Guelph resident Greg Dorval had planned to spend the remainder of the winter sleeping outside behind the Ontario Superior Court of Justice building to support his unhoused friends and raise awareness about their struggles.
Already presented with a trespassing notice, that plan is starting to look a little different.
On Tuesday, Dorval and some of his unhoused friends set up their tents behind the Woolwich Street property with intentions to stay through the winter.
By Wednesday afternoon, Dorval’s unhoused friends – who, prior to moving, had been staying at the encampment in St. George’s Square since early winter – had been contacted by housing support and given offers they couldn’t refuse, Dorval said.
Prior to moving to the courthouse garden with Dorval, they had been living in the encampment at St. George’s Square since early winter. Now he believes they’re temporarily being put up at a hotel.
Not long after, Dorval was met by police, who served him a trespassing notice from the County of Wellington stating he had to be out by 9 a.m. Thursday.
But he has no intention of leaving and as of 2 p.m. Thursday he was still there.
An officer arrived Thursday at 9 a.m. to remind him of the trespass notice while some of Dorval’s neighbour’s stood by to offer their support. But he left Dorval and his tent, saying no action would be taken “at this time.”
“I’m staying as a form of civil protest,” Dorval said. “Unless they take me away in handcuffs or by other means.”
“I’m not going to leave voluntarily, and I’m going to continue to invite others to join me as an encampment,” he said.
The trespassing notice includes the following county-owned addresses, including the courthouse, housing services and social services buildings:
- 129 Wyndham St.
- 138 Wyndham St.
- 15 Douglas St.
- 74 Woolwich St.
- 21 & 27 Douglas St.
- 59, 69 & 75 Woolwich St.
Even though he’s engaging in a protest now, he said his message remains the same as it was before: to provide support and advocate for his unhoused friends while raising awareness about their struggles.
And since some of his friends were offered somewhere warm to stay, “it’s already a win,” he said.
“I’m not here to ignite battles across artificial lines in our community. I’m here to heal tears that already exist in the fabric. I want to bring our community closer together,” he said.
