Alison Appelbe

'Philip Owen stole my tent,' charges activist

Hamilton camped on city hall lawn earlier this month to try to get funding for a safe house for prostitutes. The tent disappeared last weekend.

On Thursday, city hall security staff told Hamilton the tent was stored in the First Aid Office. On the advice of lawyer and opposition COPE member Tim Louis, Hamilton filed a complaint with police.

Louis said: "If she believes he took it, then she should do the same as anyone else -- you go and tell the police."

"We named the mayor as the suspect, and the police accepted it," Hamilton said.

On Jan. 7, Hamilton held up a regular council meeting for several hours in an attempt to make an unscheduled appearance. Last Wednesday, she met with Owen.

Owen's communications assistant Laurie Rix said Hamilton isn't following funding application procedures.

"I don't think she's willing to go through the process," Rix said. "She didn't meet the [application] deadline, and I think she thought we did emergency funding, which we don't do.

"The mayor thinks her intentions are good, but as an elected official he has to treat everyone equally."

Hamilton planned to retrieve her tent Friday.