Homeowners feel burnt out over feud with city over food pantry

The little food pantry on Jarvis Street has suffered another defeat after being denied permission to keep the pantry posted on city property. 

In an ongoing feud between Audrey Hill and the City of Cambridge, the Cambridge homeowners have been directed to take down the pantry by March 31, or pay for its removal. 

"I think this is all a farce to be honest," said Hill. "At this point we are exhausted and burnt out and I bet they are counting on that." 

The application for a bylaw exemption was submitted at the direction of city staff to allow the pantry to remain on what the Hills thought was their front yard. 

Unfortunately for Hill, the permit was denied with Leah Walter, Cambridge’s director of engineering, citing third party services and utilities being the reason.

"The bylaw we have in place is to ensure there is no conflict with those utilities and we don't want to have any obstructions," said Walter. "We would have denied the application for it before any of this anyways." 

Services such as water, sewage and fibre optic cables could be right underneath the ground where the pantry is located. 

Erected around a foot from the sidewalk onto what seems like the Hill's front lawn, the city claims to own 10 feet from the road all the way into the middle of their yard. 

Back in December, the city notified the Hills that they would need to remove the pantry, setting off a back and forth incident that escalated over lack of communication. 

"We have barely heard from them and it sucks to see the city get back to the media so fast, but over here we can barely get any answers," said Hill. 

Head of bylaw John Mattocks said that the city is not out to shut down the pantry, but make sure that everything is in compliance with local bylaw. 

"Our intention is just to bring it into compliance just like anything else. Ten feet onto their property and it's good to go," said Mattocks. "I think it's great what Hill is doing for the community, but we just need to make sure it fits in with our regulations." 

He maintains that the city does in fact own 10 feet from the road onto their front lawn and the city has provided a survey detailing this. 

"As a city we can conduct surveys for our own land, but we do not have licensed surveyors that can perform this for residents," added Mattocks. 

There are a few ways homeowners can obtain a land survey by contacting the Ontario Land Registry Office or contacting any Ontario Land Surveying company. 

Hill is still not buying what the city is selling and thinks that comments made in other media reports don't line up with the city's directive. 

"If you notice that this whole thing started when the affordable housing thing was voted down," said Hill. "I think when you have a government that is trying to remove social services from the city and not help a certain demographic it can become clear." 

Despite getting positive and optimistic feedback from the community about how the city would respond, Hill thought that they would allow the pantry to stay if she filed for a permit like they asked. 

"I just felt like I was led on and they knew they were going to deny it right away. Why make me go through all of this just to deny it anyways," she asked. 

Mattocks notes that all permits are decided on a case by case basis and residents should always call the city before digging and building anything, even on your own property. 

"We really don't want to discourage the community from finding creative ways to help people, but we really want them to just give us a call and chat with us if they need permits or permission. We're here to help," said Mattocks. 

Hill is currently seeking legal service on what to do next in an attempt to keep the pantry where it is located. 

"I feel like it's a lot about the principal and not giving in when it feels like nothing is going to come of this," she said. "This might be a hail mary, but we have to try." 

The Hills have until March 31, to either change the city's mind or remove the pantry.