Cleanup plan moves ahead for former homeless encampment in Sudbury's Memorial Park
After being the centre of a homeless encampment, Greater Sudbury is getting ready to do some cleanup work in Memorial Park to ensure it is safe.
The homeless encampment was in place for more than a year and was finally closed April 1. Now work needs to be done to address health and safety issues.
"Over the next couple of months you can expect to see some heavy equipment in the park as landscaping and repairs to any damaged property within the park," said Stefany Mussen, the manager of corporate security and bylaw services with the Greater Sudbury.
"And the reason for that is just the health and safety concerns that may have come from human waste or sharps being located within the park during the time of the encampment."
The work will delay the opening of the splash pad in the park.
"We are going to come in, we are going to do a vacuum then we will come back and re-evaluate," said Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc.
"We will do a second vacuum then we are going to come in and do some landscaping and underneath some of these pine trees, instead of going with grass, we will use wood chips. With the play structure, we are going to do a temporary wood chip structure."
The city aims to have the park returned to a safe and enjoyable area in the next two months.
"The whole point of closing the encampment in Memorial Park was to make it a safe space for all of our citizens to use and so the end goal of the restoration project will be to have the park be open to everyone," said Mussen.
At this point, the cost of the cleanup and reclamation is unknown.
"Until we get in here and do everything, the cost is unknown to us at this point in time but it is a cost to the taxpayer that is an unbudgeted item for our 2022 budget," said Leduc.
Officials with the YMCA confirmed it plans to reopen the daycare later this month. Its outdoor play area backs onto the park.
It was relocated last November due to health and safety concerns about needles being covered in snow.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.