At a lively County Council meeting on October 16, Councillors heard that Transition house at 310 Division is ready to open on October 18 but has not yet received a licence under the ECE bylaw (Emergency Care Establishments bylaw). Councillors had a long discussion including a presentation on the status from Staff which asked Council for guidance. It did not help that the Agenda did not include a printed version. Council did not approve opening pending more actions (see below) so it’s now not clear if it will open since Staff did not agree with conditions. Before that discussion there was another one about HART (Homelessness And Recovery Treatment) which is one of the County’s Social Services with a branch at 310 Division. It was also contentious.
HART – Homelessness And Recovery Treatment
The relevance to 310 Division is that there will be HART staff stationed there who will assist clients – the contentious issue is that HART has a number of partners and Mayor Clevland wanted to be sure that these did not include “Moms stop the Harm” or similar organizations that “support normalization of toxic and illegal drugs and who do not work towards recovery and sobriety”. Other Councillors (notably Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky) did not want to name any particular organization and in the end a motion was passed that excluded such organizations without specifically naming any. The motion is somewhat redundant since this is already a condition of Provincial funding. During the debate, Lucas commented that people outside Cobourg have no idea of what’s going on.
Status of 310 Division
Rebecca Carman, Associate Director Housing & Homelessness, presented the latest update on progress in opening the new Transition House at 310 Division. There was no copy available on the Agenda or provided to Councillors but I was able to do screen grabs and recreated the presentation – see Resources.
Key Points
- The ground floor is ready to open on Friday 18 October. That’s the Resource centre and 24/7 drop-in centre and Warming Hub;
- Staffing is in place;
- Interviews for selection of candidates for the Community Liaison Committee are scheduled for week of 22 October. Lucas asked if Councillors would be eligible – staff had rejected one councillor applicant – but Warden Ostrander said there was no reason why not. This was one of several issues where Lucas pointed to a disconnect between what Council said and what happened.
- An application for the required ECE licence was submitted 16 August – 24 exemptions were requested. This was rejected on September 23.
- The application was resubmitted on October 1 with 4 exemptions requested.
- The Town responded October 7 approving a licence but with conditions. These were not acceptable to County Staff.
The presentation gave details on the conditions and what County Staff thought about them – see presentation – here is an abbreviated list
- Security is required outside Transition house within a 500 metre radius
- Transition house is responsible for waste and debris from clients within a 500 metre radius
- Application did not use the Town form to avoid misinformation. This allowed changes in wording to do with indemnity but meant denial of the application by Cobourg
- Requirement for personal liability of County staff for compliance
But Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky said she did not have enough time to absorb the information and wanted a decision to be deferred. The problem is that County Staff are not happy with conditions required by the Town and although it was not said explicitly, there is the danger that 310 Division will not open on Friday or if it does, it will be limited in scope since no ECE licence will issued by then – at least not one with acceptable conditions.
One big problem is the requirement to have security outside – staff are not able to leave the premises, they are not outreach workers. But why are there no solutions suggested? This prompted two ideas:
- Olena asked, why not have Special Constables (from Cobourg’s Police service) provide security and other requirements outside the premises and have the County pay for them;
- Since County Staff and councillors are not clear on exactly what Cobourg wants, why not have a representative of Cobourg Staff appear before County Council to explain and answer questions – e.g. on how the bylaw might be enforced.
One of the provisions of the by-Law is to allow for an appeal but it must be made within 10 days and that expires October 17. To get a licence, the County must either accept the conditions or appeal. Lucas suggested that Councillors look at Cobourg’s actual response rather than rely on the Staff report but this was not done.
But other than Lucas, Councillors did not like the conditions. So after a lot of discussion, Council voted to appeal the contentious conditions and added the requirement that a representative of Cobourg Staff appear before County Council. Lucas said that the County was audacious to ask and that it was inappropriate. In the recorded vote, Lucas voted against and Olena abstained.
It’s not known if any Staff member from Cobourg will respond. There was talk of a special Council meeting but no date was set.
Resources
- Presentation by Rebecca Carman – reconstructed from Screen grabs
- Emergency Care Establishments bylaw
Print Article:
My two cents in two points:
1. Cobourg, if negotiating in good faith, could offer to cover the burden of the perimeter security and cleaning if provided an offset from the County (e.g. propose and negotiate a budget for this additional burden). I completely agree there will be an additional burden and it would need proper 24×7 support.
