UPDATE: Sunday, April 16: 5:30 p.m.
Bancroft Mayor Paul Jenkins says parks in the town will re-open Monday.
He explained they were closed over the weekend because town officials believed an “unlawful encampment” would be set up on Sunday.
Jenkins said the decision was made by himself and the town’s general manager, with consultation from Bancroft OPP. He said there were fears that, with North Hastings Community Trust’s new overnight shelter closing for the summer, people who had been staying there would begin to set up a camp in a public park.
Two police cruisers were at Riverside Park early Sunday morning. But, speaking late Sunday afternoon, Jenkins said, no incidents “materialized” over the weekend. He says he doesn’t regret the decision.
“We cannot have a group of 15 people occupy a public park,” he says. “Number one, it would be a dangerous situation. And it would prevent the rest of the population from using that. And the town will not accept that, whatsoever.”
Jenkins said Bancroft will continue to monitor the situation and adds that police were “100 per cent” supportive of the town’s request.
Sunday, April 16: 8:30 a.m.
Parks in Bancroft remain closed today.
This after the town shut them down at the start of the weekend over worries that an “unlawful encampment” might be set up.
There was also a police presence at the entrance to Riverside Park, early Sunday morning. The two OPP officers on hand said they were there for “precautionary” reasons.
A Facebook post by the town, which went up Friday night, said “All parks in the Town of Bancroft are closed until further notice” and that “the closure is required to prevent the establishment of an unlawful encampment in the park.” It also said the closures are necessary for public safety.
Red “Do Not Enter” tape is up at entrances to Riverside Park, Millennium Park, the cenotaph area and along a York River waterfront trail in the north end of town.
MyBancoftNow is following developments and will report more as details become available.