The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

2 5 | Thursday July 1 3, 2 0 1 7 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | w w w .insidehalton.com Shelter pays for campsite while permanent home is sought continued from p.1 Vallillee has lived mostly on the streets of Toronto for five years and was, on July 4 evicted from his most recent residence -- a sheltered space in Etobicoke' s Marie Curtis Park. Since then, Vallillee has been set up at the campsite in Bronte Creek Provincial Park, with the help of Na-me-res (Native Man' s Residence). In speaking with Vallillee, the soft-spoken man says he suffers from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The resultant pain, he says, he manages thanks to a prescription for marijuana, while he uses crutches to get around, and a wheelchair for longer distances. Vallillee said his home reservation is Tateskweyak in Split Lake, MB, but "the winter is just too harsh there to get around in the wheelchair," he said. Delving into the particulars of his current circumstances, Vallillee explains he has opted not to stay in a Toronto shelter because of a two bag-limit for personal effects. He has more than that -- his wheelchair, crutches, clothes, personal items and work tools as well as a bag of leather, which he uses for his craftwork. "These are things that I need," says Vallillee. "If I put them in storage then I don' t have them when I need them." Instead, Na-me-Res stepped in and paid for use of the campsite. Vallillee, who moved into the campsite Tuesday, said, "It' s nice, calm, quiet, no one trying to evict me or ban me. They banned me from Marie Curtis Park for six months." He admitted he is having trouble selling his craftwork because he is so secluded. He depends on the income to meet living expenses. During his recent four-and-a-half-month stay Paul Vallillee, 35, is camping at Bronte Creek Provincial Park after being removed from an Etobicoke park July 4. | Nikki Wesley/Metroland in Marie Curtis Park, he said he'd become part of the community. "I came there with three blankets and a bag of work stuff and one bag of my work for sale. Everything else was given to (me) by the community," he said. People also told their friends about Vallillee' s jewelry, helping him to make more sales. Not only did they help provide for him while he was in Etobicoke, a few friends he made there, have brought things by to help furnish the campsite, including a larger tent, the air mattress and food. While the Oakville Beaver was interviewing Vallillee, Linda Kovacs of Burlington stopped by to drop off food and a few necessities for him. Kovacs explained she'd learned of Vallillee' s situation through the media. "I just wanted to come and help. I don' t know what it was about you, but it just caught me. I said to my husband, `I have to help,'" said Kovacs. "I' m going to give you a hug, if that' s OK? Good luck to you, sweetie," she said. Vallillee said his life on the street was preceded by years of struggling to maintain custody of his four children, and began after leaving a hospital where he'd sought treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. According to Vallillee, his preference for natural medication for pain relief, led him from hospital to homeless shelter. From there, "for the most part, it' s been on the street. I'd get set up in a park, in a bush, and get told you have to leave. Get set up in an alleyway, get told, you have to leave. Go set up in an abandoned store front with enough cover from rain, and get told I have to leave. They pushed me around for almost five years. The Marie Curtis Park was where my stay in Toronto ended. They just kept pushing until I had no where else to go." Fortunately Na-me-Res paid for the campsite. "Paul was previously housed by our outreach team before, but due to circumstances beyond his control, he was unable to keep the place. "NaMeRes is paying for his camp site on a week to week basis. Obviously we are working hard to get him housed as soon as possible," said Native Men' s Residence Outreach Manager Timothy Walmsley If Vallillee can' t stay at the park, he' s unsure where he' ll go. "I guess I' ll be sticking this out," he said holding up his thumb, "but I' ll have to leave all this (indicating the tent, chairs, and other items) behind." S w im S p a s · H o t T u b s · S a u n a s · S p a A c c e s s o r ie s · C h e m ic a ls FREE HAMMOCK CHAIR* $450 VALUE *w ith n e w a c ry lic h o t tu b p u rc h a s e C Q O W e need your input Condominium Authority of Ontario The Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) is a newly established organization under the C ondom inium Act, 1998, created to improve condominium living in Ontario. As we prepare to launch in September, we need your input on a proposed fee structure that affects all condo owners and corporations. CANADIAN SPA CO canadianspacompany.ca 1283 CORNWALL RD, OAKVILLE L6J 7T5 1-877-347-7727 P lea se visit w w w .c o n d o a u th o r ity o n ta rio .c a to provide your input. START THIS SEPTEMBER. APPLY TODAY. A ccessible M e d ia P roduction O n lin e a n d S a tu rd a y c o u rs e d e liv e ry Specialize your skills with a graduate certificate in print, online and broadcast content production for Canadians of all abilities. Learn m ore at m o h a w k c o lle g e .c a /a p p ly m o H a u jK COLLEGE