2. It is unconscionable to disparage groups who are dedicating time and compassion to help those in trouble (especially sad to see the mayor piling on these groups too). If you had personally faced the difficulties, heartbreak and torments of having someone you love go through the cycle of addiction you might find more empathy and compassion for how to deal with this. As a society we have allowed this to occur with opioid addiction. We are all going to have to play a part in over coming it.
From a relatively new resident, best regards
Derek Marshall,
Perhaps being a relatively new resident, you have missed some of the back story on this issue. The sticking point is the ECE bylaw and its “teeth”, whereby County and 310 staff, management and directors will be held accountable for errors and fined.
The County wants no part of this. They want the Towns ECE bylaw to be rescinded or defanged to be a “no consequence” bylaw whereby errors are noted and NC/310 promise not to let it happen again.
Small comfort for the nearby residents and businesses.
The ECE with its “teeth” must be retained as it is the only leverage the Town has over NC/310
I don’t understand how a bylaw regarding a license worth ~$150 / year would result in 100K / day fines for a group of directors unless this is specifically designed to prevent the project from succeeding.
Mr. Marshall,
Being a new resident you may not know how Cobourg once was – before crime, drugs and the Encampment arrived.
I am extremely confident those that have moved to Cobourg over the past 15 years or maybe more did so as they fell in love with the quaintness and atmosphere of Cobourg.
We want our Town back. We don’t want people saying the drug situation is everywhere – it is the way things are now do not cut it.
Like the Mayor of Barbie said today – parks are for kids to play in.
Yes parks are not for drug addicts to hang a home sweet home sign. They need to get out of Town. THEY are not welcome here!
There is nothing wrong with a Town wanting its own safe identity.
Your two cents worth is not worth two cents;
Derek, which groups (the ones you feel are dedicating time and compassion to help those in trouble) do you feel the mayor is disparaging? Many groups in Cobourg lend a hand.
If you provide specifics, perhaps someone here will be able to fill you in on the history.
Sorry Derek, cannot agree. Transition House has tried everything in their power to turn the wave of the addiction crisis…….for over seven years, with small victories and many “incompletes” .The approach taken of GIVING shelter and sustenance with no required commitment has failed. There needs to be a standard of rehabilitation necessary before things will improve. The Town has already covered policing costs( over budget again by tens of thousands) our Town employees are cleaning up abandoned camp sites, fire services are called out to attend overdoses The County is having to be approached to assist in these costs,…even though it is blatantly obvious Cobourg is shouldering all of this burden for the County’s only shelter service.l support my Town Council in standing strong in it’s position of requiring licensing before the County opens this venture. It is not unlike requiring any other business to abide by standards set in our Town for operating , it is for the safety and pure enjoyment of our community that these policies exist.l live in the downtown area and have endured theft, trespass on my property, harassment, and the discomfort of open drug use…..this is not the safe and comfortable life that anyone who has worked and saved should have to endure.
Derek, it is entirely appropriate and to be lauded that our Mayor disparages groups such as Moms Stop the Harm and Green Wood Coalition that are working to destroy Canadian society by encouraging illegal activities. Why would any rational person favour groups that advocate for “safe” injection sites, legalization of addictive drugs, provision of drug paraphernalia and similar detrimental actions?
We fully fund our share though our Canadian, Ontario and county taxes. Why should Cobourg taxpayers provide any additional funding for security and cleanup of a haven for the users of illegal drugs?
l know l am not alone when l agree that the 500 meter radius for security and responsibility must remain. If nothing else property owners may make one call to Transition House for property clean up of refuse, drug related items, theft , and excrement deposits which are very often recorded and thus identify individuals responsible as Transition House clients. I have no first hand information, but would expect that some system of documenting those who avail themselves of the services provided at the warming Hub and Transition House is in place. If for no other purpose proper documentation would produce shortfalls requiring consideration , offences ,volatile clients,repeat clients and hopefully contact information for emergency situations, all of which would be helpful in operations planning.This attempted solution is saturated with drug addiction issues and for this reason the immediate neighbours, of which l am one, will be under siege once again, without the protections that the ECE bylaw, we will suffer. It must be accepted as is or a rehabilitative approach considered going forward, not located in the midst of a town center in any of our communities within the County.
