Officials from the City of Belleville cleared out an abandoned homeless encampment along the shores of the Moira River on Monday.
Over four dump trucks full of debris were collected from the site, located just south of the College St. Bridge over the river along the east bank along Old Cannifton Road.
A front-end loader fills one of Belleville’s dump trucks with collected trash and debris from a homeless encampment along the Moira River. Photo: Alan-Michael Steele, Quinte News
City officials found the site to be abandoned, before removing part of a fence in order to allow access to the area by heavy equipment. Workers then began the task of gathering all the debris with the help of an excavator and a front end loader.
Debris on the site included household appliances such as a dishwasher and washing machine, mattresses, insulation, shopping carts, propane tanks, Naloxone kits, winter clothes, tarps, and large amounts of garbage.
A discarded Naloxone kit rests in a tire track during cleanup of an abandoned homeless encampment. Photo: Alan-Michael Steele
City officials moved to clear the site after receiving complaints from residents, and with concerns that the high water levels in the river could cause some of the trash to get washed away, fouling the water.
Municipal workers comb the former encampment site after heavy equipment removes the bulk of the garbage and debris, collecting smaller items that weren’t picked up. Photo: Alan-Michael Steele, Quinte News
Mayor Neil Ellis was on site during the removal. He said that the provincial and federal governments were neglecting the ongoing homelessness issue.
“The HART hub is great, but that’s not going to solve people who don’t have a place to live,” said Mayor Ellis. “There’s people that aren’t on drugs, there’s people that are living in the backs of cars, and the numbers are growing right now. We’re at 250. The population of the unhoused is predicted by 2028 it’s going to double. We need help right now.”
He also said that when they need to clear an encampment that is still in use, they simply have nowhere they can tell the people to go.
“It’s astronomical how much money we’re putting into this, and we’re not getting any money, any help from the province,” said Mayor Ellis. “The resources just aren’t there. There’s nowhere to send them, and that lays totally on the province.”
Municipal workers used a small excavator to move debris to where the front-end loader could collect it and deposit the debris into dump trucks. Heavier vehicles were kept away from the river due to safety concerns. Photo: Alan-Michael Steele, Quinte News
The camp is believed to have been abandoned sometime during the winter, with snow hiding the trash until the spring thaw revealed the extent of the problem.
Discarded clothing, bags, and other items littered the site of the abandoned encampment. Photo: Alan-Michael Steele, Quinte News.
