The Nanaimo-Ladysmith school district was left with the bill after a number of people protesting homelessness tried to squat in an empty elementary school.
In less than 24 hours, the school district says activists caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage to Rutherford Elementary School.
An official posted photos Sunday showing broken doors, banged up furniture and boxes of syringes inside. The photos were posted a day after Mounties arrested protesters who'd tried to set up camp at the school.
The RCMP said 27 people were removed and arrested for break and enter and mischief on Saturday after forcibly entering the boarded up school the night before. All were released on a promise to appear in court in December, with the exception of one man held in custody on unrelated outstanding warrants.
"I was mortified. The amount of damage they did in a short period of time was breathtaking," said Steve Rae, School District 68 board chair.
But the activists say they only used part of the school, and that some of the mess was already there.
Those behind the protest dubbed the "Schoolhouse Squat" admit to leaving behind graffiti – calling it art – but insisted all they did with the furniture was move it around.
"The building was empty for a long time. There were things inside that were strewn about already," Alliance Against Displacement's Dave Diewert said.
"The kinds of damages and moral panic around the harm done to the building is kind of a deflection of the real issue."
The Surrey-based group staged the squat to raise awareness around homelessness and related issues. In Nanaimo, the city has a court order to evict an estimated 300 people from a tent city, but that move may be delayed until modular housing can be set up.
"This is a really good cause and these aren't people who are homeless, living in tent cities, these are activists from Vancouver and other parts of the province," Rae said.
He said calling in a hazmat crew to clean up, hiring round-the-clock security and fixing holes made in the roof where protesters erected signs could cost upwards of $100,000.
The board says a surplus and hopefully some cash from the province will help reduce or eliminated any potential impact on students in the district.
The group behind the protest occupied the housing minister's constituency office last month, protesting the eviction of homeless campers in Saanich. They've also advocated for those living at a homeless camp in Maple Ridge.
Diewert said those who organized the Nanaimo protest weren't members of the community, but organizers know the problems well.
"Skyrocketing real estate, diminishing incomes are the sources of displacement, and happening everywhere," he said.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Bhinder Sajan
