When the City of Toronto recently cleared a major homeless encampment in Trinity Bellwoods Park, one of the city’s most popular public spaces, activists came together to violently oppose the eviction. While they ultimately failed to stop it, they nonetheless managed to shape public narratives around the incident — often through disinformation circulated on social media.
Consequently, Trinity Bellwoods has become another case study in how activists use dishonesty to achieve their goals and, in the process, undermine municipal efforts to balance the needs of the homeless against threats to community safety.
In a 29-page court submission, the city’s legal team explained that safety concerns include “frequent” violent incidents within the encampments themselves, problems with human trafficking and threats of violence and harassment against city workers and park visitors. The city noted that visitors, particularly seniors and families, were afraid to enter certain parks.
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