After two weeks in Saanichton Green Park, the roving tent city moved on Friday to Pioneer Park in Brentwood Bay. Over the weekend, their previous site was being cleaned up, with some patches of yellowed grass where tents were pitched.

The roving camp, led by Chrissy Brett, has been traveling to various municipalities since mid-September, when they first set up in Topaz Park in Victoria. Brett has been involved with a variety of public demonstrations, including the tent city by the Victoria court house and another in Duncan, all to protest a shortage of affordable housing and resources for people experiencing homelessness or addiction issues.

The tent city has occupied space in most CRD municipalities, and in a series of interviews with the Peninsula B次元官网网址 Review, key players spoke about the group, their intentions and why they had more problems in some municipalities over others.

Before their arrival in Central Saanich, Brett said she met with District officials and the Central Saanich police, and said they were B次元官网网址渧ery supportiveB次元官网网址� of peopleB次元官网网址檚 right to protest. She told them there were homeless people from all municipalities, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, being pushed to VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 downtown core where there are more shelters and services for the homeless. She wants other municipalities to shoulder more of the burden by building facilities themselves or funding more housing or programs in Victoria if they cannot.

B次元官网网址淭o me, it makes more sense for the municipalities to sit down with each other and create a capital regional district housing plan,B次元官网网址� said Brett. She said solutions could be tailored to the context of the municipality. As an example, she said Langford could create Indigenous housing and Sidney and Oak Bay could house low-income seniors.

She brought up Woodwynn Farms as an example of a transitional program where participants, once stable and sober, could transfer to no-barrier housing with fewer rules for residents. She was , announced after the Agricultural Land Commission to build housing for participants on farmland.

B次元官网网址淲e know the statistics say it takes 3-5 visits to detox before somebody picks it up and gets it. Why canB次元官网网址檛 we create programs where weB次元官网网址檙e setting people up for success rather than failure three or four times before they get it right? Just doesnB次元官网网址檛 make any sense to me.B次元官网网址�

She said different municipalities had different approaches to policing and bylaw enforcement, which helped or hindered their relationship. While experiences in View Royal and Langford were a struggle, they were happier in Colwood where the bylaw officer chose not to wear a uniform.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 never really good news if you see someone in a uniform coming towards you. ItB次元官网网址檚 not like theyB次元官网网址檙e bringing birthday greetings or that youB次元官网网址檝e won the lottery.B次元官网网址� This, she said, was part of B次元官网网址渢rauma-informed practice,B次元官网网址� where government services or law enforcement are delivered in a way that considers past trauma like physical or sexual abuse, poverty and racism B次元官网网址� to avoid re-traumatizing people.

B次元官网网址淚 celebrate places like Colwood who have chosen to still be able to do their job but to do it with a bit more humanity and compassion and allow people a bit of dignity.B次元官网网址�

She said she also had good relations in Victoria, Saanich, and Central Saanich. Cpl. Dan Cottingham said Central Saanich Police knew when and where the group would move in, so District staff got them some garbage cans, a sharps container and a portable toilet to keep the area clean. He called the tent city in Central Saanich B次元官网网址減retty meek and mild.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚n fact, every time I drive by, I havenB次元官网网址檛 even seen a person there yet,B次元官网网址� said Cottingham.

Cottingham said there may have been smaller incidents, but he saw nothing in the shift reports from other officers.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e been communicating them from time to time, and there doesnB次元官网网址檛 seem to be any issues.B次元官网网址�

Brett was critical of the Oak Bay Police Department and called them difficult to work with, which she attributed to poor communication. A public statement tweeted by Oak Bay Police on Oct. 10, 2017 stated the tent city was to stay for a week, but Brett said they B次元官网网址渏umped the gun.B次元官网网址� Had they asked her, she said, she would have told them they were anticipating a meeting with provincial officials and they would need more time. They had already spent three weeks in Victoria and two in Saanich, so she felt Oak Bay could handle a second week before moving on. The group ultimately spent three weeks in Oak Bay.

There's a small protest camp behind Muni Hall. Spent 7 days elsewhere/committed 2 leave in 7 days. Details attached. Thx 4 patience.

B次元官网网址� Oak Bay Police (@OakBayPolice)

She said there was a B次元官网网址減ersonality conflictB次元官网网址� between herself and the deputy chief, Ray Bernoties.

