As homelessness and housing remain key issues around Waterloo Region, councillors and delegates alike met around the regional horseshoe to discuss the possibility of the Region of Waterloo taking operational control of A Better Tent City (ABTC).
It comes after the board for ABTC announced that it would be dissolving its previous organizational approach, as it could no longer continue running as it had in past years.
“ABTC started a little over 6 years ago as a tiny homes community, providing a safe place to be for people who either couldn’t or wouldn’t use the shelter system,” said Jeff Wilmer, Board Chair of ABTC.
“We’ve kept it going for 6 years, but a few months ago, we, the board of directors, came to the realization that it was no longer sustainable as a largely volunteer-led organization.”
It meant the ABTC board was expected to dissolve as of July 20, leaving decisions to be made about the site’s future.
That led to the discussion and talks for regional council, deciding whether it was worthwhile for the region to pick up the operational control of ABTC, alongside the continued support from The Working Centre.
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According to The Working Centre, as many as 55 people currently live on the supportive housing site, but with continued visitors and undocumented regular users, the expected number active on the site regularly sits closer to 100.
While councillors were discussing the possibility of taking on-site controls after the board requested that the region take control of the site, delegates took to the regional horseshoe to mainly voice their disapproval of the plan.
“I’m very worried for the people of A Better Tent City,” said ABTC co-founder and resident of the site, Nadine Green.
“Some have already told me that, if things change too much, they will go back to living in the woods. I’m worried about the people who come by for a bite to eat, a shower, or a load of laundry.”
Similar to other recent meetings revolved around the topic of homelessness, such as the recent discussions around the Victoria Street encampment in Kitchener, the discussions turned sour in a few instances as tensions rose in chambers.
One such instance led to pushback from Councillor and Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe, who took offence after one delegate said that The Working Centre had “failed at running managed encampments,” saying that their site at 1001 Erb’s Road in Waterloo “is a concentration camp.”
“I found the reference to concentration camps extremely disturbing,” said McCabe, before Regional Chair Karen Redman had to step in multiple times after raised voices were heard coming from the audience in attendance.
“This is not appropriate language to use in any way, shape, or form as part of this discussion or any discussion,” McCabe stated.
As those talks shifted from the delegates to councillors, voices were heard from both sides of the argument, with some stating that there is a clear need for the local site, while others said that the region should invest in other areas to better aid its homeless population.
“I believe we have to do our work to support those folks now, up until perhaps next budget, when we can find a better plan for them,” said Councillor Michael Harris.
“At the cost at which we’re proposing today, it is just not a good investment.”
That cost comes in the form of over $5 million in 2026 towards upgrades and expansions for ABTC, as well as approximately $6 million in annual operational costs at the site.
Councillor and Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett spoke to her reluctance in pressing forward with moves regarding ABTC, pointing to the statements, actions, and disruptions coming from those delegates at the meeting as an indicator of what would lie ahead.
“I hear the comments of the delegates, and this is exactly why many of us around the horseshoe are reticent about even engaging in this,” said Liggett.
“These are people who have no concern for rules or living within the confines of being a community, which we all adhere to. That’s what keeps us from being a third-world country.”
Others pushed for the region to pick up the operational control of the site, including Councillor and Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz, who said it’s an issue that the region would have to face one way or another.
“People are living there. If we walk away, then they are, essentially, homeless, and it still is our problem, so I think we need to support this,” Shantz stated.
Councillor Joe Gowing proposed an amendment that would have funding not be automatically approved each year, should the region take over those operational controls, making it dependent on budget approvals from council each year.
Councillors ultimately approved the motion and the amendment in a 12-2 vote, with Councillors Michael Harris and Natasha Salonen opposed to the move.
It now allows the region to transition control from ABTC’s board, alongside The Working Centre. In the process, the region will increase its available emergency shelter spaces by 12 per cent, from around 400 to over 450 in total.
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