Port authority seeks to oust homeless campers from Vancouver’s CRAB Park

The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is seeking a court order to remove a group of homeless people from a newly erected tent city on its land near CRAB Park.

The notice of civil claim, filed last Friday in B.C. Supreme Court, names Chrissy Brett, who organized the encampment earlier this month to protest the amount of shelter being provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2:13 Tent city encampment at Vancouver’s Oppenheimer Park finally cleared

The CRAB Park tents sprang up not long after the B.C. government announced plans to transfer residents of the nearby tent city at Oppenheimer Park to temporary housing in a bid to slow the spread of the virus.

In the documents, the port authority says it’s seeking an injunction to have the campers and more than 20 tents removed after they refused to leave.

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“As a result of the defendants’ trespass on the VFPA Lands, the VFPA has suffered and continues to suffer loss and damage,” the document alleges. It does not describe what has been lost or damaged.

On Tuesday, Brett told Global News there are no plans to vacate the park, and they are willing to work with authorities who also want to keep people safe.

“We have no money so it’s not like we can just call up a lawyer and hire them. So I’ll have to find a lawyer who might be willing to do this on a pro bono basis,” she said.

2:05 Port of Vancouver plans legal action against new encampment near Vancouver’s Crab Park

The port authority told Global News they told the campers to vacate the premises on May 9.

“When this deadline passed, we began taking steps towards legal action in response to their refusal to vacate,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement Tuesday.

“We’ve now filed a notice of civil claim with the Supreme Court of B.C. to seek an injunction and are awaiting a hearing date.”

The Vancouver Police Department said its officers are still monitoring the new encampment.