Mike Bradley is appealing for guidance from the County of Lambton regarding Rainbow Park.
The Sarnia mayor has penned a letter to county council asking if the county is prepared with additional resources should the city dismantle a homeless encampment at the park.
Bradley said he recognizes the complexity of this issue and the difficulty of solutions that end up creating other issues.
"Trying to bring focus to this asking county council, what resources would you provide if city council decided to ask people to vacate this park or another park? Because that's what's going to happen, if you ask people to leave one area they'll go to another," he said. "So you have to be very focused about what resources you will have to assist these people to try to get them to a better place, a shelter or housing."
In the letter, Bradley said he hopes they can move forward cooperatively, both at the county level and at the lower tier level, to find and mitigate the impacts of this national crisis on communities as much as possible.
"The reality is we need the province of Ontario, just like the province of Alberta did, they stepped in and took the lead on this," said Bradley. "Now you've got over 400 municipalities trying to figure out what to do with homeless encampments and some of the impacts in their communities. We need their guidance. If they can put the time and energy in to try to get EV plants in Ontario, they can show leadership on the homeless issue and give direction and assist the municipalities across this province."
Sarnia Police Chief Derek Davis said there are about 25 tents set up at the park at the foot of Devine and Talfourd Street.
Davis said if the encampment was to be dismantled, it's not clear how long that would take.
"Every individual there is unique and they have individual and unique needs and we will be responsive to the unique needs of the individuals and the community, in any approach that we are asked to take," he said. "It's something that's beyond the scope of the police, in isolation, in solving. This is definitely something that's going to have to be a collaborative approach at a higher level. We are happy to support and provide information and work with any partners."
Lambton County Council meets in regular session at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Wyoming.
A handful of delegations are set to speak to Sarnia City Council during its next meeting in regards to Rainbow Park. That's at 1 p.m. Monday, May 6.
Lambton's Social Services General Manager Valerie Colasanti is also scheduled to make a presentation to Sarnia councillors about the county's homeless response and future plans for affordable and supportive housing.
In a report to city council, Acting City Solicitor Randi Kalar cites case law related to other municipalities which have examined removing homeless encampments on municipally owned property.
In Sarnia, a bylaw states that no person shall camp in any public park, except for Camp Saredaca with permission.
The report states city council should consider the current availability and accessibility of shelter spaces, and that the removal or dissolution of the encampment may constitute a breach of the section 7 Charter rights of the persons residing there.