A judge will rule Tuesday on whether lawyers for a group of squatters in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside will have extra time to prepare a case defending the controversial encampment.
Last week, the City of Vancouver revealed it applied to the B.C. Supreme Court for an injunction to evict dozens of people camping in Oppenheimer Park.
DJ Larkin of Pivot Legal Society, which is representing the group, said they have asked a judge for a 10-day injunction against the eviction request, saying the City only filed its application to evict a few days ago.
“They made an exception application on only one working day's notice,” Larkin said outside of court Monday. “In this case it really doesn’t give us the opportunity to get the evidence and legal argument in order to actually defend this and have the court consider it.”
But the City said it can’t wait that long. CTV News has obtained signed affidavits from police and fire officials saying the camp is dangerous, unsanitary and often violent.
Some of the fire and health issues observed include candles being lit inside tents, buckets of urine and feces sitting inside tents “for what appeared to me to be extended periods of time,” and a mattress so badly infested with bed bugs that a Park Board truck used to remove it had to be fumigated, according Joe Foster, Assistant Chief of Emergency Management for Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services.
Foster said the number of calls VFRS has received about the park has risen from about five per month to 18 calls in the first half of September alone.
“In the early days of the encampment, I felt safe to go into the park at any time of day without a police presence,” his affidavit reads. “I no longer feel comfortable in the park at all hours unless there is some police presence.”
But protesters and their lawyers maintain they’re just fighting for a better place to live. Some campers briefly tried to relocate to Stanley Park over the weekend before police turned them away, citing fire concerns in the iconic urban park.
“Most people have told me that they don’t know where they’re going to go, they don’t have a plan,” Larkin said. “Some people say they’re going to stay, because really, where else are they going to go?”
In a news conference Monday, some of the campers said they mean no harm, and just want their message to be heard.
“Today we stand up,” said camp organizer Brody Williams. “We really wanted to make a statement, and we will return the park in the best condition we can. Please bear with us. We really appreciate your patience.”
A judge will rule on Pivot’s 10-day injunction request Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's St. John Alexander
