VICTORIA – A ruling is expected today on the British Columbia government’s application for a temporary injunction to remove a homeless camp on the grounds of Victoria’s law courts.
B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson is scheduled to deliver his decision on the government’s application following a three-day hearing last month.
Government lawyers argued to shut down the camp where more than 100 people have been living, saying campfires and a lack of facilities have created a health hazard and there’s criminal activity around the camp, such as drug trafficking.
However, lawyers for the campers argued in court that the residents have been working co-operatively with police and fire officials and everybody will be better off if the camp is permitted to continue to exist.
Crown lawyer Tyna Mason said the government has provided housing for every camp resident, turning a Boys and Girls Club, seniors’ residence and the youth jail into homeless shelters.
The injunction application claims people living in the camp are trespassing and have defied requests and orders to leave the property, despite the government offering other housing.
Mason told the court the camp is not sustainable as long-term housing and it poses health and safety risks. She said people in the neighbourhood complain about smoke from fires, while others say they are afraid to access the courthouse.
No matter today’s ruling, the government has asked the court to hear arguments for a permanent injunction for camping on the courthouse grounds. A trial date has been set for Sept. 7.
Technology Minister Amrik Virk, whose ministry is responsible for the grounds, said homes were found for many of the campers.
“What I found flabbergasting at times was individuals were refusing the opportunity to take up offers of housing.”
The government’s application said such an injunction “would enable the province to permanently return the Victoria courthouse to a greenspace for public use.”
The camp grew from a few tents last spring to dozens of homeless residents.
Victoria city bylaws permit camping overnight in parks if shelters are full but require people to pack up every morning. The courthouse lawn is provincial property and not subject to the bylaws.
Concerned residents living near the courthouse camp have organized a community meeting Thursday to voice their concerns.
The group, called Mad as Hell, states in a letter that Premier Christy Clark and Housing Minister Rich Coleman “have neglected the poor, homeless and severely mentally ill and are now imposing no-restriction ghettos in communities.”
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