Adam Prudhomme
Beaver Staff
Scott Drader made a deputation before Greater Napanee council on Tuesday night asking the town not to evict residents living on his property he says would otherwise be homeless.
Drader made the plea after the town had warned him the trailer set up he has on his four-acre Dairy Avenue property, which houses about 40 people, was in violation of the municipality’s zoning bylaw. He was hoping the town would allow him a temporary approval while he worked to find other living arrangements for the people living on the land.
“I have about 40 people now that have permanent homes there,” said Drader. “(Family and Children’s Services of Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington ) has already approved a trailer for the young lady that’s due on the 17th as long as we can get temporary approval.”
According to Drader, the pregnant lady he’s trying to house who is fleeing an abusive relationship, would lose the rights to her child if it were born before she had a home address.
Finding other arrangements won’t be easy however as Drader pointed out.
“There’s no housing for men,” said Drader. “There’s absolutely nothing for men. Women shelters, there’s nothing for women, they’re all full up. The pregnant lady couldn’t get in because there’s no rooms.”
“This is people’s lives you’re talking about,” said Drader. He also added if given permission he could provide homes for up to 50 people at no charge to the municipality, which would cover about half the homeless residents in the town.
Mayor Gord Schermerhorn said the town has attempted to work with Drader as best they can to help find homes for the people on his property.
“The problem is you’re breaking a zoning bylaw, you are not zoned properly,” said Schermerhorn. “You have not met building codes. I think it’s a wonderful think that you’re trying to do. I do. But you’re breaking the law. Municipal law.”
Councillor Roger Cole agreed.
“If the municipality allows this to continue and there’s a situation out there, where someone is killed, murdered or hurt in someway, what liability does it put the town in?,” asked Cole. “Anything this town approves, we’re responsible for.”
“It’s a terrible situation,” added Cole. “It’s not the responsibility of Greater Napanee to resolve it…This municipality can not, in my opinion, give the authority for you to remain when you’re against all the rules and regulations that require this type of facility.”
Schermerhorn added that it is up to the town to make sure the people living there were safe, secure and healthy. The mayor also suggested Drader make an application for a zoning change, but said the town would now allow for temporary approval. Drader responded that a member of town staff had told him that would cost upwards of $100,000, which the mayor countered, stating that information was false.
Schermerhorn also disagreed with Drader when he said he had been asked by social services to find homes for people.
“I will not have these people removed,” Drader said before walking out of the council chambers. “If you guys fine me, I have lots of legal representation.”
Later on in the meeting, under new business, councillor Shaune Lucas put forth a motion that council talk with newly elected Hastings-Lennox Addington MPP Daryl Kramp on the issue of homelessness in the area as they search for solutions to the growing problem.
In other Greater Napanee council news…
-Chief administrative officer Ray Callery provided councillors with an update on the progress being made on three questions that was submitted to the province on behalf of the town in an effort to clarify whether or not police costs could be area rated.
Earlier this year they submitted three questions, asking the province if they felt municipalities should have the authority to establish local levee areas or political boundaries to reflect calls for service data, if they felt policing call costs should be shared equally and whether to not the province felt a safety plan should be developed for OPP detachment areas instead of municipal political boundaries.
“Obviously the change in provincial government has slowed down the response to that,” said Callery. “But that’s not to say it wouldn’t be on the table of the minister and certainly once the cabinet is basically established and our provincial representative has a chance to catch their breath, this will be pushed in terms of trying to get a commitment to answers.”