Municipal workers are clearing another homeless encampment in Toronto after authorities said there was a fire risk.
About 12 residents of the village. camp near St Stephen's Anglican Church in the Fields Kensington Market The area was cleared this afternoon after Toronto Fire Services issued an order to remove all flammable materials due to the increased risk of fire.
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The city and church say the notice to vacate came from the Toronto Fire Department on Tuesday.
The latest notice to remove items from the street was issued by the city on Wednesday and posted in the area.
City officials, who recently cleared another encampment in Dufferin Grove Park, say all residents of the Bellevue Avenue encampment were offered shelter space and seven residents decided to move into those shelters.
Maggie Helwig, the church's minister, says many of the encampment's residents have become her friends and the clearing marks a “very sad moment,” adding that the church, which has been the site of the encampment for about four years, has not seen an eviction notice since November 2023.
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