---
title: "Ward 13 candidates split over what to do about disorder in Barbara Hall Park"
description: "Candidates for Toronto Centre city council disagree on how to address rising arrest numbers in the Gay Village park, with some calling for enforcement and others pointing to a need for services."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/toronto-2026/news/ward-13-barbara-hall-park-public-disorder-october-20"
last_updated: "2026-10-21T02:36:19.074Z"
---

Public disorder at Barbara Hall Park in Toronto's Gay Village has become a dividing issue in the Ward 13 Toronto Centre race, with three candidates who spoke to The Globe and Mail on October 20 taking different positions on what to do.

Toronto police made 227 arrests in the park as of October 14, 2026, up from 177 in the same period the previous year, according to The Globe and Mail. Charges include assault, theft, and drug trafficking.

**Candidates respond**

[Daniel Tate](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/daniel-tate), founder of the IntegrityTO watchdog group, held a press conference at the park on October 20. He said parks have been "overtaken by crime, disorder and open drug use" and called for enforcement, The Globe and Mail reported.

[Curran Stikuts](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/curran-stikuts), a former head of advocacy at the 519 community centre next to the park, attributed the situation to provincial cuts to supervised drug-use sites and city encampment closures, which he said sent people into the park. "I don't think that anybody across the political spectrum thinks that it's acceptable for families to step over needles in parks," Stikuts told The Globe and Mail. He said services, not enforcement alone, are the answer.

[Chris Moise](/on/toronto-2026/candidates/chris-moise), the sitting Ward 13 councillor, told The Globe and Mail that the city has already placed day-and-night security guards, health and housing workers, and three daily cleaning crews in the park. He said he is open to bringing forward a fence proposal again if re-elected.

**What residents said**

The Globe and Mail quoted Vera Tarman, 69, an addiction doctor and park-area resident, who said she wants police enforcement and a fence around the park at night. Ginette Hahn, a park visitor, told the Globe: "It was a joy to come here, but now it's an embarrassment. It's a drug park, that's all it is." Rowan Jetté Knox, who owns a café nearby, said reducing services would be a mistake, adding that what happens in the park reflects people not having their needs met.

**The park**

Barbara Hall Park is in the Church-Wellesley neighbourhood and contains the AIDS Memorial, a trans memorial, a splash pad, a dog run, and is beside the 519 community centre. It is named after a former Toronto mayor.

Voters in Ward 13 Toronto Centre can see all the candidates in their race at [/on/toronto-2026/races/councillor/ward-13-toronto-centre](/on/toronto-2026/races/councillor/ward-13-toronto-centre). Voting day is October 26, 2026.

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