Abbotsford's mayor refutes claims city is dismantling homeless camps

The lawyer who represented Abbotsford's homeless population in a successful bid for the right to sleep in public parksclaimsthe city is ignoring theB.C. Supreme Court decision.

In October, the court ruled thecity's homeless can erecttemporary camps starting at 7 p.m., as long as they areremoved by9 a.m. the next day. The rulingalso provides for spaces to be available forhabitation longer than overnight.

"They are literally going into the camps and hunting people down to take down the camps in the middle of winter,"claimsDJLarkin, a lawyer and housing campaigner with Pivot Legal Society.

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She says these are camps set up in relatively remote citypark spaces that have long been the solution for those not wanting to stay in shelters.

"At least one couple who were living in a non-developed park, not an area that other people use, were given verbal notice that they had to leave, and if they weren't gone by the next day their belongings were going to be taken," she said

"We believe that the [court] decision means thatthose established camps are part of what is required for more than overnight habitation, because displacement itself causes harm."

Abbotsford's mayor refutes those claims.

"We haven't taken any camps down.We have asked people to comply with the judge's orders," saidMayor Henry Braun.

"We worked very hard. Within a month of the court's decision, we had a 40-bed,temporary winter shelter up and running, and the response has been very positive."

Braun says so far nine people havebeen moved from the temporaryshelterto permanent housingafter working with case management specialistsand thecompletion of a permanent shelter is projected forApril of 2017.

He says the city does plan to remove a long-established and controversial camp on Gladys Road, saying itis not protected by the Supreme Court ruling because it's not on park land.

Larkinfeels that representsa limited view of thedecision. Shesays the city's homeless population should be able to camp whereveritfeels safe.

'They have found community'

"Some people, who are staying in the Gladys camp, are saying they have found community, they have found safety," she said.

"People in the camp are extremely concerned because they know they are going to be negatively affected.They are going to be displaced."

Still, Braun defendsthe city's choice.

"Everybody, including the [Supreme Court] judge, has said that there's some safety issues at Gladys.So Gladys just can't continue, but that doesn't mean they can't pitch their tents somewhere else. We have 157 parks in Abbotsford."

Braun says Abbotsford city council will begin the process of officially bringing its bylaws in line with the Supreme Court decision on Monday.