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Victoria police investigating a sudden death in Beacon Hill Park

Click to play video: 'Body found in Victoria’s Beacon Hill Park'
Body found in Victoria’s Beacon Hill Park
Part of Victoria’s Beacon Hill Park was closed Wednesday morning after the discovery of a body – Mar 3, 2021

Victoria police are appealing for witnesses and information about the “sudden death” of a woman in Beacon Hill Park Wednesday morning.

Police confirmed they were called to the park just before 6 a.m. along with paramedics.

A person had been found unresponsive and was later confirmed deceased.

Police are asking any pedestrians, cyclists or drivers who were on Dallas Road between Cook and Douglas streets between midnight and 6 a.m., Wednesday, to contact them.

They’re also looking for any video shot in the area during the same timeframe.

Click to play video: 'Queen Elizabeth II statue beheading among acts of vandalism connected to Beacon Hill Park'
Queen Elizabeth II statue beheading among acts of vandalism connected to Beacon Hill Park

 

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The park has been the site of a homeless camp for some time now, although it is not clear at this time if the deceased person is in any way connected to the camp.

On Tuesday, the City of Victoria filed a petition in the Supreme Court of B.C. asking for clarification on whether the park can be used by people without homes for temporary sheltering.

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The city said in a statement it is posing this question to the court as the park is held in trust by the city and it is unclear how they should operate the space under the Trustee Act.

“Chronic homelessness, a global health pandemic that has closed shelters, mental health and addiction supports stretched beyond capacity – these are modern realities that did not exist in 1882 when the trust was created and we need clarity on how this trust affects people’s rights today,” Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said in a statement.

Click to play video: 'Victoria Police warning public after disturbing discovery in Beacon Hill Park'
Victoria Police warning public after disturbing discovery in Beacon Hill Park
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The city said the application is not an action against homeless people using the park but neither the 1882 Crown grant nor the Public Parks Act, 1876, identifies all the uses to which Beacon Hill Park may be put by the public, only that it be preserved by the city as a public park.

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