A spokesperson for the homeless camp near Uptown has signalled an unspecified amount resistance to the eviction notice that Saanich issued Friday in raising the prospect of a lengthy standoff.
Chrissy Brett said the group will not leave Regina Park until B次元官网网址渁ny peaceful or not so peaceful agreement for us to leave has been reached.B次元官网网址�
The nature of that agreement is up to the authorities, including Saanich and the provincial government, she said, in calling on both actors to do more to improve housing in Saanich.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 not all prepared to be violent, but similar to Gustafsen Lake, there are those here, who are willing to stand our ground,B次元官网网址� she said.
Security forces including Canadian armed forces and a group of land occupiers B次元官网网址� most but not all Aboriginal Canadians B次元官网网址� confronted each other at Gustafsen Lake in the interior of British Columbia for almost a month.
During that standoff, Aboriginal protesters framed resistance in religious terms, and Brett said the camp is part and parcel of a religious ceremony on unceded Indigenous territory.
She said the group could prepare a counter notice to the municipality. It would claim that the municipality has trespassed on Aboriginal land in violation of the Royal Proclamation of 1763.
This said, Brett said the group plans to accept the B次元官网网址渞easonable partsB次元官网网址� of the received notices, while negotiating the other parts. Brett said the camp has benefited individuals, who do not find into traditional categories of housing available to individuals dealing with homelessness and other related issues. So what is the likelihood that the group will pack up in the near future? B次元官网网址淧robably not that likely,B次元官网网址� she said.
Saanich issued its eviction notice to the camp Friday. B次元官网网址淵our immediate compliance with this Notice to Vacate is expected,B次元官网网址� reads the notice, signed by Paul Thorkelsson, chief administrative officer (CAO). A separate but related notice from the Saanich Fire Department reads among other parts that the department expects campers will B次元官网网址渃omplyB次元官网网址� with the eviction note, noting that the camp B次元官网网址渉as resulted in the presence of numerous fire hazards.B次元官网网址�
Mayor Richard Atwell said Saanich has issued the eviction notice because Regina Park is not an appropriate place for people to establish permanent housing. B次元官网网址淭his [camp] is a huge burden on the neighbourhood,B次元官网网址� he said. He also pointed to the notice from the fire department.
The longer the camp exists in its current form, the greater the risks and costs to the public, he said.
Saanich, he said, cannot afford to spend $3 million on cleaning up the site, in alluding to the final clean up cost of the tent city that had sprung up in Victoria.
But Atwell also noted out that the eviction notice recognizes the legal right of homeless individuals to camp.
B次元官网网址淚n accordance with the legal rights that have been recognized by the courts in British Columbia, a person experiencing homelessness is permitted, when necessary, to erect a temporary overnight shelter in a Saanich park, between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.,B次元官网网址� it reads. B次元官网网址淪uch temporary overnight shelter, and any personal possessions associated with it, must be removed by 9:00 a.m. the following morning, and such personal possessions cannot be stored or abandoned in a Saanich park.B次元官网网址�
Saanich, in other words, allows homeless individuals to camp during those hours, but expects them to move on, a proposition that might be difficult to enforce. But Saanich will nonetheless attempt it. Atwell said authorities have already gone tent to tent to identify individuals, who are not genuinely homeless.
B次元官网网址淚f you have place to go, please go,B次元官网网址� he said.
The continued presence of people in the camp who are not homeless poses not only a fire hazard, but also undermines the rights of genuinely homeless people to camp, he said.
Efforts to find a permanent solution continue, he added, pointing to his recent meeting with local MLA and minister of education Rob Fleming, who has encouraged Saanich to apply for modular housing. Saanich council will also hold a special meeting on June 21 to discuss the issue in additional detail.
When asked about BrettB次元官网网址檚 comments, Atwell expressed concern about her rhetoric, noting that Saanich police have been very B次元官网网址渃ompassionateB次元官网网址� so far. The resolution of this issue requires everybodyB次元官网网址檚 corporation, he said.
B次元官网网址淪he [Brett] has our attention,B次元官网网址� he said.
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