It seems to me that the County is holding up the development of 310 Division’s “second floor bedrooms” for one reason only. They are having a temper tantrum that the Town of Cobourg has stuck to the guidelines of the ECE bylaw which has been written (and passed!) to try and hold the 310 Division Administration and Board members to an acceptable and reasonable standard in the future operation of this most contentious shelter. The bylaw was written to protect neighbouring property owners and the Cobourg Townspeople at large. County administration are trying, through lots of dramatics, hand-wringing, histrionics and probably even foot stamping, to get “Cobourg” to retract the key protective elements of this bylaw. Well, I’d suggest that perhaps there might be some spots in Kindergarten still open, for these ridiculous people — maybe in a Junior Kindergarten class, they can learn to deal with their temper tantrums and get on with it. The people who are the BIGGEST losers at the moment are those “unhoused” persons currently residing in the encampments around town, sleeping on the ground in tents — and of course those Cobourg residents whose properties are being damaged and possessions being stolen. I say, GROW UP and get on with getting Cobourg back to the wonderful town it once was.
Check out the write up by the Mayor of Barrie in today’s National Post, Page A9. “Help make public parks safe again”. He could have been describing Cobourg.
Dear Mayor Cleveland:
Talk about a Hegelian Dialectic (Thesis, Antithesis, and Synthesis) – This is it! Watch how the magic unfolds before your eyes to make us, the taxpayer, pay more taxes….
We are all getting conned, AGAIN, into paying into program/studies/committees/buildings with OUR tax dollars (not yours), which just incentives personal irresponsibility!
Why don’t you just roll out the red carpet for anything else a person wants or desires to get yourself more votes. What is the limit? What’s next? A free cell phone, gift cards and cash for the homeless??? This is no joke. Your about to give them free housing, why not a car too? WHAT IS THE LIMIT to this madness? BTW, I need a vacation property, so ill vote for you if you give me one 🙂
The point is: Homelessness and drug addiction is a personal and private issue. It should never a be a public issue. It only became a public issue because you made it a public issue by welcoming, allowing, and incentivizing these people to operate in Cobourg. As you can see, once we give resources to one person’s problems, then we must do it for everyone else.
Stop hijacking our empathy and wasting our tax dollars. Lead by principle, not just by what is popular and falls under 66.7% under the normal curve.
Send a clear message to these people: You are not welcome here. Get a job. We are not giving you ANY resources or tax dollars.
This is what the people want!
CCR
I do believe this is exactly what the mayor is doing.
It seems to me that our mayor was in total agreement with other County Council members for the purchase of 310 Division Street. This was done with virtually no consultation with Cobourg taxpayers. I guess that he rues his decision now and is trying to put on a brave face. I fear that the terms of the bylaw will not be enacted, the facility will be licensed, and the same old situation will prevail.
homelessness/addiction is not a private issue when it has invaded hard working residents lives with break ins, inappropriate behaviours, assaults, etc. town council needs to stick to their guns and press on the ECE. It keeps everyone safe. Now, county is trying to weasel out of the 500 meter cleanup, fine. Keep it to the immediate area. NO resident in the immediate area should be cleaning up dirty needles, and other paraphernalia. Let’s also be clear that addicts won’t be using 310 to live short term, because man, the rules. They will definitely use the warming room. Let’s hope that there’s a maximum staff contingent, as well as paying staff a better wage, it’s insulting. Also, what happened to 24/7 security? Am I to assume now that the residents have been zoomed yet again and residents in the immediate area will face the fallout? Where do I send my receipts to for loss due to damage/possible assault? Do better County of Northumberland!
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought Rev. Ellis, who quit the church, was going to be “in charge” of 310?? Now, to my knowledge, he’s quit again.?? Who is looking after Transition House and 310 now?? There seems to be so much “back and forth” on whether 310 is actually going to open or not.
I guess things have changed. The halfway house I ran was populated by people placed there by the parole offices who continued to monitor along with myself. No drugs or alcohol allowed period. Today under catch and release addicts continue with their habit and lifestyle unable to have shelter and spend their time breaking in, stealing and endangering others with no direction to get off the substances they are on. Then we did not have encampments. Should they continue to violate while in the halfway house they were returned to jail for violating their parole conditions. Currently the Feds are being strongly told by Provincial premiers they want the bail and release laws changed. Meanwhile the Feds say it is not their fault despite making these laws. Political change is in the wind which is the only solution to this problem.
Example of the problem of catch and release close to home –
https://todaysnorthumberland.ca/2024/10/17/belleville-police-service-woman-released-again-arrested-again-for-the-third-time-this-week/
It’s not going to be perfect. There will be obvious and unforeseen challenges but let’s refrain from putting up non productive road blocks. There certainly isn’t a one size fits all handbook for reference.
If we get this fully operational as best we can, we will have a positive impact for many people’s lives and the county as a whole. We could even become the model that others point to.
Anything is better than the blasted encampment, that apparently has been running like a Lord of the Flies social experiment.
