Saanich Council turned down a surprise motion by Mayor Richard Atwell to consider the former Emily Carr library as a potential housing site for occupants of the Regina Park tent city.
Atwell made the motion at Thursday nightB次元官网网址檚 special meeting, an impromptu session he instigated as mayor two weeks ago so council could hear from members of the public about the encampment at Regina Park, which has now grown to a reported 77 tents.
The special meeting drew a divisive crowd. Many expressed concerns of safety and had little sympathy for the occupants living in Regina Park, claiming crime rates have risen, that people were invading cars and carports alike, and asked Saanich to enforce bylaws, which would effectively force out the occupants to find emergency shelter elsewhere. Others suggested dignity and sympathy, and called for either a solution through housing or to at least supply running water and temporary showers.
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Members of the tent city also spoke, including Ryan Williams, who grew up in the area and has been living on the street off-and-on for a decade.
B次元官网网址淵our kids are safe, you know,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚f thereB次元官网网址檚 someone crawling over your fence, come talk to one of us, it will be stopped right away, this is not the first tent city. I just want to say thank you for the help.B次元官网网址�
The encampment started in early May as a roaming tent city with less than a dozen tents.
Thursday night also happened to be the fourth straight night of council meetings in Saanich, which held regular council session on Monday, a public hearing on Tuesday and an in-camera meeting with Saanich Police on Wednesday.
The session started with dozens of residents, some who are living at Regina Park, most from the nearby area, and others from within the Greater Victoria community, such as Khalela Bell, an outreach worker for people experiencing homelessness.
B次元官网网址淭his is a very difficult thing to do, itB次元官网网址檚 painful to watch,B次元官网网址� Bell said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e heard stories from people coming from a welfare office to my office saying, it was suggested I go buy a tent.B次元官网网址�
Bell said itB次元官网网址檚 a matter of survival.
B次元官网网址淧eople are pairing up for survival so theyB次元官网网址檙e things donB次元官网网址檛 get stolen or taken by bylaw, we have women sleeping alone in parks, it creates a situation where homelessness creates a dangerous environment.
B次元官网网址淧eople from the public are saying, B次元官网网址楻eally, a tent city,B次元官网网址� and IB次元官网网址檓 here to say yes, a tent city. We are at that point. People need to be banding together forming community and taking care of each other.B次元官网网址�
Ashley Mollison, from the Alliance Against Displacement, said tent cities can be a place for transformation, a place where some people find their first chance to go to a medical office, or to look for a job, as the community of a tent city affords people a chance to leave behind their belongings without worry of theft.
After two hours of speakers, Atwell made a pair of motions. Council, which was absent of Vicki Sanders, Judy Brownoff and Dean Murdock, voted in favour to have Saanich write a letter to B.C. Housing about working to find a solution for the residents of Regina Park. AtwellB次元官网网址檚 second motion, however, was contested, and lost 4-2 to Couns. Colin Plant, Fred Haynes, Leif Wergeland and Susan Brice, with Karen Harper in support.
B次元官网网址淲e are not far enough along in the conversation to know exactly what [occupants of Regina Park] want,B次元官网网址� said Coun. Fred Haynes. B次元官网网址淒o they want housing in the old Emily Carr, because IB次元官网网址檓 not sure thatB次元官网网址檚 what they want.B次元官网网址�
Atwell had to interrupt the speakers early on Thursday as members of the gallery clapped in support of area resident Matt SasakiB次元官网网址檚 comments. Sasaki urged council B次元官网网址渢o deal with this right awayB次元官网网址� and enforce bylaws, which would force the occupants to B次元官网网址渕ove on or abide,B次元官网网址� which, are technically the same thing, as the DistrictB次元官网网址檚 vacate notice on site says people with no other shelter may sleep in the park from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. only but must then remove their belongings.
Coun. Colin Plant noted the chambers emptied from being completely full to just three gallery members when AtwellB次元官网网址檚
motions were debated amongst council.
B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know why people left,B次元官网网址� Plant said. B次元官网网址淢aybe they were tired. Maybe they didnB次元官网网址檛 want to watch council got through the mechanics of motions, or maybe they didnB次元官网网址檛 know there would be motions [because no motions were on the agenda].
B次元官网网址淲hen you hear from the residents, you hear how important it is that we find a solution as soon as possible,B次元官网网址� Plant added.
Haynes was among those who criticized Atwell for not alerting council that he would bring up the former Emily Carr site, a property Saanich owns at 3500 Blanshard across from Uptown mall, as a potential site to house people experiencing homelessness.
B次元官网网址淐ouncil chambers is the place where council debates issues, and I canB次元官网网址檛 think of a more pressing issue to debate than a homeless camp in Saanich,B次元官网网址� Atwell said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been there two months now and itB次元官网网址檚 about time council take a leadership role to identify housing. I donB次元官网网址檛 think this property should be left out of the mix.B次元官网网址�
Haynes admitted he was about to vote in favour of researching the former Emily Carr site as a housing option but changed his mind.
B次元官网网址淭here is no supported history that council responds well on proposals about land assets with little or no research ahead of time,B次元官网网址� Haynes said.
Just last week, Saanich Council heard a report from staff to house Saanich staff at the Emily Carr site so the municipal hall can undergo renovations.
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