B次元官网网址淲e are about to start a tent cityB次元官网网址� to protest the current condition of things [because] homeless people have nowhere else to go,B次元官网网址� said Martin Girard, a legal advocate for the Victoria Liberation Front, a human rights non-profit which supports Greater VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 homeless community.

In front of a small but growing crowd in downtownB次元官网网址檚 Centennial Square on Sunday (Dec. 1), Girard and other activists, joined by unhoused individuals, shared their stories of run-ins with the law before setting off on a kilometre-long march to the B.C. Provincial Court shortly after 3 p.m.

The demonstration was planned to culminate with protesters pitching tents and spending the night in a green space behind the government building, aiming to denounce what Girard described as B次元官网网址渇orced displacements,B次元官网网址� otherwise known as street sweeps or encampment cleanups. However, the courthouse playground was fenced off, preventing camping in the area. Instead, a few tents were set up at Centennial Square near Victoria City Hall.

Girard, who blames the city for willfully trying to B次元官网网址渟catterB次元官网网址� homeless folks from downtown, calls this practice a violation of Article 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees the life, liberty, and personal security of all Canadians.

He considers shelter as a fundamental right, contending that preventing the homeless from camping in the streets will ultimately lead to worse outcomes as fall turns to winter.  

B次元官网网址淭hese people are going to die in corners of the city, from overdoses, hypothermia, and violent acts,B次元官网网址� said Girard who has lived in the streets of Victoria in the past. B次元官网网址淭hey become more vulnerable and there are a thousand dangers out there.B次元官网网址�

He added that the only three parks in Victoria where overnight sheltering is allowed B次元官网网址� Gonzales, Pemberton, and Oaklands B次元官网网址� are all located far from essential services downtown, and not suited for the needs of the homeless population.

Shea Smith, co-founder of the Homeless Idea podcast, who is currently unhoused and a protest attendee, supported GirardB次元官网网址檚 claim.

B次元官网网址淸Homeless folks] have gone deeper into the undergroundB次元官网网址� and itB次元官网网址檚 harder for everybody to reach them,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hey are more vulnerable and will start using alone. You're going to see the numbers [of fatalities] go up.B次元官网网址�

that the cityB次元官网网址檚 street community mourned the loss of nine lives in seven days B次元官网网址� a grim peak in recent memory. 

Echoing similar arguments to Girard and , Smith questioned the rationale behind Victoria bylaws conducting street sweeps, calling them essentially counterproductive.

B次元官网网址淭here are not enough shelter spaces to meet the number of homeless people, so erecting shelter is perfectly legal and [bylaw services are] trying to take that away from us,B次元官网网址� said Smith. B次元官网网址淭here is no other place for us to go and they've given us no alternatives.B次元官网网址�

As Smith returned to the group, he urged everyone to rethink their view of homelessness and understand the issue from a holistic perspective.

B次元官网网址淸Instead of] looking at us as the problem, also look at the housing crisisB次元官网网址� that needs to be addressed,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淧eople have to stop being criminalized because they're homeless.

B次元官网网址淧ut yourselves in our position and ask yourselves what would you do to survive.B次元官网网址�

Tammy Cardinal was among the crowd, lending her support to the protest. Having lived on the streets in recent years, she wanted to share her experience to help move the dialogue forward.

B次元官网网址淏ylaw [officers are] dehumanizing the [unhoused] and breaking them to the point where they do not want to live and want to take their life,B次元官网网址� she said. 

Cardinal said she contemplated ending her life after bylaws raided her nine times in October 2023.

B次元官网网址淭hey left me without blankets, jackets or food,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hey took everything that meant anything to me.B次元官网网址�

Having experienced firsthand what she described as a vicious cycle, Cardinal said that additional enforcement isnB次元官网网址檛 the solution to homelessness B次元官网网址� it only aggravates the problem. She claimed that homeless people, like all citizens, have the right to live without being at the mercy of the elements.

B次元官网网址淛ust because they don't have homes, doesn't mean that they're not a part of this community,B次元官网网址� said Cardinal. B次元官网网址淭hey're citizens and theyB次元官网网址� should be treated with respect and human decency. We all deserve a place to go and be warm. Winters are the most horrific.B次元官网网址