Officials said Tuesday that Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fry’s order to remove tents and other temporary structures from the sidewalk must be followed by Wednesday, citing a “significant fire safety hazard” in the area. “Due to the increased risk to homeless people in the area, to residents occupying that area, to people in SROs and buildings, as well as businesses and buildings adjacent to those structures, the fire chief’s order was issued to try to mitigate the risk to those areas as much as possible,” said Vancouver Fire and Rescue spokesperson Matthew Trudeau.
Read more: Vancouver fire chief orders DTES tent city cleared, cites ‘catastrophic’ safety risk
Story continues below ad Despite expectations that the order would be complied with by Wednesday, it was not clear how the order would be implemented. Tents and other temporary structures have long been a fixture of East Hastings Street, but a number of permanent tents and the scale of the encampment have grown rapidly since early July. That’s when Vancouver police stopped supporting city engineering workers who performed daily so-called “street sweeps,” a controversial practice the city says is necessary to clean up trash and litter, but which some supporters of the neighborhood say it involves targeting the homeless and taking their belongings. Since then, some neighborhood residents have complained about difficulty accessing their buildings or even traveling on the sidewalk. 2:05 New tent city appears along Hastings in Vancouver New tent city appears along Hastings in Vancouver – July 7, 2022 Tent camp residents, meanwhile, say it is extremely difficult to live inside poorly ventilated SRO units during the hot summer months, which pose a health hazard. Story continues below ad The city said Monday it would offer additional support “for those who are taking refuge outdoors.” Storage of personal belongings during the day, more public restrooms, misting stations and hand-washing and drinking fountains are among the advocates the city says it will offer. Trending Stories
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But speaking after Trudeau’s news conference Tuesday, housing advocates said no emergency, short-term or long-term housing options have been offered to those displaced by the ordinance. “Neither the province nor the city can identify a single housing option,” said Meenakshi Mannoe of the Pivot Legal Society, which offers legal support to Downtown Eastside residents and people experiencing homelessness. “Zero. Let’s be very clear: zero.”
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Mannoe said the lack of adequate emergency shelter during an ongoing heat wave — with temperatures exceeding 30 C in Metro Vancouver and much of the rest of B.C. – makes the order particularly bad. He added that housing advocates and tent camp representatives didn’t learn about the fire order until midway through Monday afternoon’s meeting, around the time the order was made public. “How are these respectful community relations?” asked. Story continues below ad “When we look at a fire order like this, we see it as part of a political game being played with people’s lives.” 2:19 Man stabbed after tension rises in East Hastings Man stabbed after tension rises in East Hastings – 13 July 2022 Vancouver councilor Pete Fry told Global News he empathizes with the plight of those forced to find a new place to shelter, but pointed to “deep systemic issues” of housing availability, mental health and addictions that require government intervention and investment. “We’ve got to all come together and really work with senior government, with (Vancouver) coastal health to figure out something better — because this isn’t working,” he said. “Clearly there’s a demonstrated need, (but) it can’t be the City of Vancouver continuing to carry that over for the region or the province. So we need a bigger approach than what the city can do alone.” Story continues below ad At the same time, Fry said Fry’s order to clear the East Hastings Street encampment was a “100 percent hit and miss.” “This is very unsafe,” he said. “I’ve been down there a few times in the last few days and it’s untenable. There are too many people, there are too many things and things … and the risk of fire (and) risk to life and property is very significant.”
Read more: Man in wheelchair stabbed as tensions rise in East Hastings Street tent city
In a statement Monday, Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart said he supported the order but acknowledged the impact it would have on DTES residents. Stewart supported the city’s partnerships with senior levels of government to fund non-commercial and modular housing, but acknowledged that demand for affordable and supportive housing continues to outstrip supply. He called on nonprofit housing providers to evaluate their available options to help address the increased need created by the order. — with files from Emad Agahi and Simon Little © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
