Victoria Park's tent city started coming down Tuesday morning, but many of the homeless campers moved their tents nearby - primarily outside Emmanuel United Church a block away, but also outside city hall.

Faced with an eviction order from Peterborough County, which owns the park, the roughly 100 residents of the homeless encampment that's been in the park all summer started taking down their tents and moving their belongings out.

As some citizens stood on the sidewalk holding signs in support of the homeless, Kevin Nicholson pulled up his tent pegs in Victoria Park and moved to the city hall property.

"I want an apartment - I want a place to call home," said Nicholson, 58.

His tent was one of four that moved to city hall property in the morning, only to move again by evening to Emmanuel Church.

By early evening Tuesday there were 11 of the 40-plus tents remaining at Victoria Park, plus 18 tents at Emmanuel United Church and a further eight at St. John's Anglican Church (where there has been an encampment all summer).

Tent city was set up after the Warming Room homeless shelter closed on July 1 for repairs. By mid-August, both the city and county adopted new bylaws to curb camping at municipally owned parks.

Police weren't seen ticketing people on Tuesday morning, although they could have: under the bylaw, fines for trespassing can range from $200 to $10,000.

Notices were posted in the park on Friday stating Victoria Park would be closed to the public Tuesday at 9 a.m. for a 30-day period and that anyone in the park during the closure is trespassing.

City police officers and cruisers were present along the perimeter of the park on Brock Street on Tuesday morning.

Police said Monday they would have no role in the closure of the park, unless called to deal with a breach of peace (which didn't occur).

But nor did the park empty entirely, by the posted deadline of 9 a.m.: by noon, there were still 18 tents at Victoria Park and by 6 p.m. 11 tents remained.

Peter Galione was packing up one of those last 11 tents in the evening to go to Emmanuel United Church. He said he's concerned about receiving a fine he can't pay.

Gallione said that although some "stragglers" at Victoria Park may try to "stick it out" through the night, he predicted they would be fined sometime after 2 a.m. (the bylaw says nobody is allowed in city parks between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.)

Coun. Andrew Beamer, the city's deputy mayor, wouldn't say in an interview late on Tuesday whether campers would be fined by police if they tried to stay in Victoria Park through the night.

Nor would he say whether campers who go elsewhere - such as Jackson Park - will be fined.

"We are not going to comment on specific enforcement at this time," he said.

The city also announced late Tuesday afternoon that the city social services department outreach workers who had been operating out of Victoria Park for the past two weeks will now be located at the Salvation Army, 350 Aylmer St.

Workers are there from 8:45 to 11 a.m., this week, coinciding with the breakfast program offered at the Salvation Army, to connect people with support services, including shelter beds and help with housing, depending on their individual needs.

Social services can be contacted at 705-748-8830 or in-person at 178 Charlotte St.

Meanwhile tents were relocated to the property at Emmanuel United Church - formerly George Street United Church - by special permission from the clergy.

But it was unclear to Rev. Don Uhryniw on Tuesday how many would relocate there or how long they would stay.

Tents were set up on Emmanuel Church property along Water Street and along McDonnel Street.

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No tents will be allowed along George Street, Uhryniw said, because the CCRC building adjacent to the church must have safe access to the street.

Church council was approached on Sunday to have three tents on the property until Sept. 10, when the homeless occupants plan to move into a home, Uhryniw said.

But on Tuesday additional homeless campers walked their tents across the street to the church and Uhyrniw didn't turn them away.

They can stay, he said, but there's no drinking, smoking or drugs on church property.

Meanwhile there were eight tents Tuesday on the property at St. John's Anglican Church, where there's been a homeless encampment all summer (again with clergy permission).

Rev. Brad Smith from St. John's said Tuesday no new campers would be allowed by request of those already living there.

"They have a community there - and we're respecting that," he said.

Tenters who weren't moving to Emmanuel United Church will go sleep in "far-off corners" of city parks or in alleyways, said activist Rachelle Sauve.

In a speech to about 50 homeless people and concerned citizens, Sauve said homeless people will only be evicted by police when citizens, reporters and protesters leave.

Coun. Kemi Akapo, the second deputy mayor and the Town Ward councillor, was the only member of council seen in the park Tuesday morning.

When asked whether she thought police might evict people later in the day, she said, "I can't speak to that."

Mayor Diane Therrien wasn't at the park on Tuesday because she's on vacation outside the city.

joelle.kovach

@peterboroughdaily.com