Letter from Carlene Bulas regarding Bylaw: Homeless Usage
Concerns from a young mother and dog owner about personal safety and hygiene in the parks.
From: Carlene Bulas Sent: December 5, 2022 3:43 PM To: Mayor And Council Email mayorandcouncil@viewroyal.ca Subject: Bylaw: Homeless Usage
To whom it may concern,
I am writing this letter as a response to the Bylaw that will be discussed this Tuesday, December 6th that will allow the homeless to have access to specific parks such as View Royal Park and Portage Park.
As a daily user of these two specific parks, I have my share of concerns. I am a dog owner, young female and have an infant daughter. My concern is for the safety of myself, daughter, and dog.
We are walking distance to Portage Park and we take our dog for a walk early in the morning and in the evening before dark. During these times, it's very quiet and isolated with not many people around. I often bring my daughter with me on walks and I worry about the unexpected encounters I may face.
For example, We take the stairs by the train tracks down to Portage Park. Recently there has been a young man sleeping there with all of his belongings beside the tunnel and I would walk by his belongings daily with my daughter and/or dog. There was a few times I saw this man in the morning it was just after 7am already. I felt uncomfortable walking by there because I never knew what to expect coming down from the stairs and around the corner. I wonder what would happen if there was an encounter with this man and I had my dog or daughter with me. There are houses near by but is that enough to assist if something were to happen? This trail in View Royal is quite secluded. Until this point, I never felt unsafe in our parks in View Royal or have questioned if I should go there.
When I've taken walks in the evening before dark I have encountered other homeless men setting up for night by the beach much before 7pm(closer to 5pm). They were polite but I often wonder again, if something were to happen would there be anyone around to assist? There are other dog owners in the park but it still is very secluded and at times, I could still be walking the trails alone at this time.
I worry for my dog as dogs often sniff and eat things. What if the homeless population leave items on the beach or in playground areas? This is an off leash dog park afterall and I'm not able to scan every area before letting her off leash. I've encountered garbage and old food left in areas and have had near misses with my dog sniffing and smelling them from a mile away. At the park, I often have my infant daughter walking and crawling around in the mornings at the playground.
If they allow homeless in these parks, will there be police patrolling the area during the peak times of 7-7?
I understand and acknowledge we need to find places for these individuals, but am wondering if there are other parks that are better suited where there aren't young children, dogs running around at off leash parks, and ones that aren't in isolation.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Carlene Bulas