Protestors in Timmins oppose location of homeless shelter
About 40 people who say they've been impacted by an increase in crime since the Living Space homeless shelter moved into their neighbourhood have taken their messages to the street.
They gathered in Hollinger Park on Friday and walked to Timmins City Hall, waving placards. Some said: 'Move Living Space' while others read: 'We want our city back.'
Annette Lacroix, a business owner and neighbour of Living Space said, they love the area.
“Our neighbourhood is well-maintained, our street we have the same neighbours we’ve had for several years,” Lacroix said.
“Since Living Space has been there, there’s been issues with other homes that have had to be boarded (up). Nothing’s being done. Nobody wants to be accountable for anything. I have had several meetings with Living Space. We need to relocate so people start feeling safe again.”
Other participants had similar concerns:
Alana Lortie said she feels especially vulnerable
“I need two new knees, I have degenerative scoliosis and osteoarthritis,” said Lortie.
“So I mean, what am I going to do to defend myself?”
“I love my fellow man and want change for everyone walking the street,” said Dan Schaffer, business owner.
“But the bottom line is every -- and I mean every -- episode of ‘Intervention’ ends with families saying enough is enough, we are done helping. We, as citizens in Timmins, are a family and we have to say as a group, enough is enough we’re done helping, too.”
Many of the people here said they've tried to get help from city hall over the past few years – without success.
“We’ve reached out to the mayor when it was George Pirie, now Michelle (Boileau),” said Chris Lamarche, a business owner.
“Everyone has bleeding hearts and no one wants to do anything but the taxpayers and the businesses are now suffering.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Boileau didn’t come out of city hall to speak to the protestors, but said she'll be waiting to meet with concerned residents at the McIntyre Community Centre for a town hall meeting.
“I want to hear about people’s experiences, what they’re witnessing, what they’re feeling and I also want to hear about what ideas people may have,” she said.
The meeting is scheduled June 15 from 7-9 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.