Flyer threatening to set fire to tent city circulating on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside
A disturbing note threatening to set fire to the tents and belongings of people sheltering along Vancouver's East Hastings Street has been taped up and handed out, triggering a police investigation.
The encampment is currently home to hundreds and efforts to enforce an order by the fire chief to remove tents and structures have stalled, largely due to the fact that there is not nearly enough alternative shelter on offer.
An image of the note was posted on social media Monday by Trey Helten, a graffiti artist and peer worker with the Overdose Prevention Society. He said someone was driving around over the weekend throwing the flyer out of a car window.
"Tents and belongings on the side walks will be burned with gasoline and propane canisters. Residents that live in the area will not let you to destroy your community any longer with your selfish. You have seven days to comply," it reads.
"This is a serious warning to the homeless in the area. Leave now or suffer the consequences of your selfish addiction. Insite: The safe injection site will be the first building to be burned down if the homeless and addicted human do not leave the area in the seven day period."
Sgt. Steve Addison, spokesperson for the Vancouver Police Department, confirmed in a brief email that an investigation has been launched.
In a news release issued later Monday, Addison urged people living in the encampment to "be extra vigilant" and report any suspicious activity.
“We are working to identify the person or people responsible for these messages, which have understandably caused fear and anxiety in the Downtown Eastside
The order to remove the tents and structures was made by the city's fire chief nearly three weeks ago.
"Should a fire occur in the area in its current condition, it would be catastrophic, putting lives at risk and jeopardizing hundreds of units of much-needed housing," a statement from the City of Vancouver announcing the order read. Fire officials have since said there have been more than 1,000 fires in the area so far this year.
The note comes on the heels of violent attacks on homeless people in Metro Vancouver. A shooting spree in Langley left two dead and two injured, with the suspect in that case ultimately shot dead by police. The shooting triggered a province-wide emergency alert that described the gunman as targeting "transient" victims.
That same day, on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, police said a woman who is homeless was deliberately set on fire by an unknown man while sitting on the sidewalk. In another incident soon after, a man's makeshift shelter was set ablaze.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.