Community Meeting on Dufferin Grove Park

Interested residents are invited to join our upcoming opportunity to share your thoughts and to work together towards solutions regarding Dufferin Grove Park. The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 26 at 7:00 pm.

This meeting will be held virtually to increase access. 

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From my September 18, 2024 Community Update:

With limited green space in Davenport, I understand how important Dufferin Grove is to our community. Toronto’s parks are public spaces where challenges in our society can play out – and Dufferin Grove is no exception. This includes conflicts over noise, among park users over amenities, and of course, the crisis of homelessness gripping Canada.

I want to start by providing an update on our work: 

Working with the Encampment Office, I have escalated Dufferin Grove as a critical site for services and resources. Right now, there are 450 encampments in parks across the City – and Dufferin Grove, along with Allan Gardens and Bellevue Square, is currently one of the Encampment Office’s Priority Sites. The following services are being provided in Dufferin Grove:

• Daily visits from the Streets to Homes Outreach teams 7 days a week
• Daily evening patrols from Mobile Corporate Security staff to respond tosafety, medical emergencies, and fire issues 
• Weekday visits from staff and leadership from the City’s Encampment Office (Monday to Friday)
• Weekday clean-up from Parks Forestry and Recreation staff (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) 
• 2 portable washrooms have been placed onsite
• Regular and ongoing visits by Toronto Fire Services to provide education and monitor fire safety 

Outreach staff continue to work with people residing in Dufferin Grove on shelter and housing plans. Since the beginning of August, over 30 encampments have been reduced from Dufferin Grove as people have been connected to services and supports and moved on. At the same time, over 2,140 kilograms of materials have been removed from the park through cleanups and collection of abandoned debris. While the City is working hard to reduce the number of encampments, more unhoused people than ever are seeking shelter.

The reality in our city is that both shelter space and affordable housing are incredibly difficult to access. Each night, more than 230 people are turned away from shelters because there are no beds available, even though Toronto provides more shelter beds by far than any other city in Canada. More than 89,000 households are on the waitlist for affordable housing, with average wait times stretching from 8 to 13 years. 

Encampments are the sad result of funding and policy choices. Thirty years ago, the federal government abandoned its responsibility to fund social and affordable housing. Ontario offloaded this responsibility to municipalities without the necessary funds – the only province in Canada to do so. Years of funding cuts and austerity, frozen social assistance rates, and escalating rents and cost of living have resulted in the fact that many people in our city and community cannot find an affordable place to live – and are more unwell because of it. 

The City’s approach to encampments is directly informed by the Toronto Ombudsman’s report on the violent encampment clearings that were conducted in 2021. The Ombudsman laid out clear recommendations to direct the City’s response to encampments and focus on alternatives to enforcement actions. You can learn more about the City’s approach here. This approach is being implemented city-wide, and all parks are equally subject to this protocol.

This approach is echoed by the recommendations from the Federal Housing Advocate in her Review of Homeless Encampments, an office that advises the federal government, and all Members of Parliament should be aware of this. The Federal Advocate wrote to Toronto City Council and the Mayor to support the City of Toronto’s approach, which emphasizes supports and connections to housing as real solutions to encampments, and confirms that forced evictions or clearings of encampments on public land (including parks) can be a violation of individuals’ Charter Rights and the right to adequate housing under international law. 

Community Meeting on Dufferin Grove Park 

Part of the challenge is balancing access for everyone to Dufferin Grove. I’m glad that community events, including Friday night suppers, the weekly Farmers’ Market, and other programming, have continued at the park. Managing this challenge is an ongoing priority for myself and my team, and with this in mind, I would like to invite any interested residents to join our upcoming opportunity to share your thoughts and to work together towards solutions. The meeting is scheduled for next Thursday, September 26 at 7:00 pm.