A supportive housing facility in Central Saanich has drawn the attention of B.C. election candidates, including one who is calling for it to be closed.
Police arrested a man in late September at the Aurora at 7606 East Saanich Rd. after responding to a report of a person with a firearm in the building. The incident led to the building’s evacuation and the closure of East Saanich Road.
Officers with the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team responded and crisis negotiators were brought in.
The B.C. Conservative candidate in Saanich North and the Islands said neighbours are fed up with the facility. Neighbours are “living in fear” and describe “an ongoing parade of ambulance and police cars” at the building, said B.C. Conservative candidate David Busch. “Maybe we try new management, but if management cannot fix the problem and have them be good neighbours, then the facility has to close,” he said.
Carolina Ibarra, CEO of Pacifica Housing, which operates the facility, said while the weapon involved turned out not to be a real firearm, the September incident was “very alarming,” including for residents and staff at the Aurora. The man who was arrested was not a resident of the building and has since been banned, Ibarra said.
Staff did the right thing and called Central Saanich police, said Ibarra. She said discussion about closing the Aurora is causing distress for residents of the building, the majority of whom are seniors with a history of homelessness.
Ibarra stressed that all the building’s residents are from the Saanich Peninsula and the average age is 53, with 10 per cent over 70.
Over half the residents — 53 per cent — are Indigenous people from the Tsawout, Tsartlip and Pauquachin First Nations, she said, while the rest were unhoused or facing eviction in Central Saanich or Sidney before they moved into Aurora, which does not house people with complex needs.
Ibarra said she understands there’s fear surrounding supportive housing, particularly as homelessness increases in rural B.C., where such facilities are relatively new.
“It’s something that they’re grappling with. And so together, we need to find a way to make them work as effectively as possible in these communities for everybody,” she said.
Rob Botterell, the Green candidate in Saanich North and the Islands, said he doesn’t support closing the Aurora facility, although he heard fears from neighbours while door knocking.
While he’s not sure the current supports are sufficient, Botterell said closing the facility is “just a recipe for creating a similar situation somewhere else.”
He said it’s important to bring everyone involved together to have a discussion about what it will take to make the building work in the community.
Amy Haysom, an Independent candidate in the riding, said she initially thought the facility should be moved out of the neighbourhood, but changed her mind after learning more from Pacifica about the building and the complexity of the situation.
“I’m pulling back from my initial ‘let’s move it’ [position]. And rather, how can we lean into it so that it’s supported properly, and that the neighbourhood feels more supported as well,” she said.
Haysom said she still believes it’s important to recognize “this was scary for residents of the neighbourhood, and rightly so,” while also highlighting how important it is for the Aurora community to remain.
NDP candidate Sarah Riddell said in a statement that she takes her neighbours’ concerns seriously and believes everyone deserves to feel safe in the community.
“As MLA, I will work to ensure the services provided at Aurora House are meeting the range of needs of the people living there, and that neighbourhood concerns are addressed quickly and effectively so we can all thrive,” she said.
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