B次元官网网址淲e had a lot of angry texts back and forth. A lot of not-so-professional conversations in-person and over the phone,B次元官网网址� said Brett.

When asked what the disagreements were about, she said it was regarding their choice to take B次元官网网址渁 more policing approach to our protest rather than working with us like the other municipalities have to allow us to make our statement and move on.B次元官网网址� She said threats of arrests and fines for bylaw violations were not helpful.

In an interview, the Oak Bay deputy chief said B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 think personalities have anything to do with damaging a bench, or leaving hazardous material or our approach.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 think initially things went fairly well,B次元官网网址� said Bernoties, B次元官网网址渂ut then commitments were broken and hazardous material was located and more commitments were broken and so it deteriorated.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 can assure you that she had committed to one week in Oak Bay prior to me making any public comment about their commitment,B次元官网网址� said Bernoties. He did not say whether he was told about the reason for the delay, but that ultimately B次元官网网址渢hey broke their commitment.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淩eally, I donB次元官网网址檛 believe I changed my mind,B次元官网网址� said Brett. B次元官网网址淚 was only responding to the provinceB次元官网网址檚 response that they needed another few weeks before they could sit down with us and meet about housing people here in the encampment,B次元官网网址� she said.

When asked about the $3,000 invoice the District of Oak Bay had prepared ($1,500 for a damaged bench and 3 BC HAZMAT calls at $500 each), Brett said there were some members of the camp that did not abide by the group rules and chose to stay rather than move on like the rest. According to Brett, those who wanted to stay left behind items borrowed from other campers as well as a bucket of drug paraphernalia. She said campers are asked to clean up after every move, and she did not know that drug paraphernalia was left behind. She acknowledged they were not properly contained, but said if she was contacted, she would have removed the hazardous material herself.

B次元官网网址淚t wasnB次元官网网址檛 as though they were finding a needle in the bush over here or randomly on the lawn of the municipal hall. It was contained within one little area.B次元官网网址�

BC HAZMAT spokesperson John Espley said needles were found beyond the container and in the bushes near Oak Bay Municipal Hall and at the cenotaph. Bernoties said sharps containers were provided by the District of Oak Bay in each location they stayed in.

A memorial bench in Oak Bay was sanded down and spray-painted gold, which Brett said was caused by a former paramedic with PTSD and addiction issues. She said he found graffiti carved into the memorial bench, which was right in front of his tent. He sanded it down, and B次元官网网址渞ather than just taking maybe the wiser choice to sand the bench and leave it, again, in conversation with him, he taped off the nameplate andB次元官网网址�painted the bench gold.B次元官网网址�

In a follow-up interview, Brett said she would not pay the invoice voluntarily and Oak Bay would have to pursue the matter through small-claims court.

Bernoties said he could not speculate on what Brett might have done had she been told about the needles, but that for public safety reasons B次元官网网址渋tB次元官网网址檚 important to have experts pick up needles where theyB次元官网网址檙e likely to be retrieved which is why we used a team to do that.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲ho should pay for the damaged bench and the HAZMAT teams, I guess would be my question,B次元官网网址� said Bernoties. B次元官网网址淚n my view it shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be a senior living on their own, four streets away. Why should they pay for that?B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淥nce someone breaks their word on more than one occasion you can no longer trust what they say, and then property gets damaged, hazardous materials are left, then it becomes a public safety issue that needs to be dealt with.B次元官网网址�

He said that he would be prepared to present the invoice to Brett if she returns to camp.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 unfortunate that it deteriorated the way it did, but I feel we were very compassionate throughout. Very understanding,B次元官网网址� said Bernoties.

Brett said the roving tent city has allowed them to interact with citizens, bylaw officers and other district staff who may not have had to regularly interact with homeless people. The day before they moved from Saanichton Green Park, Central Saanich councillor Alicia Holman visited the camp to meet with Brett. The councillor said they brainstormed ways in which Central Saanich could help address homelessness and addiction.

She said the protest was peaceful has been because B次元官网网址渢he community has generally welcomed themB次元官网网址� and because of good communication with the Central SaanichB次元官网网址檚 chief constable, Les Sylven.

B次元官网网址淚 really enjoyed our chat and have committed to coming up with a new motion that IB次元官网网址檒l be making at an upcoming council meeting to come up with some real specific objectives or tasks I think the municipality could take on,B次元官网网址� said Holman.

reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com
Like us on and follow us on