Clock ticking for people living in Halifax's Meagher Park as city plans to relocate them | RiseNB

Clock ticking for people living in Halifax’s Meagher Park as city plans to relocate them

Homeless advocate Vicky Levack spent Wednesday at Meagher Park in Halifax, waiting for law enforcement to possibly show up at any moment.

“They said police action was probably imminent,” said Levack.

Plans to relocate people experiencing homelessness from the park are now pushing forward.

“The council-endorsed response plan now indicates Halifax Regional Police (HRP) may be asked to assist in vacating the park,” said HRM Public Affairs Advisor Ryan Nearing in a statement to CTV News.

“Once the request is sent, timing of enforcement will be determined by HRP as this process will move from a civilian-led approach to an enforcement-led approach.”

That means the park will soon be emptied and the nine people who live there will be relocated.

“I want to make something very clear,” said Levack. “They said we are looking for a confrontation. They said that at the meeting (Tuesday) and we do not want a confrontation.”

There are several new Halifax-based locations for unhoused people to relocate.

“Those interested in locating to one of the four designated outdoor sheltering locations will be provided assistance with transportation by the municipality, as requested,” said Nearing in the statement.

The relocation options available are not good enough, according to Levack.

“They are calling it Lower Flinn Park and there is no sign to designate Upper Flinn or Lower Flinn,” said Levack. “I don’t know where one starts and one ends. The other one is by the shipyard and there is a 20-foot drop into the shipyard parking lot.”

Levack said the people who live at Meagher Park want to be able to live in peace in a safe location within the city. 

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