Thunder Bay delays plan to fence off gathering place for city's homeless

A plan to build a fence around a former gas bar at County Fair Mall in Thunder Bay, Ont., is on hold — for now, as officials and advocates work to find a solution for the  people who've been staying there. 

The city planned to put up a temporary fence around the Sunny's Gas Bar canopy to stop people from congregating in the area, leaving garbage and human waste behind.

The planned barrier was in response to complaints from property owners, as well as health and safety concerns of social services, said the city official responsible for enforcement. 

"In early September at the request of the mall, a number of community partners, police, we all got together and tried to rationalize what we can do here," said Doug Vincent, the city's manager of licensing and enforcement.

"Working with the partners, [the goal is] to basically clean up that area and get it secured."

Vincent said the health concerns at the site are most important. 

However, a group of advocates for homeless people in Thunder Bay said they would like the city to ditch the fencing idea  and provide more support at the site instead.