- Updated at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
The remaining group of about 20 homeless campers staying at a West Saanich Road property have agreed to vacate as of Oct. 12.
Saanich resident Sam Seera has come to an understanding that the group of Camp Namegans holdouts from Regina Park are in need of a place to go. He has agreed not to pursue an eviction through authorities and to pay for two U-Haul trucks to move the groupB次元官网网址檚 belongings.
Seera spent the better part of Friday morning and afternoon in an open discussion with Chrissy Brett, Blair Este, Lynne Hibak, and about 20 campers in total who moved onto the site on Tuesday following their eviction from the Goldstream Provincial Park.
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Seera was surprised on Tuesday to learn that David Shebib, who resides on SeeraB次元官网网址檚 property at 5090 West Saanich Rd., had invited the campers to stay at the West Saanich property until Oct. 20.
B次元官网网址淵ou know you guys have to leave, you canB次元官网网址檛 stay here,B次元官网网址� Seera said in a sit-down discussion on Friday morning. B次元官网网址淪o what can I do to help?B次元官网网址�
Seera broke from the sit-down to bring food from the Royal Oak restaurant Flaming Tandoori. He also rescinded the eviction notice he had posted to all tenants at the property.
ItB次元官网网址檚 an about face for Seera, who initially worried about who would pay for the costs of the camp clean-up, citing city news releases about a $800,000 remediation at Regina Park.
B次元官网网址淗e was anticipating we were criminals but has changed his view, he sees the campers as people and was able to give us a week which is more than the courts were able to give us,B次元官网网址� said Chrissy Brett, an activist for homeless and housing.
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Brett and other campers talked with Seera about putting pressure on the District of Saanich and the minister responsible for housing, Selina Robinson. The group understands they need to move on, said Brett, but have nowhere to go.
B次元官网网址淲e are asking for support, for your family, friends, to put pressure on the ministry, on the city, to do something,B次元官网网址� Brett said. B次元官网网址淢ayfair Lanes could host modular housing. [In the meantime] there are other crown lands we can go to.B次元官网网址�
Seera, a local mortgage broker, said there have already been homeless people living at 5090 West Saanich Rd. that heB次元官网网址檚 known about.
B次元官网网址淪ometimes two, sometimes four or five, they come and go,B次元官网网址� Seera said. B次元官网网址淭he city has asked me about them, I told the [city], B次元官网网址榃here do you want them to go, to the Saanich lawn? Where are they supposed to go.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
In saying that, Seera said heB次元官网网址檚 done his part. He canB次元官网网址檛 have 20 people living at the property.
B次元官网网址淭he city is working on the trespassing bylaw, it could come today or tomorrow, [the police] might be coming so I want to support you as much as I can,B次元官网网址� Seera told the campers.
On Thursday, Premier John Horgan said British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 homeless issue is a serious challenge.
B次元官网网址淐ertainly weB次元官网网址檙e doing our level best to make sure that our housing plan is there for the hard to house and there are many, many in British Columbia,B次元官网网址� Horgan said. B次元官网网址淭here are camps and communities like Maple Ridge, Nanaimo, Vancouver, are more recently Langford. B次元官网网址� So this is a challenge and a serious one.B次元官网网址�
After a two-week stay at the campground of Goldstream Provincial Park, the tent city campers moved into the backyard of a Saanich mayoral candidate.
B次元官网网址淭his is the last resort, they had nowhere to go so I decided that this was it,B次元官网网址� David Shebib said recently, who is once again running for Saanich mayor. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 see politicians coming up with any answers.B次元官网网址�
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