Winnipeg silences piercing homeless deterrents under bridges after loud criticism

The City of Winnipeg is turning off four controversial noise emittersit was using to shoo away homeless people with nowhere else to sleep.

After an uproar online, the city decided Wednesday night to cancel the use of a sound-emitting device to discourage people from gatheringunderneath bridges and vehicle overpasses.

"After hearing from the mayor, members of council, and others today, we have decided to discontinue this pilot project; and we will disable the sound-emitting devices at these locations," interim chief administrative officer Michael Rutasaid in an email to mayor and council.

"The public service will evaluate options to protect the infrastructure and the safety of those who are congregating under the bridges."

Critics slammed the noise deterrents locatedatthreebridges and one vehicle underpass as an affrontto the homeless community, some of whom foundshelter in these areas.

The city's pilot project avoided widespreadscrutiny until a Twitter userflagged the noise underneath the Maryland BridgeTuesday night, describing the high-pitched screech as "irritating" and attempts to deterhomeless camps as "cruel and pointless."

Hear the annoying noisemakers meant to keep people from camping under the bridge

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Beeping, whining devices installed beneath the Maryland Bridge are meant to keep people from camping there.

In response, Winnipeg's Twitter account acknowledged thenoise deterrents are meant to discourage gatherings at locations that "have experienced problems with encampments that included fires."

Although no specific examples were cited, last October a fire burned through a homeless camp under the Osborne Bridge.

Homeless advocates denounced the city's pilot project, which Ruta said began earlier this spring.

"I think it'sdehumanizing to actually do this," said Al Wiebe,a former advertising executive who found himself homeless on Winnipeg's streetsfor 26 months.

He said bridges serve as anatural shelter for homeless people, and are arguably safer than other places where they could rest their head.

"For the city to actually put noise emitters so people don't have the opportunity to settle there, it's very disconcerting."

A city spokesperson could not answerWednesday where the four sound-emitting devices were located, nor how often they blared.

The pilot program was meant to study the devices' effectiveness in preventing damage to city infrastructure. Ruta wrote in his email that bridges were damaged fromfiresset underneath them.

Wiebesaid the pilot project lackedempathy for the people involved.

Marion Willis, who founded aSt. Boniface house for homeless men battling addiction, said anoise deterrenthas been a nuisance underthe Provencher Bridge for more than a month.

She said her outreach team at Morberg House considered the device to be"rather inhumane."

"It's naive to believe that any sound deterrent is going to preventthe unsheltered population from establishing encampments. Encampments are a way of life nowin a city that is completely lacking insocial housing," she said.

While some people have moved out, it hasn't eliminated the problem, Willis said it's only gone elsewhere. She said anencampment is sprouting up belowthe bridge atSt. Mary's Road and Vivian Avenue.

There was also a mass displacement earlier this month when two homeless camps near theDisraeli Freeway were evicted.

Willis would preferif maybe an endowment fundwas established to bolster the city's stock of affordable housing.

"If we really want to think about public safety, we will focus oncoming together to come up with some real solutionsto end the housing crisis in thiscity and in this province."

Lucille Bruce said her organization,End Homelessness Winnipeg, will focus their energies on outreach. She wants to find alternative arrangements so people experiencing homelessness can find comfort elsewhere.