The moment some have been dreading and others waiting for, but all knew was coming eventually, has arrived for Occupy Toronto protesters.
This morning at 10:30 am., city bylaw enforcement officers handed out eviction notices stating that if protesters didn’t leave St. James Park by 12:01 am tomorrow, that they would be found in contravention of trespass act and “removed from St. James Park by or on behalf of the City.”
It’s not clear from that last statement whether cops would be called in to do the dirty work, or bylaw enforcement officers dispatched to enforce the eviction notices. Police spokesperson Wendy Drummond, who along with a handful of other officers was on hand to oversee the handing out of the notices, did not offer comment on that question.
At one point, police did the rounds to make sure every tent had been served with the notice, in most cases left by bylaw officers taped to tents.
A letter from City Manager Joe Pennachetti on the back of the notices says that the city “recognizes the rights of Canadians to gather and protest. However, the city has determined that it cannot allow the current use of St. James Park to continue.”
“In particular,” the letter states, “the City can no longer permit the appropriation of St. James Park by a relatively small group of people to the exclusion of all others wishing to use the park.”
But those who happened by when notices were being handed out spoke in support of protesters, although a small group of area businesses and residents have been more vocal lately about the encampment’s presence.
What’s next for protesters remains up in the air. Most interviewed by the media in attendance declared their intentions to stay, although I did notice one occupier taking down his tent.
The buzz circulating around the park shortly after notices had been handed out was that occupiers would be moving to Queen’s Park. Another said that occupiers had been offered accommodation in privately owned buildings around town.
A meeting of the General Assembly scheduled for noon would determine their next move.
