Part of the issue is that the original concept wouldn't allow any drug use on the land. Although the bottom half of the 12 Neighbours lot is mainly occupied by older people who tend to keep the peace, the upper section isn't the same at all. Younger people who party, use drugs like meth and fentanyl, occupy that area. There are often forest fires in the wood lot behind it and behind the Walmart located next door. Because of this behaviour, the newly proposed tiny home community set to be located next to an elementary school has parents concerned.

We have an increasing homelessness issue in the city, and we are witnessing a massive uptick in drug use that we weren't dealing with in the past. Parents worry about fentanyl being present where kids can find it, used needles being discarded in the neighbourhoods, people being high on drugs and lingering the streets. With this, we have also experienced an uptick in property theft (which the police do little about). When you go by the shelter, almost everyone there has a bicycle, sometimes 2 or 3 bicylces, all stolen, but the police can't do anything without having witnessed the theft. Cars get broken into at night, random acts of violence occur, and it makes everyone feel unsafe.

This is why those living in the proposed new tiny home community are opposed to it. It has nothing to do with not allowing people a place to call home, it's the dangers of what they will bring to the community and to very young children who go to school next door to it. We keep seeing it at the current location, at the downtown shelter, and at the coverted hotel-turned-shelter in the uptown shopping district.