About two-dozen campers remained on the lawn of Victoria’s courthouse Monday, defying a court-ordered deadline to clear the site.

A mass exodus from the controversial tent city didn’t materialize the way some expected, and it didn’t appear any authorities were enforcing the long-awaited move.

Instead, campers slowly went about making the transition to new housing facilities, including 70 spaces that opened up in the converted Central Care Home on Johnson Street.

“I would still be on that property,” said Jamie Greene, who moved out of tent city two weeks ago. “It’s nice, being able to close the solid-core door, close it and lock it and have it be secure and safe, it’s just been huge.”

But frustrated neighbours who watched movers haul bins and bags away from the site Monday said one thing was missing for those still at the site: urgency.

“Today’s judgment day, so I think everybody should’ve been gone out of there,” said building manager Don Allen. “It’s going to take a week or so to get rid of the fencing and all the rest of the building and the tents and stuff, but that’s not the way it works I guess.”

Instead of forcibly removing campers, the province elected to try to maintain goodwill among residents still at the site.

“While we’re respectful of the court’s deadline, of course we recognize it would be a mistake to rush this move because it’s going so well,” said Housing Minister Peter Fassbender. “So we’re going to continue to work with those who are cooperative.”

There’s still some work to be done at the Johnson Street facility and not every room is available yet, but even if they were, not every camper says they’re ready to cooperate.

Mike Henning, a resident helping with the site cleanup, said he planned on staying at the courthouse until “respect levels are maintained.”

The province has been clear that a physical eviction at the site would be a last resort.

Mayor Lisa Helps tweeted on Monday that the Central Care Home facility should be fully ready on Wednesday.

The province has also purchased a former Super 8 Motel on Douglas Street which will be converted into additional shelter spaces.

That shelter will be ready for move-in in November, according to the province.

So far, about 260 campers have been relocated from tent city to housing facilities across Greater Victoria.

The encampment has existed for nearly a year under a legal loophole, and last month it was ordered to be dismantled over health and safety concerns.