Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said he’s proud of the work being done in the Downtown Eastside to clear out an encampment along Hastings Street.
The city, fire department and BC Housing gave an update on the ongoing process at a news conference on Wednesday.
“This is very, very hard work, and (our) staff have approached it abiding by our core principle of care and compassion,” Stewart said.
“It’s a very painful process, and we are doing everything we can to restore a sense of belonging and dignity.”
The city’s latest tent camp took shape in July. Its residents and their advocates have criticized both the city and province for not providing enough housing, and have accused the city of “sweeping the housing crisis under the rug” in their efforts to clear the street. A large banner was previously hung in the area, stating, “Where are we supposed to go?”
“We know that what we’re doing is not enough,” said BC Housing’s Dale McMann. “The most recent count found that there are 2,000 people without homes in Vancouver.”
BC Housing said so far, 40 vulnerable people from Hastings Street have agreed to move indoors and will move into newly opened shelter spaces this week. It also announced 700 new spaces are on the way “in the coming weeks and months.”
In the meantime, the organization and the city are working together to “identify sites for interim housing,” including some on city-owned land.
Fire Chief Karen Fry said the progress in clearing structures and tents has been incremental, focusing a “compassionate approach.”
In July, Fry issued a fire safety order for the area, warning that the buildup of structures and combustible materials created a major hazard.
“It’s not a matter of if a fire is going to happen, it’s when it’s going to happen,” Fry told reporters, listing safety risks such as blocked exits, blocked access to fire department connections, combustible materials against the buildings, and propane canisters.
Fire officials highlighted 10 areas of extreme risk and Fry said so far, seven of them have been cleared of combustible materials.
“Since we’ve issued the order, we have had staff down there every day,” she said.
“They are working with city partners and are talking to individuals that are living on the street, educating them of risks and even training them on how to use fire extinguishers.”
Asked about the very public clash between police officers and some Downtown Eastside community members earlier this month amid efforts to clear the area, the city said the VPD is not part of the process but will continue to patrol the area.
Kennedy also said he is hopeful more federal housing resources are on the way.
The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users advocacy group said the city should be focusing more on improving conditions at single-room occupancy hotels.
“The fire order was a bit of a farce in terms of safety of the people on the block. We put out a bunch of fire extinguishers into the blocks there. There were a few fires and they were all looked after,” said Dave Hamm, a VANDU board member.
“What they should be focused on is the bylaw infractions in the SROs, that’s where people are dying. That’s where the fires are occurring.”
The group said they weren’t informed about the plan to remove structures, even though they were meeting with the city.
“During the last meeting we attended, that’s when the order came out — while we were sitting with them,” Hamm said.
“We had no idea it was coming. That was very disingenuous of them.”
Forcing people to move without offering them stable housing is in direct violation of a 2021 memorandum of understanding signed by the city, he added.
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