Encampment under Algonquin Boulevard in Timmins raises questions
For the past few weeks, some people who are living rough in Timmins have set up camp in a high profile area: underneath the overpass on Algonquin Boulevard at the Spruce Street intersection.
They told CTV News that this is where they feel comfortable and police said as long as they're not breaking any laws, it's their choice.
Timmins police officials said people have taken notice of the encampment and have called it in to the police.
“Nobody that we’re aware of who is currently at that encampment is technically in crisis," said Marc Depatie, communications coordinator for the Timmins Police Service.
"So we are monitoring the situation from an arm’s length point of view. The moment that any law’s broken, the police will react and take appropriate steps to remedy the situation.”
Brian Marks, chief administrative officer for the Cochrane Social Services Administration Board, said encampments have existed in the city for decades, but were hidden in the bush.
He said people don't seem to mind homelessness when it's hidden.
“I would say this is an opportunity to learn more," said Marks. "To try to understand what goes into homelessness and see it for what it is. That every individual has a story and, you know, for the person that has chosen to sleep under an overpass in Timmins, there’s a story there.”
Samantha McWatch is a member of the group. She said she was evicted from her apartment last winter.
"I had friends and family; it was cold and in winter time and I was allowing them to come stay with me," McWatch said.
"Apparently, there was complaints by the neighbour, but that should be a reason if they were inside my home, right. I pay rent through Ontario Works.
Marks said shelters in the city are not full at this point, but for whatever reason, these people do not want to sleep there.
Officials said outreach workers have met with the people under the overpass and have offered to connect them with services in the community, but said it's their decision whether to accept assistance.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.