Prince George camp residents still waiting for compensation after city destroyed shelters, belongings

Former residents of a homeless encampment in Prince George, B.C., say they're still waiting for compensation from the city after heavy machinery tore through their shelters and belongings last year — despite a court order protecting the camp from being destroyed.

Melanie Joseph, 45, was living at the Moccasin Flats encampment near downtown Prince George when city staff demolished her home and moved her into a supportive housing unit a few blocks away. 

Residents of the encampment were told to pack only what they could fit in two plastic totes. But Joseph says she was not told that anything left behind would be thrown away. 

Joseph says she lost hundreds of dollars worth of tents, down-filled sleeping bags and a barbecue she had saved up to buy and still hasn't recovered financially.

"What would they do if I bulldozed their house? Obviously, I would go to prison," she said.

Juls Budau, an advocate who helped people affected by the destruction by collecting affidavits to be read in court, says at least two dozen people are claiming compensation from the city over belongings that were either destroyed or disposed of by staff.

Joseph says she has heard from city staff about her claim just once. She received a written letter requesting she provide receipts for items she claimed to have lost.

With a frustrated laugh, she said: "You kind of destroyed that when you bulldozed my place."

The city confirmed they received claims from camp residents in the summer via a "third party" but declined to comment on their status, saying they are part of a legal process. 

Lack of adequate housing and shelter

In June 2021, the City of Prince George directed staff to pursue a civil injunction against people living in encampments on two city lots, including Moccasin Flats. 

In October of that year, Chief Justice Christopher E. Hinkson ruled that while the city could shut down one encampment, Moccasin Flats was allowed to stay as he did not see enough evidence that people had access to adequate housing or daytime shelter in Prince George to justify the camp's closure.

But on Nov. 17, 2021, the city demolished several structures in that encampment, claiming they had been abandoned after residents were moved into a B.C. Housing-leased supportive housing complex nearby called the Knights Inn.

Melanie Joseph and other camp residents tell a different story.

On that cold Wednesday in November, Joseph says she was given two plastic totes and told to pack only what she needed. Staff told her the encampment was about to be shut down and that she was moving into a room at the Knights Inn.

Joseph says she didn't feel like she had the choice to stay in her makeshift home. She said no one told her that what was left behind would be thrown out or destroyed. 

Issac Williams, 20, also moved into the Knights Inn that day. Like Joseph, they said they were never told their remaining items would be thrown out. 

"I was pissed off … all my belongings were just ruined," Williams said.

In multiple signed affidavits submitted to B.C. Supreme Court, camp residents outlined their lost belongings, including the ashes of a deceased mother, family photos, costly journeyman tools and personal identification.

In February, Justice Simon R. Coval ruled the city's destruction of shelters was in violation of the previous court order and opened the door for residents to file for compensation from the city.

Joseph says she is still waiting to hear if the city will pay her what she feels she's owed. 

"Just because we're homeless and a 'nuisance' to the city, does that give them the right to rip us off?"