A resident who lives near the homeless encampment at Regina Park says Saanich has B次元官网网址渄ropped the ballB次元官网网址� in demanding its dissolution. Saanich simultaneously stands accused of provoking and harassing camp residents through fire-safety regulations.

B次元官网网址淚 would like to see the district get the camp out of here,B次元官网网址� said Wesley, who did not want to give his last name because he fears retaliation from camp residents. B次元官网网址淭he district has dropped the ball, and should have handled the situation weeks before the camp grew to the size that it is now.B次元官网网址�

The longer the camp continues, the more people it will draw, making it more difficult to dissolve it, he said.

People who deserve housing should get housing, he said. B次元官网网址淧eople who are abusing the system should not be allowed to live in the middle of the neighbourhood in a camp.B次元官网网址�

He made these comments after neighbours found a needle propped under one of his vehicle tires. He suspects that the needle was a form of retaliation after he had called police on three occasions after receiving threats from camp residents over the last four weeks.

WesleyB次元官网网址檚 discovery and demand for dissolution came less than 48 hours after

Brett spent several hours in police custody Friday, before being released, said Ashley Mollison of the Alliance Against Displacement, a local non-governmental organization (NGO) that has been working with the camp residents.

According to a joint press release from the camp and the NGO, police arrested Brett B次元官网网址渇or preventing a fire marshal from throwing away someoneB次元官网网址檚 home without their consent.B次元官网网址�

Brett said in an interview that she was trying to prevent authorities from throwing away the personal possessions of a resident. During the confrontation, she used an air horn to alert camp residents of the incident. Officials then returned to arrest her.

Brett, who calls the charges B次元官网网址渞idiculousB次元官网网址� and a waste of resources, is due to appear in court Aug. 20.

According to Mollison, officials with the Saanich Fire Department were becoming increasingly aggressive in enforcing a fire order issued on June 29 prior to FridayB次元官网网址檚 incident.

B次元官网网址淚t was escalating to the point that they were looking for non-compliance,B次元官网网址� said Mollison. This point also appears in the campB次元官网网址檚 release.

B次元官网网址淐amp Namegans and the Alliance Against Displacement are calling on the Saanich Fire Department to end its campaign of provocation and harassment,B次元官网网址� it reads.

Specifically, the release accuses Saanich of using fire safety regulations in B次元官网网址渁ttempting to bypass the path of a court-ordered injunction by deploying fire marshals to do their dirty work.B次元官网网址�

Mollison, who has been to five tent cities, said the Regina Park is the safest, which she has seen, adding that the camp is making progress towards fulfilling the requirements of Saanich authorities concerning fire safety. The camp has also asked for B次元官网网址� and so far B次元官网网址� not received fire extinguishers among other fire safety tools.

Mollison said fire is just one of the risks that confronts homeless individuals, some of whom are unable to fire proof their living quarters during day hours as authorities have demanded, because they might be accessing food, water and services elsewhere in the region. Others, she added, might be working, making it difficult to fulfill demands.

Mollison said that relations between both sides have improved since FridayB次元官网网址檚 incident, which she predicts will not be a precursor for future confrontations. B次元官网网址淚 think it was a one-off incident,B次元官网网址� she said.

This said, Mollison said she hopes that authorities will refrain from repeating their previous tactics.

B次元官网网址淲e really hope that this is fire order is not being used as a justification to close the camp, because homeless people face far greater health and safety when they spread around the city,B次元官网网址� she said.

Wesley said this figure is yet another reason to disband the camp as quickly as possible.

That figure (which represents the B次元官网网址渉ighest-cost scenarioB次元官网网址� according to the municipality) should concern all taxpayers in Saanich B次元官网网址� not just residents around Regina Park, he said.

He said that figure could go up, because it does not include any future costs to clean up the site. Saanich staff have also raised the possibility that the municipality might have to pass new budget to avoid going into deficit, an eventuality that could involve property tax increases.

Mollison said critics who point to the cost of the camp are trying to stigmatize homeless individuals. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 about our choice to police and manage homelessness and not solve it,B次元官网网址� she said. The money could go towards solving the problem, she said. She acknowledged that the neighbourhood around the park has witnessed incidents, but added that camp residents have been trying to deal with them internally.

with the issue due back before council Monday and

Wesley said these efforts have disappointed him so far. B次元官网网址淚 think the efforts so far have been last-ditch, [reactionary] efforts,B次元官网网址� he said.

While the Regina Park residents should get housing as quickly as possible, it is not SaanichB次元官网网址檚 mandate to provide it, he said. This said, Saanich should provide services towards dealing with the larger causes of homelessness such as addiction, he added.

Saanich Fire did not return a call seeking comment by deadline.

Like us on and follow us on

wolfgang.depner@saanichnews.com