Some rough people in NS did not know that forest fires were raging: ‘There were people who had no idea’

When wildfires raged around Halifax, some people slept in the woods, unaware of the flames devouring vast swaths of territory.

At last count, 110 people lived in tents in the town, although officials believe this number has risen since last year’s census as housing became increasingly difficult to find even before fires destroyed 151 homes in the Tantallon area.

“We had some people go through (the Long Lake Park area) to see when the ban was put in place,” said Brendan Maguire, the MLA for Halifax-Atlantic.

He planned to ask volunteers to walk the area again this week to check for those who are struggling. And he asks hikers to contact him directly if they see someone camping in the woods around the lake.

“The biggest spots aren’t actually in the park — the official park,” Maguire said. “It’s in the back, where there are no trails.”

Three recently abandoned tents were visible Thursday while walking through the area on the southwestern edge of Long Lake. All tent sites had seen recent campfires.

Some people who are struggling have cell phones and others don’t, Maguire said.

“That’s the problem,” he said.

That’s one of the problems facing Max Chauvin, the city’s director of housing and homelessness.

“What was really important to us is that we found that there were people who had no idea there were fires because they don’t have a cell phone and they’re not connected to a news source,” Chauvin said.

“There are people who have nothing. They have no way to connect.”

‘Strong memory’

That served as “a clear reminder” to Chauvin about why outreach is so important. “Because while you and I may think everyone knows, not everyone knows.”

While the wildfire evacuation emergency alerts sent to cell phones “are an incredible resource…there are people who no matter what resource we watch, no matter what resource we use, will be missed. And it is important that we also find out how to reach them.”

To that end, Chauvin stumbled through the woods around the city’s outskirts after the Tantallon fire broke out in late May, looking for those who were struggling.

“Some of them live in wooded areas where we know where they are. They have access to services. They abuse signposts and field workers. And so, in those situations, when the wildfire started and the county imposed the ban (being in the woods), we just asked the various outreach team members and street signposts… to get in touch, visit those people, and sort out the situation — the wildfires, the county’s ban on people being in wooded areas — and ask them to please move.”

No one objected to leaving the forest, he said.

Some went to places in the city where people are allowed to camp, including Lower Flinn Park, the Barrington Greenway – a path that runs along the street’s waterfront between North and Cogswell, as well as designated sites on Geary Street and Green Road in Dartmouth, and the old Cobequid ball field in Lower Sackville.

“There were a few people who had other options where they could stay for a very short term, for example family in one case, where it was not a suitable option for them to stay long term. But it was during the forest fire.”

Some people who live in tents don’t have regular contact with street workers, Chauvin said.

“But they’ve been talking to people and in those cases they might not get a weekly visit or anything, but someone knows where they are,” he said.

‘Good Neighbours’

Citizens also reported that people they knew camped in the woods. “And then you go out and talk to them,” Chauvin said. “Everyone we spoke to understood. We actually had one person who has family who lived in the evacuation zone. So they had heard from their family. They understood exactly what was going on and were very committed to being good neighbors in the community they were in and not creating any problems.

The province lifted the smoking ban on Tuesday. Burning is still not allowed from 8am to 2pm. However, it may be allowed after that, depending on local conditions.

“Even with the fire ban in place, people are allowed to use the little Coleman pot warmer to heat up something like food,” Chauvin said.

While the ban on burning is lifted, the fine for burning when not allowed is still $25,000.

Chauvin doubts that such a fine will do much to deter tenters.

“For the person who is homeless, there will never be any capacity to afford it,” he said.

“It’s not really about fines. For us, it’s about getting out there and educating people.”

The number of people living in the city is huge.

“We have people who sleep in tents and are full-time students. We have people who work full time and sleep in tents,” said Chauvin. “They just can’t find a place to go. We have retired seniors who sleep in tents because they can’t find a place to live.”

While the city now only employs one street navigator, they are in the process of hiring a second, and he has deployed search and rescue volunteers in the past to help search for people camping in the woods.

“But there are navigators in several other organizations like Welcome Housing, The Elizabeth Fry Society … and the North End Community Health Center,” Chauvin said.

“Who knows whom?”

“So there’s a lot of different people going out and when an emergency like this happens, people get together. Who knows who? Who knows where? Break up the groups and then you go out and make sure people know if it’s the fire, or if a Category 2 or Category 3 hurricane is coming. You reach out, give people options, give them resources to make sure they can take care of themselves and be safe.

He suspects that some of the people who moved their tents to the city when the wildfires got out of control will eventually move back to the woods.

“Some people went elsewhere — one of our designated locations — made friends and thought about staying there,” Chauvin said. “There’s a mix.”