A terse debate Wednesday, followed by county councillors voting against washrooms for the homeless in Rainbow Park, reflects deep divisions about what to do with encampments and the level of government responsible for them.
County council – which is comprised of municipal leaders from across Lambton, as well as five Sarnia councillors – voted 17-17 on a motion from Mayor Mike Bradley related to sanitation services at the city’s south end park.
The motion wasn’t specifically to install washrooms in the park, as Bradley repeatedly pointed out. It was a request to get comments from Lambton Public Health and the County of Lambton’s Social Services Division to determine their support for sanitation at encampments.
But even that sparked a fiery exchange that ended in a tie vote. A tie means the motion was lost.
Oil Springs Mayor Ian Veen said he doesn’t view dealing with encampments in a Sarnia park as a Lambton County issue. The county is responsible for housing and homelessness and has done “just about everything we can do,” Veen said.
“I have to ask what has Sarnia actually done to fix their problem because this is your park, not our park,” he said.
Warden Kevin Marriott intervened at that point, saying “We won’t try to answer that question at this time.”
“The washrooms part of the deal is not a county mandate,” said St. Clair Mayor Jeff Agar.
“I myself am not in favour of putting washrooms. We provide shelter and shelter staff who work 24/7 and I commend them for what they do.
“I think it would prolong more if we put washrooms in,” said Agar.
Brooke-Alvinston Mayor David Ferguson agreed with Agar and Veen.
“This is a Sarnia problem in a Sarnia park,” he said, pointing out that county staff has said there are enough shelter beds to accommodate the 50 or so living rough in Rainbow Park.
“It’s not our mandate to provide washrooms in a City of Sarnia park,” said Ferguson. “I’m dead against this. If you put (washrooms) in there Sarnia council, your problem will be that much bigger.”
Mayor Bradley responded, reminding council that the encampment represents “a human health crisis.”
“This camp is not something we sanctioned but there are human needs now that impact on the neighbourhood and impact on the people who are there,” Bradley said.
Coun. Bill Dennis followed that with an attack on his city council colleagues, accusing them of inaction.
“Sarnia council is not showing leadership,” Dennis said. “They have no regard for the neighbours or the downtown businesses.
“They are totally MIA when it comes to leadership and empathy for the real victims, which are the neighbours and downtown businesses.”
Dennis said that providing washrooms at Rainbow Park would condone the encampment. He said that the county’s social services manager has “made it quite clear that there is plenty of room in the shelters.”
“These people live in tents. Anything other than a tent is an upgrade, quite frankly.
“Any place these people go that they can’t smoke their dope at, is unacceptable (to them),” he said. “In my opinion, this is wrong.”
County council members who voted in favour of a report on encampment washrooms included Point Edward Mayor Bev Hand, Petrolia Mayor Brad Loosley, Sarnia Coun. Chrissy McRoberts, Sarnia Coun. and Lambton Deputy Warden Brian White, Mayor Mike Bradley, Lambton Shores Mayor Doug Cook and Lambton Shores Deputy Mayor Dan Sageman.
Sarnia Coun. David Boushy was absent.
Each county councillor’s vote is weighted depending on the size of the municipality they represent.
Mayor Mike Bradley said afterward he is not certain what the city’s next move will be.
“Will take think time before deciding next steps,” was all he wrote in an email.