Municipal workers are clearing another homeless encampment in Toronto after officials cited a fire hazard.
About 12 residents of the encampment outside St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Anglican Church in the Kensington Market neighbourhood left this afternoon after Toronto Fire Services issued an order for the removal of all flammable materials due to increased fire risk.
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The city and the church say the notice to vacate came from Toronto Fire on Tuesday.
A final notice to remove items from the street was issued by the city on Wednesday and posted in the area.
The city, which recently cleared another encampment in Dufferin Grove Park, says all residents of the encampment on Bellevue Avenue have been offered shelter space, with seven residents choosing to move into those shelters.
Maggie Helwig, the church’s priest, says many of the encampment residents have become her friends and the clearing of the site marks a “very sad moment,” adding that the church — which has been an encampment site for about four years – hadn’t seen an eviction notice since November 2023.
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