Victoria Street encampment to be cleared for transit hub construction

The construction of a central piece of infrastructure in Waterloo Region will force the residents of one of Kitchener’s largest encampments to move.

Construction of the Kitchener Central Transit Hub (KCTH) is set to ramp up over the next 12 months, and Metrolinx has informed the Region of Waterloo that work at 100 Victoria St. N. will begin in March 2026.

To make way for that work, the region will require the roughly 35 residents currently living at the encampment on Victoria Street to find alternate housing solutions by December 1 so that they can prepare the site for construction.

Regional staff have developed a site-specific bylaw that would make it illegal for anyone to live there, and fine anyone found to be in breach of those rules up to $5,000 after November 30.

As part of the region’s Plan to End Chronic Homelessness, staff have been working with the residents of the encampment to ensure that they have safe and clean living conditions, portable toilets and security.

Regional staff have allocated resources to move the residents into supportive housing or temporary motels, and have the next seven months to find solutions for encampment residents.

“Now that we have a definitive date of when that location is no longer available to folks, we can intensify our efforts, be there on a daily basis, and really look to utilize the time and additional resources that we’re looking for council to approve,” Peter Sweeney, commissioner of community services, said.

The Region of Waterloo has attempted to clear the encampment in the past. In 2023, Ontario Superior Court Justice M.J. Valente blocked an application from the region to remove tents and domiciles.

In his decision, Justice Valente noted that because of the region’s lack of available shelter space, evicting the encampment’s residents would breach their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In the bylaw, staff take note of that decision, but add that they’ve expanded the number of available accessible shelter beds in the region and allocated additional resources to provide accommodation to those being displaced.

The KCTH is projected to be completed in 2030.

Council will make a decision on the bylaw at a council meeting on April 23.