Greater Napanee is formalising encampment reporting and enforcement. Councils can learn from the workflow design.
Greater Napanee, Ontario - Greater Napanee published an encampment enforcement process that routes resident reports through a central service channel before by-law review.
Greater Napanee’s encampment enforcement information directs residents to complete an E11 Service Request form so town staff can review the information and conduct an on-site review. The town also separates non-emergency illegal activity, which can be reported through the OPP non-emergency line, from immediate safety risks, which should go to 911.
That intake model matters because encampment reports can quickly become duplicate, emotional or incomplete. A central service request gives municipal enforcement staff one place to start the record, check location details, triage the issue and decide what kind of response is appropriate.
When resident reports arrive through phone calls, emails, councillor requests and field observations, teams can accidentally create several records for the same place. That makes it difficult to see whether a matter has already been reviewed, referred, monitored or escalated. A single intake record reduces that rework.
For encampment response, the record needs more than a pin on a map. It should include photos where appropriate, location description, observed risks, welfare or outreach notes, duplicate reports, actions taken and the reason for any referral. That helps keep enforcement, service response and public communication aligned.
Managers should be able to see cases by status: new, awaiting site review, referred, monitoring, escalation pending or closed. They should also be able to identify duplicate reports without treating each duplicate as a new incident. That gives a clearer view of workload and community pressure.
The reporting should avoid presenting enforcement as the only outcome. In sensitive public-space matters, a closed case may mean referral, removal of a hazard, no breach observed, continued monitoring or formal action. Capturing those outcomes gives leadership a better explanation of what the team actually did.
