'They don't know where they'll go': Saanich prepares to evict tent city residents

More than 100 residents of a tent city in Saanich, B.C., have been ordered to leave by Tuesday evening but community organizers say many of them have nowhere else to go.

A judge granted the District of Saanich a temporary injunction on Friday to evict the campers from Regina Park, a grassy space alongside Highway 1.

"It's been hard," said Ashley Mollisonof the Alliance Against Displacement, who has spent a lot of time at the tent city.

"Some people have already packed up and moved to the woods to more isolated areas.There are other people saying that they don't know where they'll go."

Others, she said, are likely to end up back on the streets downtown.

Sense of community

The settlement, called Camp Namegans by residents, is crucial because it creates a sense of community and safety, Mollison said.

"People are able to protect themselves from external threats [like violence]," she said. "They are also able to keep an eye on each other's belongings."

People face less discrimination when they are not "carrying all their worldly belongings on their backs," Mollison said, and can move around to medical appointments, social service suppliers and job interviews more easily.

"[There's also the] emotional and psychological support of just being with a community, knowing that you are not alone," she told Gregor Craigie, host of CBC's On The Island.

Safety concerns

The district cited safety concerns, including fire hazards, in the petition to the court to shut down the camp.

"The park can only hold so many people," said Saanich Mayor Richard Atwell. "The last thing we need is a fire in that camp."

The park department and police department will work together to enforce the court order, he said, and storage containers will be brought in to help people remove their belongings.

The park will then be fenced off and the soil tested and cleaned up before the space can be opened again in a few weeks' time.

The district is working with B.C. Housing to provide accommodation as a short-term solution until more permanent housing can be built.

"It's certainly symptomatic of a larger problem," Atwell said.

He says municipalities need more support from the provincial government to handle tent cities in public parks.

"We've really been caught between the province, ourselves, the fire commissioner and all of these social issues."

Residents are asking for the eviction deadline to be extended to Friday for more time to pack up their belongings and find a new place to live, Mollison said.

With files from On The Island.

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