For close to a dozen residents of Victoria’s tent city, Canada Day was moving day.
On Thursday, CTV News learned the province requested that 20 tent city residents voluntarily move to a transitional home over apparent safety concerns.
A team of contractors hired by the province were busy on Friday, tearing down parts of wooden shelters that had been homes in the encampment for months.
“We are dismantling this so tent city can stay and we can meet the requirement of the fire commissioner,” tent city resident Chrissy Brett said.
Crews filled six bins with firewood and other flammables, uncovering dozens of rats as well.
“It appears that they’ve been nesting underneath the pallets and they spread like wildfire, so we’ll be keeping our heads up as we dig through all these places,” Sean Cole, one of the crew members, told CTV News.
Those who volunteered to leave tent city will be given the first opportunity to move into more permanent housing at the former Central Care Home on Johnson Street when it opens.
B.C. purchased the building earlier this month and plans to convert it into additional long-term supportive housing units. It’s expected to be move-in ready by late July.
The extra space created by fewer campers means there will be more space between shelters, one of the several demands by the fire commissioner who recently warned the camp could be shut down.
Overall, the danger to life safety created by the fire dangers still remains high, but neighbours say it’s a good start.
“Any amount that is going to lead to the dismantling of tent city is going to be a good thing. As a result we would want people out sooner, but it’s out of our hands,” Mad as Hell spokesperson Stephen Hammond said.
A poverty advocate was present for the fire commissioner’s inspection of the camp, and says he thinks it went well.
“That the order has been rescinded, you know there’s still work to do, but there’s enough progress that people can know that it’s probably not going to be taken down right away,” Don Evans noted.
The province confirmed that the order to dismantle tent city from the fire commissioner has been rescinded.
An injunction hearing regarding tent city went before a judge on Monday and Tuesday, and the judge has reserved his decision.
