Toronto-area museum faces nearly $3K in city fines over homeless encampments on property

A charity that runs a museum in Oshawa has received nearly $3,000 in city fines for allowing "nuisance activity" on its property. It says it needs help, not penalties, to keep the museum safe from vandalism, trespassing and damage.

City leaning on bylaw enforcement instead of dealing with causes of problem, expert says

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An Oshawa museum is facing nearly $3,000 in city fines for allowing "nuisance activity" on its property, but it says it needs help, not penalties, from the city to keep the museum safe.

Alexandra Miller-Gerrard, executive director and curator of the Canadian Automotive Museum, says an order from the city alleged in June 2025 that unhoused people were loitering, fighting, screaming, yelling and littering on museum property and the museum was required to address the "disorderly" behaviour. It warned the museum it was violating a city bylaw.

Since Sept. 15, the museum has received seven fines from the city totalling $2,750. At least one expert says the city is not dealing with the problem of homelessness by fining the charitable organization that runs the museum, which showcases historic vehicles.

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According to the order, the city said the museum could comply with city bylaws by "providing consistent preventative security measures."

In response, the museum has improved its exterior lighting, boosted the number and quality of security cameras outside and increased the time spent by staff on monitoring the parking lot and reviewing security camera footage.

But Miller-Gerrard said the museum cannot pay the fines nor the cost of full-time security and a new fence on its perimeter, and is asking the city for more support.

"We are asking for partnership and practical solutions, not simply for the museum, but for the continued vitality of downtown Oshawa," according to a post from the museum on Instagram this week.

Museum calls on community to improve downtown

In an interview Wednesday, Miller-Gerrard said the museum board would like to see a review of the fines and to have them removed. It would also like funding for additional security cameras, anti-graffiti protective coating for the building and measures that would make the parking lot a more welcoming space.

Miller-Gerrard said it would also like to see a community effort to improve downtown.

"What we're asking for is for all of the stakeholders, whether it be the city, the Region of Durham, the social services, downtown businesses or cultural sites like our own, to work together and find a meaningful solution here because we think that the residents of Oshawa deserve to enjoy their downtown core," she said.

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Miller-Gerrard said the museum has had three broken windows in the past two years. Its HVAC system was also down for nearly a month because someone removed copper from the building's exterior and its security cameras have been vandalized.

She said museum staff see open drug use, loitering and acts of petty crime on the property. She said there is new graffiti on the building nearly every day.

"We were aware that there were challenges happening and we were doing everything in our power to control them," she said.

Museum to meet with city staff on Friday

Miller-Gerrard said the museum reached out to the city in 2024, before it received the order and fines, and to Durham Regional Police for help to deal with activity in the downtown core.

She said she believes the museum's parking lot isn't the first choice for the unhoused people who gather there. She says she understands "they would prefer to be somewhere else," but they have few options given the city's homelessness crisis. By having a conversation staff can sometimes help to move people along, she said.

The City of Oshawa has not responded to a request for comment, but Miller-Gerrard said the museum has a meeting with city staff on Friday to discuss next steps.

Tyler Frederick, an associate professor in the criminology and justice program at Ontario Tech University, says cities are facing pressure to manage visible homelessness. (Michael Cole/CBC)

Tyler Frederick, an associate professor in the criminology and justice program at Ontario Tech University, said cities are facing pressure to manage visible homelessness and may lean on bylaw enforcement instead of addressing its root causes. Frederick is also a board member for Back Door Mission, a social service hub based in downtown Oshawa.

"There's sort of this challenge of, if you tighten security around one location, it's just going to shift it to another," he said. "And then you're basically just chasing people around the city, moving them from one location to another without really addressing kind of why they're out there on the street in the first place."

Frederick said the city should have collaborative conversations about how to improve safety in Oshawa’s downtown core.

Visitors have told the museum they don’t feel safe in the area, according to Miller-Gerrard.

"That's the last thing we want to hear," she added. "We want everyone to be able to come in and enjoy the museum. We want the museum to be part of a vibrant downtown Oshawa."