Regional council will soon be presented with a third-party review of the heated encampment evictions in Halifax, in the summer of 2021.
The Board of Police Commissioners have recommended the city and Halifax police assess it, then figure out an approach to situations like these, going forward.
The review was completed by a Toronto-based law firm Cooper, Sandler, Shime & Schwartzentruber LLP and was started in June 2023.
Now completed, it has 37 recommendations for HRM and police, including calls for an apology on how things were handled.
‘Unchartered territory’
The Vice Chair of the police board, Gavin Giles says at the time of the incident, homelessness was just starting to hit “full scale”.
He says you started to see encampments pop up after COVID hit, but then they started spreading all over the place.
So, when the violent standoff took place, Giles tells us, they were in “uncharted territory” and no one knew how exactly to respond.
“They weren’t expecting the number of people who were going to be involved in Spring Garden Rd… they weren’t expecting the number of supporters who found themselves at Spring Garden Rd contesting the activities of the police.”
Giles adds, the police assigned to the task were not necessarily led or instructed on what to expect and how to deal with it.
Moving forward, he says, the commission is looking at policies on the use of pepper spray and chemical irritants as well as the use of force.
He adds, police have also taken on a more supportive role when dealing with homelessness, while HRM management and staff are more hands on.
As for an apology, Giles says the style and timing of it would be best left to the city and the police department.
What happened
On August 18, 2021, police stood behind shields, trying to force those living in tents to evacuate, while standing off against hundreds of protestors.
Dozens were arrested and pepper sprayed in front of the old library on Spring Garden Rd. as officers dismantled and removed shelters.
Chief of police Donald MacLean says in a news release, it was a challenging day for the municipality, officers and staff.
He says, the review will help evolve their future response on how to deal with encampments.
Photo: Steve MacArthur/Acadia Broadcasting
Chief Administrative Officer of HRM, Cathie O’Toole says the city and police appreciate the work that went into the review, providing an opportunity to “reflect on areas of improvement”.
“Much has been learned since August 18, 2021, and as indicated in the Review, significant changes have been made in how the municipality and its police department approach these types of situations.”
The review will go to council, September 10.
