoned for agricultural use and building a residential community would not typically be allowed, according to a report prepared by township staff.

In a unanimous vote Tuesday, council declined to offer the ABTC group a compassionate exemption to the planning process. Council did however request township staff work with the region and area municipalities on both a suitable interim site and a long-term plan for ABTC. 

"This is a difficult journey for me personally, because I feel for the ABTC community and their plight, [and] it bothers me when I hear comments like, 'Why are we being asked to deal with Kitchener's problem?'" said Coun. Larry Shantz, who brought the motion forward.

"This is far more far reaching than just the City of Kitchener, Kitchener's just where they are currently being housed because of the generosity and vision of some concerned individuals."

"Does that mean we as councillors should just throw caution to the wind and accept the proposal without proper process? I don't think so."

The decision came after about three hours of delegations from the public, mostly from people who were against the proposed move.

Four delegates spoke in favour of the move to Spitzig Road and 14 said they were opposed. Five out of 29 people who submitted letters to council supported the move; the rest were opposed. 

'We can do better' 

The Better Tent City is a community of people who had previously been homeless and who live in tents and small cabins at Lot 42, a former industrial site in Kitchener. The property was sold earlier this year and current residents have been told to leave by June 20. 

Kitchener city council had passed a zoning exemption last July to allow the project to stay up to one year.

Volunteer Jeff Willmer says up until February, organizers had hoped Lot 42 might continue to be the home for ABTC. In the subsequent months, he says they looked at a range of properties and got the green light in early May from the Diocese of Hamilton about the Woolwich Township location. 

Some delegates, such as Carolyn Israel, said they supported the work of ABTC but didn't think Woolwich Township was a suitable location. Israel said she recently visited Lot 42 to better understand the project, and was left thinking "we can do better" than the proposed site in Woolwich Township. 

"It's unfair and irresponsible to put 50 people in the middle of a large field away from all amenities," Israel said.

"How can we rehabilitate them if they can't get to the job interview, much less the job? I feel we are setting them up for failure." 

Speaking at council, Willmer said he didn't think the lack of nearby amenities, such as grocery stores, would be an issue, given that meals and other services like healthcare are offered onsite. 

He said representatives from St. Mary's Church have vehicles and give people rides into town as needed.

"Our community is self contained and residents don't often need to leave the site," he said.

Security concerns

Safety concerns were another common theme in the night's delegations. 

John Van Pelt wrote a letter on behalf of Woodland Christian School, where he is principal. Van Pelt said the school is a short distance from the proposed new site of the Better Tent City and was concerned residents would walk there to hang out. 

"When students are in school, that potentially becomes a security issue -- even parents don't just get the freedom to walk around as they wish while school's in session," Van Pelt told CBC Kitchener-Waterloo in an interview. 

During his speech to council, Willmer said organizers understand people have been concerned about their safety. He said the group takes those concerns seriously.

"It's one thing for us to say, 'You don't need to fear us.' But we do recognize the fears are real," said Willmer.

"We would encourage you to speak with our volunteers. A lot of people volunteer with A Better Tent City, many of them are seniors, many of them are students, and they feel quite safe in the community." 

Willmer was not immediately available for comment Tuesday night about what the ABTC group will do next.