Homeless campers at Goldstream Provincial Park say they fear the B.C. government’s promise of providing housing prior to their eviction from the park on Tuesday means mats rather than beds.
Premier John Horgan has set a deadline of Monday for his government to help move the campers from Goldstream Provincial Park, which marks 14 days after the campers moved in. They arrived Sept. 18 from Saanich’s Regina Park.
Horgan, who represents the riding of Langford-Juan de Fuca, where the park is located, said his government will work “diligently” to find housing for the campers.
Housing Minister Selina Robinson said B.C. Housing and outreach staff will spend the next few days matching campers with housing.
Camp organizer Chrissy Brett is skeptical, however. “My concern is that more than likely, it will be a rubber mat on a floor.”
Brett said there are 33 campers registered at the provincial campground, which was closed to the public on Sept. 18 and has remained off limits to all but essential services.
Everyone from tourists to dog-walkers, clergy and people bringing homemade soup and bread for the campers has been turned away, forced to remain outside the yellow gates, which are guarded 24 hours a day by B.C. Parks staff.
The campers have planned a rally at noon on Saturday to object to the barrier. The rally is at the campground entrance, accessed via Amy Road and West Shore Parkway.
“Premier Horgan is choosing to keep Goldstream campground closed in an effort to quarantine and isolate the Namegans homeless from the movement that sustains them,” said a Facebook post on their site. The campers are calling themselves Namegans Nation.
B.C. Housing said it will arrange for transportation to new housing and storage for the campers’ personal belongings starting Monday. The maximum length of stay in any provincial park is 14 days per park, per calendar year, said Environment Ministry spokesman David Karn.
People with disabilities, including many of the campers, can stay for free for that two-week period. “Ultimately, our goal is to ensure the safety of everyone involved and assist campers in a respectful transition before the morning of Oct. 2, 2018, which is the expiry of the 14-day maximum stay at provincial parks,” said Robinson.
Brett suspects some of the campers will be given a mat at the Victoria Native Friendship Centre, where the province announced it will open 25 spaces on Oct. 1 to accommodate people who are homeless, regardless of weather conditions.
She argues shelter space is not the answer for couples and people with dogs and is not permanent. The province should be opening up vacant buildings to provide a range of accommodations in a variety of municipalities for people who are homeless, Brett said.
“It doesn’t all need to fall in the downtown.”
For now, Pacifica Housing said it will continue to deliver harm-reduction supplies and other necessities to the campers, according to B.C. Housing.
If campers remain in the park past Tuesday, they will be evicted by B.C. Parks in co-ordination with the RCMP, other ministries and outreach workers, Robinson said.
Brett said it’s disappointing that the campers received such mixed messages from the provincial government, which at first said they could stay 24 hours, only to turn around and say they could stay “indefinitely.”
The mayor of Langford, premier or any of the government ministers only had to visit and have a conversation with the campers, said Brett.
“It could have been cleared up in conversation rather than the chest pounding that this is my territory.”
