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Discussions arose at Cobourg’s Community Protection and Economic Development Committee meeting on September 4 around the growing encampment, located on the east end of town at the former Brookside Youth Detention Centre.
One particular agenda item of interest was the delegation of James Bisson, a local Cobourg resident, who raised repeated concerns about the state of affairs within the town of Cobourg. His delegation highlighted the tentative sale of Brookside and its expected impact on the encampment, which will either evict the encampment or (if the deal falls through) facilitate its proliferation.
Despite homelessness being the responsibility of the upper-tier municipality, Northumberland County, the representatives there repeatedly fail to address the situation in Cobourg and the impact that it’s having on the safety and security of local residents.
James Bisson proposed a range of actions for the town of Cobourg to address its encampment issues with a tailored, “Made in Cobourg” solution. He recommended implementing a new ‘Tenting and Encampment By-law’ designed to better manage both public and private spaces.
Bisson also expressed concerns about the expansion of Transition House, a low-barrier shelter that is set to enhance its services and outreach with the county’s acquisition of a larger facility at 310 Division Street. He warned that this expansion could exacerbate the current challenges in the downtown core.
According to residents and those familiar with the issue in Cobourg, Transition House has not effectively ensured the safety of the surrounding community, which includes an elementary school just one block away, and has failed to deliver meaningful, successful outcomes for those it serves.
“We’ve been dealing with this for a year, and it’s unprecedented,” said Bisson. “This is Cobourg; we don’t have Canadian citizens living like refugees here. This situation wasn’t random but the result of a plan by certain advocates and poor response from authorities, with shifting blame between jurisdictions.”
Bisson argues that Cobourg residents are facing taxation without representation. “We pay a third of our property taxes to the county, which makes decisions affecting our lives, and we have no say in it.” The only elected representative in the county is Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland, who Bisson says is powerless due to county rules, leaving residents with no democratic means to influence upper-tier municipal decisions.
He also criticized higher levels of government for funding solutions without ensuring effective results, pointing out that Cobourg residents suffer from decisions made by people who aren’t affected by them. “We need a legislative solution,” Bisson says.
Bisson suggests that Cobourg create a system where residents can participate and turn their frustrations into actionable plans, believing that private-sector funding could help alleviate taxpayer strain and provide real solutions to the homelessness crisis.
Through Freedom of Information requests, Bisson discovered what he called an “incestuous” relationship between Northumberland County and Transition House. There was at least a conflict of interest if not collusion, he says, noting the quick 30-day deal of $2.3 million for the acquisition of 310 Division Street. “Government doesn’t usually work that fast," he says. “They were dead set on getting a property for Transition House, at any cost.”
But that cost has come to Cobourg residents and emergency services, who remain strained by the escalating crisis.
