Nanaimo's homeless camp heads back to court
City of Nanaimo says it will delay plans to shut it down until after Oct. 19 hearing
The B.C. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an application to extend an eviction deadline for Nanaimo's homeless encampment because new temporary modular housing is set to open next month in the city.
The City of Nanaimo successfully petitioned the B.C. Supreme Court for an injunction to remove the camp, which has swelled to roughly 300 residents.
The court order set a deadline of Oct. 12 at midnight for people to leave.
But Noah Ross, a lawyer representing people staying at the the camp, filed an application to have the deadline to leave extended until the 170 new units of housing are ready.
"It's significant that Justice [ Ronald A.] Skolrood will hear it. More significant immediately is that the city has agreed to hold off on enforcement of the existing order until next Friday," he said.
City delays enforcement
The City of Nanaimo says it will defer any plans to dismantle the camp until after the hearing, scheduled for Oct. 19.
Prior to the granting of the court hearing, Nanaimo officials had said a phased approach to removing the camp was planned, but provided few details on how long people would be able to stay.
"Closure is still the goal however, given the application to the Supreme Court filed today, council has directed that the city defer closure," the city said in a statement.
"The City is committed to a phased approach to the camp closure that is compassionate, respectful and structured and addresses the concerns raised in the fire safety order."
More than a dozen groups — including the Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce, the United Way, and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, have signed an open letter to the city calling for the camp to stay until the housing is ready.
The province has made the same request.
"With the eviction deadline coming, the city has provided very unclear messaging around what will or won't happen, so having another week at least is going to be huge for the clients," Ross said.
The City of Nanaimo also said it is asking the province for additional support to deal with the rising costs associated with the tent city.