The issue though isn’t whether or not help needs to be provided. The issue, I believe is why is this Cobourg’s problem? Why aren’t other towns in the municipality contributing to the resolution of these issues. Yes, I know Cobourg, over the past 20 years has been turned into the social welfare centre of Northumberland County but the entry argument 20 years ago no longer exists, therefore we need to revisit the solution set and participants. So I agree something is better than nothing, I disagree that this needs to be dealt with only in Cobourg.
True! It’s not Cobourg’s problem or any other township’s or municipalities problem for that matter.
People respond to incentives. Remove the incentive, Remove the problem. Period.
These politicians need to give their head a shake.
Many voiced concern to county council that homelessness was their file and better they better do something. Well, they did something. ( Never suggest to a politician open-endly to just do “someting.” )
The county homeless situation needed a hub and one with wrap around services to hopefully/ sucessfully transition people to get the resources they need to help them get back on track. Kind of hard to obtain employment when you can’t take a shower or do luandry.
No doubt it will be a rocky road but we begin any journey with the first step.
The County needs several shelters connected to one Hub of services. In this day and age EVERYTHING is available on line. The County claimed in the last meeting to “meet people where they are at” This makes it possible for individuals to remain in their home communities while accessing all of the tools they require to move forward and avoids the grouping of vulnerable folks being manipulated by self serving individuals and drug pirates. …..as an aside there has been a Hub of wrap around services offered at 10 Chapel Street, the existing Transition House for over seven years……and we have people encamped and sleeping in doorways. ….l guess we need a different approach
The chapel street version of Transition House was OBVIOUSLY not working- for residents or neighbours.
I admire your optimism.
310D has the potential to have a positive impact on many people….if county would have centered the purchase on providing help and greatly needed services for seniors, working poor, people displaced and needing assistance to get back on their feet. Instead, their focus was a sham solution to the drug addicted homeless by opening TH 2.0 as a low-barrier shelter for the entire county. County has a very poor track record for transparency and open dialog with community members. Transition House has proven itself to be a lousy neighbour, to say the least. People are wary for good reason.
The rest of the County is presently enjoying a positive impact by having Cobourg the Social Services hub of Northumberland.
The Flies are scattering as we speak. Whether they land at 310 or hither and yon, remains to be seen. The success of 310 depends on the County actually listening, TH’s leadership and engagement with the community, appropriate supports that aren’t driven by harm reduction advocates, and the willingness to respond to problems and concerns in a timely and effective way.
If 310D (or houses in Cobourg) become encampment 2.0, then Cobourg is no better off.
Options to house:
1. Old Golden Plough
2. Provide a mobile shower unit and water dispenser
3. Food bank coupons by ut monitored
or Jobs of any sort to collect your Cheque
Whatever /when did the job search requirement to do so cease ?
When the County Dept quit doing its job !
Back up a decade if you were on a social support program as a single male you were on call as a Labourer or farm hand etc etc if nothing else . You were called if you did not arrive at the Pickup location you designated You had trouble getting your next cheque .
Sigh- There are people who are not able to work, because they are living with disabilities- mental or physical or because of age (and all that is related to that), People are not able to find housing- Transition House even at its best is only temporary. Has everyone (conveniently) forgotten these facts? Doing nothing is not a solution. I can agree all communities need to help out financially, IT is the county (not Cobourg) who bout the Transition facilities after all. BUT…..A 500 metre requirement for cleanliness is an absolutely asinine and impossible barrier. The haters can love it all they want- but someone- somebody has got to start being realistic… WE need solutions. Real ones.
Concerned Taxpayer,
The Golden Plough (old GPL) is not a current option. The new GPL will not open for another 12-15 months, so the old GPL is still in use as an LTC.
An option (useable, but not great) is the memorial arena. I don’t believe the Firefighter’s Museum deal has closed, so the building is vacant. House the “encampment” there.
Put in porta-pottys and showers as needed.
Subject to the Town’s ECE bylaw
Limit operation to 1 year
NC pays all costs.
So true Bryan, the Golden Plough is still in use….necessarily so and when (or whenever!!!) the new building opens there will still be waiting lists for long term care AND affordable housing, both of which County Council has some responsibility. Could someone explain to me why this building would be destroyed in the face of these needs? Many of the homes in this town, township, county .have close to or more than100 years of age and are still in use. This building has been well maintained so would be easily adapted to a new purpose. When the military base left town several PMQ buildings were abandoned. Habitat for Humanity took them on and with the ready workforce of potential homeowners they were reclaimed and they had been left unmaintained for a lengthy period of time. A portion of the Plough could be repurposed into condominiums with Habitat’s help while a portion is left for LTC , thus alleviating the wait lists.Pride of ownership would ensure the ongoing usage of this property.All visions are doable with the correct planning and money focused in the positive direction
I think the Mayor hit the Nail on the Head with the 500 mtr radius of
control at the Counties Expense and Liability .
