A community organizer involved with the tent city in Regina Park near Uptown predicts it will still be in place on Labour Day.
B次元官网网址淎t this stage, they [Saanich] will have to take legal actions,B次元官网网址� said Ashley Mollison, a community organizer with the Alliance against Displacement, a grassroots organization that organizes with communities facing displacement in British Columbia.
Mollison made these comments in an interview about SaanichB次元官网网址檚 pending ban on overnight camping in certain public parks, and NanaimoB次元官网网址檚 recent decision to file an injunction against a growing tent city in that community.
This development has raised the question whether Saanich will follow course,
B次元官网网址漈he Regina Park encampment is an evolving legal matter, and as such there are limits on the information that we can share publicly,B次元官网网址� said Megan Catalano, a Saanich spokesperson.B次元官网网址滻B次元官网网址檓 not able to offer further comment at this time.B次元官网网址�
According to Mollison, some 75 people currently live in the camp, which now . Since it popped up in May, the camp has grown in size, while generating controversy against the backdrop of statistics that show calls for police service and actual crimes around the camp have spiked.
According to Saanich Police, calls for service between May 1 and June 25 in the area have nearly doubled, rising to 421, compared to 254 for the same period last year. Property crimes have risen to 70 from 25 for the same period.
Camp residents, however, have pushed back against this narrative. B次元官网网址淩epeat after us,B次元官网网址� reads a Facebook post. B次元官网网址淐alls for service do not equal crime. Police presence does not equal crime. Fear of homeless people does not equal crime. An improperly discarded needle does not equal crime. Time to beat that stigma with some facts.B次元官网网址�
This said, Saanich next week will ratify a ban on overnight camping in certain parks including Cuthbert Holmes Park but not Regina Park.
, Mollison said it sends the clear messsage that Saanich does not care about the homeless.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a punitive response to homelessness,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淲hen [Saanich] bans camping, they are increasing harms to homeless people.B次元官网网址�
The ban is expensive and ineffective, because it does not address the larger causes of homelessness B次元官网网址� the absence of affordable housing, which is getting worse as gentrification continues, said Mollison.
Some supporters of the ban have previously argued many individuals camping in parks like Cuthbert Holmes are not genuinely homeless, but Mollison does not buy it.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 an absoluate fallacy,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淣obody I have met in my many years as an advocate has ever told me that they have chosen to be homeless.B次元官网网址�
A survey shows some 1,500 individuals are homeless in the region.
B次元官网网址淭he shelters are full, but they are not always appropriate,B次元官网网址� she said.
The homeless may avoid shelters for several reasons. They have may have bad experiences with shelters, they may not be appropriate for their needs, they may not allow pets, or they may not allow partners, she said.
Tent cities like Camp Namegans in this sense have real value in serving as a refuge, said Mollison, who encourages Saanich to find space for a permanent tent city with facilities such as lockers and showers.
B次元官网网址淢ay be not that space [Regina Park], but there needs to be a space that works,B次元官网网址� she said.
Mollison, who visits the camp two to three times a week, . Camp leaders are also planning a community barbecue later this month, she said.
Overall, she estimates public support for the camp runs even.
B次元官网网址淭here are more supporters than you think,B次元官网网址� she said.
wolfgang.depner@saanichnews.com
