Final goodbye to tent city, ramshackle Victoria B.C. camp dismantled

The provincial government has shut down the tent city that has been occupying the grounds of the provincial court house in Victoria B.C. for nearly a year.

Only a few tents and personal supplies still sit behind a locked fence.

More than 300 residents were eitherrelocated, or offered alternative places to live.

"We have now provided or offered housing to all those who needed it. We were able to bring this situation to a peaceful resolution, and now we can go in and start to clean up the site," said B.C. Housing Minister Rich Coleman in a statement.

Waiting for shelter space

The provincial government received a court order on July 5 that authorized theremoval ofcampers fromthe courthouse ground last Monday.

Instead the province decided to wait until enough shelter spaces were availableto relocate the people living in tent city.

Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson ruled the encampment was unsafe for those living there and for the residents and businesses in the area.

Volunteers are cleaning and removing the last two unoccupied tents remainingon the site.

"I don't think it could have gone any better, there was a voluntary decampment working right down to the wire last night," said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps.

"I know it was a painful situation for many people fora long time, but the way it ended up it couldn't have ended better."

More investment coming

Despite the hundreds of tent citycampers who now have housing, Helps says the issueof homelessness in Victoria is far fromsolved.

Tent city was just the beginning.

"There are still people sleeping in doorways who were never at the camp so didn't get on the list. But the good news is there is a collaborative spirit in the region that we have never seen before with everyone at the table," said Helps.

A new agreement between the province and Capital Regional District pledging $60-million to create affordable housing is aimed to alleviate the regional problem.

Goodbyes and mementos

Thea Hinks is one of the many volunteers who spent the night packing up and cleaning the site.

She started making meals for campers in December, helping the people there as much as she could.

"We were up to almost four a.m.packing up andstuff," saidHinks.

For some it was an emotional goodbye.

"One guy walked out with a faucet.He mentioned he was going to turn it into some sort of art as a memento of this place," said Hinks.