Security guards to patrol Talbot Gardens in Simcoe

Security guards will be patrolling Talbot Gardens in Simcoe during peak hours beginning Friday.

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The move comes following a slew of reported incidents involving drug use, people sleeping in and outside the building, and other activity.

During Tuesday’s council meeting, councilors approved hiring a guard to be on site 49 hours per week.

Security will be in place Monday to Friday from 4-9 pm and both Saturday and Sunday from 9 am – 9 pm at a rate of $32 per hour ($,per week), an estimated $31,500 in total. The project runs until the hockey season is over at the end of April, at which time staff will provide an update to council.

The decision comes just weeks after a man was found unconscious and reportedly surrounded by drugs in the upstairs men’s washroom by a hockey parent.

“We feel this will cover most of the hours where some of this behavior is happening,” said Bill Cridland, Norfolk’s general manager of operations.

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Library to examine security option

Council declined an option to hire two guards, one focusing on Talbot Gardens and another present at the nearby Norfolk County Public Library (NCPL) Simcoe Branch.

NCPL CEO Julie Kent spoke to council Tuesday, painting a grim picture of the branch’s current circumstances.

“We’ve had more than 50 critical situations in the last year where naloxone has been administered, and we’ve had to make emergency calls,” she said.

Kent noted that staff members are not formally trained in security measures and routinely must take time to decompress following a traumatic event.

Staff perform wellness checks on individuals every 10 minutes and bathrooms can only be used after requesting a key. The second-floor washroom is located beside an area dedicated to children.

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“If someone is in there passed out, the door unlocks and we’ve had parents and children stepping into a situation they should not have had to see,” Kent explained.

“When this happens, the washroom is closed, and we contact a cleaning company that will come and deal with biological hazards and human waste.”

Six residents have been given no trespassing orders this year, two – including one teen – were recently banned for uttering threats.

Kent said that regular OPP visits have helped curb nefarious actions in the past.

“The situation there far outweighs the one we’ve got at Talbot Gardens from what I can see … this is a need, not a want,” said Councilor Doug Brunton. “We have to make these places safe.”

Instead, council requested Kent and the NCPL board dig into the numbers at their January meeting to see if a guard fits within their budget.

Having security on-site will allow library staff to serve the public better, but Kent also pointed out that other public spaces may be impacted.

“This is a community-wide issue and does require an approach involving multi-agencies,” she said. “Security measures at one location will move citizens into other public locations.”

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