The bell finally tolls for the gross homeless encampment at Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park

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Trinity Bellwoods Park in downtown Toronto is typically a blissful place to visit. But that’s changed in the last year or so, primarily due to two reasons: COVID and homeless encampments.

Indeed, last year the city marked the park with hundreds of social distancing circles, something that was repeated again this year. The idea is that law-abiding taxpayers visiting the park must stay in these circles at a capped number — or face $880 fines.

But get this: if you erect a tent or even build a wooden shelter, the law no longer applies.

For several months, authorities have been turning a blind eye to vagrants illegally occupying the park — some of whom are dangerous and/or mentally ill.

Little wonder the tent city at Trinity Bellwoods has continued to grow. And although the city posted flyers months ago warning the vagrants to leave by April 6, it was all bark and no bite given that the deadline came and went and the city did nothing.

But on June 22, it appeared that the putrid party had come to an end. More than 100 police officers and security guards descended upon the park to take down the illicit tents and tell the vagrants to vamoose. In many respects, they were doing the occupiers a favour given the city has enough shelter beds for all of the Trinity Bellwoods occupiers.

But amazingly, law enforcement had their hands full — not just with homeless people who didn’t want to leave, but also with a crowd of about 200 supporters of the homeless people, a diverse group that ranged from champagne socialists to violent Antifa types (some peace officers were actually assaulted by these punks).

There were also homeless advocates there, but get this: they were advocating against these people being put in shelters!

That’s right, homeless advocates these days are actually advocating for homeless people to remain... homeless!

But why? There is space at shelters (and even hotels that the city has leased to house homeless people).

Who wouldn’t want a roof over their head and indoor plumbing and three square meals a day? Who wants to live outdoors in unsanitary and unhealthy conditions?

And what about the property owners who live around Trinity Bellwoods Park? Why must they put up with hobos urinating and defecating and discarding used drug needles, even in the children’s playground area?

But that’s how the progressive left rolls in sanctuary city Hogtown these days — it’s all about penalizing the makers and rewarding the takers.

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  • By Ezra Levant

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