Special meeting held to discuss homeless encampment limitations in Guelph [Video]

Guelph council has approved a bylaw allowing the city to regulate where and when a homeless encampment can be set up.

The Public Space Use Bylaw was first discussed back in February but was deferred pending an appeals court ruling on a similar case in Kingston, Ont.

Then, in April, the bylaw proposal was dropped entirely.

On Wednesday, it was back up for discussion.

According to city staff, the special council meeting on Wednesday was needed due to the “urgency” felt in the community.

“The urgency is the growing number of concerns that are coming through our office, and also wanting to make sure that we’re addressing the safety concerns that we are hearing, both from people who are using the park for recreational purposes but also from individuals who are having to make the difficult choice to use those public spaces for temporary housing purposes,” said Colleen Clack-Bush, Guelph’s deputy chief administrative officer.

Mayor Cam Guthrie said the bylaw isn’t a ban on encampments.

“In fact, …