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Province backs Saanich injunction against Regina Park camp

Local MLA Rob Fleming says new supportive housing is a key part of winding up Saanich homeless camp
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Provincial education minister Rob Fleming blames the previous B.C. Liberal government for the conditions that have contributed to the homeless camp at Regina Park, but also promised that the government would take additional legal steps against the camp. Contributed

The local MLA for Regina Park said the provincial government plans additional steps against the camp in expressing support for SaanichB次元官网网址檚 decision to seek an injunction.

B次元官网网址淲e have issued an eviction notice [against the camp], and we will be looking at further legal steps ourselves,B次元官网网址 said Rob Fleming, minister of education and MLA for Victoria-Swan Lake.

Fleming said he could not discuss the nature and timing of these pending steps at this time. Simultaneously, he promised that the provincial government would supply appropriate housing. B次元官网网址淲e want people to be properly housed and that is why we have put a lot of effort in finding housing solutions.B次元官网网址

He made these comments in a far-ranging interview Thursday B次元官网网址 , citing various safety and financial concerns.

Saanich issued the notice shortly after the province had issued an eviction notice against the camp B次元官网网址 some of the park is under provincial jurisdiction B次元官网网址 and FlemingB次元官网网址檚 comments points to rising pressure on the camp residents, whose

B次元官网网址淚t is shameful that the government is trying to break up this community space,B次元官网网址 Chrissy Brett, a founder of the camp known to its residents as Camp Namegans, said in a release.

B次元官网网址淪hame on Canada, shame on the province, and shame on the [District of Saanich]. If they break up Camp Namegans, our people will die; fighting to defend this camp is a fight for our lives.B次元官网网址

Camp leaders have also accused Saanich of using the courts to litigate the issue of homelessness away rather than deal with the larger issue of homelessness, a charge that now awaits the provincial government.

Fleming does not buy this. The province has been working together with Saanich to build modular supportive housing, he said. The province has already built 300 modular housing spots with 700 remaining, he said.

Under an eventual arrangement, the municipality would supply the land, while the province would fund the site preparation and construction of modular housing with a supportive component. A non-profit group would operate the facility with funding from the provincial government.

efforts continue to find a piece of land that would not require rezoning and fit the needs of both individuals needing supportive housing and the surrounding neighbourhood, he said.

B次元官网网址淚 think that [supportive housing] is a key part of winding up the camp at Regina Park,B次元官网网址 he said.

The camp, as it currently exist, is not safe.

B次元官网网址淐amping by the side of a highway in this or any other community is not safe,B次元官网网址 he said. Fire risks also remain and the camp has B次元官网网址渃aused a significant disturbanceB次元官网网址 for tax-paying residents living in the neighbourhood near Regina Park, he said.

It is not fair for the neighbourhood to continue to bear these burden, he said. The camp is also not safe for the residents themselves, he added.

B次元官网网址淭his is a safety risk to residents and the campers themselves,B次元官网网址 he said.


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wolfgang.depner@saanichnews.com



Wolf Depner

About the Author: Wolf Depner

I joined the national team with Black Press Media in 2023 from the Peninsula B次元官网网址 Review, where I had reported on Vancouver Island's Saanich Peninsula since 2019.
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