Some people departing tent encampments as city's eviction deadline looms
Several people have left Grand Parade and Cobequid Road ballfield
Some people living in tent encampments who received eviction notices from the city last week have started clearing out ahead of a looming deadline.
Halifax Regional Municipality sent staff to five encampments last Wednesday to post notices advising people they had to leave by Feb. 26.
The notices caught many off guard and some encampment residents said they will refuse to leave.
Others, however, have already packed up and left.
Matthew Grant, who volunteers at Grand Parade, cleared out and deconstructed one of the red fishing huts in the public square on Thursday after the couple living in it left for an apartment.
"It's a wonderful thing," he said. "It makes me happy."
The base of the tent was frozen to its wooden platform, so Grant said he would leave the collapsed body of the tent in place until some of the snow and ice around it melted away, or he had an opportunity to chip it away.
By Sunday, a total of four red tents at Grand Parade had been taken down.
'Amazing progress' at Sackville encampment
Nikki Greer, a volunteer with a non-profit group called the Gated Community Association, said some people have started leaving the encampment in Lower Sackville, too.
"Amazing progress this week … we've already had a few relocate to hotels or relocate to other shelters. Also the pods up at Beacon House, so not the Pallets, yet, they're not ready, but the pods there — they brought two more in and we had someone move there last night."
Greer said she was not as surprised by the eviction notices as some. The Cobequid Road ballfield, which is the site of the encampment Greer supports, is slated to become a tiny-home village, to be built by the province.
She and the residents of the encampment knew construction of the tiny homes would be starting soon. She said she's glad they got as much notice as they did.
"I really do wanna see people out of the encampments during the winter as long as there's enough space indoors," she said.
Mayor Mike Savage said last week that he's confident there are enough indoor options for people. Though they may not be permanent solutions, they are safer than staying outside, he said.
Among the options are shelters, but Oshane Johnson said he doesn't want to spend any time in a shelter. He wants a space of his own.
Johnson has been living at Grande Parade since December. He said he wants to leave by the Feb. 26 deadline, but he doesn't know where he'll go.
"It's a work in progress," he said.
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