Police locate labyrinth of tunnels connecting tents to generator in Hamilton encampment

A series of tunnels discovered in a Hamilton park are shown in these handout photos provided by police. (Hamilton Police Service)

Hamilton police say that they discovered a series of “man-made holes and tunnels” during a patrol of a encampment earlier this week.

In a news release, police said that officers were doing a “proactive encampment check” at Gage Park on Tuesday when they discovered a large hole approximately six feet in depth.

Police say that a further search of the area then revealed a “a series of tunnels” that were being used to connect nearby tents to a generator using a labyrinth of extension cords and other electrical wiring.

That generator, police say, was itself buried in another hole and concealed. It was then connected to a nearby City of Hamilton light pole with a power cord.

“Patrol officers, in conjunction with the Hamilton Police Encampment Engagement Team, investigated the matter and determined that a lone male was responsible for the mischief to the property,” police said in a news release. “The male was located in the area and arrested after a brief foot chase.”

Police said that the male taken into custody was charged with mischief to property over $5,000, failure to comply with a probation order and three drug-trafficking related offences.

The tents in the area have since been relocated due to safety concerns, police say.

“The holes have been fenced off until the city makes the necessary repairs to the ground,” the release states.

The incident at Gage Park marks the third time in a week that police have dismantled man-made structures on public property that are believed to be related to illegal activity.

On Dec. 6, police announced that they had shut down an “open air drug market” near King Street and East Avenue, arresting 57 people and laying more than 100 criminal charges in the process.

Police also dismantled a so-called “drug shack” along the CP Rail line north of Baton Street on Dec. 7 that they said was being used for illegal drug sale sales and storage.

Speaking with CP24 on Wednesday afternoon, Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said that the incidents have been alarming for the community.

“There is a lot of opportunity to get people out of the parks and out of three green spaces and to clamp down frankly on this kind of destructive behaviour,” she said. “When we are talking about power generators being buried and wires that are connecting tents and are basically usurping the electricity supply from the City of Hamilton’s resources this is dangerous, lets face it. We have had encampment fires in our city, in fact many of them. So this kind of behaviour is dangerous for people living in encampments but also for the broader community.”

Horwath said that while Hamilton has seen a rise in the prevalence of encampments like many major cities, it has been working to increase access to more suitable shelter space, with plans for a new temporary outdoor shelter space to open soon.

She said that police have also been proactively visiting known encampment sites.

“We are being very proactive in our city and that is why police made these arrests. They are proactively going to encampments and checking things out and doing patrols,” she said. 

Police continue to investigate the Gage Park matter and are urging anyone with information to come forward.