Residents tear down temporary shelters as Guelph tries to clear downtown encampment [Video]

Some people from Guelph are looking for a new place to stay after the City of Guelph tried to clear a downtown encampment.

Eviction notices were taped to tents and structures set up in St. George’s Square at the end of October. Residents were told they had until Nov. 13 to leave the area as the city began to enforce the new Public Space Bylaw.

A statement from the city said, in part, “The City has committed to leading with a respectful, human-centred, and education-first approach related to enforcement of the new bylaw.”

It went on to say, “The majority of individuals that were in St. George’s Square have voluntarily relocated to other locations or to an available shelter space.”

By Wednesday evening there were still a few tents set up in the square, but most of the encampment residents had moved on.

Residents began to leave an encampment in downtown Guelph after …