Clearbrook homeless camp shutting down, province issues evictions

Abbotsford, B.C. -

People living in a highly visible homeless camp on provincially owned land next to Highway 1 in Abbotsford are being evicted.

Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure staff delivered eviction notices earlier this week, giving campers seven days to get out.

“They gave us eviction notices and told us if we’re not out, they’ll take a bulldozer and bulldoze everything,” said Joey, who has been living at the camp for about six months.

“Just get us into housing. We all want to get into housing,” he said.

But that’s not likely to happen.

“Right now, shelters are full," said Josh Burton, program manager at CEDAR Outreach Society.

"We’ve been having quite a bit of difficulty getting people inside. So it will likely mean either the group moving to a new place or the group being dispersed into the community,”

CTV News requested an interview with the transportation minister, but instead received a statement saying, in part, that addressing homelessness is a critical priority for government.

“Encampments are not a safe or suitable form of housing or shelter,” the statement reads. “The encampment at Clearbrook Road and Highway 1 was unsafe for those overnighting at the site due to its proximity to the highway.”

Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens agrees that safety was an issue at the camp.

“Homelessness remains a critical issue for our city and we continue to look for solutions,” Siemens said in an emailed statement.

The ministry said there have been about 10 people staying at the encampment. Outreach workers say there are about 20.

“With more people, you get more conflict, so I would say the size of this camp is approaching where there’s more concern there, so I can see that as one of the reasons for the eviction,” said Burton.

Last summer, campers at the notorious Lonzo encampment in Abbotsford were evicted to make way for a new temporary shelter promised to open before the end of the year. There’s still no sign of construction or prep work beginning at the location.

The province previously said work was taking place off-site, but Burton is worried.

“There is quite a bit of concern mainly just surrounding the cold weather and the need to get folks inside,” said Burton.

Burton said it’s likely people from the camp will just be shuffled to another, less publicly visible encampment.

Joey, who is battling a meth and fentanyl addiction, said he has no idea where he will go, but said he will leave before the deadline.

“Just take it one day at a time. That’s all you can do,” he said.