I write this to help clarify a bit of what the West Ritchie community faces with the homelessness situation and to explain how complex this issue really is.
My motivation to create a community garden didn't stem from my love of gardening; I have a bit of a black thumb. Instead, my drive came from my observation of the land: overlooking it from my balcony and witnessing first-hand how neglected, dirty, and under-utilized it was. No one had cared for it in a long time, that was evident. I watched pickup trucks back in and dump mattresses, TVs—you name it. I watched homeless camps pop up, get looted, and/or burn down. Even the City was on the hook; garbage from construction projects, utility poles, and exposed wires could be found across the property. Even more concerning was others’ apparent obliviousness to the dangers of this space. Off-leash dogs ran through the lot, their owners unaware of the broken glass, disposed needles, and other hazards. Teens came by at night, not knowing that they were drinking near a bike chop shop. It went on and on. So I took it upon myself to do something.
First, it was just calling around. The City said any garbage near the fenceline is CP Rail's jurisdiction. CP argued that side of the fence was city land. This went on and on for months while real people were still trying to use the green space. Large dumped items were removed, but the real hazards—the abandoned encampments—remained. So a few good neighbours chose a day to go down there and haul trash.
Now, this was not easy. We pulled around 50 needles from the site on the first day. We didn't know what to do with these needles—we ended up putting them pointy side down in a coffee can that we found. We didn't have cut-proof gloves, safety training, or really any good reason to be out there, other than the fact that no one else would help. I look back and realize that we should've stopped as soon as the needles began piling up. But we continued. We hauled a huge amount of trash to the road and called 311 to come get it, since they wouldn't if the trash was located on the fenceline. Seeing how the green space looked after a little TLC was hugely motivating and the garden idea bloomed.
Throughout my time building this garden project, homeless encampments have been the absolute biggest issue. There have been massive fires both in the garden and directly adjacent on CP land, and the fire department comes several times a year to put out small and large blazes. Needles have been an ongoing issue, popping up in the grass, on the picnic tables, and once thrown into our compost piles, which can be extremely dangerous for gardeners. Open drug use happens all the time, often with paraphernalia left on the picnic tables. We've had gardeners approached by campers asking if they are alone and if they brought anyone with them. We've had human feces directly beside the path. We have had full-scale bike chop shops, with multiple men dismantling dozens of bikes per day within view of my balcony. But we've had many good campers too. I go down and speak to most campers that set up, letting them know that they are in a community garden, and I usually offer them some garbage bags and water. We've had campers apologize for using our space, some saying that they truly didn't know where they could legally stay the night. I’ve had laughs with campers, had campers help me pick up garbage, and had campers help me repair the compost lids. I've seen their camps looted by people—homeless or well-off—while the campers were away. We had Paul, who dubbed himself the garden guardian and protected the produce. I didn't exactly believe him, but alas, after he moved on, the gardeners began to complain that their produce had been picked. I know that campers are not the issue, it's the lack of support we have in managing the ones who are being bad neighbours.
More support is needed for grassroots projects like this. For years, the City fought with both us and CPR about jurisdiction, and in that time no one would clean up the space, regardless of hazards. This is an issue, especially with the garden being the closest green space to homelessness supports in Ritchie. Of course people will want to shelter there. But we need help with encampment cleanup and proper needle response, regardless of jurisdiction. The City added a needle drop-off box a block away from the garden, on the corner of an intersection with no sidewalk—this kind of response is laughable, in my opinion. I hope that the supervised consumption site in Ritchie that will open will offer more comprehensive supports than the City has for the issues we are facing. Related to this, we also need prompt City response when citizens take it upon themselves to clean up on their behalf. We have 311 bags, which the city advertises citizens can use for community cleanups, but the full bags sit there for days or weeks, attracting attention and getting rooted through. I understand that this comes down to budget, as litter and encampment cleanup costs around the city have skyrocketed, but it still impacts the quality of the garden and our neighbourhood. One group that I don't have complaints about is EPS and the beat cops that we call when campers pose a risk to gardeners. Our beat cops are extremely friendly to us, understanding of our situation, and always ensure that they're clear on what we need before they talk to the campers. They only ever evict campers if we provide cause (ie, threats, needles), and otherwise just coordinate with us and the campers' social workers.
Overall, the garden has become what it is because of volunteer support and community vision. The number of hours put into improving this space by people who simply want nicer neighbourhoods is amazing, and something that all neighbours benefit from. I hope to see the City supporting these citizen-led efforts with more funding and less red tape, because people-led projects are the lifeblood of the neighbourhood.
A community volunteer’s perspective
Hanna Davidson, West Ritchie Director
