The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has issued a ruling on the future of the 100 Victoria St. N. homeless encampment in Kitchener.
It’s ordered the region to refrain from evicting those residents and not to enforce or act on any part of their Site-Specific By-Law.
The eviction is part of a bylaw the region wants to use to clear the encampment as it works toward building a new transit hub in the area.
The ruling notes the region cannot block entry into the encampment, prevent residents from moving temporary shelters from one part of the site to another or dispose of or remove any personal belongings of residents. The ruling also provides a reprieve for encampment residents until the court can determine its constitutionality, which is expected in November.
In a statement, the Region of Waterloo said it received the ruling this morning.
“We respect the Court’s decision to maintain the status quo at the site until the Court hears and can consider all of the evidence and legal submissions for a full consideration of the issues in November 2025. Region staff will continue to provide support at the site, including individual housing plans and connections to services,” it reads.
The region first passed the bylaw to remove encamped residents back in April. The bylaw would have then seen anyone found breaching the rules and returning to the site at Victoria Street after removal being fined up to $5,000.
Waterloo Region Community Legal Services (WRCLS) sought an injunction from the court to pause the bylaw.
David Alton with Social Development Centre Waterloo Region previously told The Mike Farwell Show that WRCLS wants the implementation of the bylaw to be put on hold as court proceedings on its constitutionality won’t begin until November.
“Without this injunction in place, the region can start enforcing the bylaw and evicting the encampment before they’ve even heard if they’re even allowed to do so,” Alton said. “This injunction is quite necessary to give the people who value that encampment the opportunity to at least make their case.”