It s obviously going to be a heavy long term expense obligation .
Just look at the Brookside example of Lifestyle and Garbage that can’t be controlled
I may also help to stabilize real estate values in the area and downtown
The mayor is doing a great job on this file !
And if the Mayor, Council and Police had rid the beach of the first tents, then we wouldn’t be where we are. We shouldn’t be giving them anywhere to park their “bottoms” Give them nothing and they’ll all soon disappear.
“Mayor Clevland wanted to be sure that these did not include “Moms stop the Harm” or similar organizations that “support normalization of toxic and illegal drugs and who do not work towards recovery and sobriety”.
An interesting ideological point of view, now the Mayor of Cobourg has chosen to be the spearhead of “Radical Right Wing ideology”
Not sure I agree Ben, however the “radical left wing ideology” certainly is not working. Just ask the residents of Vancouver. The last time I checked it isn’t an open bar at the AA meetings! Is that a” right wing ideology” as well or maybe just a common sense approach??
If you have ever spoken to a recovered drug addict they will tell you that that approach of allowing them to get “high” did not help, It enabled them to continue down the wrong path!!!
This is not Vancouver its Little Old Cobourg
We don’t have the resources or the Funding and our Taxes are already higher than theirs’s.
Besides they have been battling unsuccessfully for 10 + years
now with these same issues .
There are 18 home s fronting on our block Down town Core
and 5 of our long time neighbours had enough sold and moved this this year alone and 2 more just went up for sale .
Something is Wrong with This Picture . Or the way your viewing it !
Ben, in my opinion, not wanting an organisation such as Moms stop the Harm to be involved in helping people in need is not “Radical Right Wing ideology”. “The motion is somewhat redundant since this is already a condition of Provincial funding.” This refers to the motion that was passed but does not, as Mayor Clevland wanted, name any organizations. I have read that 310 Division is not to include any supervised drug use. Will people living there be doing drugs in their private rooms or going out into the community to do drugs?
To me “Radical Right Wing ideology” would have all the people HART is helping locked up in institutions for their own good and the good of society. Just because someone is not in favour of a group like Moms stop the Harm doesn’t make them a right wing radical. I have gone to demonstrations and looked at the information provided by Moms stop the Harm. Among other things they advocate for ‘safe drugs’ and equipment to test the quality of street drugs. This thinking enables people to keep doing drugs. Some people consider this thinking “radical left wing ideology”. Surely there is some middle ground where we can help people get off drugs without just giving them more drugs.
And how pray tell do MSTH work to help these folks toward recovery? READ: they don’t, full stop. Read Adam Zivo’s article on the young girl who got hooked on safe supply, sadly she died from an OD. There are many more stories out there, can we all agree there is no safe supply? Canadians were fed a lie, there is no real science to back this up. So Ben, you might get the warm fuzzies calling others “right wing”, kindly do your research first. Do better.
It is obvious that the Town of Cobourg should not grant an ECE licence to 310 Division St. Only our Mayor Clevelend, alone among all of the other County Councilors, gives a damn about the safety and well being of Cobourg citizens and businesses. If the County is not willing to have 310 Division St. comply with all of the covennts of our ECE Bylaw, drop the encampment inhabitants into downtown Brighton and see if that puts a wakeup call into Warden Ostrander’s tiny little brain.
Yes Presqu iel Point Is a mighty nice location with wash rms showers & BBQs
could be an all year round location thats easy to secure and monitor
In a recent Robert Washburn podcast he interviewed Jeff Wheeldon a Brighton Councillor. Jeff mentioned that he “ wants the town (Brighton) to collaborate with the county to improve services to unsheltered people in his area”. Proctor Park was suggested. Wonder how the County Warden felt about this interview and request. Brighton would be a great place for some of the folks in our encampment. I also read that Port Hope has fenced off a certain park section in their town recently owned by the MTO. God help us if an encampment sets up in PH close to GWC and MPP office.
That fence around the “park”? LOL- better take a drive by, it is really only a garden. And Yes Port Hope has people living unhoused. That is not new.
…. yes in downtown Brighton they will find beautiful public washrooms – Cobourg’s have to stay locked and the public has to do with those yellow plastic boxes…..