The Canadian Automotive Museum in downtown Oshawa has been fined more than $1,800 by the City of Oshawa over repeated nuisance activity on its property, including trespassing, littering, loitering and open drug use, according to museum officials.
Executive Director Alex Miller Gerrard said the museum, a charitable organization that houses what its website describes as the world’s most significant collection of Canadian cars, has been struggling to manage a group of unhoused people gathering and allegedly trespassing on the site, mostly in its parking lot. Gerrard said staff and volunteers have been calling for police support almost daily in recent weeks.
“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,” Gerrard said.
Museum Says It Lacks Resources
Gerrard said the museum does not have the means to provide round-the-clock private security or install fencing and gates around its lot, despite having already invested in security cameras and exterior lighting. The museum’s front window was smashed on Tuesday, according to the report.
Gerrard questioned whether fining the museum addresses the underlying issue. “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,” he said. The museum is calling on the City of Oshawa, the Region of Durham and local social services to work together with businesses on a solution.
City’s Response
Ward councillor Rick Kerr said the city is actively looking for solutions but noted that business and property owners, including the museum, are responsible for activity occurring on their own private property. He recommended the museum hire private security and appeal the fines.
Kerr said the city plans to act on what he described as an over-concentration of homeless people in downtown Oshawa, and suggested that if the situation improves before an appeal hearing takes place, the fines could become moot. “Municipal property is patrolled by municipal security. Property owners are responsible for their own property,” Kerr said, adding that the city cannot enforce bylaws on private land.
The museum intends to appeal the fines, with the process expected to begin within the next two weeks.
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