Dozens of people living in tents near Bannerman Park say they now know who they can count on in a pinch.
And it’s not their elected officials.
Residents of the encampment and their supporters, under the banner Tent City for Change, say the City of St. John’s abandoned them by closing public washrooms, and then refusing to provide alternatives like portable toilets.
The province also refused to install port-a-potties at the site on their grounds behind the Colonial Building.
Two portable toilets were delivered late Friday, compliments of NAPE and supportive neighbours.
Later Friday, the city announced the previously closed public washrooms would be reopening as of 4 p.m. Saturday, and would be staying open around the clock, due to “additional resources arranged in collaboration with the province” such as enhanced cleaning and security.
Daniel Smith (VOCM News)
But Daniel Smith, who speaks for Tent City for Change, says they plan to keep the port-a-potties because they simply don’t trust the city.
“That’s absolutely the plan,” he said. “The city has already shown that there’s a disdain for the unhoused population in St. John’s when they made that decision to close the bathrooms. But the community came together and raised funds, and NAPE donated one of the port-a-potties. We can always count on the unions, we can always count on the community. We can’t count on the city right now.”
Residents and neighbours of the tent city held a ribbon-cutting yesterday to mark the arrival of the two port-a-potties.
It was a tongue-in-cheek gesture aimed at coaxing Mayor Danny Breen to visit the encampment.
