The Canadian Automotive Museum has been fined by the City of Oshawa for not dealing with a group of unhoused people accused of trespassing and loitering on their property, but officials with the museum tell CityNews they don’t have the means to handle the situation.
“The biggest challenge for us is ensuring that our visitors feel comfortable and safe attending our site. That’s our top priority, and we also need to deal with the fact that this is an irreplaceable collection,” said Executive Director Alex Miller Gerrard.
The museum, which is a charitable organization, houses the world’s most significant collection of Canadian cars, according to their website. And recently, museum staff and volunteers have been calling for police support almost daily.
“We’ve actually been keeping a log of how frequently we’re making those calls, and at this point, we’re averaging, if not daily, multiple times a week.”
In the past few weeks, the City of Oshawa has issued the museum more than $1,800 in fines related to nuisance activity on its property, mostly in their parking lot, including trespassing, littering, loitering, and open drug use happening daily.
“So fining the museum, or fining any other business or institution in downtown Oshawa, because they’re experiencing these challenges, I really don’t see that that is solving the root cause of these problems,” added Gerrard.
Rick Kerr, the councillor for the area, said while the city is actively looking for solutions, business owners, including the museum, are responsible for activities on their own private property, and it has been recommended that the museum hire private security.
The councillor also recommends the museum appeal the fines.
“Because in the meantime, we’re going to enact some things that will hopefully deal with the over-concentration of homeless people in Oshawa, and specifically the downtown,” said Kerr. “And should that happen, by the time it goes through the appeal and then to a hearing, which could be a few months, by that time, we hope to have the problem ameliorated, and if the problem no longer exists, why should the ticket?”
But the museum, who on Tuesday had their front window smashed in, said while they have invested in security cameras and exterior lighting, they simply don’t have the means to provide 24-hour private security or fencing and gates for the lot.
They are calling on the city to provide increased supports for businesses.
“The various partners, whether it be the City of Oshawa, the region of Durham, the social services that are provided here in downtown Oshawa, or the businesses, we want to see everyone working together and coming towards a solution,” said Gerrard.
Kerr says the city is working towards that solution, but they are unable to enforce bylaws on private property.
“Municipal property is patrolled by municipal security. Property owners are responsible for their own property,” said Kerr.
The museum does plan to appeal the fines, which should happen within the next two weeks.
Canadian Automative Museum in Oshawa. CITYNEWS
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