City of Toronto to begin removal of Kensington Market encampment

The City of Toronto says it will begin to clear out an encampment in Kensington Market on Friday morning due to it being an “immediate public safety risk.”

Russell Baker, a spokesperson for the city, said servicing the encampment, located at 103 Bellevue Ave., is a “tool of last resort.”

“We must address the accumulation of combustible and hoarded materials on site, posing substantial risk to both those encamped there and those in the surrounding area, including the church located at this address,” Baker said in a statement.

The encampment is located outside of the St. Stephen-In-The-Fields Church on a city-owned right-of-way.

According to Baker, approximately eight people remain at the encampment, and they were given notice of the city’s “planned work” on Nov. 21.

Baker says shelter spaces have been offered to all of the people encamped at the site and they will receive information about next steps later today.

The city says there have already been three fires at this encampment in the past 10 months, with the most recent fire occurring this month.

“Through regular visits by Toronto Fire Services, it has been determined that the encampment poses a significant fire risk due to a number of factors including the dense accumulation of combustible material and an excess of hoarded materials,” reads the statement from the city.