Homeless encampments in flood-risk area a major safety concern in Brampton

City council is urging the Region of Peel to take action and relocate homeless encampments along Brampton’s Etobicoke Creek that are in danger of flooding.

Coun. Rowena Santos says she’s been sounding the alarm about safety concerns related to several encampments in her area that have popped up on city-owned land, which is also a floodplain of the Etobicoke Creek.

Santos said she’s concerned about the safety of residents in the camps as rain and melting snow have led to rising and fast-moving water in Brampton creeks and rivers, prompting a warning from Brampton Fire & Emergency Services earlier this month.

But the Brampton councillor says the Region of Peel’s Human Services department continues to “drag their feet” when it comes to addressing the issue.

“It has been months…that I have been pushing on this matter,” Santos said in council chambers on Wednesday, adding that she’s concerned the city could be liable in the event of a flood or other emergency “knowing it’s a flood zone on city property and people are living there.”

Santos is calling on the region to make the relocations a priority “and move people out of the flood zone and into shelter.” Other members of council threw their support behind the push with a unanimous vote.

This rendering shows the locations of floodplains in Brampton. (Floodmap.net)

The Liberals tabled the federal budget this week, which includes more than $1.1 billion in funding over three years to extend the Interim Housing Assistance Program, and the city is calling on the region to relocate residents at the camp to shelters and request federal funding to help with the move

The region manages all the shelter services for Mississauga, Brampton and Caledon but has experienced a massive surge in demand over recent years. Over 1,200 households of asylum seekers are now being housed in Mississauga and Brampton shelters, making up some 70 per cent of all shelter stays.

Mayor Patrick Brown has said Brampton paid out $26 million in taxpayer funds last year to help shelters manage the crisis. Less than half has been repaid to the city through the federal Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP), and  Brown says Brampton is on track to spend another $60 million this year.

With shelter space at a premium, some agencies have turned to renting hotel rooms for clients. Santos said that could be one option for residents in the at-risk camps along with shelters. At the very least, Santos said the camps need to be moved “on regional property, outside the flood zone.”

The request from the city could go to the next meeting of Peel Regional Council on April 25.

To help deal with the influx of asylum seekers and manage the shelter crisis, Ottawa has committed $7 million in funding for a new welcome centre project at Pearson Airport, but the region is asking for another $10 million in capital funds and $9.3 annually to get the centre built and keep it operational.