Court proceedings continue over region’s encampment eviction bylaw
Posted Apr 16, 2026 07:33:16 AM.
Last Updated Apr 16, 2026 10:12:05 AM.
The Region of Waterloo and those representing the residents of the encampment on Victoria Street will be in court Thursday, Friday, and Monday to present arguments for whether a bylaw that looks to clear the encampment violates the charter rights of those living there.
One year ago, the region passed a site-specific bylaw to clear the encampment at 100 Victoria St. near downtown Kitchener to make way for the Kitchener Central Transit Hub, which is to be built.
Work on the $35 million project was meant to begin in March, according to the region’s plans, but advocates and those living at the encampment believe that forcing residents out to make way for construction violates their charter rights.
Both sides, the Region of Waterloo and those representing the encampment residents, are set to present arguments on whether the bylaw is constitutionally sound. Waterloo Region Community Legal Services is representing many of those living on the site.
When the bylaw was originally put in place in April 2025, roughly 35 people were living at the site; however, according to advocates, the population is fluid, and numbers fluctuate throughout the year
It’s not the first time the municipality has attempted to clear that site through a bylaw. In 2023, a superior court justice argued that the region’s attempts to clear the area violated the charter rights of those living there because of a lack of available shelter beds at that time.
The region claims that, since then, adequate shelter space has been built or made available.
Community Legal Services and Fight Back KW, a local advocacy group, is inviting people to come out and support those folks living there, claiming that the results of these proceedings could be monumental.
Court proceedings are set to begin at 10 a.m., continuing on Friday and again on Monday.
