City changes course, now homeless encampment in Sudbury won't be cleared for Remembrance Day ceremony
A legion president in Sudbury said Tuesday the city has now told her the Remembrance Day ceremony in Memorial Park will go ahead, but in a shared space with homeless people living there.
And the encampments will not be dismantled.
“I do think there is some scrambling going on within the city,” said Jennifer Huard, president of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 564.
"Late yesterday afternoon, I did receive a call indicating that they would be moving the encampment away from the cenotaph area and towards the back of the park, and of course I was satisfied with that."
The city said Monday it conducted a health and safety audit in Memorial Park and that the health safety of all residents is a top priority.
But that doesn't mean people living in the encampment will be forcibly removed or displaced.
“Unfortunately there was miscommunication with all parties. There is no enforcement going on in the encampment,” said Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc.
The city said it’s working to have meaningful discussions with people living in the park.
“If they want to move locations, we as staff and the agencies are working with them to relocate them either to the back of Memorial Park or another location of their desire," said Leduc. "We are offering them alternative shelter that is available.”
But he said some people in the encampment have no interest in moving.
“Unfortunately we do have some individuals that are refusing any kind of shelter they are refusing services completely," Leduc said.
"So it’s very challenging for our staff and for the agencies to get them to cooperate. But I think over time we will build that trust."
The Legion said it remains hopeful the situation can be resolved and the area in and around the cenotaph will be able to accommodate the outdoor Remembrance Day ceremony Nov. 11.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'